Gardeners and farmers have been working their agricultural magic since the dawn of time. They have carefully weeded out the worst of the crops to ensure that we’re left with the most deliciously awesome produce. Finding the best of the best can take many generations of plants, but it’s worth the effort. After decades, or even hundreds of years, of slow progress, scientists have found a way to take gardening to a whole new level. (And it’s so cool.)
These are different kinds of stone fruit. Coming in a plethora of varieties, they are most akin to plums and apricots.
One day Sam Van Aken noticed that his grocery store only had a very small variety of local fruits. They just didn’t grow many different kinds where he lived.
Soon after this, he learned that a local orchard was to be destroyed.
Putting two and two together, Sam decided that he would jump at the chance to save the orchard AND help people get more variety in their fruit diet.
Using grafting techniques he learned while growing up on a Pennsylvania farm, Sam started genetically combining different species of stone fruit to make super trees.
Sam focused on stone fruits since there are so many varieties and they’re all genetically similar enough to graft, and thus his Tree of 40 Fruit was born. He has since used the orchard to grow the initial trees, and then moves them to other locations for buyers.
“When I place them somewhere I’ll go to local orchards and local farms and collect their heirloom varieties and graft them onto a tree,” he said. “That way it becomes a sort of agricultural history.”
Although none of his (many) trees are more than a few years old, he’s been able to give a rendering of what they’re likely to look like one day. The results are magical.
(H/T: ABC News) Just one of his Trees of 40 Fruit can grow “over forty different types of stone fruit including peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, cherries, and almonds.” Knowing that one tree can grow these fruits isn’t even the coolest part. You can actually buy some trees from this guy. If you’re interested in purchasing one of Sam’s trees, check out his Tree of 40 Fruit website. He currently funds the project using money from the sales of the trees, plus a grant from Creative Capital, an institution for innovative artists. Consider helping his awesome cause by sharing this article with others.
