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.

Chestnuts

Purchasing these trees places a reservation on it. We do not know how many trees we will receive. We expect 50 but often times receive less. We will Contact you and reimburse your money if we receive less trees than we should. Order of priority go to the first purchasers.

The Chestnuts are one of our favorite permaculture plants and for very good reason. They are among the heartiest and long lived of all nut crops. Tolerant of extreme cold and heat, they bloom late in April or May, missing the frost and Spring rains and ensuring a large crop every year. Once established, they are extremely drought tolerant. The nuts are used for many purposes including roasted, steamed, puréed, liquor, pastries, pasta and delectable sweet treats, candied infused with rum or other liquors, covered with chocolate... We had amazing chestnut ice cream in France. Our favorite was Rum with Marron Glacé, which are candied chestnuts. Chestnuts are highly prized in Europe and Asia! Although the Asian chestnut blight wiped out the Native American chestnuts on the eastern seaboard in the early 1900s, that pathogen needs both heat and humidity to survive. The arid climate of the Western states inhibits the growth of this devastating disease. As a result chestnuts, which have been imported from around the world, thrive in the West. Researchers from Pennsylvania State University traveled to Nevada County in the early 1960s, discovering "the world's greatest diversity of chestnut DNA is in Nevada County", due to the diligent importations of Felix Gillet. Felix brought chestnuts from France, Italy, Spain, China, Korea and elsewhere, and they became established in our area in the late 1800s.

For maximum success, plant on well drained soil with full sun exposure, protect from deer, rabbits and gophers when young and deeply irrigate until well established in 3-5 years minimum. In the West chestnuts have no insect or disease pests and are only bothered by deer and rabbits until the nuts start to fall, and then you have to watch out for the squirrels and the deer, who love to eat the nuts. Unlike other nuts, chestnuts are perishable and must be refrigerated or processed after harvest. Once established, chestnuts require no pruning.

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