In this fun and interactive episode, Joanie Cooper, Shaun Shepherd, and Franki Baccellieri of the Temperate Orchard Conservancy (TOC) share their passion for preserving varieties of fruit that would otherwise likely be extinct.
Joanie, Shaun, and Franki
As members of the Home Orchard Society, Joanie, Shaun, and Franki share a love for growing, exploring, and protecting fruit. When mutual friend Nick Botner was no longer able to care for his own collection of over 4500 apple varieties, Joanie, Shaun, and Franki knew they had to take action. In 2011, they began cloning the apple trees and in 2012 the TOC was born and is now located at Almaty Farm in Molalla, Oregon.
Now, TOC has the largest private collection of distinct apple varieties in the world, and has gained international attention. Cary Fowler of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault even provided TOC grants to provide fencing, a well, irrigation, and other construction needs.
As a fun bonus, I was able to try some varieties of apples on the episode that I never even knew existed. I hope you enjoy this episode and check out the work Temperate Orchard Conservancy is doing!