Why Apple Detectives Are Tracking Down Lost Varieties Dec 21, 2020 Behold a Streaked Pippin!
The phrase “lost and found” is being imbued with fresh meaning thanks to the Lost Apple Project.
Since 2014, the nonprofit organization has found 23 lost or nearly extinct apple varieties. At least 17,000 named varieties were once grown here after early colonists brought apples to America; today, there are just 5,000. The group seeks to identify and preserve heritage apple trees planted before 1920 in the Pacific Northwest.
“The history these old apple trees have is just incredible,” says Dave Benscoter, a former FBI agent and IRS investigator, who runs the Lost Apple Project with EJ Brandt.