Apples came to America with European settlers.  Their introduction shaped the history of agriculture as successive waves of colonists moved into remote areas like downeast Maine.  Over the past decades, dedicated historians and apple-obsessed Mainers have tracked down the oldest trees in backyard orchards and relict farmsteads in an effort to rescue the lost varieties before they disappeared forever.  The task of figuring out what these old apples were, however, was incredibly daunting because, in Maine alone, there were hundreds and hundreds of old varieties whose names were lost in many places with the passing of the last generation of orchardists.  

The speakers, John Bunker & Todd Little-Siebold will discuss how new advances in genomic profiling of apples have nurtured a collaboration between scientists and apple historians to reconstruct the history of apples in Maine and in the United States and Europe more broadly to build an accurate account of the origins of America's favorite fruit.  Where did they come from, and why do so many apples have French ancestors, will be among the questions addressed.  Come learn about the recent breakthroughs that are revealing Maine's deep and forgotten apple history.