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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!

Autumn Strawberry Apple

Autumn Strawberry Apple

Store/Apples
SKU 000251
$50.00
Sold out
Rootstock
Product Details

This rare apple is a fine American apple originated in New York about 1848, and was introduced by Gillet to California in 1890. Attractive pale yellow often almost entirely overspread with bright pink-red, dotted and streaked with purplish-carmine and striped with bright red. Flesh is yellowish-white, fine, crisp, tender, juicy, somewhat sprightly aromatic, subacid, very good quality. Many esteem this to be one of the best dessert apples of the season. The fruit tastes like a mix of apples and strawberries, apples and raspberries or apples and grapes depending on your taste buds. Its one of our favorites! Ripens in September to December. It is a hardy, healthy, long lived and a regular cropper, yielding moderate to heavy crops biennially or nearly annually. This variety was chosen by the Slow Food Ark of Taste in 2014 to be honored and saved for posterity.

The grandmother trees are located in Forest City and Humbug. Forest, in Sierra County, CA was a very productive gold mining camp beginning in 1852. The remaining town is full of antique pears, apples and cherries that are highly protected and valued by the people who live there. Apples are particularly productive and long lived at this 4500’ site. The other mother tree is located in Humbug, the famous mining camp now known as Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, at 3250’ on the San Juan Ridge of Nevada County. While it is difficult to estimate the age, they are planted next to a house from the late 1800s.

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Autumn Strawberry Apple
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