Researchers have made what they call a "spectacular" finding at the Mount Vernon home of America's first president: almost 30 bottles of preserved fruit.

研究人员在美国第一任总统弗农山庄的家中发现了近30瓶果脯，他们称之为“惊人”的发现。

The bottles of cherries and berries were preserved in storage areas in the cellar of George Washington's home near the Potomac River.

这些樱桃和浆果被保存在乔治·华盛顿位于波托马克河附近的家中地窖的储藏区。

Researchers discovered the fruits during an archaeological dig connected to a restoration project.

研究人员在与修复工程相关的考古挖掘中发现了这些水果。

Jason Boroughs is Mount Vernon's head archaeologist.

杰森·博洛斯是弗农山的首席考古学家。

He said the discovery of so much perfectly preserved food from more than 250 years ago is almost unequaled.

他说，发现这么多250多年前保存完好的食物几乎是史无前例的。

"Finding… fresh fruit, 250 years later, is pretty spectacular," Boroughs told the Associated Press.

博洛斯对美联社说:“在250年后发现新鲜水果，这是非常惊人的。”

Whole pieces of fruit, recognizable as cherries, were found in some of the bottles.

在一些瓶子中发现了完整的水果，可以辨认出是樱桃。

Other bottles held what appear to be gooseberries or currants, though testing is underway to confirm that.

其他瓶子里似乎装着醋栗，不过正在进行检测以证实这一点。

Mount Vernon is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which is doing DNA testing on the fruit.

弗农山庄正在与美国农业部合作，农业部正在对这种水果进行DNA测试。

The USDA is also examining more than 50 cherry pits recovered from the bottles to see if any of them can be planted.

美国农业部还在检查从瓶子中回收的50多个樱桃核，看看是否有可以种植的。

Benjamin Gutierrez, a USDA plant scientist, said the chances of using a cherry pit to grow a tree are low.

美国农业部植物科学家本杰明·古铁雷斯(Benjamin Gutierrez)说，利用樱桃核种树的可能性很低。

Seeds preserve best when they are dry, and most of the pits found at Mount Vernon were wet.

种子在干燥的时候保存得最好，而在弗农山庄发现的大多数种子坑都是湿的。

A couple of pits tested at first were not able to be used as seeds.

一开始测试的几个樱桃核无法用作种子。

Still, Gutierrez said the bottles are a remarkable find.

不过，古铁雷斯说，这些瓶子是一个了不起的发现。

In addition to DNA testing, he said chemical testing may be able to show if spices were used to preserve the fruits.

他说，除了DNA检测，化学检测可能能够显示是否使用香料来保存水果。

Records at Mount Vernon show that George and Martha Washington enjoyed cherries, at least when mixed with the alcoholic drink known as brandy.

弗农山庄的记录显示，乔治和玛莎·华盛顿喜欢樱桃，至少在混合白兰地酒精饮料时是这样。

Martha Washington's recipe for a "cherry bounce" drink survives.

玛莎·华盛顿的“樱桃威士忌甜酒”饮料配方得以幸存。

And Washington wrote that he took some cherry bounce with him on a trip across the Alleghenies in 1784.

华盛顿写道，1784年，他在穿越阿勒格尼山脉的旅行中带了一些樱桃威士忌甜酒。

These cherries, though, were most likely bottled to be eaten as food, Boroughs said.

博洛斯说，这些樱桃最可能是装瓶食用的。

The quality of the preservation suggests skilled work.

保存的质量表明该工作技术精湛。

The kitchen was overseen by an enslaved woman named Doll, who came to Mount Vernon in 1758 with Martha Washington.

厨房由一位名叫多尔的奴隶妇女负责管理，她于1758年与玛莎·华盛顿一起来到弗农山庄。

Boroughs said the slaves were probably responsible for the preservation process and described the work as "highly skilled."

博洛斯说，这些奴隶可能负责保存过程，并形容这项工作“技术高超”。

He added that if the work was poorly done it "wouldn't have survived this way."

他补充说，如果工作做得不好，它“不会以这种方式保存下来”。

The bottles were found only because Mount Vernon is doing a 40 million dollars restoration project on the house.

这些瓶子之所以被发现是因为弗农山庄正在对这座房子进行一项耗资4000万美元的修复工程。

The work is expected to be finished by the nation's 250th birthday in 2026.

这项工程预计将于2026年建国250周年时完工。

Boroughs said the archaeological dig started because the ground was going to be affected during structural repairs to the house.

博洛斯说，之所以开始考古挖掘，是因为在房屋结构维修期间，地面会受到影响。

"We didn't expect to find all this," he said.

“我们没想到会发现这一切，”他说。

Researchers know the bottles date to before 1775 because that is when a building project on the house led to the area being covered over with a brick floor.

研究人员知道这些瓶子可以追溯到1775年之前，因为当时房子上的一个建筑项目导致该地区被砖地板覆盖。

Mount Vernon announced back in April, at the start of its archaeological work, that it had found two bottles.

今年4月，弗农山庄在考古工作开始时宣布，他们发现了两个瓶子。

As the dig continued, the number increased to 35 in six different storage pits.

随着挖掘的继续，六个不同储存坑中的瓶子数量增加到35个。

Six of the bottles were broken, with the other 29 in good condition.

其中6个瓶子破损，另外29个瓶子状况良好。

Twelve held cherries, 16 held the other berries believed to be currants and gooseberries, and one larger bottle held both cherries and other berries.

12个装樱桃，16个装其他浆果，据信是醋栗，一个更大的瓶子既装樱桃又装其他浆果。

Boroughs believes they have now uncovered all the cherries and berries that survived.

博洛斯认为，他们现在已经发现了所有幸存下来的樱桃和浆果。

"There is a lot of information that we're excited to get from these bottles," he said.

“我们很高兴能从这些瓶子中获得很多信息，”他说。

I'm Andrew Smith.

安德鲁·史密斯报道。