Mission: To renew the historical fruit resource in Colorado and to grow our local food economy.

Heritage fruit trees are special. These fruit bearers were planted here by the nineteenth-century homesteaders, building their livelihoods by hand in raw wilderness. The Italian settlers building farms in the mid Roaring Fork Valley planted and grew apple, pear, apricot, plum and cherry trees, many of which have survived and are still productive today. They surpass the quality and character of most commercial fruit trees available in the nursery market, and they are acclimated to this region. 

The goals of this project include:

• map and collect data on all fruit trees in the Roaring Fork Valley

• identify trees with tasty fruit and favorable characteristics

• graft from, grow and plant more fruit trees throughout the Roaring Fork Valley and Western Slope region of Colorado

• divert food production back into our local and regional food systems

Growing and tracking our fruit production resources will allow Colorado to become a major agricultural producer and increase food security for the whole state. 

"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in."

- Greek proverb