THE LOST APPLE PROJECT

This tree may be a "lost" variety

“If we have apple tree on the farm, why don’t we pick them?” I asked my parents back in the ‘70s. My dad picked a bagful for me, and that was that.

“What kind are they?” I asked, and my mother said they were Red Delicious. I doubted that but didn’t argue.

When we came to live at the farm, I still wondered about the old apple trees and how to identify them. We have eight trees on our property plus one at the neighbor’s that also piqued my interest. Aside from the occasional pie and a little sauce, we don’t pay much attention to the trees. For one thing, it’s just darned hard to access them and harder still to pick them.

A couple of years ago, I read an article about the work of David Benscoter to identify antique apple varieties long considered extinct. The program, called the “Lost Apple Project,” operates through the Whitman County Historical Society of Colfax, WA. It’s really a program of the Palouse, but last year (2019), I contacted David and asked if I could submit apples to the project. He agreed. Late in October, Mike and I picked the apples and met David at the top of the Lewiston Hill one bitterly cold and windy afternoon in early November 2019.

Is this a "Winterstein?"

The results are in. Only three of our trees were identified. (Perhaps the other apples were too degraded, or maybe they were just common crabapples.) However, it IS exciting that the big tree where the road meets the lane was tentatively identified as a “Winterstein.” The tree at the neighbor’s is a Rome. And – the tree at the edge of June’s property is a “yes,” which means they think it’s a lost variety and want to see it again. I will resubmit apples from this tree in the fall.

I had never heard of a “Winterstein” apple. Here’s what I learned from internet research:

·      Developed by Luther Burbank in 1898, evidently a blending of the Gravenstein and an unknown variety.

·      Late-ripening (for your Thanksgiving pie)

·      An heirloom variety some consider unexceptional today.

·      Grows to 30 feet in height and 10-15 feet in width. (Our tree fits this description.)

·      The blossoms are white to pink/red (Also checks with our tree.)

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Our “Winterstein” tree – actually several trees now – is of such height that it’s difficult to pick the apples. The deer bed down under it and eat the falls. It seems that the “Winterstein” has found a happy location there in the crook of the road. It probably enjoys fertilizer from the field. It should probably have more water during the summer, but there’s nothing I can do for that.

It's not good to “pick” apples, or any fruit, by shaking the tree, so this year I bought a fruit-picker’s pole. It’s an awesome tool. I know the “Winterstein” makes a good pie, and now that I have my picker, I might just grab more of them. We’ll be able to access those in the top of the tree. I can hardly wait! KW