Rolling Hills Farm

For Co-op members who've been around Ashland for a while, Dave Bellzburg will be a familiar and beloved name. For those newer to the Co-op or to Ashland, Dave Bellzburg is soon to become a familiar and beloved name. Dave can frequently be found enticing people with samples of his juicy peaches or his excellent cherries in the Co-op's kiosk.

Originally a Canadian, Dave left his British Columbia farm of ten years to start Rolling Hills Farm in Griffin Creek, in 1984. His twenty-five-acre orchard has been supplying the Co-op with tantalizing fruit since 1994. Dave does all the work himself, so when he's not busy with peach harvesting from mid-July through mid-October, you'll find him out there planting new trees, or pruning, or otherwise maintaining the orchard. You may also spot his trusty friend, a yellow lab named "Chufi."

Dave grows many varieties of peaches and they all end up being compared with the favorite mid-summer variety called Redhaven - a wonderful, juicy, delicious, summer peach. Other mid-summer favorites are Rosa, Blazing Stars, and Starfire. Dave says the Fortyniner is perfect for the valley and grows vigorously for him. Then of course there is the well-known Alberta. Other late varieties he grows include the Rio Oso Gem, and the J.H. Hale (named after the renowned peach grower,) as well as the O'Henry and the Angelus.

When asked which variety is his favorite, Dave answers, "The one I'm picking that day."