Apples have been called the country’s “most endangered food.” Currently, 86% of apple varieties grown in the US have vanished, and four out of five are on the brink of extinction. During Prohibition, apple trees were cut down by supporters of the Temperance movement as a showy conquest over America’s alcoholic heritage. Often bumpy, brown, and tannic these apples didn’t have the appeal to succeed in a modern grocery store.

But thanks to the hard cider revival, rare apples are being saved. In this class, we’ll explore the historical characters that brought good cider to America and the contemporary cider makers who hope to preserve these apples. I’ll also share my travels across the country on the hunt for rare apples, including a once famous New Jersey apple that was considered extinct until its 2018 rediscovery in an abandoned 19th century orchard.