Gatzke Orchards

Welcome to our Orchard By The Lake This…Is Alan, or rather Alan’s Cherries. Grown by a 3rd Generation Orchardist, who grew up watching, learning, absorbing it all, and working everyday [there aren’t really ‘days off’ when you’re a Farmer] on this Beautiful Farm…which he calls ‘The Playground for his Passion’ Fruit, berries, gardens, tractor collections, irrigations systems and most importantly, people…flourish under his wisdom, care and ability to remember just where everything goes, what it needs and how it works. He’s blushing now, humble and about to tell a joke to distract you… However…the Farm would have grown differently under another’s watchful eye…because… Alan understands Agri-Tourism, is an early adopter, listens to and tells stories of what works and what doesn’t, learning and growing in the off-season, while the Orchard is asleep. Visiting other places [and hosting visiting Farmers as well] watching how others do it, picking and choosing, gleaning what will work best, right here, on this Farm, in this place, at this time, and looking ahead to the future. His influence, extends to the Young Farmers he admires and nurtures, and the rich listening that occurs, when an Old Farmer is telling a story. Both are critical to the path. Its that combination, of sensing the opportunity, and figuring out what will work for the Farm, for the People who work and live there, and how this all plays into a large [very large] contribution to Community. This is our Present and our Future. Each Season [May to September] an International Community gathers here, its a remarkable combination each and every time. They are drawn by the work, the place, their own paths…and they converge here…for 5 magical months, never to be repeated. This isn’t how Wikipedia writes up Farmers, Orchardists, Agriculture or any of the other descriptors we could use.