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Thanks to Peaceful Valley Farm and Garden Supply (originally started by our founder Amigo Bob Cantisano), a collection of some of our favorite species and varieties  are available for pre-sale through their website for the 2024/25 Bare Root Season 

Felix Gillet Collector Trees

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Below: the SOLD OUT Varieties listed are for informational purposes only. These are the trees and plants that we have re-discovered and sold over the years. They are the result of our passionate searches throughout Northern California, the Sierra Nevada and Western States to re-discover the historic, agricultural, living library still in existence. These trees and plants, left over from the 1800’s and early 1900’s Gold Rush era, were discovered on historic mining camps, ranches, and  homesteads. Most of these trees have become climate resilient with no human attention for the last 100 plus years. They give the best fruit and nuts in conditions that most fruit and nut trees cannot endure with large annual temperature variations.

These  grandmother trees have learned to thrive under the most harsh conditions, and with uncertain weather patterns.  It is our goal to make them available to growers, gardeners and communities throughout the West Coast.

We have personally taken cuttings directly from the 100+ year old grandmother trees that still cling to life in some, often deserted, historic orchards. The Felix Gillet Institute trees are very rare, exclusive plants – some may have only just been rediscovered.

95% of plants available during the 1800s are no longer available today.  We are saving what is left before they die. 

 You can become a Mother Orchard Supporter and help us in our efforts to discover more rare, historical trees and care for our collection of over 250 trees, by clicking on the Mother Orchard link above.

Ten of these varieties are available through Peaceful Valley Farm and Garden Supply this year 2024/25. 

Thank you for all your Support!

Emmett's #1

Emmett's #1

Store/Cherries
SKU 00108
$0.00
Sold out
Product Details

A wonderful sweet cherry, a close 2nd in the 2013 FGI taste tests. Dark purple, almost black, firm, medium to large, sweet, yet with amazing complex flavor. Bore a huge crop on a very healthy tree in 2013, succumbed to late frost in 2014, with no fruit, but rebounded with a very large crop in 2015, and in 2017 produced a med-large crop. Ripens late June to early July at 2800'. Likley will produce a larger crop when planted with another cherry variety. This variety was chosen by the Slow Food Ark of Taste in 2014 to be honored and saved for posterity.

The grandmother tree is a very healthy, non irrigated, non pruned, non sprayed 100+ year specimen growing at 2800’ on an old stage stop near Camptonville, Yuba County, a vibrant mining town of the mid 1800s, still populated with many Gillet trees. Camptonville was also the home of Lester Pelton, who in 1870 invented the Pelton wheel. Lester changed the course of human evolution by inventing the device for making hydroelectric power. Camptonville is a fascinating old mining camp, with many Gillet trees. Camptonville is a fascinating old mining camp, with many Gillet trees. Remember the tune "Camptown ladies sing this song, doo dah, doo dah..."? That's Camptonville. We will be introducing more from this area in coming years.

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Emmett's #1
Store/Cherries
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