North Star Orchard, LLC
Lisa Ruch and Ike Kerschner
Fruit, vegetables, and fruit butters, sauces and ciders
Email: Lisa@northstarorchard.com
3226 Limestone Rd. • Cochranville, PA 19330
North Star Orchard specializes in growing unique and heritage varieties of high-quality fruit and vegetables on our small 20-acre farm.
We focus on varieties that are not traditionally grown. Our several hundred varieties of apples are either antique/heritage varieties or very new varieties, including some we have developed ourselves! We also offer dozens of varieties of peaches, plums, and pears, plus delicious grapes and Asian pears.
Apples are available from mid-July through Thanksgiving.
We and our helpers (who are wonderful young people exploring sustainable agriculture as a profession) always love to talking about food and flavor with you, so we look forward to seeing you every week at the market!
In their own words:
“Our business is known for its abundance of apple varieties (now more than 60), our unique Asian pears, and our high standard of quality in all of our fruits and vegetables. We have always been interested in growing unusual varieties … and in using the newest ideas in training and trellising. We are concerned about the environment and work hard to farm in a manner as sustainable and safe as possible. We focus on varieties that are not traditionally grown. Our apples are either antique or heritage varieties, or newer disease-resistant varieties. Our Asian pears are unique in the fact that very few are grown at all on the East coast of the USA. Plus, they are tended with the utmost care, so we can pick and sell Asian pears that are at their peak of flavor and crunch. Our plum and peach varieties are also unique … again, either new or heritage varieties. We enjoy very much our interaction with customers at the markets where we sell our fruit, vegetables, and other products. We feel that we have made a lot of friends at these markets! It gives us a lot of satisfaction to know that customers enjoy our products, and we enjoy the specific challenges associated with marketing at farmers’ markets.”
To see precisely these sentiments featured in Newsweek magazine’s “My Turn” column, read Lisa’s essay, “A Farmer’s Labor of Love”.