Tafeljura Plum Orchards

With its narrow valleys and flat expanses, the Tafeljura plateau presents an attractive green setting for impressive rows of tall trees. Here, cherry and cider apple trees have always grown in the open countryside, while tall plum trees are cultivated in the damper areas along streams and the valley floor. This distinctive cultural landscape is a legacy from ancient times when local farming families still lived in a subsistence economy. They did not cultivate the land with monocultures, but used grazing pastures (also producing hay for cattle) and orchards. With the passage of time, thanks to this mixed land use, a very distinctive, almost unique landscape was created. Its beauty and environmental importance caused it to be included in the Swiss Federal Inventory of Landscapes (the inventory of the Federal Office for the Environment, FOEN).
Today, the old orchards of the Swiss Tafeljura are at risk of disappearing, threatened by the introduction of new varieties of lower trees that require less attention and produce larger fruit than the native varieties. The old Swiss plums, though having an intense aroma and juicy flesh, no longer have a market, and the orchards are gradually becoming outdated.
For this reason a Slow Food Presidium was created in the eastern part of Basel-Country. It promoted the Posamenter project, launched to develop products based on ancient plum varieties, prepared following traditional recipes and artisanal production methods. Various products based on dry plums have been developed, such as Posamenterto örtli, a delicious plum cake, and Prune d’Or, an excellent chutney that goes well with meat and cheese.