“迷失的蘋(píng)果”項(xiàng)目正在尋找古董品種

“迷失的蘋(píng)果”項(xiàng)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(duì)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(gè)退休二人小組發(fā)現(xiàn)了另一種可以追蹤的東西:陳年蘋(píng)果。北美曾經(jīng)有17000個(gè)蘋(píng)果品種;據(jù)估計(jì)，目前只剩下4000種。但這些果樹(shù)曾經(jīng)是豐富的，點(diǎn)綴著農(nóng)場(chǎng)的土地，在歉收時(shí)期是重要的食物來(lái)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(guó)西部地區(qū)定居的努力使許多美國(guó)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(kāi)辦農(nóng)場(chǎng)。

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(jià)值40億美元的美國(guó)蘋(píng)果產(chǎn)業(yè)中，有三分之二位于華盛頓，但只有15個(gè)品種占據(jù)了90%的市場(chǎng)，其中以麥金托什、富士、加拉和紅美味為首。但是直到一個(gè)多世紀(jì)以前，農(nóng)業(yè)工業(yè)化以后，蘋(píng)果才在中西部、新英格蘭和南方的家庭果園和農(nóng)場(chǎng)中繁衍開(kāi)來(lái)。

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(duì)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(zhǎng)，”麥克·瑞根向《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》解釋道。瑞根是位于華盛頓市中心的Chelan Fresh公司的市場(chǎng)總監(jiān)，該公司擁有26,000英畝的果樹(shù)。

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(duì)運(yùn)輸更敏感，容易碰傷，不能長(zhǎng)時(shí)間儲(chǔ)存。在現(xiàn)代經(jīng)濟(jì)中，他們的水果產(chǎn)量根本趕不上國(guó)際市場(chǎng)。“土地需要錢(qián)，”瑞根補(bǔ)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(píng)果”項(xiàng)目的另一位創(chuàng)始人。他是越戰(zhàn)老兵，對(duì)歷史充滿(mǎn)熱情。這兩個(gè)人穿越了西北，試圖收獲那些被農(nóng)場(chǎng)主遺忘的蘋(píng)果。有時(shí)，在一輛卡車(chē)或全地形車(chē)?yán)铮３Ｊ遣叫?，在這些蘋(píng)果永遠(yuǎn)被住房開(kāi)發(fā)或單一文化所淹沒(méi)之前，時(shí)間是至關(guān)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(xué)家認(rèn)為，這些老的蘋(píng)果可以告訴我們一些關(guān)于氣候變化和基因多樣性的知識(shí)。溫帶果園保護(hù)中心的植物學(xué)家Joanie Cooper說(shuō):“你必須有能夠持續(xù)生長(zhǎng)的品種，能夠生長(zhǎng)、生產(chǎn)水果，能夠經(jīng)受住炎熱的天氣，或許還能熬過(guò)寒冷的冬天，這取決于你在哪里。”“我認(rèn)為這很關(guān)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(píng)果確實(shí)被認(rèn)為是“迷失的”，勃蘭特和本斯考特就會(huì)回到現(xiàn)場(chǎng)采集插枝，這些插枝最終會(huì)被嫁接并種植在保護(hù)協(xié)會(huì)的果園中，以備將來(lái)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(shū)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(lèi)信息，你就可以一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)歸零——然后，你只要交叉手指，說(shuō)，‘也許這個(gè)會(huì)迷失。’”