Washington State’s apple growers were fixated on a single species, the Red Delicious, which made up 70% of the state’s apple production in 1988. But like a prudent investor, Barritt knew the importance of the mix in a portfolio, as well as in metaphors. “I just felt like they put all their eggs in one basket,” he says. “That cash cow wasn’t going to last forever.” He was right: production of the Red Delicious, which critics say is always red but rarely delicious, fell 11% from 2017 to 2018, according to the U.S. Apple Association.
Barritt advocated for the state to look beyond its star product—a task akin to talking the capital-A Apple into moving past the iPhone. But in 1994, Washington State University (WSU) began a breeding program led by Barritt, and his team set offon a quest to build a better apple.
Decades later, the fruit of their labors is ready for picking: apple variety WA38, better known as the Cosmic Crisp, thanks to a starry pattern on its skin formed by small pores called lenticels. To hear Barritt describe the Cosmic Crisp is to hear an artist who’s clearly proud of his work.
This story is from the September 30, 2019 edition of Time.
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This story is from the September 30, 2019 edition of Time.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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