Colorado initiative brings nearly extinct apple varieties back to market
“They were a gift from 100 years ago to us now, and it’s a gift we want to pass on 100 years from now,” said Jude Schuenemeyer or the Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project.
“This is the Colorado Orange, this is the one that we found what was believed to be the only tree left,” said Schuenemeyer as he pointed to a group of trees in pots.
He explains that the Colorado Orange apple was a popular variety in the late 1800s, but until they found and grafted one remaining specimen, it was on the verge of total extinction.
“The goal is not that it is sitting in a museum, the goal is to have it out being a relevant crop again that anyone can get an apple and try it,” said Schuenemeyer.
It is estimated that in the late 1800s, there were more than 17,000 varieties of apples grown in the United States. Now, there are only about 6,000. There is no real idea of what happened to the remaining 11,000, or if there are any left.
source: 9news.com
