Workshops – Books – Tours – Trees – Plants

Towards A Climate Resilient Food Economy:

We have passionately searched the Sierra Nevada and Western States to re-discover the living library of plants still scattered across Northern California, those trees and plants left over from the 1800’s and early 1900’s Gold Rush era.   These are the grandmother trees that have become climate resilient with no human attention for the last 100 years. They give the best fruit and nuts in conditions that most fruit and nut trees can not endure with large annual temperature variations. These  grandmother trees have learned to thrive under the most harsh conditions. We want to make them available to growers, gardeners and communities throughout the West Coast.

We have personally found these trees and have taken cuttings directly from the 100+ year old grandmother trees that still cling to life in ghostly, historic orchards. We offer very rare and 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. 

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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 will be available through Peaceful Valley Farm and Garden for the 2024/25 Bareroot Season. 

Stay Tuned…

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The SOLD OUT Varieties listed below are for informational purposes only. These are many of the plants we have found and sold over the years. While some of these varieties will be available this Autumn, many will not. 

Hope is on the Horizon.

We will have historic fruit and nut trees available for preorder

November 1, 2024.

Thank you for all your Support!

Orders only accepted via the website.

Royal Anne (aka Napoleon Bigareau)
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Royal Anne (aka Napoleon Bigareau)

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Out of stock
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Product Details

Gillet introduced this very popular variety from France in 1876. These cherries are large and firm with excellent, sweet flavor and colorless juice. One of the best. Skin is yellow with attractive pink blush coloring. Used extensively fresh, in commercial canning, and to make maraschino cherries. Also called Napoleon, this is one of the parents of the modern variety Rainier. We think it is superior to Rainier. Yellow skin varieties have the least problem with birds eating them, often remaining on the tree long after the red and purple types are stripped by the birds. Ripens in early-mid July @ 3000’ elevation. Produces more fruit with another cherry variety as a pollenizer, but a prolific producer even without.

Our grandmother trees grow in two locations. Downieville at 2900’ along the North Yuba River is the seat of Sierra County, and was a thriving mining camp settled in 1849, a beautiful community rich in history including great food producing plants. It is populated with many historic trees that we will be introducing over the next several years including cherries, pears, apples, chestnuts, walnuts, roses and more. The other mother tree is a very healthy 110+ year young specimen growing at 2800’ in a mixed Gillet homestead orchard in 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. We will be introducing more from this area in coming years.

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