A pensioner built the world's largest "apple ark" (5 photos)

Wouldn't it be great to try an apple variety no one had eaten for 50, even 100 years? Today's hero thought so too and collected the rarest apple trees in his orchard.





Tom Brown's life changed eight years after retiring. He was 56 years old when he attended a fateful farmers' market. Meeting farmer Maurice Marshall, he learned about the vast number of lost apple varieties. Touched by the injustice of fate towards his beloved fruit, Tom set himself the goal of saving as many apples as possible from extinction. The first saved specimen was discovered by Brown in 1998 in Iredell County, North Carolina. This variety was the "Yellow Potts." This unassuming and largely unremarkable apple was bred in the 19th century and might have remained there if not for Brown.



In all, Tom managed to save about 1,200 apple varieties from extinction. The search for specimens was like a treasure hunt: Tom had to ask elderly people about where and what varieties they had seen, search for wild apple trees in the woods, follow routes indicated by legends and tales, and even hire detectives. Every apple in the orchard has its own rescue story.





Tom primarily collects apples that have fallen out of favor for general consumption. Some varieties are too large, others are too easily damaged and difficult to transport, others don't have the right aroma or taste, and so on.

By collecting what others simply rejected, Brown has cultivated an incredibly diverse orchard and continues to add new specimens to his collection. Currently, his orchard contains at least 700 varieties of extremely rare, and sometimes even the last, apple trees of their kind.



The collection grows thanks to visits to farm shows, where Brown is often encouraged to explore other varieties that might interest him. And even though Brown is now 81 years old, he still persistently searches and delights in each new addition to his truly incredible collection.