How one tree grows 40 different kinds of fruit | Sam Van Aken

譯者: Regina Chu 審譯者: Marssi Draw

100 years ago,

一百多年前，

there were 2,000 varieties of peaches,

曾經有二千種桃子，

nearly 2,000 different varieties of plums

將近二千種不同的李子，

and almost 800 named varieties of apples growing in the United States.

及差不多八百種不同名字的 蘋果在美國生長。

Today, only a fraction of those remain,

今天，只有一小部分留下，

and what is left is threatened by industrialization of agriculture,

所剩無幾的那幾種還被工業化的農業、

disease and climate change.

病害及氣候變遷威脅著。

Those varieties that are threatened include the Blood Cling,

這些受威脅的品種包括鮮紅血桃，

a red-flesh peach brought by Spanish missionaries to the Americas,

這是一種紅肉的桃子， 由西班牙傳道士引進美洲，

then cultivated by Native Americans for centuries;

然後由美洲原著民栽種數百年之久；

an apricot that was brought by Chinese immigrants

還有一種杏子，由中國移民引進，

who came to work on the Transcontinental Railroad;

他們來建造橫貫大陸鐵路；

and countless varieties of plums that originated in the Middle East

還有數不清的李子品種， 原產於中東，

and were then brought by Italian, French and German immigrants.

然後由義大利、 法國及德國的移民引進。

None of these varieties are indigenous.

這些都不是原生種。

In fact, almost all of our fruit trees were brought here,

事實上，我們的果樹 幾乎都是從外地引進的，

including apples and peaches and cherries.

包括蘋果、桃子及櫻桃。

So more than just food,

所以它們不僅是食物，

embedded within these fruit is our culture.

深植於這些水果中的 還有我們的文化。

It's the people who cared for and cultivated them,

就是因為照料及栽種這些水果的人

who valued them so much that they brought them here with them

太喜歡它們了，才把它們帶到這裡，

as a connection to their home,

當作思鄉之物，

and it's the way that they've passed them on and shared them.

也因為它們代代相傳，不斷分享。

In many ways, these fruit are our story.

從很多方面來看， 這些水果就是我們的故事。

And I was fortunate enough to learn about it

我有幸能透過我創造的藝術品 來學習這個故事，

through an artwork that I created entitled the "Tree of 40 Fruit."

這個藝術品的標題為《四十果樹》。

The Tree of 40 Fruit is a single tree

《四十果樹》是一棵樹，

that grows 40 different varieties of stone fruit.

上面結四十種不同種的核果。

So that's peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines and cherries

所以就是桃子、李子、 杏子、油桃、櫻桃

all growing on one tree.

通通長在一棵樹上。

It's designed to be a normal-looking tree throughout the majority of the year,

它被設計成在一年的大部分時間裡， 看起來都像棵正常的樹，

until spring, when it blossoms in pink and white

直到春天，會開粉紅及白色的花，

and then in summer, bears a multitude of different fruit.

然後到夏天，會結出許多不同的果子。

I began the project for purely artistic reasons:

我會開始做這個作品， 純粹是出於藝術原因：

I wanted to change the reality of the everyday,

我想改變日常的現實，

and to be honest,

而且老實說，

create this startling moment when people would see this tree

也想創造出令人目瞪口呆的時刻——

blossom in all these different colors

當大家看到這棵樹 開這些不同顏色的花，

and bear all of these different fruit.

還結這些不同的果實。

I created the Tree of 40 Fruit through the process of grafting.

我用嫁接法創作《四十果樹》。

I'll collect cuttings in winter, store them,

我在冬天時收集插條，保存好，

and then graft them onto the ends of branches in spring.

然後在春天把它們嫁接到分枝的末端。

In fact, almost all fruit trees are grafted,

事實上，幾乎所有的果樹都靠嫁接，

because the seed of a fruit tree is a genetic variant of the parent.

因為果樹的種子是親本的遺傳變異。

So when we find a variety that we really like,

所以當我們發現某種非常喜歡的品種，

the way that we propagate it is by taking a cutting off of one tree

我們繁殖它的方法就是把某棵樹砍下來

and putting it onto another --

接到另一棵上——

which is kind of crazy to think

想起來就覺得有點瘋狂，

that every single Macintosh apple came from one tree

每一個旭蘋果都來自

一棵被嫁接無數次無數代的樹。

that's been grafted over and over from generation to generation.

But it also means that fruit trees can't be preserved by seed.

但是這也意味著果樹 不能靠種子保留。

I've known about grafting as long as I can remember.

我從有記憶起就知道嫁接了。

My great-grandfather made a living grafting peach orchards

我的曾祖父以嫁接桃子果園為生，

in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

他住在賓州東南部。

And although I never met him,

雖然我從未見過他，

any time anyone would mention his name,

每當有人提到他的名字，

they were quick to note

他們很快就會注意到

that he knew how to graft as if he had a magical or mystical capability.

他對於嫁接的了解， 就好像他有什麼神奇超能力一樣。

I decided on the number 40 for the Tree of 40 Fruit

我決定用四十這個數字 在我的《四十果樹》上，

because it's found throughout Western religion

因為我發現整個西方宗教

as not the quantifiable dozen and not the infinite

既不把它當作可量化的「打」， 也不是無限，

but a number that's beyond counting.

而是一個代表數不清的數字。

It's a bounty or a multitude.

它代表大量或很多。

But the problem was that when I started,

問題是在我開始創作時，

I couldn't find 40 different varieties of these fruit,

我找不到四十種不同的核果，

and this is despite the fact that I live in New York state,

儘管我其實是住在紐約州，

which, a century ago,

這裡在一世紀前

was one of the leading producers of these fruit.

可是這些水果的領先生產者。

So as they were tearing out research orchards

所以當他們拆掉研究園

and old, vintage orchards,

以及古老的果園，

I would collect branches off them

我可以從那邊收集插枝，

and graft them onto trees in my nursery.

並嫁接到我的苗圃裡的樹木上。

So this is what the Tree of 40 Fruit look like when they were first planted,

這就是《四十果樹》 一開始種植的樣子，

and this is what they look like six years later.

而這是六年後的樣子。

這絕對不是會給你立即滿足的娛樂，

This is definitely not a sport of immediate gratification --

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

It takes a year to know if a graft has succeeded;

你要花一年才知道嫁接是否成功；

it takes two to three years to know if it produces fruit;

要花兩到三年才知道它會不會結果；

and it takes up to eight years to create just one of the trees.

還要花長達八年的時間 才能創造出一棵像這樣的樹。

Each of the varieties grafted to the Tree of 40 Fruit

嫁接到《四十果樹》的每個品種，

has a slightly different form and a slightly different color.

形狀和顏色都略有不同。

And I realized that by creating a timeline of when all these blossomed

我意識到藉著建立這些品種 何時開花的時間表，

in relationship to each other,

顯示彼此之間的關係，

I can essentially shape or design how the tree appears during spring.

我基本上可以塑造或設計 這棵樹在春天的樣子。

And this is how they appear during summer.

這是它們夏天的樣子。

They produce fruit from June through September.

它們在六月到九月間結果。

First is cherries, then apricots,

首先是櫻桃，然後杏子，

Asian plums, nectarines and peaches,

亞洲李、油桃、桃子，

and I think I forgot one in there, somewhere ...

我想我忘了一個什麼，哪裡……

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Although it's an artwork that exists outside of the gallery,

雖然這不是 展示在藝廊內的傳統作品，

as the project continues,

隨著這個作品持續下去，

it's been conservation by way of the art world.

它還是以藝術作品的形式保存著。

As I've been asked to create these in different locations,

當我受邀在不同的地方 創作同樣的樹作品時，

what I'll do is I'll research varieties

我就會去研究

that originated or were historically grown in that area,

當地的原生種， 或原本在當地種植的品種，

I'll source them locally and graft them to the tree

我會就地取材，並嫁接到那棵樹上，

so that it becomes an agricultural history of the area where they're located.

所以那棵樹就變成當地的 農業歷史展。

And then the project got picked up online,

然後這個計畫變成網紅，

which was horrifying and humbling.

這讓我又驚恐又謙卑。

The horrifying part was all of the tattoos that I saw

令人驚恐的部分是我看到 照著《四十果樹》刺的刺青圖。

of images of the Tree of 40 Fruit.

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Which I was like, "Why would you do that to your body?"

我就想，你為什麼 要這樣折磨你的身體？

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And the humbling part was all of the requests that I received

令人謙卑的部分是我收到

from pastors, from rabbis and priests

從牧師、拉比和祭司寄來的邀請函，

who asked to use the tree as a central part within their service.

他們要用這棵樹當宗教儀式的中心。

And then it became a meme --

然後它還變成網路迷因——

and the answer to that question is "I hope not?"

那個問題的答案是「但願不會？」

[Is your marriage like the Tree of 40 Fruit?]

［你的婚姻像《四十果樹》嗎？］

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Like all good memes,

就像所有的好迷因一樣，

this has led to an interview on NPR's "Weekend Edition,"

這讓我上了

全國公共廣播電台的《周末新聞》，

and as a college professor, I thought I peaked --

我身為一名大學教授， 我以為我已經爬到頂了——

like, that was the pinnacle of my career --

我是說，這是我事業的高峰——

but you never know who's listening to NPR.

不過你真的不知道 誰在聽公共廣播電台。

And several weeks after the NPR interview,

廣播訪問幾週後，

I received an email from the Department of Defense.

我收到國防部寄來的一封電郵。

The Defense Advanced Research Project Administration invited me

國防高等研究計劃署的人邀請我

to come talk about innovation and creativity,

去談談創新和創造力，

and it's a conversation that quickly shifted to a discussion of food security.

這場對談的話題 很快就轉成糧食安全。

You see, our national security is dependent upon our food security.

你知道，我們的國家安全 與糧食安全息息相關。

Now that we've created these monocultures

現在我們已經造成單一耕作，

that only grow a few varieties of each crop,

每種作物只種幾種品種，

if something happens to just one of those varieties,

只要有一種品種發生什麼意外，

it can have a dramatic impact upon our food supply.

就會嚴重影響我們的糧食供應。

And the key to maintaining our food security

維持糧食安全的關鍵，

is preserving our biodiversity.

就是保存我們的生物多樣化。

100 years ago, this was done by everybody that had a garden

一百年前，這可以靠 每一個有花園的人

or a small stand of trees in their backyard,

或在後院有幾棵樹的人

and grew varieties that were passed down through their family.

種幾種家傳品種來做。

These are plums from just one Tree of 40 Fruit in one week in August.

這些是一棵《四十果樹》 在八月某星期內結的李子。

Several years into the project,

創作開始幾年後，

I was told that I have one of the largest collections of these fruit

有人對我說我收藏 這些水果的品種數量

in the Eastern United States,

是美東數一數二的。

which, as an artist, is absolutely terrifying.

這從藝術家的眼光看，真的很恐怖。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But in many ways, I didn't know what I had.

不過從很多方面來看， 我真的不懂我有什麼。

I discovered that the majority of the varieties I had

我發現絕大宗我手上的品種，

were heirloom varieties,

都是祖傳品種，

so those that were grown before 1945,

也就是在 1945 年以前種植的，

which is seen as the dawn of the industrialization of agriculture.

那一年被視為農業工業化的開始。

Several of the varieties dated back thousands and thousands of years.

有幾種品種可以追溯到數萬年前。

And finding out how rare they were,

我知道它們有多罕見後，

I became obsessed with trying to preserve them,

就沉迷於要試圖保存它們，

and the vehicle for this became art.

而保存的工具就成了藝術。

I would go into old, vintage orchards before they were torn out

我會去拆毀前的古老果園，

and I would save the bowl or the trunk section

我會保存樹幹上面

that possessed the original graft union.

有最初的移植聯合體的部分。

I started doing pressings of flowers and the leaves

我開始壓花及葉子

to create herbarium specimens.

做植物標本。

I started to sequence the DNA.

我開始定序 DNA。

But ultimately, I set out to preserve the story

但是最後，我還是踏上保存故事之旅，

through these copper-plate etchings and letterpress descriptions.

用這些銅板蝕刻及凸版印刷說明。

To tell the story of the George IV peach,

來說說喬治四世桃子的故事，

which took root between two buildings in New York City --

這桃樹根源於紐約市 兩棟建築物之間，

someone walks by, tastes it,

有人走過嘗了一下，

it becomes a major commercial variety in the 19th century

就此它就變成 十九世紀最大的商業品種，

because it tastes just that good.

因為它就是那麼好吃！

Then all but vanishes,

然後幾乎消失殆盡，

because it doesn't ship well

因為它不易運送，

and it doesn't conform to modern agriculture.

不適合現代農業。

But I realize that as a story, it needs to be told.

但是我明白這是個該被傳誦的故事。

And in the telling of that story,

而且要訴說這個故事，

it has to include the experience of being able to touch,

必須包括能夠觸摸、

to smell and to taste those varieties.

聞到、嘗到這些品種的經驗。

So I set out to create an orchard

所以我開始栽種果園，

to make these fruit available to the public,

開放這些水果給大眾，

and have the aim of placing them in the highest density of people

並打算將它們種在

我所知道人口密度最高的地方。

that I could possibly find.

Naturally, I started looking for an acre of land in New York City --

所以我很自然地 開始在紐約市找一畝地。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

which, in retrospect, seemed, like, rather ambitious,

這件事回過頭來看， 似乎還挺有雄心的，

and probably the reason why nobody was returning my phone calls or emails --

或許這就是為什麼 都沒有人回我的電話或電郵。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

until eventually, four years later, I heard back from Governors Island.

直到四年後， 我終於聽到總督島的回音。

So Governors Island is a former naval base

總督島的前身是座海軍基地，

that was given to the City of New York in 2000.

於 2000 年歸給紐約市管轄。

And it opened up all of this land

而且整座島都開放，

just a five-minute ferry ride from New York.

從紐約搭渡輪只要五分鐘。

And they invited me to create a project that we're calling the "Open Orchard"

他們邀請我去做一個計畫， 我們稱之為「開放果園」，

that will bring back fruit varieties

這個計畫要帶回

that haven't been grown in New York for over a century.

超過一世紀沒有在紐約市 種植的水果品種。

Currently in progress,

目前的進展是，

The Open Orchard will be 50 multigrafted trees

開放果園會有 50 棵多嫁接樹木，

that possess 200 heirloom and antique fruit varieties.

上面有 200 種祖傳 及古董級的水果品種。

So these are varieties that originated or were historically grown in the region.

所以這些品種都是當地的原生種， 或原本就種在當地的品種。

Varieties like the Early Strawberry apple,

像早生草莓蘋果這種品種，

which originated on 13th Street and Third Avenue.

原生於 13 街及第三大道。

Since a fruit tree can't be preserved by seed,

因為果樹不靠種子保存，

The Open Orchard will act like a living gene bank,

開放果園就像一座活的基因庫，

or an archive of these fruit.

或這些水果的存檔。

Like the Tree of 40 Fruit,

就像《四十果樹》，

it will be experiential;

它有經驗性，

it will also be symbolic.

它也有象徵意義。

Most importantly, it's going to invite people to participate in conservation

最重要的是，

它會邀請民眾參與保育行動，

and to learn more about their food.

並更了解他們的食物。

Through the Tree of 40 Fruit,

因為《四十果樹》的關係，

I've received thousands and thousands of emails from people,

我收到成千上萬封電郵，

asking basic questions about "How do you plant a tree?"

大家都問「你怎麼種樹？」 這種基本問題。

With less than three percent of the population

不到 3% 的人

having any direct tie to agriculture,

跟農業有任何直接的關連，

the Open Orchard is going to invite people

開放果園將邀請大眾

to come take part in public programming and to take part in workshops,

來參加開放課程及工作坊，

to learn how to graft, to grow, to prune and to harvest a tree;

學習如何嫁接、種植、 修剪樹木及收成；

to take part in fresh eating and blossom tours;

參加嚐鮮及賞花之旅；

to work with local chefs to learn how to use these fruit

與當地廚師一同學習 如何使用這些水果，

and to recreate centuries-old dishes

並重現有數百年歷史的美味佳餚，

that many of these varieties were grown specifically for.

這些品種中有好多種 就是特別為這些佳餚而種的。

Extending beyond the physical site of the orchard,

超越果園的物理所在，

it will be a cookbook that compiles all of those recipes.

它將成為這些美味食譜的大集合。

It will be a field guide

它將成為實地嚮導

that talks about the characteristics and traits of those fruit,

訴說這些水果的特點及特質，

their origin and their story.

它們的起源及故事。

Growing up on a farm, I thought I understood agriculture,

我在農場長大， 我認為自己了解農業，

and I didn't want anything to do with it.

但我一點也不想沾上邊。

So I became an artist --

所以我成為藝術家——

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But I have to admit that it's something within my own DNA.

但是我得承認這還在我的 DNA 裡。

And I don't think that I'm the only one.

我想我也不是唯一的一個。

100 years ago, we were all much more closely tied to the culture,

一百年前，我們所有的人都與文化、

the cultivation and the story of our food,

與耕作、與我們食物的故事 都有更密切的關係，

and we've been separated from that.

而我們漸行漸遠。

The Open Orchard creates the opportunity

開放果園創造的機會

not just to reconnect to this unknown past,

不只重新連結這未知的過去，

but a way for us to consider what the future of our food could be.

更是能讓我們思考 未來食物走向的一種方式。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）