<\/p>\n
Armed with cider, stale toast and noise makers, a group of Montezuma County residents chased off bad apple tree spirits last weekend in Mancos.<\/p>\n
It was a rare moment to catch a wassailing party in Montezuma County \u2013 an ancient English tradition during which people visit cider producing orchards in England and recite incantations and sing to the trees to promote a good harvest for the coming year.<\/p>\n
Sara Miller and Daniel MacNeill hosted the party on Jan. 24 at Miller\u2019s heritage orchard near the mouth of Weber Canyon.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was so much fun,\u201d Miller said. \u201cWe plan to do it again next year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miller\u2019s apple trees are historic themselves. They are more than 100 years old, and Miller and MacNeill are working to restore the orchard, situated on 4 acres with about 250 trees. The orchard has about 22 varieties of apples, something that is very had to come by.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thought it would be neat to gather and bless the orchard,\u201d Miller said. \u201cAnd then we started doing research and ran across wassailing.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a little research, Miller and MacNeill learned that although it is an ancient practice, wassailing is still practiced today in England.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about blessing the orchard for next year\u2019s harvest,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n
About 20 to 30 people helped bless the Miller orchard. Two local teens were designated the king and queen, and quests dipped toast in cider, made from the orchard\u2019s harvest last year. Guests then made lots of noise and put the pieces of toast on the trees. Others poured cider around the base of the trees and made as much racket as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was hilarious,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n
Jude Schuenemeyer, owner of Let It Grow Nursery and founding member of the Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project, was there with the crowd making noise.<\/p>\n
While the event was fun, Schuenemeyer, was happy to see so many people in an orchard.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a way of getting people together in an orchard,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
And maybe if more people get out in an orchard, then orchards will be on more people\u2019s minds. And orchards have been on the forefront of Schuenemeyer\u2019s mind ever since he set out to find all the heritage apples that put Montezuma County on the map hundreds of years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cSara\u2019s orchard is really spectacular,\u201d Schuenemeyer said.<\/p>\n
Miller\u2019s orchard many have been one of the first planted in the area. It was planted before the trend was adopted to only plant Rome and Red Delicious apples caught on.<\/p>\n
So Miller\u2019s orchard has some trees that Schuenemeyer believes are close to extinct.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is one of the most important orchards we have,\u201d Schuenemeyer said.<\/p>\n
Schuenemeyer has busied himself grafting as many as Miller\u2019s trees as possible before they reach the end of their lifespan and has even sent some samples off to be DNA tested, because their identities are a pure mystery.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are in the process of grafting every apple tree in that orchard,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The grove contains such rare varieties as the Chenango Strawberry Apple, Duchess of Oldenburg and the Maiden Blush.<\/p>\n
And others that have Schuenemeyer stumped.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne is small and round and almost purple, I have no idea what it is,\u201d Schuenemeyer said.<\/p>\n
Schuenemeyer is waiting to get genetic research data from the USDA in Fort Collins.<\/p>\n
Another, which they named Sara\u2019s Polkadot, is another mystery.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one has ever seen anything like it before,\u201d Schuenemeyer said.<\/p>\n
As far as the 100-plus-year-old orchard, Miller says she has big plans for it.<\/p>\n
And Schuenemeyer said getting people out there to make lots of noise doesn\u2019t hurt a thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting someone out into the orchard is getting them out in the trees and making them aware of them; that is what really matters. They will notice if something needs to be pruned or irrigated or tended to,\u201d Schuenemeyer said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have this phenomenal collection of trees and forget they exist,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
And as far as the toast?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will wind up being bird food, but they might take care of a few bugs while they are at it,\u201d Schuenemeyer said.<\/p>\n
And as far as the mystery apples, Schuenemeyer said, he is awaiting results on the DNA tests, but doesn\u2019t know when that will be.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are anxiously waiting the results,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
And Miller is anxiously awaiting this year\u2019s harvest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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