[Artemis Webb]

This is probably the most useful article the LA Times has written in years.

[Artemis Webb]

For your consideration Sir.

[Demiurge2]

Fascinating!

[Bob434]

used to do a lot of hiking and would go through woods and run across really old homestead foundations and almost always had apple trees alongside the homes- probably some old varieties- but never thought to go there during apple season- so don’t know for sure-

[Vermont Lt]

I hope they still have some flavor. All of the apples in the grocery store are devoid of any good apple flavor these days.

There is nothing like going to the old orchard in Granville Mass and getting some apples and them stopping by the general store for some local cheese.

The stuff they pass for GMO fruit is crap these days.

[nwrep]

So true!

[kiryandil]

Awesome.

[gloryblaze]

My Ma always bought red or yellow delicious, or Cortland, and we had some unknown really sour ones from our own tree, which were good for pies and sauce, with about equal amounts of sugar. But there was a tree on a neighboring farm that my Dad rented with just a basement left of any homestead, and those apples were amazing in the rare years there were any that matured to ripening. Late in adulthood I tried a Gala, and there it was! just like that old strange one. My favorite ever since.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Very cool.

The Spanish established orchards in New Mexico (in the Manzano Mountains - that’s Spanish for apple) in the 1600’s and some old varieties have been found.

[weston]

These guys worked with my friend, the late Nick Botner. Nick pioneered new ways if grafting tree varieties and has worked with Universities and Conservancy Organizations.
He was an awesome person who tilled my garden for me every year. RIP Nick, your trees live on.
http://www.temperateorchardconservancy.org/about/botner/

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

How do you like them apples?

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Thanks so much for posting this article! My great grandparents had a small fruit orchard operation in Creston, British Columbia in the first half of the 20th century. The Creston Valley produces amazing fruit as does the entire northwest US and southwestern Canada.

This is incredible: "North America once had 17,000 named varieties of domesticated apples..." I had no idea.

We have a "heritage apple" orchardist just up the road from us in Athol, Idaho called (appropriately enough) "Athol Orchards." The owners are doing an amazing job re-creating orchards with lost heritage apples. Nikki and her husband are at the farmer's markets in Hayden, ID and elsewhere. Their scrumptious Apple Syrup and their Hot Apple Syrup (with a touch of pepper to warm it up) is just wonderful on pancakes, waffles and ice cream.

I sent the article link to Nikki via her website a couple minutes ago and she responded immediately! Nikki wrote

"That is my good friend Dave Benscoter! I just met up with him over the weekend for a large bag of scion wood he gifted me and the Buttersweet of Pennsylvania is one of the varieties we just grafted yesterday! He had told me about the latest story that he was anticipating hitting the AP this week. I'm on the committee of the Lost Apple Project and have done some work for him - cataloging apples by photograph, some design work, it's one of my most proudest causes.

Thanks for the share and for thinking of us! We are adding roughly 100 old varieties to the farm this year! Grafting taking place as we speak!"

That's what I love about FR -- you get a random story about apples, I pass it on to my favorite orchardist, she's thrilled to see the article and she just met with her good friend Dave Benscoter (featured in the article) this past weekend. Amazing how FR can bring us together in unexpected ways.

If you are interested, you can visit their site at Athol Orchards or purchase Nikki's products at Shop Here. Try her syrup - you will love it!

[DuncanWaring]

“Trees of Antiquity”.

https://www.treesofantiquity.com/

[jimmygrace]

Wow, there really is a silver lining on every cloud!

[ProtectOurFreedom]

If you ever find yourself in Spokane, Washington, be sure to drive north to the Green Bluff Agricultural District. There are 62 growers open to the public and the variety of apples in the fall is just unbelievable. They all try to out-do each other with fall festivities for families and kids, so it's a fun all-day outing. Lots of freshly baked pies available, too. Quite a few of our neighbors in North Idaho head to Green Bluff to buy fresh peaches for pies and canning, then head over in the fall to get the fresh apples.

[Albion Wilde]

Descendants of Johnny Appleseed?

[Pride in the USA]

I don’t know why, but this sounds like a wonderful way to spend your time. What a great “hobby!”

[fso301]

How many Bigfoots did they see?

[minnesota_bound]

Johnny Appleseed got around.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Appleseed

[smalltownslick]

Growing u p deep in rural Ohio, my sister and I were always exploring. On one of our expeditions we came across an apple tree, picked a lot of the apples, and they made wonderful pies. They were unlike any apples we had ever seen. They were a dull, muted gold color, a lot like a Bosc pear. Always wondered what they were, after I was able to do a little internet searching, I thought it might be a Rustic. But still don’t know for sure. But what a wonderful discovery for two little girls who just had to go roaming in the woods.

[Hieronymus]

A few years back my wife and I were hoping to buy a place that was one of the first homesteads in our area, built about 1870. It still had the bulk of its small orchard, which produced, IIRC, late June to about October (we’re in mid-North Ontario, and it was snowing about ten minutes ago, so we don’t get apples as early as some places).