White House Fruit Farm offers social, educational space for planting processes

It’s always been more than just a farm to Kim Hull Sisco.

White House Fruit Farm has been part of the Ohio landscape in Canfield for over a century. Starting in the care of her grandfather, Jerome Hull — who was also a full-time educator — the 200-acre land’s early beginnings included a plethora of fruit, fresh-market turkeys and his nine children with his wife, Doris Humes-Hull.

In 1968, the family formed the farm into a fruit and vegetable retail business. David Hull, one of the nine children, restored the farm bank barn 10 years later and developed it into a year-round market with his own family.

The farm has been passed through the Hull generations ever since. David Hull and his children now operate more than 75 acres of fruit and vegetable production alongside the market.

Hull Sisco is part of the third generation and has grown up on White House Fruit Farm alongside her cousins. They worked daily in the summer and in the evenings during the fall. It remains a similar effort today.

“I say, ‘If you turn around more than twice, you’re going to see another (Hull),’” Hull Sisco said. “Every building and every activity that’s happening here has a family member working in it or right around it.”

One cousin handles the jams, sauces and special canned goods; another labors behind the scenes with stocking; and Hull Sisco’s brother manages the lawn and creates flower beds, while her sister oversees the coffee shop. And that’s not even all of them.

White House Fruit Farm encapsulates what defines a family-owned business. It “gets into your system,” according to Hull Sisco.

“Many of us have degrees in other areas and have left the farm for a short time, and there’s something about it that brings you back,” Hull Sisco said.

Since their grandparents were educators — their grandfather was the Mahoning County superintendent of schools — informative content has been part of the farm’s operations.

Events during the summer include jam sessions, with strawberry picking, processing and preparing having recently passed in June. White House Fruit Farm will host its Blueberry Jam Session from July 16-18, and although it’s sold out, it still provides Blueberry Pick Your Own throughout the month.

Hull Sisco said it can be easy for people to go to the market, see a product and take it home, but the farm aims to repair this disconnect by teaching individuals about the planting process.

“If I can bring you out and share the farm with you, educate you about strawberries and how to make jam and you can take that product home with you, we feel like we’ve given something to the community,” Hull Sisco said.

Other upcoming activities on the event calendar include Kids U-Pick Flower Arrangements, Sunflowers at Sunset and Sunflowers at Sunrise.

In addition to its fresh fruits and vegetables, the farm is popularly known for its blueberry doughnuts, Hull Sisco said. During the weekdays, customers can choose from about 30 varieties of doughnuts, with a special flavor rotated monthly.

Doughnut production begins in the mornings, and employees monitor what’s selling quickly to prepare more batches. Hull Sisco recommends that customers order ahead for their desired varieties, since the market intentionally sells out to have fresh selections daily.

The various hosted attractions by White House Fruit Farm allow the community to gather in a place where they can grow together, both socially and educationally. Being part of that makes it all worthwhile to Hull Sisco.

“Just being a part of the legacy, having something to offer, being able to incorporate the community into what you’re doing — we wouldn’t be here if the community didn’t support us, right?” Hull Sisco said. “We could farm, but we wouldn’t be a destination. We wouldn’t be where we are if the community didn’t find something good in what we were doing.”