Holiday 2018 Issue
A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Gingerbread architecture can be a world of crazy excess. I recall an exhibit years ago that featured a replica of Falling Water, the Frank Lloyd Wright house built o...
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Genesis Farm Celebrates 30 Years of Food and Community
Tucked in the hills of Warren County, just outside Blairstown, is a farm that’s been quietly paving the way for locally grown, organic food for three decades.
The Community Supported Garden at Genesis Farm emerged out of an environmental stewardship project founded by Dominican nuns in the 1980s. The CSG grew into its own independent entity, a biodynamic farm that now feeds 300 families year-round. Starting with just 1.5 acres in 1988, the farm has gathered land and momentum, establishing hundreds of fruit trees (including native pawpaws) and incorporating heritage grains, dry corn for polenta, herbs, apiaries and even a kiwi arbor. Root cellaring and greenhouses allow the farm to offer fresh food year-round. Their flavorful kale and carrots are almost unheard-of February luxuries.
The CSG at Genesis Farm was the first community supported agriculture (CSA) in the state of New jersey, and one of the first in the nation. Members pay an annual fee to cover the cost of seeds, equipment and labor and in return they receive a percentage of the harvest. Everyone shares the risks and rewards. The farm is active and vibrant, and not only on pickup days when members mingle and children collect berries or press fresh apple cider Farm-to-table dinners, cooking classes, farm camp, monthly story times and seasonal festivals attract a diverse community from all over North Jersey. The farm takes on three to five apprentices every year and many have gone on to established their own successful ventures—Roots to River and Locust Light farms in Titusville, School Lunch Farm in Mt. Olive, Flatbrook Gardens in Branchville and Asbury Village Farm.
On a crisp September Saturday, more than 150 people celebrated 30 years of food and community at Genesis Farm. Live music played, and children made flower crowns. Four long tables were laden with a feast I had prepared, along with local chefs and friends, made exclusively from farm ingredients. Across the bonfire were my parents, some of the first Genesis members. Next to me were my children, who have explored this land since they were toddlers. The moment brought to mind another gathering in the same spot I had attended, so many years earlier, to raise a peace pole blessing the land. That monument still stands at the top of the farm driveway, greeting every visitor seeking nourishment of one kind or another.
Community Supported Garden at Genesis Farm
4IB Silver Lake Road
Blairstown
908.362.7486
csgatgenesisfarm.com
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