Terrapin Orchards - Elizabeth, Illinois
Terrapin Orchards - Elizabeth, Illinois

About Us

My first love was a watermelon (or for you proper folks Citrullus lanatus.)  Not just any watermelon, MY watermelon. I can’t remember what inspired my 11 year old self to spend that summer hoeing beets and pulling giant ragweed, but I definitely remember that watermelon.


My sixth grade summer I decided that a garden was what I needed out of life. My family had always had a garden, but busy schedules and a lack of TLC had yielded lackluster results. I could do better. Beets, carrots, lettuce, onions, sweet corn, squash and watermelon was to be the harvest for summer 2002. “The two most important days in your life are the day you were born, and the day you find out why.” The day I bit into that watermelon turned out to be that day. This was what food could be. It was crisp, tangy and the flavor intensity was unlike any melon I had ever met.  I was a grower. I was hooked.


Blue butts for the 4-H show, Duroc-Berkshire crosses for the sausage patties, corn for ethanol, soybeans for china. My young life as a grower has been diverse and extremely rewarding. My passion for plants has taken me to Iowa state where I earned the title Agronomist, to rural Wisconsin where I have been committed to helping folks grow more with less, and now to Northwest Illinois where I am continuing my dreams of growing high quality food for high quality folks.


Our orchard is located near Elizabeth, Illinois in the scenic driftless area of the midwest. Terrapin Orchards is close to Galena Illinois and is less than 10 miles east of the Galena Territories. Our orchard has 6500 dwarf apple trees in over a dozen different varieties (Zestar, Premier Honeycrisp, Gala, Honeycrisp, Fuji, Ambrosia, Cortland, McIntosh, Ludacrisp, Snowsweet and Evercrisp) and 4 acres of strawberries in 15 different varieties. Our strawberry season starts in Early June and runs through the beginning of July. We offer both pick your own and pre-picked berries that are dripping with flavor. Our apple season begins in late August each year and goes through the end of October. During this fall season folks can enjoy a wagon ride in the orchard, picking their own pumpkin or any of the treats  including caramel apples and pies from our store. We do not charge an admission fee into the Orchard. 


Thanks for your interest in our farm and for helping put wind in the sails of my dreams. I look forward to seeing you at the orchard soon!

-Matt

 

Make sure to make Terrapin Orchards part of your trip to Galena, Apple River Canyon, Lake Carroll or the Galena Territories!

 

Terrapin Orchards - Elizabeth, Illinois


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