On the outside, the Pippin boasts a splotchy, mottled mix of yellows, reds and greens. Its shape is often lopsided and a bit pathetic looking. Many Pippins are pockmarked with imperfections.

On the inside, however, the Albemarle Pippin is considered one of the most delicious apples in the country.

Those who can see beyond the Pippins ugly exterior prize the plucky fruit, like a fine smelly French cheese.

"Its beauty is on the inside, not on the outside," Drumheller said.

An apple with a past

The Albemarle Pippin is the oldest commercially available apple in the United States, having been discovered in the early 18th century along Newtown Creek in Queens, N.Y.

Once apple growers in Central Virginia began producing their own Pippins a few years later, it helped fuel the establishment of Virginias apple industry.

Thomas Jefferson grew Pippins at Monticello and once proclaimed that Europe has "no apples here to compare with our Newtown pippin." Ben Franklin was reportedly a big fan. And Queen Victoria loved Pippins so much that she exempted the apple from import tariffs.

"Theres a lot of American history rolled up in the Albemarle Pippin," said Penny Cornett, director of the Center for Historic Plants at Monticello.

Monticello sells Albemarle Pippin trees at its historic garden shop for $35. In recent years, the trees have sold out quickly each season, Cornett said.

It was first referred to as the Albemarle Pippin in a Richmond newspaper editorial in 1843. The writer complained about the prevalence of imported "Yankee apples" while "The very best Pippin we know of is grown in the county of Albemarle," said Peter Hatch, author of "The Fruits and Fruit Trees of Monticello: Thomas Jefferson and the Roots of American Horticulture."

By 1900, barrels of Albemarle Pippins fetched a price that was twice that of its leading competitors, Hatch said.

Central Virginia was ground zero for Pippin orchards. The foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains were known as Pippin Land.

"It was probably the biggest industry in Albemarle County in the late 1800s and early 1900s," Hatch said.

The Pippins popularity was fueled by its taste and ability to withstand long journeys without spoiling, Hatch said.

Making a comeback

Over the past few decades, however, consumers soured on the Albemarle Pippin because advances in cold storage technology allowed growers to ship their apples anywhere in the world. As the ugly Pippin declined, the attractive Red Delicious, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith ascended.

Now, it appears that the Pippin is bouncing back after its years of exile. Local apple fans are deciding that taste is more important than looks. Plus, the Pippins local history is also likely helping to attract apple aficionados.

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