Fruits of labor

HURON TWP. — At the age of 92, Andrea Urso is still doing what he loves: farming. Andrea is originally from Sicily, Italy, but he moved to Sandusky when he was in his 30s. When he purchased a property on Huron Avery Road in 1968, it was a junkyard. Because he grew up on a farm, he knew exactly what to do with the land. He cleared the mess and planted about 50 apple trees. For years, he added more and more. Today, the orchard encompasses about three acres and has more than 300 trees, which also includes some peach trees. Andrea has operated Urso's Farm Market near his home for about 55 years. He recently encountered a hip injury, so he can't pick all of the apples himself anymore. Andrea still zips around the orchard on his golf cart, doing what he can to care for the trees. "I would feel guilty doing nothing," he said. Andrea's children also do their best to help with the orchard. But with so many apples, it's difficult to keep up. He doesn't want to stop and remains determined to keep going. Andrea has been a successful farmer, and he considers the orchard his hobby now. His family said the orchard is like his seventh child. From Italy to America Andrea was born in Marsala, a coastal town in western Sicily, in 1931. He grew up on a farm where they had a lot of vineyards. Andrea also lived through World War II when the Germans invaded Italy. Andrea married his wife, Pauline Pultz, in Strasatti, Marsala, in 1960. Pauline was from Sandusky and met Andrea during a visit to Italy. Andrea moved to the U.S., and the couple eventually settled in Huron. Andrea didn't speak any English, so he immersed himself in American culture. He began to pick up the language, but it took a while. Andrea started out by working at restaurants and factories. Then he became more involved with farming. He also spent 29 years at Ford Motor Co. before retiring. Andrea and Pauline have six children: Angelo, Francis, Ann, Andre, Tom and Mary. Ann said they never learned how to speak Italian because it was important for their father to speak English. To this day, he is still learning and completes word searches to help with spelling. He also talks with a thick accent. Ann said her parents were excellent providers. They raised her and her siblings to be hard workers — Pauline was a registered nurse for nearly 30 years. The couple was married for 61 years. Pauline passed away a year ago. To stay busy, Andrea keeps working in the orchard and at the farm stand. "It's what he loves, and it's what keeps him going," Francis said. Always a farmer Andrea's property on Huron Avery Road, near Scheid Road, was full of junk when he bought it. He cleaned it up and started planting. At one point, Andrea managed up to 10 acres of land near his home for growing produce. He opened a large market on Milan Road (U.S. 250) in 1982 where All Styles Landscaping and Garden Center is now. Andrea grew corn, cantaloupe, watermelons, pumpkins and more on the land. He also continued to expand the orchard at his home. There were times when Andrea was working on the farm and at Ford, so he put in some long hours at both jobs. Because of Andrea's success with farming, it gave all of his children the opportunity to attend college. "He's such an unbelievably good green thumb with growing everything," Ann said. When the children went off to college, the farm was too much for Andrea to handle on his own. He closed the market on Milan Road but continued to run the orchard and the smaller farm stand at his home. "He's a pretty famous guy," Ann said. "He's been at this spot for so long. People from generations remember him and visit him every year." As Andrea has gotten older, he fights through pain he encounters, especially after his injury this past summer. He finds the strength to continue farming. "He's just worked so hard his whole life. He has worn his body out," Francis said. Andrea's children are doing what they can to help manage the orchard, which includes picking apples. Angelo remembers working for his father while growing up. Now, picking apples is something he wants to do because he doesn't want his father hurting himself. "I do what I can do," Angelo said. "I'm the oldest, and I feel obligated to give back. "I left when I was 18 for the military and that left my siblings to carry the torch. When I finally retired, I felt like I needed to give back to my parents because my siblings did so much more." The 'best neighbor' Rick and Joanne Broz have lived next door to Andrea for about 40 years. Both of them enjoy visiting him. Andrea is always happy to see them. Joanne said she is of Italian descent, so it's fascinating to hear Andrea's stories from living in Italy. She noted how Andrea told her about when he was a young boy and Benito Mussolini was in power. "That was like history coming to life," Joanne said. Rick said he's amazed by everything Andrea does, and Joanne feels the same way. Both of them see him working in the orchard throughout the day. "At his age, it's inspiring," Rick said. Added Joanne: "You think you have all these problems or you don't feel good, then you look outside and see Mr. Urso out in the blazing sun, driving his tractor and spraying all his trees. He's probably the hardest worker I've seen." Throughout the summer months, Joanne finds items like zucchini, tomatoes or peaches on a little table in their yard. Andrea just reaches over to their side to leave them some of the fresh produce he's grown. Joanne said Andrea is very kind and she thinks of him as family. "He's the best neighbor I've ever had. He's a good friend and he's always been very special," Rick said. The Chef's Garden is right across the street from Urso's Orchard. Andrea said he was working outside when farmer Lee Jones stopped by with professional cook Rachael Ray and her husband. They talked briefly and took a couple of pictures together during the visit. Andrea gave Rachael some apples, which she immediately tasted. It was a good experience, Andrea said. Bushels of apples Andrea is frustrated he can't keep up with the orchard, and he hates seeing the apples fall to the ground. Ann said this year is a bumper crop, meaning there's an unusually abundant harvest. With about 300 trees — Melrose, Yellow Delicious, Red Delicious, Jonathan and McIntosh — Andrea estimated there are at least 700 bushels of apples. On average, there are about 125 apples in a bushel. Andrea hopes the community will visit his farm stand, 9016 Huron Avery Road in Huron, which is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. He's currently running an apple special of buy one peck, get another peck free. He doesn't want the apples to go to waste. While working at the stand, Andrea is always willing to help. He enjoys having conversations with everyone who stops by. He'll probably share one of his many stories. Andrea will be turning 93 years old in a few months, but he's already thinking about what he's going to plant on his property next year. He's been saving seeds to be used next season. "I grew up on a farm, and I'll die on a farm. I just love it," Andrea said.