Food - Drink
The Lost Apple Variety Thomas Jefferson Used To Grow
By KATHERINE BECK
Although Thomas Jefferson is best remembered for his efforts as a founding father and president, he was an avid gardener who grew a wide variety of produce. Jefferson yearned to experiment with growing different plants in an effort to improve America's economy, and this includes an apple variation that may be lost to us today.
Not only did he bring plants from Europe to be raised in the U.S., Jefferson also extensively raised apple trees in his orchards. The Taliaferro apple tree, which Jefferson described as one of the juiciest apples he had ever eaten, is thought to be lost after all the trees grown on Jefferson's plantation died.
Many have searched for the Taliaferro apple, including apple expert Tom Burford, who reported a potential sighting in Highland County, Virginia, in 1994. Burford’s sighting was never confirmed because the only known description of the apple was that it was about one to two inches in diameter and white with red streaks.