The “lost” apples will help restore genetic, culinary diversity to a crop North America once produced in astonishing variety

A dizzying 17,000 named apple varieties once decorated orchards in North America. Most of those strains are now extinct, and today, just 15 varieties account for 90 percent of the United States’ apple production. In the Pacific Northwest, however, a team of retirees has rediscovered ten apple varieties once thought to be lost forever.

To gain a better sense of these historical orchards, Brandt and fellow volunteer David Benscoter sift through old newspaper clippings, nursery sales and county fair records. They track down leads by cross-referencing what they find with old property maps, land deeds and even the memories of surviving relatives, reported Flaccus in a 2019 AP story. After logging the GPS coordinates of relevant trees found, the pair carefully bags and labels fruit to be shipped to the TOC for identification.

Including this new crop of ten, Brandt and Benscoter are responsible for putting 23 apple varieties back on the U.S. agricultural map. Per the AP, the pair’s latest finds include the Gold Ridge; the Butter Sweet; the Sary Sinap, a strain that originated in ancient Turkey; and the Streaked Pippin, which was recorded in New York as early as 1744.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/10-apple-varieties-once-thought-extinct-are-rediscovered-pacific-northwest-180974694/

Would think Australia has less than 15 commercial varieties available.

PermeateFree said:

The “lost” apples will help restore genetic, culinary diversity to a crop North America once produced in astonishing variety

A dizzying 17,000 named apple varieties once decorated orchards in North America. Most of those strains are now extinct, and today, just 15 varieties account for 90 percent of the United States’ apple production. In the Pacific Northwest, however, a team of retirees has rediscovered ten apple varieties once thought to be lost forever.

To gain a better sense of these historical orchards, Brandt and fellow volunteer David Benscoter sift through old newspaper clippings, nursery sales and county fair records. They track down leads by cross-referencing what they find with old property maps, land deeds and even the memories of surviving relatives, reported Flaccus in a 2019 AP story. After logging the GPS coordinates of relevant trees found, the pair carefully bags and labels fruit to be shipped to the TOC for identification.

Including this new crop of ten, Brandt and Benscoter are responsible for putting 23 apple varieties back on the U.S. agricultural map. Per the AP, the pair’s latest finds include the Gold Ridge; the Butter Sweet; the Sary Sinap, a strain that originated in ancient Turkey; and the Streaked Pippin, which was recorded in New York as early as 1744.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/10-apple-varieties-once-thought-extinct-are-rediscovered-pacific-northwest-180974694/

Would think Australia has less than 15 commercial varieties available.

But there are some heritage orchards in Tassie, I think.

Hang on, Petty’s orchard in Templestowe claims a goodly number. But not thousands.

https://www.heritagefruitssociety.org/page-1701901

I found their list:

https://www.heritagefruitssociety.org/page-1860643

Not sure what is in Tasmania.

But I reckon only about a dozen varieties are usually in the supermarkets. If that many.

buffy said:

PermeateFree said:

The “lost” apples will help restore genetic, culinary diversity to a crop North America once produced in astonishing variety

A dizzying 17,000 named apple varieties once decorated orchards in North America. Most of those strains are now extinct, and today, just 15 varieties account for 90 percent of the United States’ apple production. In the Pacific Northwest, however, a team of retirees has rediscovered ten apple varieties once thought to be lost forever.

To gain a better sense of these historical orchards, Brandt and fellow volunteer David Benscoter sift through old newspaper clippings, nursery sales and county fair records. They track down leads by cross-referencing what they find with old property maps, land deeds and even the memories of surviving relatives, reported Flaccus in a 2019 AP story. After logging the GPS coordinates of relevant trees found, the pair carefully bags and labels fruit to be shipped to the TOC for identification.

Including this new crop of ten, Brandt and Benscoter are responsible for putting 23 apple varieties back on the U.S. agricultural map. Per the AP, the pair’s latest finds include the Gold Ridge; the Butter Sweet; the Sary Sinap, a strain that originated in ancient Turkey; and the Streaked Pippin, which was recorded in New York as early as 1744.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/10-apple-varieties-once-thought-extinct-are-rediscovered-pacific-northwest-180974694/

Would think Australia has less than 15 commercial varieties available.

But there are some heritage orchards in Tassie, I think.

Bob Magnus has spent decades finding apples in Tas. Worked with the government agriculture apple orchard before I knew him. I think he had over a thousand…although only a selection available for sale.

https://www.woodbridgefruittrees.com.au/25-fruit-trees

Huonville Crab Semi-dwarfing

This quite a remarkable apple, with scarlet red flesh, covered by a scarlet red skin that shines up when pollished. Small, palm-sized fruit, and a sweetnes offset by a faint crab-apple tartness. The leaves are purple-green and the sap is red too. Quite amazing! The tree is quite vigorous and bears heavily.

We discovered this tree as a seedling – a huge old tree growing in Huonville, Tasmania, weighed down each year by massive crops of red orbs. We think it’s a hybrid between a crab apple and a cultivated apple. It would also explain its vigour and prolific bearing. Great to eat, great cooked, juiced and make a very acceptable cider. It’s become the most sought after of our whole catalogue. A customer wrote: ‘One of our favourite trees is the Huonville Crab. It’s a most attractive tree in our flower garden and as you say, the fruit is great to eat – the red flesh surprises everyone who bites into these little purple wonders!’.

Note this variety is also available on dwarfing an dstepover rootstocks.
——

Lots of people growing these now.^

I posted these from my old orchard (since destroyed) at the old cottage property.

sarahs mum said:

buffy said:

PermeateFree said:

The “lost” apples will help restore genetic, culinary diversity to a crop North America once produced in astonishing variety

A dizzying 17,000 named apple varieties once decorated orchards in North America. Most of those strains are now extinct, and today, just 15 varieties account for 90 percent of the United States’ apple production. In the Pacific Northwest, however, a team of retirees has rediscovered ten apple varieties once thought to be lost forever.

To gain a better sense of these historical orchards, Brandt and fellow volunteer David Benscoter sift through old newspaper clippings, nursery sales and county fair records. They track down leads by cross-referencing what they find with old property maps, land deeds and even the memories of surviving relatives, reported Flaccus in a 2019 AP story. After logging the GPS coordinates of relevant trees found, the pair carefully bags and labels fruit to be shipped to the TOC for identification.

Including this new crop of ten, Brandt and Benscoter are responsible for putting 23 apple varieties back on the U.S. agricultural map. Per the AP, the pair’s latest finds include the Gold Ridge; the Butter Sweet; the Sary Sinap, a strain that originated in ancient Turkey; and the Streaked Pippin, which was recorded in New York as early as 1744.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/10-apple-varieties-once-thought-extinct-are-rediscovered-pacific-northwest-180974694/

Would think Australia has less than 15 commercial varieties available.

But there are some heritage orchards in Tassie, I think.

Bob Magnus has spent decades finding apples in Tas. Worked with the government agriculture apple orchard before I knew him. I think he had over a thousand…although only a selection available for sale.

https://www.woodbridgefruittrees.com.au/25-fruit-trees

Huonville Crab Semi-dwarfing

This quite a remarkable apple, with scarlet red flesh, covered by a scarlet red skin that shines up when pollished. Small, palm-sized fruit, and a sweetnes offset by a faint crab-apple tartness. The leaves are purple-green and the sap is red too. Quite amazing! The tree is quite vigorous and bears heavily.

We discovered this tree as a seedling – a huge old tree growing in Huonville, Tasmania, weighed down each year by massive crops of red orbs. We think it’s a hybrid between a crab apple and a cultivated apple. It would also explain its vigour and prolific bearing. Great to eat, great cooked, juiced and make a very acceptable cider. It’s become the most sought after of our whole catalogue. A customer wrote: ‘One of our favourite trees is the Huonville Crab. It’s a most attractive tree in our flower garden and as you say, the fruit is great to eat – the red flesh surprises everyone who bites into these little purple wonders!’.

Note this variety is also available on dwarfing an dstepover rootstocks.
——

Lots of people growing these now.^

Oooo, I want one.

I’m actually quite happy with my home grown Jonathons, Red Delicious and Granny Smith. And I’m pretty sure I’ve managed to get a cutting going of the “wild” apple in the Casterton garden which I think is a Bramley, or a very close kindred spirit. There are a lot of roadside apples in this district which the locals go out and pick. I may be responsible for some of the cores that went out onto the roadside over the years…

speaking of apples, i just made some apple sauce to go with the pork belly i am having this evening. cooking it on the new bbq.

I mean, these are just cultivars. It’s not as though they are subspecies. Commercial products brought about relatively quickly by selection and often given distinct names just for marketing purposes.

sarahs mum said:

buffy said:

PermeateFree said:

The “lost” apples will help restore genetic, culinary diversity to a crop North America once produced in astonishing variety

A dizzying 17,000 named apple varieties once decorated orchards in North America. Most of those strains are now extinct, and today, just 15 varieties account for 90 percent of the United States’ apple production. In the Pacific Northwest, however, a team of retirees has rediscovered ten apple varieties once thought to be lost forever.

To gain a better sense of these historical orchards, Brandt and fellow volunteer David Benscoter sift through old newspaper clippings, nursery sales and county fair records. They track down leads by cross-referencing what they find with old property maps, land deeds and even the memories of surviving relatives, reported Flaccus in a 2019 AP story. After logging the GPS coordinates of relevant trees found, the pair carefully bags and labels fruit to be shipped to the TOC for identification.

Including this new crop of ten, Brandt and Benscoter are responsible for putting 23 apple varieties back on the U.S. agricultural map. Per the AP, the pair’s latest finds include the Gold Ridge; the Butter Sweet; the Sary Sinap, a strain that originated in ancient Turkey; and the Streaked Pippin, which was recorded in New York as early as 1744.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/10-apple-varieties-once-thought-extinct-are-rediscovered-pacific-northwest-180974694/

Would think Australia has less than 15 commercial varieties available.

But there are some heritage orchards in Tassie, I think.

Bob Magnus has spent decades finding apples in Tas. Worked with the government agriculture apple orchard before I knew him. I think he had over a thousand…although only a selection available for sale.

https://www.woodbridgefruittrees.com.au/25-fruit-trees

Huonville Crab Semi-dwarfing

This quite a remarkable apple, with scarlet red flesh, covered by a scarlet red skin that shines up when pollished. Small, palm-sized fruit, and a sweetnes offset by a faint crab-apple tartness. The leaves are purple-green and the sap is red too. Quite amazing! The tree is quite vigorous and bears heavily.

We discovered this tree as a seedling – a huge old tree growing in Huonville, Tasmania, weighed down each year by massive crops of red orbs. We think it’s a hybrid between a crab apple and a cultivated apple. It would also explain its vigour and prolific bearing. Great to eat, great cooked, juiced and make a very acceptable cider. It’s become the most sought after of our whole catalogue. A customer wrote: ‘One of our favourite trees is the Huonville Crab. It’s a most attractive tree in our flower garden and as you say, the fruit is great to eat – the red flesh surprises everyone who bites into these little purple wonders!’.

Note this variety is also available on dwarfing an dstepover rootstocks.
——

Lots of people growing these now.^

Wouldn’t mind one myself.

dv said:

I mean, these are just cultivars. It’s not as though they are subspecies. Commercial products brought about relatively quickly by selection and often given distinct names just for marketing purposes.

Don’t think that is the point. New varieties take years to develop and the best have unique properties. My taste buds know and appreciate the differences.

PermeateFree said:

dv said:

I mean, these are just cultivars. It’s not as though they are subspecies. Commercial products brought about relatively quickly by selection and often given distinct names just for marketing purposes.

Don’t think that is the point. New varieties take years to develop and the best have unique properties. My taste buds know and appreciate the differences.

Pink Ladys seem to be a fairly recent type.

Tamb said:

PermeateFree said:

dv said:

I mean, these are just cultivars. It’s not as though they are subspecies. Commercial products brought about relatively quickly by selection and often given distinct names just for marketing purposes.

Don’t think that is the point. New varieties take years to develop and the best have unique properties. My taste buds know and appreciate the differences.

Pink Ladys seem to be a fairly recent type.

Dates from 1973.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cripps_Pink

Bubblecar said:

Tamb said:

PermeateFree said:

Don’t think that is the point. New varieties take years to develop and the best have unique properties. My taste buds know and appreciate the differences.

Pink Ladys seem to be a fairly recent type.

Dates from 1973.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cripps_Pink

Thanks.

Johnny Appleseed shoulda spread more varieties.

dv said:

I mean, these are just cultivars. It’s not as though they are subspecies. Commercial products brought about relatively quickly by selection and often given distinct names just for marketing purposes.

Its the total expression of apple-ness.

Slightly off topic.

I once had a bite from an apple from a Newton’s apple tree in CSIRO Highett. There is another one in Monash University. I did once know where there was a third in Victoria. Once was enough, good for stewing only. Though I must add that the fruit was just as big as those sold in shops.

As for insight, my insight from that tree was about biodiversity – the tree had an enormous number of different pests and diseases, more than I’ve seen on any other tree.

The rediscovery of lost varieties is great news.

Divine Angel said:

Johnny Appleseed shoulda spread more varieties.

If Johnny Appleseed did indeed plant seeds then every seed would have been a new type.

While today’s main use of apples is for raw consumption, this is only a relatively recent practice. In the past apples were primarily used for cooking or for making cider (Pollan, 2003, Luby, 2003). Today’s benchmark of a good apple appears to be the sweetness of the apple, whereas for most of the apple’s existence, sweetness was less paramount, probably not because sweetness was undesirable, but rather because apples were not consumed in their raw state. Part of the reason for this is that prior to the 20th century, raw fruit and vegetables were generally considered to be harmful to human health (Henzell, 2007). https://collections.museumvictoria.com.au/articles/11549