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The Orchard Trail Although the orchard is at the heart of Kimmel's fresh market, offering tree-ripened fruit to thousands of visitors each year, the main focus of the orchard is education and experience. As more and more people move to urban areas, it becomes increasingly important that they maintain a connection to the land that sustains them. This is demonstrated daily at Kimmel, from cider pressing and fruit sorting operations in the Apple Barn to a walk along a two-mile trail system that winds through each demonstration plot and crop grown on the property, through the rows of fruit trees and along vineyards and vegetable gardens. Kimmel Orchard is home to a large variety of fruits and vegetables. Within its 90 acres are thousands of cherry and apple trees as well as newly established plantings of peaches, plums, pears, and raspberries and a seasonal vegetable garden. The hiking trail includes a series of interpretive panels that educate visitors about the growing and harvesting of fruits and vegetables. The goal of the trail, in addition to a pleasant hike, is to inform visitors not only about the produce they buy but also to help them learn how to grow it themselves. It is an education in progress, changing with each visit as trees and shrubs mature to harvest and new varieties are introduced. New trees and shrubs are found everywhere at the orchard, where traditions of the past are honored through constant renewal of the orchard. The work begun by Richard and Laurine Kimmel many years ago lives on in the thousands of new apple and cherry trees that line the gentle hills. Their legacy also continues in the varieties of peaches, plums, pears, and raspberries that have been added to orchard, in the new vegetable garden that lies just beyond their original homestead, and in the educational experience that is offered to every visitor who seeks the best of nature's bounty. |
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