The Orchard Path

An enchantingly profound meditation on our connection to the natural world and finding meaning beyond the demands of our daily lives, as told through the story of a pear orchard and the man who raised it

Thirty years ago, Colin Harrison came across an ad in a local newspaper for an abandoned plot of land, once a potato farm, in Suffolk County, Long Island. Curious, he arrived to find seven overgrown acres. There was no electricity, no water, and no paved road. There were also no phone lines, and no way to receive the news—a complete escape from the deadlines of his working life. Harrison purchased the land. 

Years passed, and what began as a modest planting of four fruit trees at his retreat outside the city became an orchard of nearly two hundred pear trees that the writer tends himself. 

The Orchard Path braids together the vibrant story of Harrison’s orchard with the lessons he has learned from seasons of tree care and touches on the meaning of orchards, as well as the charming history of pear varieties. As he guides us through planting to pruning, watering and waiting, to finally harvesting the fruits of one’s labor, he also teaches us about the pleasures that come from patience, the rewards of hard outdoor work, and the peace that arise from our interconnectedness with the Earth. Along the way, he meditates on privacy, beauty, and our perception of time. And on bees, wood ladders, and raccoons. Readers of all ages who seek a tonic for our disordered era will find hope in these pages.

Rendered in lush, measured prose, The Orchard Path is at once one man’s ode to a life-changing endeavor and a contemplation of mortality, living a life of purpose, and the power of taking part in something that will outlast us all.