Agriculture has long been central to North Central Massachusetts, and that heritage is closely tied to apples and to Johnny Appleseed, who was born in Leominster in 1774. In recognition of that tradition, the Johnny Appleseed Visitors Center has ninety-one apple trees on its grounds, including three Johnny Appleseed, or Rambo, trees planted from saplings taken from a more than 200-year-old tree in Nova, Ohio, identified as the last known tree planted by Johnny Appleseed; American Historical Forestry provided those saplings in 2003. In Colonial times, apples were an important staple because they were relatively easy to grow, store, and use throughout the year, whether eaten fresh, baked, fried, dried, made into preserves and apple butter, or fed to livestock. These apples were typically more bitter than modern commercial sweet apples, so they were often made into hard cider and cider vinegar, with vinegar used to pickle vegetables for long-term preservation and hard cider serving as an important source of safe drinking water. Agriculture remains an important part of North Central Massachusetts today, helping shape the region’s future and economy alongside advanced manufacturing, health care, and professional services, and the area is home to an estimated 800 farms, orchards, and other agricultural enterprises.