Where do you find organic fruit trees in the Aude? Unlike the Pyrenees Orientale which is famously called the fruit basket of France, will its three major valleys dotted with fruit tree groves the Aude is not famous for its fruit production. True there is some nut trees grown on the edges of the Black mountains, there use to be Bigarrade bitter oranges grown around Minerve, long since disappeared, and of course the obsequious almond and olive trees. But fruit trees? Not much, or so I thought.
The high valley of the Aude, with it’s ready access to water, has apparently long been a grower of fruit trees. Historically the abbeys of Lagrasse and Fontfriode also had extensive fruit grooves.
So it was with great pleasure that I discovered two organic fruit tree perpinierists who do a number of flower and organic festivals with me across the Aude and the PO.
Juliette and David Watson and Sébastien Grange work closely together to produce a wide range of organic heritage fruit trees and soft fruit. Their 2017/2018 catalogue can be downloaded here https://www.larbreauxfruits.fr/catalogue-des-fruitiers/
The sheer range of the trees they produce bowls me over, they concentrate on heritage varieties that have a history of growing in this area.
Equally important they also provide the service of visiting your proposed site and recommending the most suitable varieties for your micro climate, literally a life saver as even the best tree saplings will struggle if planted inappropriately.
Nature et Progres the sustainable agricultural association who organise the Bio Aude festival in Couiza has been helping this re discovered sector develop by organising for the last two years a Tree festival in the Autumn in Lagrasse. I have linked to their Facebook page because while I like the Nature et Progres people and ideas their website is badly maintained and frankly impossible to navigate.
Here are the contact details for the two organic fruit tree and soft fruit producers.
Juliette and David Watson
Caillens, 11149 Rodome
Sébastien Grange
route de Courtauly, 11230 Saint-Benoit
