FARMING LOCAL & BEYOND : Bill Suhr and Andrea Scott of Champlain Orchards

Although the number of sustainably managed farms in Vermont continues to grow, few of them produce at a scale large enough to supply institutions like Middlebury College or penetrate markets outside the state. Larger-scale farms play an important role in increasing awareness about local and sustainable food because they can influence a wider audience. One such quickly growing orchard proves that is possible to provide for both local and regional communities while maintaining a commitment to the environment.

It is clear that Bill Suhr and Andrea Scott’s farming lifestyle has rubbed off on their three year old son, Rupert; this year, he picked 25 pints of raspberries all by himself and stashed every last one in the freezer. Thanks to his thoughtful, deliberate harvesting, he and his parents are sure to enjoy fruity smoothies and pancakes well through the winter.

Raising children close to the land is one of Andrea’s greatest joys. Rupert was born in 2011, two years after she and Bill began managing Champlain Orchards together, and their second child is due this March. A kindergarten teacher before meeting Bill at a Bristol contra dance in 2002, Andrea has always found fulfillment working with children and teaching about the natural world. She herself grew up a few miles from her grandparents’ organic farm on Martha’s Vineyard, where her mother grew vegetables for many years. In the summers, Andrea helped her mother sell the produce from a small roadside stand, and together they developed a loyal following among friends and visiting families. Their specialty was a salad mix of tender young greens and edible flowers, but they also offered heirloom tomatoes, fresh herbs, peas, grapes, honey, and pre-picked bouquets. After spending time away from the farm in college, Andrea realized just how much she loved growing food and how satisfying it was to sell fresh produce that people could both savor and appreciate.

Bill enjoyed a similarly bucolic childhood. Although his family lived in suburban Elkridge, Maryland, his mother encouraged him to spend summers with his grandparents in Greensboro, Vermont, where he discovered farming and fell in love with the idea of making his living from a piece of land. He was so sure, in fact, that he bought and settled on Champlain Orchards as soon as he could, when he was 27 years old. The Shoreham, Vermont orchard was previously owned by Wesley and Virginia Larrabee, an old farming couple who had named it Larrabee’s Point Orchard. Inspired by the nearness to Lake Champlain--and the lake’s fortifying qualities--Bill adopted the Champlain Orchards name. (The lake helps extend the orchard’s growing season because it holds heat into late fall. Some theories even suggest that mists from the lake can improve soil quality and flavor of apples, too.)

The Larrabees used the property primarily as a dairy farm, with a small conventional apple orchard. As a graduate of the University of Vermont with a forestry degree and background in environmental consulting, Bill was uncomfortable with the chemical intensity of conventional apple growing and quickly adopted eco apple practices when he settled on the orchard. For him, eco certification proved the best way to farm large-scale and run a profitable business but also protect the environment.

Today, Champlain Orchards is one of twelve orchards in New England to earn eco certification. In order to maintain this status, Bill and Andrea avoid spraying fungicides and insecticides and instead rely on Integrated Pest Management, a strategy that calls for planting disease-resistant apple varieties, monitoring them carefully, trapping and tallying insects, and applying minimally toxic sprays early in the season. They take their certification very seriously, especially because they want to ensure the orchard is safe for Rupert, visiting school children, and families who take advantage of the Pick Your Own areas.

Pick Your Own areas cover five acres of the orchard, and two of them are certified organic. The opportunity for individuals to visit and pick fruit themselves at a set price is especially important to Andrea because it allows her to share the harvest with the community most intimately. “My favorite moments of working and living here are being up at the Pick Your Own during the height of harvest season and having huge amounts of people coming in,” Andrea says. “We’ve worked all year long, through pruning and taking care of the trees, spraying and thinning. And we are at the point where we can share what we’ve worked so hard on. Pick Your Own is one of those wonderful activities…where people are spending time together as families outside and enjoying food.”

Bill and Andrea grow over 50 varieties of apples, from the traditional Empires, Macintoshes, and Cortlands to more uncommon and heirloom apples like Crestens, Keepsakes, and Zestars. They also offer pears, plums, peaches, blackberries, blueberries, gooseberries, currants, cherries and of course Rupert’s favorite, raspberries. Their orchard is comprised of over 120 acres and growing quickly; every spring, Bill plants 12-15 acres of new trees. His penchant for expansion is inspired by his own curiosity for new apple varieties and also by local demand. This year, his Cortland apples were so popular that the orchard ran out before Thanksgiving--the peak of pie season.

Indeed, Bill hasn’t stopped expanding since he bought the orchard fifteen years ago. He began by peddling his apples from his station wagon and thanks to his dependability and environmental commitment, quickly earned selling space at the Middlebury Natural Foods Co-Op. He upgraded from a station wagon to a trailer and then to a small van. Now, three Champlain Orchards delivery trucks distribute apples all over the state and into New York and New Hampshire every day.

Bill sells not only at co-ops, bakeries, and supermarkets, but also to over forty institutions including Middlebury College and the University of Vermont. Andrea is particularly grateful for the warm welcome their business has received in co-ops and stores across the state. “We’re extremely impressed by the apple displays in the [Middlebury Natural Foods] Co-Op. Bins are full…we’re invited in to do samplings…All of those things show that people care about farmers. Hannaford’s makes lots of efforts to buy locally now too, and it comes from conscientious consumers asking for that,” Andrea says.

In addition to their fruit, which is still picked, packed, processed and stored at the orchard, Bill and Andrea sell cider, homemade pies, donuts, applesauce, butter, and maple syrup. They lead a team of forty employees, including many Jamaican workers who spend half of the year in Vermont to help harvest, press cider, pack fruit and prune and plant. Bill is a hands-on owner and involved in every piece of the business from making sales calls to coordinating distribution stops to hauling fruit to pruning, planting, spraying, and ordering trees. Andrea managed their on-site farm market before giving birth to Rupert, but now focuses on running the Pick Your Own area, leading school tours, and writing the farm newsletter, which reaches 2,000 customers.

Unlike most farmers, Bill and Andrea’s season is long; the apple harvest usually runs from September through November, but packing and distribution of picked apples continues into July, at which point berries, peaches, pears, and cherries are ready for picking and the season begins anew. At times, the orchard’s continuous growth and change can feel overwhelming for Andrea. “We are dealing with a huge amount of debt and a large staff to keep everything going,” she says. “Keeping up with the growth and managing staff is our biggest challenge. Sometimes we lose sight of—are we farming still?”

Despite their hectic schedules, Andrea and Bill are both propelled forward by their enduring passion for growing good food. They also share gratitude for Vermonters’ support of local farms, support that will continue to provide a happy home base even as Champlain Orchards’ influence extends further beyond Vermont’s borders. “I think [Vermont is] a leader in our country and I don’t want to be too brash with that or take it for granted, but I think part of it is just having farmers nearby so it’s visible in the landscape,” says Andrea. “We don’t have to drive very far before we come across a farm, whether it’s a dairy farm or an apple orchard. I hope that farmers will always be visible.” Thanks to its broad influence and eco commitment, Champlain Orchards is already ensuring--and expanding--that visibility for like-minded farmers of all scales.

The following recipe is a savory take on Champlain Orchards apples of your preference. Salty Parmesan compliments the mellow apples and jalapeno adds a fun kick, making this a festive fall appetizer for all ages.

SAVORY APPLE FLATBREAD

22 oz pizza dough

1 heaping handful arugula

1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

6 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese

4 oz grated Parmesan cheese

Chopped fresh rosemary and thyme to garnish

Onion Base

1 tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, sliced thin and chopped in quarters

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp dried thyme

Garlic Dijon Apples

2 tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tsp Dijon mustard

½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thinly in sticks ½ inch wide

For onion base:

In a medium-size saucepan, sauté onion with 1 tbsp olive oil and rosemary and thyme over medium-low heat. Cook until onion is soft and dark, stirring frequently, 10-15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

For garlic Dijon apples:

Mix all ingredients together, making sure apples are coated evenly. Sauté apple mixture in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until bubbly and tender, 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Assemble pizza:

Stretch dough into a 14-inch round and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Brush dough with olive oil and layer the red onion mixture evenly on top. Follow with the arugula and then the garlic Dijon apples, spreading evenly. Sprinkle jalapeno peppers over the apples. Cover the pizza with Parmesan cheese and then cheddar cheese. Bake at 450 F until crust is golden and toppings are dark and bubbly, 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh rosemary and thyme. Slice and serve warm.

Makes 1 flatbread.