CAMPTON HILLS, Ill. — Learn to grow your own antique apple trees at Garfield Farm Museum’s 25th annual antique apple tree grafting seminar at 1:30 p.m. this Sunday. The farm is located five miles west of Geneva, Ill., off Illinois Route 38 on Garfield Road.

The 370-acre site is a historically intact former 1840s farm and Teamster inn being restored as an 1840s working farm museum by volunteers and donors from around the country. Reservations are required by calling 630-584-8485 or emailing info@garfield farm.org

For $30, participants will take home three grafts of heirloom varieties to plant in the spring. Apple tree expert Dan Bussey will lead the seminar, and will bring several varieties of scions from his orchard in Edgerton, Wis., where he propagates more than 350 rare and endangered varieties.

His efforts have been recognized over the years by the Seed Saver’s Exchange of Decorah, Iowa. Bussey recently took over as manager for its orchard of heritage apple varieties.

With great interest in knowing where one’s food originates, planting an apple tree in the backyard can’t get any more local. Although one must be patient for several years before seeing that first apple, the results are difficult to duplicate with generic store varieties that have been bred for appearance and ability to survive early picking and shipping halfway around the world.

What makes the grafting process so important is that it attaches a root to the old stock, preserving the old stock’s unique genetic traits. An apple seed may not grow into the same exact type of tree from which it came.

Like animals, most plants require genes from two parents. Just planting the seeds of a tree doesn’t guarantee the genetic signature of the tree will be saved. Only grafting can preserve the exact type.

The grafting process has been used for thousands of years, and it is a relatively simple process. A small branch or “scion” of the desired tree is attached to a small rootstock. The root used for the seminar is a smaller, dwarf variety that is good for a backyard or small orchard.

Different varieties of apples are good for various things. For instance, some are better for cider, while others may be better for baking. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were more than 7,000 varieties of apples. Now there are fewer than 2,000 varieties available. The mass market of today is looking for good, multipurpose apples.

Bussey has been the instructor of the seminar since its inception 25 years ago. He will bring scions to graft to rootstock raised especially for that purpose. He also will instruct participants on how to care for their grafts until they are planted. If time allows, the group will go out to the museum’s orchard for instruction on pruning their trees once they are established.

Bussey donates his time and grafts to the farm to make this event possible. Participants are also asked to bring a sharp knife for cutting.