“Trees take care of each other, connecting through their roots. They share nutrients and release scents to keep pests away and always help weaker trees defend themselves. Fruit trees show resilience, always giving and growing as well as they can.”

– Linda Hoffman, Old Frog Pond Farm, Harvard, MA

ORCHARD WOMEN OF HARVARD / 2026

In a fruit orchard, simplicity, hard work, and intention intertwine. There’s a deep and abiding connection between the people who labor here and the land they cherish. As I walk through the orchards in Harvard, Massachusetts, I see poetry everywhere, but what strikes me most is how distinctly feminine these fruit orchards feel, both biologically and culturally. A young heirloom apple tree appears to labor from the weight of branches heavy with fruit made of skin and flesh. Purple plums, still holding their bloom, seduce the viewer. Cherry trees draped in veil-like netting keep birds out and the trees contained. A broken branch of aging apples, like a strand of tarnished pearls, has been overlooked, but is beautiful, nonetheless. And the dry, aging bark of a Golden Delicious apple tree has folds and creases, much like human skin.

Harvard is home to four primary orchards, each owned and managed by women. Two grew up in the business, one married into it, and one revived an abandoned orchard and made it organic. These women, whose ages span generations, are strong and productive like their fruit trees. Both the women and their trees embody beauty, resilience, and hope, while providing rootedness and nourishment for their community.

The United Nations declared 2026 the “International Year of the Woman Farmer” to spotlight the central role women play in food security, nutrition, and economic resilience. This project honors these local women and their orchards: Stephanie Green O’Keefe / Westward Orchards; Linda Hoffman / Old Frog Pond Farm; Katie Carlson / Carlson Orchards; and Pam Lawson / Doe Orchards.