Community Corner

New Bushy Hill Orchard Parlor will Serve Tulmeadow Ice Cream

Granby's Bushy Hill Orchard Ice Cream Parlor will open soon.

Granby’s Clark Farms is busy this summer as the owners are getting close to opening an ice cream parlor at , their newest property, and they'll be carrying some of Simsbury's finest frozen flavors.

The parlor will feature award-winning ice cream from Simsbury’s Tulmeadow Farm as well as fresh, locally made soups. Those offerings will complement the fresh fruits and vegetables from the orchard and homemade cider donuts, pies, breads, muffins and cookies from the farm’s bakery.

“We’re really trying to have an agri-tourism farm,” said Allen Clark, who owns Clark Farms, of which Bushy Hill Orchard is a part, with his wife, Becky.

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To that end, Bushy Hill Orchard offers educational programs and opportunities for visitors to pick their own apples and raspberries in season along with the ice cream shop, bakery and wide variety of produce.

Allen and Becky Clark have a diverse farming portfolio. They have operated Suffield’s Goodyear Farm, which offers a wide variety of annuals, perennials, fall plantings and more, since 1995. They added Bushy Hill Orchard and East Granby’s , , to Clark Farms in the past five years.

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“We really love it,” Allen Clark said of operating the farms.

Among Griffin Farmstead’s customers is Canton’s Flatbread Company, a high-end pizza restaurant that uses the farm’s cheese for some of its pizzas. Besides cheese varieties including feta and chevre, the farm also offers goat milk and soaps.

The renovations necessary to make Bushy Hill’s ice cream parlor have taken some time, but the work is progressing and the space is having its electrical work done as well as being painted and floored. The biggest thing for the Clarks right now is getting the ice cream shop open, Allen Clark said.

There is help at the orchard, which Clark called a very physically demanding job. Two employees from Jamaica, who work for the farm through the H-2A federal agricultural visa program, help oversee the entire orchard setup. Clark said Freddy and Tony, the two overseers, thrive at the farm.

“They’re part of our family,” he said.

Products from Clark Farms' three entities are also available at farmers' markets in Suffield and Granby. The Clarks are enthusiastic about working with area businesses and selling their produce and products locally. Allen Clark pointed out that they need local support to operate.

“Support local [businesses],” Clark said. “We depend on local people to make this work.”

Clark was very positive about operating farms in the area, saying he’s very fortunate to work in Granby.

“Granby people definitely support local farms,” he said. “They want to see us succeed.”


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