Hi everybody this is Joe Lample the Joe behind Joe Gardner and welcome to the

Joe Gardner show today's podcast episode is one that is mostly a story but

it's a good one one mixed with history drama expert, expert detective work, and some very fortuitous encounters

that helped close the case on the hunt for a much beloved Apple variety thought long ago extinct, but recently rediscovered with the help of Jude and

Addy Schoenmeyer, Apple hunters dedicated to preserving historic Colorado

Apple varieties and their persistence and patients over 20 years of searching for this apple

had finally paid off. This is the story of their journey to rediscover the Colorado Orange Apple, the only apple of Colorado that had ever made it big in the world,

and it may soon make a comeback because of its unique and broad appeal, which originally made it so popular.

The last known Colorado apple tree stood hidden for a century.

Its location was a closely guarded family secret until 2014 when the tree's caretaker realized the tree was dying.

He got in touch with Jude and Addie Schoenmeyer and that's when this case began to break

wide open.

Though the original Colorado Orange Tree has since died,

the Schuen-Myers took 13 successful graphs from it,

and now through their efforts and those of other talented orchardists,

its legacy lives on to ensure

that this unique apple variety and its rich history will be enjoyed by future

generations. Even if you don't have any interest in ever growing an apple tree, I still think that you're going to find this story as fascinating as I did,

as I learned about the process that goes into the research and the science in hopes of connecting all the dots

as was the case in this 20-year search for the Colorado Orange Apple.

So let's hear the story from Jude Schuenmeyer himself, Apple Hunter and co-director of the Montezuma

Orchard Restoration Project.

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