Orchard offers fruitful diversion

Author: Tamara Hilmes

Have you ever dreamed of opening one of the doors on the cooler in the supermarket and reaching in and pulling out a carton of juice, not from the cooler, but straight from the orchard? Though in reality you may never truly live up to the Florida Orange Juice commercial, a visit to Champlain Orchards in Shoreham, Vt. may be as close as you can get. At Champlain Orchards you can literally reach your hand into the cooler and an orchard employee will hand you not orange juice, but fresh apple pie baked on-site not five minutes before.

"We have three different apple pies," explained the orchard employee as she handed the pie through the cooler. "We have an oatmeal crust, a crumble crust and our classic double-crust pie, which is our bestseller."

Pie, however, is not the only reason to wander out to this secluded little orchard hidden within the Vermont countryside. The main draw of the orchard is its apple orchards and berry patches, which produce a variety of different fruits and vegetables from mid-August through the end of October.

According to the orchard's Web site, "Champlain Orchards has something for everyone - from apples and pears to organic raspberries, cherries, plums and pumpkins." Visitors who crave fresh fruit but do not want to work for it can choose from the already-picked and packaged fruit available in the orchard shop. For those who imagine themselves to have descended from hunter-gatherers, however, PYO-Pick Your Own, for those not familiar with orchard jargon-may be just the adventure they are looking for.

For just three dollars each, visitors can fill their own pints with their choice of blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and even golden raspberries-berries identical in shape and size to regular raspberries but with a milder flavor and grapefruit-like tint.

"We have three different berry patches," said orchard employee Judy Pomainville, indicating an area located further up the hill. "One here, one over there and one further up, and apples are on top of the hill."

Berry picking is more difficult than it looks, however. One must first find their way through the winding maze of bushes, and once a bush has been zeroed-in on, the picker must attempt to pry the perfectly ripe berry from the bush while avoiding the bush's thorny defenses. And how can one tell if a berry is ripe? Good question-just pull gently and see if it comes off.

A trip to Champlain Orchards involves more than simply plucking the luscious berries from their thorny homes, however. Visitors to the orchard are serenaded as they select their berries by a not-so-typical bluegrass band. This down-home trio played everything from music by the Beatles to "Man of Constant Sorrow" and even a very interesting rendition of "Boom Boom I Want You in My Room."

"It is more of an experience than just going berry picking," said Blake Johnson '10. Johnson has gone berry picking twice this fall, although the first time he chose to go to the Charlotte Berry Farm, near Shelburne, Vt.

"Champlain Orchards has a lot more variety," Johnson said. "There is also more ambiance and a live band. A lot of people were at the orchard who seemed to be enjoying it."

Along with fruits and vegetables, the orchard also specializes in other homemade products such as apple cider, "Dilly Beans," apple butter and various kinds of jelly.

"Everything you see here was all grown or baked right here on the farm," said Pomainville, indicating all of the fresh and canned produce and the baked goods in the store.

Resting on the counter, right beside the cash register, is a basket of Champlain Orchards' famous cider donuts.

"The only liquid in the donuts is cider vinegar," explained Pomainville as another employee mixed up another batch of donut batter to her right. Although the recipe may sound eccentric to those not from Vermont, the heavenly smell of the freshly fried donuts wafting through the orchards will certainly persuade their taste buds. If not, perhaps the hoards of children begging their parents for a donut will be proof enough of the recipe's success.

Champlain Orchards certainly has something for everyone. From fresh-baked pies and donuts to even fresher berries and produce, this small, independent orchard completes the Vermont harvest experience.