“迷失的蘋果”項目正在尋找古董品種

“迷失的蘋果”項目正在尋找古董品種

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.

我們對獵鹿人、松露獵人和房屋獵人都很熟悉，但太平洋西北部的一個退休二人小組發(fā)現(xiàn)了另一種可以追蹤的東西:陳年蘋果。北美曾經有17000個蘋果品種;據(jù)估計，目前只剩下4000種。但這些果樹曾經是豐富的，點綴著農場的土地，在歉收時期是重要的食物來源。

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，林肯簽署了《宅地法》，其中許多果園是在林肯簽署《宅地法》后種植的。這種在美國西部地區(qū)定居的努力使許多美國人，包括以前的奴隸、婦女和移民，得以在自己的土地上建造房屋和開辦農場。

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.

在價值40億美元的美國蘋果產業(yè)中，有三分之二位于華盛頓，但只有15個品種占據(jù)了90%的市場，其中以麥金托什、富士、加拉和紅美味為首。但是直到一個多世紀以前，農業(yè)工業(yè)化以后，蘋果才在中西部、新英格蘭和南方的家庭果園和農場中繁衍開來。

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，商業(yè)種植者對這些老式的美人并不是那么著迷。他們相信這些水果消失在黑暗中是有原因的。“他們很難成長，”麥克·瑞根向《紐約時報》解釋道。瑞根是位于華盛頓市中心的Chelan Fresh公司的市場總監(jiān)，該公司擁有26,000英畝的果樹。

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.

老品種對運輸更敏感，容易碰傷，不能長時間儲存。在現(xiàn)代經濟中，他們的水果產量根本趕不上國際市場。“土地需要錢，”瑞根補充道。

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·勃蘭特是“迷失的蘋果”項目的另一位創(chuàng)始人。他是越戰(zhàn)老兵，對歷史充滿熱情。這兩個人穿越了西北，試圖收獲那些被農場主遺忘的蘋果。有時，在一輛卡車或全地形車里，常常是步行，在這些蘋果永遠被住房開發(fā)或單一文化所淹沒之前，時間是至關重要的。

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."

科學家認為，這些老的蘋果可以告訴我們一些關于氣候變化和基因多樣性的知識。溫帶果園保護中心的植物學家Joanie Cooper說:“你必須有能夠持續(xù)生長的品種，能夠生長、生產水果，能夠經受住炎熱的天氣，或許還能熬過寒冷的冬天，這取決于你在哪里。”“我認為這很關鍵。”

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.

如果蘋果確實被認為是“迷失的”，勃蘭特和本斯考特就會回到現(xiàn)場采集插枝，這些插枝最終會被嫁接并種植在保護協(xié)會的果園中，以備將來保存。

"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.'"

“這需要大量的步法、大量的書本工作和大量的電腦工作。你和很多人交談，”勃蘭特反思道。“有了這類信息，你就可以一點點歸零——然后，你只要交叉手指，說，‘也許這個會迷失。’”