As we wind down the year, it’s a great time to reflect on the previous one. Looking back on 2023 we are grateful for many things including growing healthy food and feeding people while providing opportunities for families to experience visiting a real working farm and learn how food is grown. We are most grateful for five extraordinary events that are noteworthy and representative of the core values of our farm. These events inspired us to create our top five countdown to celebrate these moments in 2023 with all of you! Our Top Five countdown to the new year was certainly not easy to narrow down to five things,  however, these were the most memorable and had the greatest impact on us and our community, so plow on through and enjoy! 

 

One, a new farm market

The first in the top five happened on April 1, 2023, with the opening of our fourth location in Jefferson. We commemorated the opening of our fourth location, Alstede Fresh at Lindeken Farms, with a grand opening weekend on April 1st & 2nd. The grand opening included free samples, giveaways, and an “all-smiles” guest appearance by the Stanlick Family, the original operators of Lindeken Farms. (Pictured is the Alstede & Stanlick Families at the Grand Opening). Alstede Fresh at Lindeken Farms is located at 54 Route 15 and the corner of Berkshire Valley Road in Jefferson Township. The farm market is open every day serving fresh baked goods, farm-fresh dairy and egg products, fresh produce, seasonal items, plants, and so much more.

Our team took great care to restore and preserve the Lindeken Farm Market so that we could continue the legacy created by the Stanlick family back in 1949. The entire renovation project was a success made possible by a collaboration of talented individuals spearheaded by Farmer Kurt Alstede, Owner and General Manager along with Trish Cirelli, Assistant Retail Operations Manager. This project has been a real team effort as our collective crew worked together to have our farm market open and completed on time in less than 60 days. We are proud to continue improving families’ quality of life by providing locally grown, nutritious, and delicious produce. You can enjoy a video of the Grand Opening by clicking here. 

 

TWO, a tractor ride around Times Square 

Number two in the top five occurred on May 5th, 2023 when we took the cast of the Broadway Musical “Shucked” on tractor rides around Time Square NYC. There was plenty of popping good excitement in Manhattan on Friday, May 5th, when Alstede Farms brought the farm to “The Big Apple ” with an exclusive tractor-drawn wagon ride down the streets of Broadway and through the sights of Times Square.  

Alstede Farms was “all ears” when they were asked to transport the cast and crew of Shucked, the new Broadway musical comedy, on a tour of Manhattan to introduce their album release. The cast enchanted passersby with excerpts from their a-maze-ing musical score while on an authentic open-air wagon ride being pulled by a massive and iconic John Deere tractor. The view of the city from the wagon ride was like no other according to the social media connoisseurs invited for a little farm-to-table tractor ride, music, and popcorn snack that day. Driving the tractor in the Big Apple was undoubtedly one of the most historical moments in Farmer Kurt’s lifetime.  Read more about it here. 

 

THREE, the opening of our Farmhouse District 

The third momentous event in 2023 would have to be the opening of our Farmhouse District Food Trucks. There is something about being outside in the fresh air on a farm that brings out the hunger in people. Maybe it’s the fun pick-your-own activities, the fresh vegetables, and fruits in their natural habitat, or spending time outdoors in the beautiful scenery that stimulates appetites like no other. Folks are certainly hungry when they visit the farm and we came up with a delicious solution for that. Introducing our Farmhouse District Food Trucks on our Farm. The Farmhouse District is a place where you can feed your soul and fuel your appetite for delicious farm-to-table ingredients and specialty treats. Centrally located near the parking lot, the Truck Bandstand, and the Farm entrance the food trucks are the heart of your visit to our farm. Whet your appetite with brick oven-inspired pizza made using fresh ingredients from the farm including tomatoes, zucchini, onions, garlic, or fresh herbs. Coined The Ripe Tomato, this food truck serves freshly made pizzas all weekend long. Watch the video for more details. 

A visit to our farm is not complete without stopping by the Doughnut Haus Food Truck which is a popular stop for the ultimate coffee & donut lover. Just standing nearby makes your stomach rumble with the fresh aromas of baked goods and freshly ground coffee wafting in the air. Here you will find traditional coffee drinks including lattes, iced coffees, and espresso and cappuccino. Also available at this station are freshly baked doughnuts, muffins, and other baked goods including our infamous apple cider donuts. Learn more about our farmhouse district here. 

 

FOUR, our Vermont-inspired Maple Creemee

No countdown is complete without mention of our delicious homemade ice cream and that includes our newest Vermont-inspired Maple Creemee. All of our ice cream is homemade in-house using fresh ingredients including some of our homegrown produce such as apple cider in our apple cider slushies, fresh fruits in our fruit-based ice creams, and toppings. Our Vermont-inspired Maple Creemee is no exception as it features our maple syrup in the ice cream tapped from our trees in Vermont. 

 

FIVE, Holiday food donation

Last but not least is our inspiring food donation for Thanksgiving in partnership with the Table of Hope Food Pantry, Spring Street CDC, and CCM on November 17th, 2023.  Table of Hope and Spring Street CDC which is an organization that serves free meals to the community in addition to hosting several holiday food distributions in Morris County, where we provide fruits and vegetables for their food baskets along with assistance in procuring Turkeys or other foodstuff. This Thanksgiving food donation contributed toward feeding over 600 families and continues to help close the gap in food insecurity. Learn more about food donations here or by watching this video.

 

Thank you for following along on our top five countdown. Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year ahead.