It’s been a great year for fruit yields in Southwest Colorado, evidenced by the nearly 4,000 pounds of apples on display at the ninth annual Apple Days in Durango, held Sunday at Buckley Park.
“Its been a very plentiful year,” said Growing Partners Project executive director Joni Podschun. “And our region has produced so many apples, and we didn’t want them to rot.”
Instead, volunteers organized by the Growing Partners Project set out last week to gather as many apples and other fruits from homeowners around Durango, Podschun said.
As a result, more than 4,000 pounds of apples were used Sunday to make apple juice and other treats. Throughout the day, children of all ages set to work at the churning machine, making apple juice on the spot.
The Apple Days festival, nearing its one-decade mark, began as an early initiative of the Growing Partners Project, which since 2004 has been promoting the use of local, sustainable food sources.
Events such as Apple Days serve to use produce that’s grown right here in Durango, Podschun said, that would otherwise be unused. And local fruit gleaning efforts, like the program promoted through BearSmart, support the effort.
Even local growers felt the benefits of a good growing year. Avoiding early spring frosts, a wet summer, and an early, cool fall with some early frosts, plants around the region thrived.
“It was probably one of the best years we’ve had in a decade,” said Max Fields, of Fields to Plate Produce. “The orchard looked like a golf course with apples everywhere on it.”
Fields, standing beside an appetizing array of beets, carrots and other root-based vegetables, was also helping Carnes Orchard, located in Hermosa, sell a variety of apples.
Fields said the apples gained the interest of the Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project, which set out to determine the species of apples grown at the Hermosa orchard.
The day was also filled with other family-friendly fun events, including music from the band Stillwater Music and an apple pie eating contest.
jromeo@durangoherald
