By Audrey Stratton | Local Happenings
Down the backroads of Wheelersburg there is a farm that has been providing our community with fresh, locally grown produce since 1958. Furhmann Orchard has always been a staple in our community.
This family venture was started by accident. Pete and Susan Fuhrmann got married on Pete’s way to spring training with the Cleveland Indians. Soon after, Pete suffered from a shoulder injury that ended his baseball career.
Pete and Susan returned to Ohio to live in a home that was located on his parent’s hobby farm. This was a sweet escape from the city with a lot of potential for the family to grow.
Soon Pete and Susan started planting fruit trees and vegetables and thus, Fuhrmann Orchards began. This led Pete and Susan to become full time farmers and starting a family legacy with their two sons.
Today. Paul and Leanne Fuhrmann and their family are the ones who are keeping this family venture alive.
They are growing and selling apples, peaches, nectarines, melons, vegetables (of all kinds), cut flowers, and pumpkins. They provide the community with events or experiences to make memories with friends and family.
Everything they sell is grown right on their own farm. They handpick every pepper, tomato, flower, apple, pumpkin, and vegetable! You can find their fresh produce at farmer’s markets around the county.
Fuhrmann’s 2020 season started long before COVID-19, but still took its toll on their business. They had to delay the start of their participation in the Original Portsmouth Farmers Market. This led them to open at the orchard on Saturdays for curbside service.
When talking with them, they told me, “Our customers are what keeps our business and our family afloat. Unfortunately we lost the entire peach and nectarine crop in 2020 due to cold temperatures in the spring, which was a major financial setback. We had a large amount of support in the middle of the pandemic at the orchard and are super thankful to continue to have this support at the orchard this fall. We will be open until December 19th, and it is imperative that our community members continue to visit the orchard in Wheelersburg weekly! It is a blessing to be able to provide the entire tri-state area with 28 different varieties of apples, 12 varieties of peaches, melons, a large selection of vegetables, pumpkins, winter squash and more! We have the best customers who drive as close as 2 minutes away to 2 hours away! Nothing tastes better than locally grown fruits and vegetables.”
Don't wait! Visit them today to take advantage of their 2020 season.
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