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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!

Mega Leaf Walnut

Mega Leaf Walnut

Store/Walnuts
SKU 00146
$0.00
Sold out
Product Details

This is a high quality, thin shelled “English” walnut that appears to be very resistant to blight, codling moth and husk fly. The mother tree is a non-grafted seedling nearly 3 foot in diameter, bearing abundant crops even in the drought, with no human care. A most striking feature of this variety is the huge leaves, many larger than 2 hands in size. The grandmother tree is late to leaf out, thus missing most spring frosts. This will make a productive and striking landscape tree, with tasty, thin shelled nuts of good size. The nuts ripen in late September into October at 3900’ feet in the Sierra.

The grandmother tree exists on a historic orchard across a dirt road from the “Fit for the Czar” apple in Lowell Hill, at 3900’ in Placer county, CA. This was a gold mining town from the 1850s through the early 1900s and attracted numerous farmers and ranchers due to the deep forest soils, plentiful snowpack and good access to markets via close proximity to the Western Pacific railroad in Dutch Flat - a rip roaring mining town on the other side of the Bear River. We have located three distinct heirloom orchards still growing around Lowell Hill with no human care. The bears and squirrels are the biggest challenge to harvesting these crops as wall as to the long-term survival of the trees.
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Mega Leaf Walnut
Store/Walnuts
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