“迷失的苹果”项目正在寻找古董品种

“迷失的苹果”项目正在寻找古董品种

We're familiar with deer hunters, truffle hunters and house hunters, but a two-person team of retirees in the Pacific Northwest has found something else to track: vintage apples. There were once 17,000 apple varieties in North America; it's estimated that only 4,000 of those remain. But these fruit trees were once plentiful, dotting homesteader's acreage as a vital source of food during lean times.

我们对猎鹿人、松露猎人和房屋猎人都很熟悉，但太平洋西北部的一个退休二人小组发现了另一种可以追踪的东西:陈年苹果。北美曾经有17000个苹果品种;据估计，目前只剩下4000种。但这些果树曾经是丰富的，点缀着农场的土地，在歉收时期是重要的食物来源。

Scientists believe these older varieties might have something to tell us about evolution or climate change. (Photo: Peter Chmielowiec/Shutterstock)

Many of these fruit orchards were planted after Lincoln's signing of the Homestead Act in 1862, which granted 160 acres to any citizen for a small filing fee. This push to settle the western territory of the U.S. allowed many Americans, including former slaves, women and immigrants, to build a home and start a farm on their own land.

1862年，林肯签署了《宅地法》，其中许多果园是在林肯签署《宅地法》后种植的。这种在美国西部地区定居的努力使许多美国人，包括以前的奴隶、妇女和移民，得以在自己的土地上建造房屋和开办农场。

Benscoter shows no signs of vertigo as he cuts a few branches from a heritage apple tree. (Photo: The Lost Apple Project/Facebook

Two-thirds of the $4 billion U.S. apple industry is based in Washington, but only 15 varieties account for 90% of the market, with McIntosh, Fuji, Gala and Red Delicious leading the way. But until industrial agriculture took over a century ago, apples had flourished in family orchards and farms throughout the Midwest, New England and the South.

在价值40亿美元的美国苹果产业中，有三分之二位于华盛顿，但只有15个品种占据了90%的市场，其中以麦金托什、富士、加拉和红美味为首。但是直到一个多世纪以前，农业工业化以后，苹果才在中西部、新英格兰和南方的家庭果园和农场中繁衍开来。

Commercial growers, however, aren't so enchanted with these old-fashioned beauties. They believe there's a reason these fruits faded into obscurity. "They're hard to grow," Mac Riggan explained to The New York Times. Riggan is the director of marketing at Chelan Fresh in central Washington, which has 26,000 acres of fruit trees.

然而，商业种植者对这些老式的美人并不是那么着迷。他们相信这些水果消失在黑暗中是有原因的。“他们很难成长，”麦克·瑞根向《纽约时报》解释道。瑞根是位于华盛顿市中心的Chelan Fresh公司的市场总监，该公司拥有26,000英亩的果树。

Older varieties can be more sensitive to travel, bruising easily, and can't be stored for a long time. And in this modern economy, they simply don't produce enough fruit to keep up with an international market. "Land costs money," Riggan adds.

老品种对运输更敏感，容易碰伤，不能长时间储存。在现代经济中，他们的水果产量根本赶不上国际市场。“土地需要钱，”瑞根补充道。

Brandt brandishes an apple, on the hunt for another almost-extinct varietal. (Photo: The Lost Apple Project/Facebook)

E. J. Brandt is the other founder of The Lost Apple Project. He's a Vietnam veteran with a passion for history. The two men have journeyed through the Northwest trying to harvest those homesteader's forgotten apples. Sometimes in a truck or all-terrain vehicle, oftentimes on foot, time is of the essence to capture these apples before they're forever lost to housing developments or monoculture.

e·j·勃兰特是“迷失的苹果”项目的另一位创始人。他是越战老兵，对历史充满热情。这两个人穿越了西北，试图收获那些被农场主遗忘的苹果。有时，在一辆卡车或全地形车里，常常是步行，在这些苹果永远被住房开发或单一文化所淹没之前，时间是至关重要的。

Scientists believe these old-school apples could teach us a few things about climate change and genetic diversity. "You have to have varieties that can last, that can grow, produce fruit, survive the heat and maybe survive the cold winter, depending on where you are," Joanie Cooper, a botanist at the Temperate Orchard Conservancy, says. "I think that's critical."

科学家认为，这些老的苹果可以告诉我们一些关于气候变化和基因多样性的知识。温带果园保护中心的植物学家Joanie Cooper说:“你必须有能够持续生长的品种，能够生长、生产水果，能够经受住炎热的天气，或许还能熬过寒冷的冬天，这取决于你在哪里。”“我认为这很关键。”

If the apple is indeed considered "lost," Brandt and Benscoter return to the scene to take cuttings that will eventually be grafted and planted in the conservancy's orchard for future preservation.

如果苹果确实被认为是“迷失的”，勃兰特和本斯考特就会回到现场采集插枝，这些插枝最终会被嫁接并种植在保护协会的果园中，以备将来保存。

"It's a lot of footwork and a lot of book work and a lot of computer work. You talk to a lot of people," Brandt reflects. "And with that type of information, you can zero in a little bit — and then after that, you just cross your fingers and say, ‘Maybe this will be a lost one.'"

“这需要大量的步法、大量的书本工作和大量的电脑工作。你和很多人交谈，”勃兰特反思道。“有了这类信息，你就可以一点点归零——然后，你只要交叉手指，说，‘也许这个会迷失。’”