The History of the colorado orange apple

Around 1867, one of the "Founding Fathers of Florence", Jesse Frazier, produced a variety of apple that stayed longer than most, had a hint of citrus and became palatable in December and improves from then on to July. He called it the "Colorado Orange" apple and it was produced right here in Florence, Colorado.

"Uncle Jesse" as he was known, described it over 100 years ago, “It is the longest keeper I know and of excellent quality.”

The Montezuma Restoration Project, which establishes school, community, and conservation orchards to preserve Colorado's rare and endangered apple cultivars, describes the Colorado Orange apple, "Historically described as large, round, oblate, slightly ridged at the calyx, stalk medium length, basin shallow; Yellowish-orange color with blush where exposed to the sun; flesh light yellow, exceedingly firm, yet very crisp; a rich, high aromatic, sub-acid flavor, most exceedingly juicy; in fact, in flavor and quality it is distinct and peculiar to itself, differing widely in both these characteristics from any other known apple."

For over a century, it was believed that the Colorado Orange apple had become extinct but with DNA and other extensive testing, a lone surviving Colorado Orange apple tree emerged to live on through the work of the Montezuma Restoration Project and 

The Oak Creek Heritage Orchard & Farm.

We planted our first two Colorado Orange apple trees, "Uncle Jesse" and our Memorial Tree. The remaining 50 trees for our Heritage Orchard will be planted in late March - early April of 2025. The orchard is located just beyond the fenced area at event center and has walk paths and seating areas.

Our trees are grown on Malus domestica standard sized seedling rootstock. This is what trees were historically grafted on. These will be large trees that will grow for a century or more due to their cold hardiness and drought tolerance.

You can find the full story of the rediscovery of the thought to be extinct Colorado Orange Apple here.