![]() Today it’s a bed & breakfast in 1815 farmhouse. The Reiff Farm, also in Oley, was started in 1732 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The 35-acre Old Earth Farm in Oley sits behind an 1828 stone farmhouse. Cows seem to have a pretty good life around these parts. ![]() Of course, man does not live by produce alone. For every kernel of corn there is a strand of silk. Each strand of silk is a long tube that transports the pollen to the ear and produces the seed. The silk, seen here on an immature ear, is the female component. That is one reason corn is grown so close together. The pollen is transported by air to surrounding plants. The stalk at the top is the “male component” and produces the pollen. The spindly stalk is seen here protruding from the plant’s top. Most of it is used to produce things like corn syrup and feed for animals rather than what we enjoy at our dinner tables and barbecues throughout the summer.Ĭorn is bi-sexual with each plant having both the male and female components necessary to produce an ear of corn. Weaver’s peaches and blackberries became Saturday night’s dessert.Īs I headed north I passed several gun clubs and sporting “reserves” where, I assume, hunters stalk and shoot their prey and some bring it to Big Bull’s Taxidermy for stuffing - and not the culinary variety.Ĭorn is America’s largest crop - more than two times that of any other crop. Plus sweet yellow or white doughnut peaches. Freestones, that come later in the summer, are on sumptuous, picked ripe and ready-to-eat display at Weaver’s - yellow or white. Several weeks ago in South Jersey there were only cling peaches - peaches whose flesh sticks to the pit. (I saw no pineapple plantations in my travels.) As with most “orchards,” Weaver’s is a large scale operationĪ Farmer’s Market such as Weaver’s typically offer their customers the convenience of produce not locally grown. Buy Local program does not quite compete with the “Jersey Fresh” campaign. By comparison, Pennsylvania’s signage is more demure - and less fun. It’s interesting how New Jersey seems to have a tradition of showy signs announcing their presence and extolling their produce. ![]() Undaunted, I headed north where broad open valleys and long straight roads gave way to creeks, hills and winding roads. Here is a large field of zucchini but nary a ready-to-stuff zucchini blossom for sale. With a long tradition of farming success. ![]() These are primarily serious commercial farms whose business models do not necessarily include roadside stands. Still, if you stay off the main roads, drive slowly enough to gaze left and right, there is lots to see including beautifully picturesque classic Pennsylvania farms.Īnd birds of a feather flocking together for a late morning siesta.Īnd a young family enjoying a late breakfast. When most of your neighbors are farmers, well maybe that just not the place for a farm stand. This includes, in addition to the farm and farmer, a sufficiently dense population that values and is in need of fresh-picked produce. My drives have provided me with a notion of the best farm stand business model. My carefully researched and exhaustive list of farm addresses offered no assurance that I would actually find that weathered rickety table with hand-lettered signs offering tenderly cared for produce. (For instance, my local Saturday Rittenhouse Square Farmers’ Market or any day at the Reading Terminal Market.)Īs I drove over hill and dale in search of the perfect farm stand, I had to remind myself of the importance of the journey and not just the fruit and vegetables. And frankly, if were only about the produce, there are easier ways to get this stuff than hunting down farm stands. Not predictable is the path to find this. This includes a cornucopia of seasonal produce currently including peaches, blackberries, zucchini, corn and tomatoes. Some things are predictable about my summer excursions in search of farm stands. On the Road: Farm Stands of Northern Chested & Montgomery Counties, PA In a system committed to the health of farms and their integration with local communities, the result would have been different.” To quote from Kilinkenborg’s piece: “Each year it has become harder for family farms to compete with industrial scale agriculture - heavily subsidized by the government - underselling them at every turn. Here’s a link to the Tuttle’s Red Barn Farm website where you can read the Tuttle’s letter explaining their decision. Klinkenborg notes the passing of the Tuttle’s Red Barn Farm, America’s oldest farm founded in 1632. This past Sunday’s New York Times featured an Editorial Notebook piece by Verlyn Klinkenborg called Death of a Farm.
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