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About Us History North Star Orchard was started in 1992 by Ike and Lisa Kerschner on a 4-acre piece of ground. In 1996, seeing a need to expand our plantings, we arranged to plant another 6 acre property twelve miles away. In 2006, we purchased a 10-acre parcel, on which we started growing vegetables in 2007.
Our goal was always to have our own farm, so after graduating from college, making a few moves and working at different farms, we were able to settle down here at Stargazers Road and realize our goal. Ike
has become well known in this area for his expertise in growing
vinifera wine grapes on innovative trellis systems, and for his
knowledge and experience growing unique fruits and vegetables.
He has written many articles about such practices, teaches classes
at Longwood Gardens, and is a speaker at various seminars and conferences.
He has hosted several large grower meetings here at the farm.
He enjoys working on the farm, and spends a lot of "leisure"
time reading, cooking, and learning more about the fruit growing
industry. Lisa also enjoys working on the farm and marketing the farm's products. Her life's focus, in addition to the business, is that of homeschooling their son Jay. She enjoys reading, writing, and working on various art projects. Farm Philosophy North
Star Orchard is a small orchard specializing in unique varieties
of high-quality fruit. We sell all of our products We have always been interested in growing unusual varieties of fruit and vegetables, 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, peach, and cherry 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. "When
Ike and Lisa tell customers that the Asian pears
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Ike
grew up knowing agriculture...he gardened at home, and at a young
age was selling his vegetables at a tailgate market nearby.
As a teen, he worked for a small local orchard that grew dwarf trellised
trees. That experience inspired his goal to have his own orchard
someday. Lisa had no farming background, but enjoyed working
on a student farm at college, after which she decided to pursue
a degree in agriculture. Ike and Lisa married following their
Junior year of college (at Penn State).
For more information... Email
Ike & Lisa Kerschner at Copyright 2007 North Star Orchard |