The countryside around Ordubad is defined by orchards and mulberry plantations in a way that immediately distinguishes it from the stark, eroded landscape of much of the Nakhchivan Republic. Silkworm breeding (sericulture) was practised here for centuries, with mulberry leaves as the feed crop. Though the industry has largely declined since Soviet times, the mulberry trees remain and give the village lanes and hillside terraces a lush, almost Mediterranean quality in spring and early summer.
Walking through the orchards between Ordubad and the surrounding villages — apricot, pomegranate, quince, and fig among the mulberry — is one of the more pleasant ways to spend a morning. The apricot harvest in July is particularly good here; locals sell fruit from wooden stands along the road south of town. The valley floor views back up to the Zangezur peaks give the landscape a scale that belies the relatively modest elevation of the town itself.