Fresh cherries, fresh cherry juice, dried cherries, chocolate covered cherries — based simply on the name, it’s no surprise that those are available at Cherrybrook Farms. But the Erickson fruit stand and shop they opened in 2011 offers much more, with other fresh fruit (in season, of course), saltwater taffy, Dutch imports and looseleaf tea available.
But it all started out with only cherries, when Gordon and Caroline Martin moved to Erickson Road from the Coast in 1996.
“We bought bare land and planted cherry trees,” said Caroline.
They eventually added apples, pears, peaches and plums in their farm’s original location. That was where they came up with one of the most unique aspects of their farm, cherry tree memberships.
The program has been running since 2007, with people able to have their own cherry tree, one that is looked after by Cherrybrook Farms — the members just have to show up for the harvest.
And it’s proven to be a hit with customers. One girl, whose grandmother buys her a membership for her birthday each year, is always excited to pick her cherries and share them with her friends.
“She says it’s the best present she’s ever had,” said Caroline.
And for Gordon, nothing is better than seeing families with children harvesting their tree, and “watching kids with juice all over their face and clothes, and they don’t even care.”
The cherry tree memberships weren’t the only unique offering at their previous location. Gordon and Caroline also began offering hydroponically-grown lettuce. The butter lettuce was used by three restaurants, including A Break in Time Caffé, and sold at Overwaitea Foods, as well as at the farm and the Creston Valley Farmers’ Market.
It was around that time that they started to realize traffic on Erickson Road wasn’t enough to maintain their sales.
“We were selling more at the farmers’ market than our own place,” said Gordon.
That led them to buy the former Chocolate Orchard at 2931 Highway 3 in Erickson, dropping the lettuce, but keeping the cherries and membership program, now offering more easily accessible trees and washrooms. The previous location stayed in the family, though, and is now being worked by their son, Peter.
“I’ve always wanted that,” said Gordon.
Farming is, after all, in his blood. He started farming as child in Brandon, Man., and that part of his past stuck with him — the family farm was called Brookwood, and that name combined with their biggest crop became Cherrybrook.
The new location allowed them to expand beyond fruit, and the shop now offers Creston Valley Jam Company jam — made by Caroline and Tammy Hardwick — and 50 flavours of saltwater taffy.
“People come in and say, ‘We need a bag for the road,’ ” said Gordon.
As well as a few dozen varieties of looseleaf teas, the store is the only Dutch import shop in the Kootenays, with customers often saying they turned around after driving by and seeing the Touch of Dutch sign.
“I wanted the candies my mom and dad had in the car all the time,” said Caroline. “Now it’s grown to 50 different kinds of licorice.”
That part of the shop is a reflection of her Dutch heritage, and her father’s favourite hobby, model railroading, is part of the farm, too. A railroad he created is housed in a building made just for it out back, and visitors can easily spot a larger-scale railroad running alongside the back deck, a perfect entertainment while sipping coffee or tea.
While they now grow apples, peaches, raspberries and strawberries, cherries are still the main focus. When fresh cherries aren’t available, customers can buy them dried or pitted and frozen, or as preservative-free, unpasteurized frozen juice.
“It tastes like eating a cherry,” Caroline said.
Aside from the flavour, the juice also has health benefits — “Because of their dark pigment, they are one of the superfruits,” she said — although customers will often ask specifically about tart cherry juice.
“People think that only tart juice has health benefits,” said Caroline.
That misconception, she said, comes from the fact that studies have been done on tart cherries simply because nobody used them for anything else.
The dried cherries are also very popular, with people sending packages all over the world, a great treat for the recipients, who are getting more than it seems — it takes up to 10 pounds of fresh cherries to make one pound dried.
It takes a lot of work to keep up with the demand, but with years of farming in his veins, Gordon is happy to look after that side of things while Caroline keeps busy in the store.
“I like watching the fruit and things go through the stages and appreciate when it gets harvested,” he said.
And, of course, he gets to drive the tractor.
“I put on my headphones and go into my own little world,” he said.
