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.

Reinette Franche Apple

Reinette Franche Apple

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SKU 000481
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Gillet introduced this 1500s Normandy, France variety in 1884. The fruit is a medium-large crimson and golden apple with radiating rays of russet from the cavity. Consistent Bearer of good crop. 2018 had a 350 lb harvest from the original grandmother tree! One of our favorite fresh eaters. Flesh is yellowish white, firm and crunchy, spicy flavored with a wonderful aroma - a marvelous mixture of nuts and orange. An excellent apple for dessert or cooking. Ripens in October at 2700', and keeps well into spring. The tree bears biennially but productively. Resistant to fireblight and scab.

The grandmother tree is a huge, very healthy specimen growing on an old mining claim in Goodyears Bar, Sierra County, CA. near the North Fork of the Yuba River @ 2700’. Now a sleepy, lightly populated hamlet, Goodyears was a rockin' placer and hard rock mining camp at the height of the Gold Rush, occupied by thousands of hard working, hard partying miners. Fortunately some of them planted fruit and nut trees, which have survived to this day! The owner of this tree, octogenarian Cy Rollins, is a walking/running encyclopedia of Sierra and Yuba County history, which we will share as time allows.
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Reinette Franche Apple
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