Valley Bounty: ‘It’s just a joy’: Plum Brook Farm preserves farmland and grows delicious fruit

Clem Clay grew up the child of back-to-the land farmers in Vermont. In 2022, Clay and his wife, Tiffany, bought Small Ones Farm on Bay Road in Amherst, and Plum Brook Farm was born. “We essentially took over the fruit operation and the leasing agreement with Brookfield Farm that the Fitzes started,” Clay says.

Plum Brook Farm in Amherst sits on a parcel of land protected through the Massachusetts Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) program. From 2004 to 2022, Bob and Sally Fitz operated Small Ones Farm on the parcel and grew tree fruit, berries, pumpkins and garlic using techniques that were gentle and friendly to both earth and people. The APR program helped transition the land to its current stewards.

APR is a voluntary program that permanently protects farmland from development and preserves it for use in agriculture. Through a blend of federal, state, and local funds, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) can pay farmers for a permanent deed restriction to retain the land for farming. This helps farm owners access the financial value of their land with a one-time payout, and it lowers its value in future sales, which helps keep farmland more affordable for both beginning and experienced farmers.

Today, Plum Brook Farm offers apples, pears (mostly Asian variety), peaches, raspberries, blueberries, and grapes on almost five of their 63 acres, and they lease 14 acres to Brookfield Farm.

Like many of the Valley’s farmers, Clay wears another hat in the world: he is also the director of the University of Massachusetts Extension Agriculture program. Whether through life experience or troubleshooting for growers in the region, Clay has amassed knowledge that he applies towards sustainably stewarding his farm.

Like a good teacher, he explains that there are many ways to farm with the intention of producing fruit that are good for people and good for the land, such as Integrated Pest Management, or IPM. Clay explains that “some organic interventions have been around for thousands of years, like sulfur or copper.” Although Plum Brook Farm fruit is not certified organic, the Clays use a mix of approaches that enhance the land while growing healthy fruit for people to eat. 

Farmers can manage many facets of farming through growing practices, but weather is still a variable that is often beyond human control. The farm sits in a location that is vulnerable to weather that impacts Plum Brook Farm differently than other nearby farms. 

Clay says, “We lost our peaches this year — we are in a very cold spot. We have cold air drainage issue in our microclimate, which means that when other farmers lose some of their apples to a late frost, like what happened in 2023, we lose them all. All it takes is one night to wipe the whole crop out.”

Plum Brook Farm grows a variety of crops to manage risks posed by the weather, and this year they have a robust crop of raspberries. The Clays grow raspberries in high tunnels built by their predecessors, swapping out varieties. There are two high tunnels, or 3,000 square feet of raspberries. The tunnels help extend the season, with warmth and by protecting the canes from rain and moisture on the leaves, which can breed disease problems. All raspberry crowns come from Nourse Farms in Whately.

Three classic varieties of red raspberries grow at Plum Brook Farm, contributing approximately one third of the farm’s annual fruit sales. Clay says, “They are classic red raspberries; some are darker in color and others are brighter. Most of the thorns have been bred out, so they aren’t what people remember from childhood.” The lineup used to include blackberries as well, but Clay replaced them with less demanding raspberries that are easier to manage. 

The farm also grows apples, and they are an example of how embracing the fruit as it develops is also a sustainable practice. They sell the perfect-looking, still-life-ready fruit at their farm stand for customers to enjoy, and they use the less-perfect, but still tree-sweetened and perfectly delicious, apples for other apple sauce, apple butter, or apple cider, which reduces waste.

Plum Brook Farm works with the Franklin County Food Processing Center to transform imperfect fruit into dreamy apple butter and child-friendly applesauce. Clay explains, “we’re small enough and busy enough with other things that we don’t have time to develop our own recipes right now, and they have this great program where they have their own recipes using some common primary ingredients. Applesauce and apple butter were on their list. We bring loads of apples up there and come back a week later to pick up a pallet full of cases of jarred apple butter and apple sauce. It was very simple for us as farmers who want to get into value-added. It’s a really nice entry point.” 

Clay notes the products have been popular: they ran out of applesauce before they had a chance to make more. They are working with the Food Processing Center to plan for their first batch of raspberry jam. They press cider on the farm when they have enough apples available. Late September through early November is their typical cider season.

Growing fruit is a joy for Clay. “Who doesn’t like fruit? There are a lot of reasons why I like growing fruit, but what I like most is that everybody loves it,” he says. “When you’re trying to be part of a system that is helping people be healthy and connected locally to their food sources and the local economy, it’s just a joy.” 

Plum Brook Farm is located at 416 Bay Rd. in Amherst. The farm stand is open daily, 8:30 a.m. until dark. They accept cash, checks, cards and Venmo. Soon, they will accept SNAP. For updates and more information, visit plumbrookfarm.com and stay tuned to their social media pages.

Lisa Goodrich is a communications coordinator for Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA). To find fruit farms near you, see CISA’s online guide at buylocalfood.org.