// PRINCE EDWARD COUNT Y LIVING //
Bushels of Fun
at Campbell’s Orchards BY ANDREW HIND PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF CAMPBELL’S ORCHARDS
Over the past half century, June and Murray Campbell and family developed an overgrown farm into one of Ontario’s premier apple orchards and an autumn family destination.
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s far as autumn rituals go, I would say that visiting an apple orchard on a crisp fall day is as American as eating apple pie except, well, we’re in Canada. But the sentiment holds true: we love visiting orchards with baskets in hand and picking bushel after bushel from trees heavily laden with fruit. It’s a sweet tradition that embraces the best of the changing seasons.
Prince Edward County is blessed with several noteworthy orchards, each filled with row after row of fragrant apple trees. But those in the know suggest Campbell’s Orchards is among the best. The farm was founded in 1969 by June and Murray Campbell, self-taught farmers who transformed what was then a run-down farm into a thriving business. Fifty years later, the farm is run by their son Colin and wife Dianne. They grow raspberries, strawberries, various vegetables, and plump orange pumpkins ready for transformation into Jack-o’-Lanterns. But they are best known for their apples. Campbell’s Orchards says that it offers the most diverse selection of apples in the region by at least a country mile. That may not be an idle boast – there are 25 varieties growing fat and juicy on the trees, ranging from the standard MacIntosh and Northern Spy to the more obscure, like Snow Sweet (great for baking), Paula Red (one of the earliest apples, ripening in August), and Ginger Gold (a pale-yellow fruit). “Apple varieties tend to rise and fall in popularity – there’s always the hot variety of the moment,” Dianne explains. “Honey Crisp is trendy right now. It flies off the shelf, even at $32 for a 10lb bag. It’s hard to grow, doesn’t store well, and produces bi-annually, but boy does it taste great.”
Fall isn’t truly underway until the first bush of apples has
The pandemic has been a blessing and a curse for the farm. 2020 was a record year which Dianne attributes to people being wary of shopping in grocery stores, craving local produce, and embracing any safe outdoor activity available. But for Campbell’s Orchards it also meant investing heavily in an online store front, difficulty finding staff, and a myriad of other hurdles. “We were so focused on making it all work, on creating a great experience, that we almost didn’t feel the stress last year,” Dianne explains. “Our focus, as always, is on our customers and ensuring they enjoy their visit here.” There’s a lot to love about Campbell’s Orchards. Wagon rides, a playground and barn yard animals to entertain children, a bucolic setting under wideopen County skies, and a store laden with delights.
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Fields at Campbell’s Orchards are dotted with plump orange pumpkins, ready for transformation into Jack-o-Lanterns.
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