CL-August 2024 - 11

COOPERATIVE FOCUS
but the day-to-day operating of the
orchards are now primarily handled
by Abigail and David.
" We learn something from them
[my parents] every day, and we're so
thankful for their wisdom and guidance.
Fruit Hill wouldn't be what it is today
without the decades of hard work
they've both put in, " Abigail says.
BRANCHING OUT
Th e family now carries on a
legacy that is fi ve generations deep.
Incorporated in 1929 in Winchester,
Va., Fruit Hill Orchard expanded
to Palmyra when, in the spring of
2000, Abigail's grandfather, Robert
Solenberger, asked if he could plant
" a few " apple trees on his daughter
and son-in-law's (Barbara and Terry's)
property in Palmyra so his grandchildren
could learn about the family business.
" It's not like my dad gave us a
choice, " Barbara says with a laugh.
" I remember looking at Terry and
saying, 'Well, I guess we're going to
grow apples down here!' It was so
generous of my father. And Terry, who
was a full-time schoolteacher at the
time, has always been a farmer at heart
and has always loved growing things,
so we just sort of embraced it. "
From humble beginnings, the
orchard's legacy has evolved into
something extraordinary. Palmyra's
Fruit Hill Orchard now has over 3,000
fruit trees on its 200-acre property.
Th ey grow much more than just peaches.
During summer, the orchard usually
off ers blackberries, summer squash,
zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, onions,
potatoes, cucumbers, sweet bell peppers,
watermelons, cantaloupes and green
beans. When the weather cools down,
visitors can buy apples, pumpkins,
butternut squash, acorn squash and
even mums.
What the orchard off ers fl uctuates
co-opliving.com
Fruit Hill Orchard's Palmyra location is served by
Central Virginia Electric Cooperative. The Lintecums
love being members of an electric cooperative.
seasonally, so the family strongly
encourages prospective visitors to check
Fruit Hill Orchard's Facebook page or
website, or even to call, to fi nd out what
is available before visiting.
But there's more than just fruits and
vegetables, Barbara says. " We have baked
goods that are made by a local baker
using our fruit, jarred goods that include
jellies, jams and fruit butter, local cheese,
local honey harvested from my husband's
50 bee hives, local meat, and candles,
lotions and other body
products. It's kind of like
everything you would get
at a farmers' market from
multiple vendors all in
one building. "
Fruit Hill Orchard's
Palmyra location is served
by Central Virginia
Electric Cooperative.
Barbara and Terry say
they love being members
of an electric cooperative.
" Th e [CVEC] people here
in Palmyra are wonderful
to work with. We had a new electric
service put in on a tract of land that
we just acquired and they showed up
almost immediately when we called
and did a great job. We have nothing
but good things to say about the electric
cooperatives, " Barbara says.
ROOTS RUN DEEP
Th e orchard's roots run deep, going
back more than a hundred years before
each year until he got a few hundred
acres of apple trees, " Abigail explains.
According to the family, John
Th waite was a pioneer of the fruitstorage
business model, one of the fi rst
to come up with ways to store large
quantities of apples to sell later in the
season. Fruit Hill Orchard continued
for generations, expanding into
(continued on page 10)
August 2024 * Cooperative Living * 9
its earliest days in Palmyra. In the late
1800s, James Th waite came to the
U.S. from England. He and his family
traveled around the East Coast for a
while before settling in Winchester
in 1876.
" His son and my great-great-greatgrandfather,
John Th waite, planted
about 500 fruit trees in 1879. Th ese
trees were so successful that he planted
another 700 trees the following season.
He continued to add a few hundred trees
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CL-August 2024

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