Forbidden Fruit Orchard
Paradise, Montana
Forbidden Fruit Orchard is, quite literally, the fruition of Tom & Lynn McCamant’s longtime dream to be orchardists.
In the fall of 2000 their dream became reality when they were finally able to gather up enough cash and courage to purchase 20 acres of bare ground near Paradise, Montana.
The following winter they spent most of their free time in research and planning mode. Deciding which trees to plant was no easy task, as there were no existing orchards in the area to copy from. Peaches, cherries and apricots eventually took center stage and in the spring of 2001 embarked on their planting the journey.
They set up a work camp (with their wall tent and dilapidated old tent trailer) along the bank of the Clark Fork River and began the epic task of their first tree planting. With the surprisingly generous help of friends and family they tilled up 10 acres of land, erected 2,400 feet of deer fence, installed an irrigation well and drip irrigation system, and planted the first 720 baby trees in their orchard. All the while taking care of their two young boys, ages 1 and 3.
Each season since then has brought with it a new set of successes and failures and over the years they have strived to hone their craft. Most years they have planted new trees and have continued to add new varieties to their repertoire. Some trees thrive in their climate and others do not. Their boys have flourished and are now working on the orchard as well as playing on it. It all still is—and always will be—a work in progress, but they all agree it's been the adventure of a lifetime.
