In the eastern part of Washington state, seven apple varieties previously believed to be lost or extinct have been rediscovered. Several were found on land near the communities of Pullman, Colfax and Moscow. The Lost Apple Project and the Temperate Orchard Conservancy announced the latest discoveries this month.
The Lost Apple Project was founded by Dave Benscoter; it has partnered with the Whitman County Historical Society to identify and preserve heritage apple trees and orchards in Washington and Idaho. The groups have found 29 apples once thought to have disappeared.
According to postregister.com, the latest seven apples were discovered in old orchards in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
The Almota apple, which has pale yellow skin striped with red, was located southeast of Pullman on land farmed by Roy Druffel’s family.
The Ivanhoe, described as having green or slightly yellow skin with reddish blush, was found west of Pullman at the site of what was once the Pullman Country Club.
The Eper apple variety was found 20 miles north of Colfax. The apple is small with greenish-yellow skin and red stripes. It is believed to be one of 34 fruit varieties imported from Hungary in the 1890s.
The Iowa Flat, a yellow apple with red blush and red streaks, was found near Orchard Avenue in Moscow. It most likely originated in Iowa and in 1901 appeared in an experimental orchard in Farmdale, Illinois.
Other varieties were found near Salem and the community of Flora in Oregon and in Waitsburg in Walla Walla County.