Long before the muscular pop culture hero came along, Rambo was an apple with Swedish roots. In 1640 colonist Peter Gunnarsson arrived at the New Sweden Colony on the Delaware River with a cask of Swedish apple seeds among his belongings. In a more momentous turn of events, Peter would swap the "Gunnarsson" for "Rambo" (after Ramberget, a mountain near his hometown in Gothenburg, Sweden) - a name that would become legendary in horticulture and popular culture centuries later.
Big and juicy with a blush of red when ripe, the Rambo apple was introduced to American folklore through Johnny "Appleseed" Chapman, who planted them throughout the mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley. His legacy endures in Ashland County, Ohio, where a Rambo apple tree - planted around 1830 - still stands.
The apple later cracked pop culture as the namesake for the popular book and movie series. Creator David Morrell, seeking a "strong-sounding name" for his hero, chose "John Rambo" after eyeing a bag of the apples his wife had brought home.
The Rambo apple proved to be less resilient than the movie tough guy. Although the new breed would go on to thrive in the United States, the Rambo vanished from Sweden during a harsh winter in the early 1700s. It would be 300 years before the Rambo was reintroduced to its homeland. In 2008, a group of Swedish Americans returned Peter
Gunnarsson's favor.
In the hope of reestablishing the Swedish breed in that country, Rambo apple trees were planted at 10 cultural and historic sites as part of the Rambo Apple Project, with the support of such organizations as the American Swedish Historical Museum, the Nordic Museum, the Swedish Agricultural University and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. The trees were supplied by the USDA's Plant Genetic Resource Unit at Cornell University.
In this country, the Rambo Apple Project works to increase awareness of the Swedish culture. "It's a chance to show what the people who came to America brought with them to remind them of home," says Herbert Rambo, Chairman of the Swedish American Friendship Delegation. A descendant of Peter Rambo, Herbert traveled to Sweden for the planting.
Wisconsin's living history museum, Old World Wisconsin, uses the Rambo apple tree to educate visitors. "Many Swedes came to America and to Wisconsin, in particular. Planting Rambo apple trees is a great way to bring more visibility to our state's Swedish immigrants and to their contributions, both culturally and horticulturally," says Marcia Carmichael, Old World Wisconsin's historic gardener.
Old World Wisconsin's pair of Rambo apple trees were planted near the site's Finnish homestead (in a nod to Peter's Finnish wife). Although their trees won't start producing apples for another two to three years, there is much anticipation: the Rambo is revered as a delicious cooking apple, perfect for pie, sauce and cider.
"There's something really special about tasting these old varieties," says Carmichael, "especially when you know they were important enough for our ancestors to make sure to bring with them to America. These were tastes they just didn't want to leave behind."