Category: 2020

The legendary Colorado Orange apple returns

In an interview with KSUT, Jude Schuenemeyer talks about why the Colorado Orange apple is special. He also gives us a few tasting notes. And he delves into the work to reintroduce the apple to consumers. He’s already shared the Colorado Orange with other growers, so they can propagate it and eventually return the storied fruit to kitchens and pantries. Listen to the interview at KSUT’s Open Range News…

By Mark Duggan | October 21, 2020

In Search of the Elusive Colorado Orange

In a broadcast that originally aired on The Food Garden Life Radio Show, we chat with Jude Schuenemeyer from Colorado about the history of apple cultivation in Colorado, his work finding and preserving heritage apple varieties—and the recent “rediscovery” an a variety that he and his wife Addie have been working to track down and identify for 20 years: the Colorado Orange. Listen to podcast at Food Garden Life Show…

By Food Garden Life Show | October 8, 2020

“Extinct” Colorado fruit rediscovered and up for auction

Roughly a year ago, a Colorado couple found a species of fruit on a tree near Cañon City that was long believed to be extinct. With the help of their non-profit, Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project, they’ve been able to produce trees that they’re now auctioning off to help grow and preserve this endangered plant species. The name of the fruit the trees produce? An apple dubbed the Colorado Orange.

An apple that was popular in the 1800s as a winter fruit, the flavor of the Colorado Orange grows more complex over time, known for a hint of citrus flavor. Unfortunately, the apple fell out of popularity due to other varieties of apples becoming more popular – specifically, the brightly colored Red Delicious. Eventually, the Colorado Orange grew so sparse that it was considered extinct.

Those with a green thumb (or enough money) will now have the chance to participate in the comeback of this unique fruit.

Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project is hosting five auctions for five trees. Bidding starts at $100, but the price of the first tree climbed to $2,020 before it was sold on October 3 to someone in Kansas. Continue reading at The Denver Gazette…

By Spencer McKee | Oct 6, 2020

This ‘Extinct’ Colorado Apple Could Be Available in Grocery Stores Soon

Try describing the look and taste of a Honeycrisp apple. Even when holding one in your hand, this task isn’t so easy. It’s red, and is, uh, crisp. But many of the thousands of known apple varieties have similar appearances and flavors. Nowadays, genetic testing can allow growers to confirm specific cultivars (in much the same we can learn that a wine grape variety has been mislabeled for decades), but attempting to rediscover “lost” apple varieties that are only preserved through historical records is more akin to detective work… and in the end, you simply hope you got the right suspect.

After two decades of sleuthing, Addie and Jude Schuenemeyer—founders of the Colorado-based Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project—are officially saying “case closed” on one of their apple hunts. Addie says they are now “98 percent sure, give or take 3 percent” that they’ve rediscovered a local variety once thought to have disappeared: the Colorado Orange apple. Read full article in Food & Wine…

By Mike Pomranz | September 21, 2020

Conservation Project to Bring Heirloom Apples Back to Western Slope

A 36-acre property near Cortez in southwestern Colorado soon will be transformed into a sustainable community apple “orchard hub.” With help from The Nature Conservancy, the Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project was able to purchase the land . Jude Schuenemeyer, who co-directs the project, said they’ll use beneficial insects instead of pesticides to protect the apple trees, and underneath, there will be a range of native wildflowers to create a safe space for pollinators to refuel.

“You start to create an ecosystem there,” he said, “and, within that ecosystem, it’s a place where all the different species of bees can be in there without getting sprayed out and killed.”

Plans for a hybrid water system, using native grasses throughout the orchard with roots up to nine feet long, will create a natural underground reservoir, conserving water in an area prone to prolonged drought. Read more or listen to the full story at KDNK Public Radio…

By Eric Galatas | KDNK | July 21, 2020

MORP Announces Property Purchase for Orchard Restoration Project

Directions to Orchard Hub: 13729 Road 29, Dolores, Colorado : THIRD DRIVEWAY ON THE WEST SIDE OF ROAD NORTH OF SOUTHWEST SEED

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Orchard Hub

By The Nature Conservancy | July 20, 2020

In the southwestern corner of Colorado, thousands of historic apple trees dot the landscape, producing an estimated 50,000 bushels of fruit that currently go to waste. Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project (MORP) hopes that one day soon all those apples will be turned into juice. This hope is one step closer to reality as they have now acquired a new property to serve the community as an “Orchard Hub”. The property purchase was made possible through a successful capital campaign with major support from The Nature Conservancy, Gates Family Foundation, Kenney Brothers Foundation, El Pomar Foundation, Onward! A Legacy Foundation, and individual supporters of MORP.

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has partnered with MORP on both the purchase of the property and the restoration efforts. The 36-acre property located just north of Cortez provides a place to launch the on-the- ground efforts MORP began contemplating more than a decade ago. The partners plan to demonstrate water conservation in orchards while saving Montezuma County’s rare and endangered apples and turning them into a value-added product, such as juice or cider. This work will preserve the area’s unique heritage while providing local farmers with a reliable income for their fruit for the first time in a generation.

Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project was started with a goal to preserve Colorado’s fruit growing heritage and restore an orchard culture and economy to the southwestern region. In the early 1900s, apples were a big part of the economy in southwestern Colorado along the Dolores River. In fact, apples were once Colorado’s main fruit crop. But over time, apple orchards gave way to hay, alfalfa and other crops that were more lucrative—and also more water intensive.

“Bringing back apples is not only about preserving the past,” said MORP Co-Director Jude Schuenemeyer. “Apples use less water than other common crops in the area, and historic, wide-spaced orchards provide habitat for native pollinators, wildlife and plants. By testing irrigation strategies and looking into reviving apple production, we can increase the understanding of how to best provide food and manage water sustainably for the area.”

MORP plans to convert their 36 acres from flood-irrigated pasture grass back to an heirloom apple orchard. There, The Nature Conservancy will help MORP improve irrigation efficiency and showcase efficient water use practices, such as drip irrigation and soil moisture monitoring, to local farmers. By planting native grasses between the trees, like buffalo grass and blue grama, the soil will hold in more moisture and the whole area will become more resistant to drought.

The Nature Conservancy became involved in the project as a way to investigate and test options for switching crops to conserve water. Crop switching can be a tool to benefit both rivers and the rural communities that depend on them.

“We are excited to support MORP’s efforts to address water use and community resiliency,” said Celene Hawkins, Western Colorado water project director for The Nature Conservancy in Colorado. “This partnership will enable us to learn more about the benefits of crop switching and what it could mean for water use in southwest Colorado.”

MORP is also involving the local community at every step of the process. By building a classroom, hosting community events, working with Americorps volunteers and partnering with local farmers, the organization is aiming to make orchard cultivation replicable for others in the region. This new property will be a hub to make this work possible.

“I see this as a community-based project that supports local agriculture, while also helping the region think about its options in an increasingly dry future,” added Hawkins.

MORP is also using the historic orchard property to create a genetic bank for the rare heirloom apples they’re saving. All these efforts are pointed toward reviving the apple economy on a broader scale.

See related link: Water Conservation in Orchards

Growing Apples to Conserve Water

For Jude and Addie Schuenemeyer, growing apples preserves a rich cultural history in Colorado. And, growing apples might just be a viable solution to supporting their local economy while sustainably managing water in the drought-stricken Colorado River Basin.

The Colorado River is often called America’s hardest-working river. Demands for water exceed supply, causing the river to dry up before it reaches the sea. Water from the river irrigates more than five million acres of agricultural land and provides drinking water for 40 million people across seven states and two countries. And the lack of water will only get worse as climate change increases drought and water scarcity in the West.

The scale and consequences of water and the Colorado can seem insurmountable. But, Jude and Addie are hoping their pilot project will provide a solution and spread hope for the river.  Continue reading at The Nature Conservancy…

By The Nature Conservancy, March 3, 2020