At Frog Hollow Farm, the true heart of everything we grow is our people. Behind every piece of fruit is a team committed to doing skilled, often physically demanding work. As we enter our harvest season, we want to highlight and celebrate the dedicated teams who keep the farm running year-round!

Ground Crew: Keeping the Soil Healthy

Our ground crew specializes in everything that happens at ground level. They’re responsible for weed control, irrigation, compost construction, and sometimes planting! Their work focuses on soil health, which is essential for growing nutrient-dense fruit.

They make sure water is flowing where it needs to go, weeds are managed without harmful chemicals, and compost is built and spread to feed the trees. Simply put, the ground crew is essential for keeping our orchard healthy and productive.

“They keep our trees happy,” says Farmer Al. “And that’s where it all starts.”

Tree Team: Precision, Balance, and Year-Round Care

Our tree team is constantly in motion: climbing ladders, pruning, thinning, and harvesting by hand. Their work changes with the seasons but always demands focus, strength, and experience.

In the winter, they prune each tree to remove excess growth and help the tree conserve energy. It’s not just about cutting—it’s about shaping. Every branch is considered in relation to light, airflow, and the crop it will carry.

By spring, the team grows significantly. That’s when thinning begins—a detailed, tree-by-tree process of removing fruit by hand to ensure what remains can grow to be big, sweet, and juicy! “We have 60,000 trees and every branch of every tree has to be thinned,” says Farmer Al. This means our tree team really has their work cut out for them, and they do an amazing job!

During the summer harvest, the same team moves through the orchard, picking ripe fruit by hand with speed and precision. Their work directly impacts the quality of every piece of fruit we sell.

Packing Team: Every Piece Counts

Once fruit is picked, it goes to the packing shed—where the next stage of hand labor begins. According to Farmer Al, “Each piece of fruit has to be looked at and carefully placed into a packaging container by size, weight, and quality”. Whether it’s headed to a farmers market, a CSA box, or a wholesale partner, our highly trained packing team makes sure it meets the right standards and preferences for our various customers.

During peak season, the shed runs full-time with a crew of 30–40 people packing up to 30,000 pounds of fruit a day! It’s fast-paced, detailed work that ensures our fruit reaches customers in the best possible condition.

This team is also responsible for organizing and moving pallets and managing material flow—essential for getting fruit out the door and to customers efficiently.

Kitchen Crew: Turning Harvest into Year-Round Flavor

Led by Becky Courchesne, our kitchen crew transforms fruit into products that can be enjoyed far beyond the harvest window. They make all of our dried fruit, jams, conserves, pastries, granola, and more—working five days a week, all year long.

Nearly everything we sell beyond fresh fruit is made right here on the farm, by hand. The dried fruit alone requires thousands of square feet of orchard space, where trays of cut fruit are sun-dried to perfection!

Their creativity and consistency allow us to reduce waste and bring added value to our fruit— preserving the sweetness of the season for enjoyment long after harvest concludes.

Gratitude in Every Season

“Fruit farming requires a huge amount of physical labor,” says Farmer Al. From the soil to the packing line, every piece is touched by someone. That care—real human care—is what makes for legendary fruit.

We’re proud to recognize and appreciate every person who contributes to the farm. Without them, none of this would be possible!