Family Traditions and Fresh Fruit Blossom at Annie’s Orchard

Anne Brummet’s father gave her some sage advice many years ago: If you are going to be a fruit farmer, have another steady source of income.

Brummet, owner of Annie’s Orchard in West Lafayette, Indiana, tried to follow that advice – at least on paper – with a bachelor’s in education from Purdue University and a master’s in social work with a minor in horticulture from the University of Illinois. However, her minor in horticulture and work on both university farms kept tugging at her heartstrings and drawing her back to her family roots.

“It’s in the blood,” Brummet says. “I feel like it is just my mission.”

This passion led Brummet and her husband, Roger, to launch Annie’s Orchard in 1999. With 15 acres in production, the farm has a consistent succession of crops from spring through fall.

The orchard’s busy season kicks off in May with strawberries, ushering in the first sweet taste of summer, followed by blueberries and cherries in June, and juicy peaches in July. Apples and pears round out the season from August through September.

Annie’s Orchard visitors enjoy a taste of farm life as they wander among groves of peach trees teeming with plump, ripe fruit or pluck blueberries from bushes spilling over with the summer harvest.

“Ninety-five percent of our sales comes from people picking their own fruit,” Brummet says.

The other 5% of sales comes from fruit they pick for those who cannot do so themselves, including the elderly, people with disabilities or those whose work schedule conflicts with farm hours. People can order fruit through their Facebook page. The farm also sells delectable jams, pies and more through the orchard’s store.

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Family Trees

While farm visitors soak up the beauty of the finished product, the real work happens long before the first buds appear on the trees, following a perennial cycle of pruning, planting, tending and harvesting.

Brummet first learned the cadence of fruit farming from her father, whose parents emigrated from Italy and settled in Michigan. Brummet and her brothers decided to carry on the family tradition, making fruit farming a full-time pursuit.

While studying at Purdue and later as a graduate student in Illinois, Brummet worked at horticulture research farms as well as on her brothers’ farms in Michigan.

“I felt that this work was my calling, and I loved every minute of it,” she says.

After finishing graduate school in 1994, Brummet moved back to West Lafayette, where she met her future husband while searching for land to launch an orchard.

“That particular orchard was forced to close, and his father, who owned farmland, gave us a home lot and some land to start a new orchard,” Brummet says.

The Brummet family grew in step with their blossoming farm as they added three children in less than four years. Brummet says the children worked in the orchard from the time they could walk. Though they are grown with careers now, the family still works together on the farm when they can – a labor of love that also extends into the community.

“We employ lots of high school and middle school students, a few loyal teachers and retirees,” Brummet says. “My husband’s mother is 85 and has worked for us since she retired. It’s a great first job for kids, and they seem to enjoy it.”

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A Delicate Balance

While the labor on the farm can be intensive, the weather patterns often pose the greatest challenges.

“Fruit trees, bushes and plants set their buds for the next season in the previous summer and fall,” Brummet says. “Crops must survive the winter freezes, spring frosts and summer droughts.”

Brummet loves experimenting with fruit, even the ones that prefer a cooler climate, including cherries, which are one of her favorite fruits. The cherry trees grow tall, making it hard to protect against birds and raccoons who love to feast on the tart treat, so Brummet is experimenting with dwarf trees. She also has tried various grape varieties, but they have not been well-suited to her farm; however, she sells Concord grapes grown on her brothers’ farms in Michigan.

The unpredictable weather patterns and challenging cherry trees remind Brummet that fruit is fussy and finicky, and that’s where her father’s advice to have a backup plan has guided her.

Brummet’s husband works as an electrician, and she has a part-time job with the U.S. Department of Agriculture where she conducts surveys to ensure farmers are represented in their communities.

While Brummet’s days are a juggling act with her family, the farm and her other job, dialing back is not something that crosses her mind.

“I dearly love providing our community with beautiful, tasty homegrown produce at an affordable price,” Brummet says. “I am hopeful that one or two of my children will someday carry on this family tradition for the next generations.”

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