Last week, Healthy Archuleta sponsored the Growers and Producers Forum meeting at the Community United Methodist Church, welcoming speakers from the Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project located in Montezuma County. Jude Schuenemeyer enlightened those attending the forum with a little history about how fruit trees and fruit production came to Southern Colorado, specifically the western corner of the state.
Going back to the 1800s, settlers in the southern region faced times of hunger due to the lack of agriculture. However, several families that trekked over the San Juans brought seeds of heirloom fruit trees along with other types of fruits and vegetables. Many varieties of apple trees were planted in orchards along Hermosa Creek in La Plata County. This became one of many locations where orchards popped up on homesteads throughout the area. Reliance on these orchards was a staple for feeding families and communities, while maintaining self-sufficiency, as obtaining supplies, particularly in winter, was difficult. A trip to get supplies meant a six-week wagon ride. Today, many of the varieties of apples brought to our region are now extinct, long forgotten in abandoned orchards.
This is where the Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project comes in. Their work revolves around the revitalization of these abandoned orchards, taking tissue samples from old trees to document specific cultivars and provide grafting materials for growing new trees. At their nursery located in Mancos, they offer classes in tree pruning and also classes in grafting scions for home cultivation. What Jude shared is that these cultivars have been around for decades and are proven to be hearty to our climate and growing conditions, making growing these heritage apple trees a great option for home and commercial orchards alike.
To learn more about what the Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project is doing, you can visit their website at www.montezumaorchard.org. There, you can read more about the history of Colorado orchards, the many varieties of apples from the past, and other educational information about the project. You can also check out the class schedules, read about their mobile juicing operations, and harvesting schedules.
The next Growers and Producers Forum is scheduled for January 2026.
To learn more about Healthy Archuleta and the upcoming Growers and Producers Forums, please visit our website at www.foodcoalition4archuleta.org.