This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on July 6, 2023.

Out on the upper Salmon River, a pair of forgotten apple trees have been growing sweet, red and green apples for decades.

The trees sit on an old ranch east of Riggins and for a very long time, only bears were interested in the apples they grew. The big animals like the apples so much, they’ll climb the trees in the fall and shake them to get at the fruit.

Now the Lost Apple Project has re-discovered these unknown apples and their fascinating history as they race against time to find lost genetic varieties of the fruit. EJ Brandt, the co-founder of the Lost Apple Project, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.