https://www.npr.org/2021/06/11/1005418986/several-types-of-apples-thought-to-be-extinct-have-been-rediscovered

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An Apple Detective Rediscovered 7 Kinds Of Apples Thought To Be
Extinct There are well-known types of detectives: narcotics,
homicide, cyber. Add "rare apple," thanks to a Washington state
retiree who recently rediscovered seven kinds, including the Almota
and the Eper.
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An Apple Detective Rediscovered 7 Kinds Of Apples Thought To Be
Extinct

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An Apple Detective Rediscovered 7 Kinds Of Apples Thought To Be
Extinct 1:49

Food

An Apple Detective Rediscovered 7 Kinds Of Apples Thought To Be
Extinct

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Updated June 11, 20215:39 PM ET Originally published June 11, 2021
5:02 AM ET
Heard on Morning Edition

Dalia Faheid

An Apple Detective Rediscovered 7 Kinds Of Apples Thought To Be
Extinct

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[undefined-]
Enlarge this image

A painting from the USDA pomological watercolor collection depicts a
long-lost apple, the Ivanhoe. U.S. Department of Agriculture hide
caption

toggle caption
U.S. Department of Agriculture

A painting from the USDA pomological watercolor collection depicts a
long-lost apple, the Ivanhoe.

U.S. Department of Agriculture

David Benscoter was a criminal investigator at the FBI and IRS for 24
years before transitioning to his new role: apple detective.

He's the founder of the Lost Apple Project, a nonprofit organization
that searches abandoned farms and orchards in the Pacific Northwest
to locate old varieties. Benscoter recently found seven types of
apples in old orchards in Oregon, Washington and Idaho that were
thought to have gone extinct as long as a century ago.

They're a mix of red, green and yellow, with names like the Almota,
the Ivanhoe, the Eper and the Iowa Flat. Since 2014, Benscoter's
organization has discovered 29 lost apple varieties, including the
Streaked Pippin, the Sary Sinap and the Nero.

[iowa-flat-]
Enlarge this image

Dave Benscoter rediscovered the Iowa Flat and other apples by finding
watercolor paintings like this commissioned by the USDA. U.S.
Department of Agriculture hide caption

toggle caption
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Dave Benscoter rediscovered the Iowa Flat and other apples by finding
watercolor paintings like this commissioned by the USDA.

U.S. Department of Agriculture

"An apple tree you've never tasted before, a taste somebody hasn't
tasted in a hundred years, it's rewarding knowing that we brought
these varieties back," Benscoter said.

Benscoter became interested in apples after a neighbor with a
disability asked him to help care for her apple trees.

There were once at least 17,000 named varieties of apples in North
America, but only about 4,500 are known to exist today. By the 20th
century, farmers stopped growing most apple types because they were
less in demand.

Benscoter scours seed catalogues, county fair records, newspaper
clippings and nursery sales ledgers to search for lost apples. He
found one, for instance, in a watercolor painting of fruits and nuts
that the USDA contracted in 1880.

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He says the 100-year wait was worth it. The rediscovered apples, he
says, have a unique taste compared to regular varieties, but are
still just as tasty. According to the Whitman County Historical
Society, which partnered with the nonprofit on the project,
rediscovered apple types will soon become available again to the
public.

[10-20-19-a]
Enlarge this image

Apple detective Dave Benscoter works out in the field to search for
apples thought to be extinct. Dave Benscoter hide caption

toggle caption
Dave Benscoter

Apple detective Dave Benscoter works out in the field to search for
apples thought to be extinct.

Dave Benscoter

"We get excited when they make discoveries," said USDA apple curator
Ben Gutierrez, who has collaborated with Benscoter. "Because it's a
push for Apple conservationism."

Gutierrez said the rediscoveries are a step toward increased genetic
diversity of apples. He can test the historic varieties to find out
what farmers and buyers will want. The USDA can then piece together
that information to help farmers more reliably grow apples, not use
as much pesticides and increase nutritional quality.

Barry Gordemer and Simone Popperl produced and edited the audio
story.

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