From apple pie on Thanksgiving to Johnny Appleseed stories passed down for generations, the apple is a symbol of American culture. But the first apples originated halfway around the world, below the towering, snow-capped mountains of Central Asia in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Levi Bridges reports on the origins and sustainable future of apples, in this story from The World’s archives.

This story originally aired on Nov. 12, 2024.