24 TRAVELLING VOICES
The prune of Lützelsachsen
1
is worth taking. This is what Geo-Naturepark thought in 2016 when they started the Fruit Tree of the Year initiative. Every year a fruit variety is awarded this distinction, and saplings are sent to more than 100 partner communities upon request. One of the lucky nominees was the Mirabelle von nancy, a very aromatic (and eye-catching) plum, which even has its own festival in Obernburg. In 2021, the Geo-Naturpark nominated the Lützelsachser Frühzwetsche: the Prune of Lützelsachsen as the Fruit Tree of the Year. This plum was accidentally found (and then consciously bred) in 1914, and since this variety bears ripe fruit very early in the season, it helped save Lützelsachsen from hunger after the First World War. Along with the Fruit Tree of the Year award, through this initiative Geo- Naturepark encourages locals to buy regional fruit products, to plant local varieties, and harvest and process their own fruits.
since this variety bears ripe fruit very early in the season, it helped save Lützelsachsen from hunger after the First World War
25
Just imagine that it’s springtime, you are visiting your friends in the neighbouring village by bike, and on the side of the field road there are fruit trees growing freely. You can see (and smell) beautiful apple, pear, sweet cherry, plum or walnut trees. It’s like being in a fairytale. This is how orchard meadows look in the Geo-Naturepark - and it’s been the same for hundreds of years. Beyond their beauty, these trees have a great value. They protect soil from erosion, acting as wind and heat shield, and they are also important habitats for birds and insects. The old, robust fruit varieties of the meadow orchard, developed over centuries according to local conditions, represent a great genetic potential - they are particularly resilient against diseases and pests, as well as climate change. Despite all of the good services they provide, orchard meadows are slowly disappearing. Since the 15th century, fruit trees have been planted in the open countryside. However, expanding road networks and intensifying agriculture seem like a certain death sentence for the orchard meadows, a natural (or unnatural) force almost impossible to fight. Still, any action
GERMANY / Geo-Naturepark
Fruit fairytale
