It’s the season for pumpkins and spice and everything nice and as farmers, we just love seeing the magnificent pumpkin receive well-deserved recognition. We believe that nature provides all of the nutrients our body needs by eating in harmony with the seasons and consuming pumpkin now is no exception. Pumpkin contains vitamins C, E, iron, …
Summertime is a time of fresh produce coming from the fields every day. Most people can recount a special summertime memory that involves the joys of fresh tomatoes, or peaches! Canning or preserving with grandma, growing your own, or visiting a local farm to pick your own! Summer is a great time to eat well …
Walk on the Wild Side by planting yourself at a local farmers market. There is so much to see and explore. Let’s go on a tour to learn about them. What is a farmers market? A farmer’s market is where growers can sell their items directly to the consumer. It is said that farmer’s markets …
Why Pick Your Own? You may have heard about PYO which stands for pick your own fruits and vegetables. The pick-your-own movement is said to have developed during the Great Depression when innovative farmers sought to connect consumers directly with their products to reduce overhead for labor. Still, a popular activity today, getting outside in …
In New Jersey, late spring and early summer are good times to grow broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, snow peas, and kale. You will see these available in our markets and farm stands, harvested fresh every morning. You will also find garlic scapes and green onions appearing in our markets for a very short time making both …
Smart Shopping Rising food prices have everyone thinking of creative ways to stretch their meal budget. One of the easiest ways to start saving on your grocery bill is by purchasing locally grown and in-season items. Foods that are grown locally are fresher and retain more nutrients, they also taste better, as they are picked …
Have you heard of Community Supported Agriculture? Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) connects families to farm fresh and increases local food accessibility. Today’s CSA model consists of a weekly box of fresh farm produce delivered to your home or picked up from your local farm. The box contains fruits and vegetables that are in season on …
Rising food prices have everyone thinking of creative ways to stretch their meal budget. One of the easiest ways to start saving on your grocery bill is by purchasing locally and in-season. Foods that are grown locally are fresher and retain more nutrients, they also taste better, as they are picked and consumed nearby the …
John-Paul Andronici brings his love of culinary creations to Alstede Farms, setting the table for the first Food & Beverage Manager position. Alstede Farms transcends the farm-to-table experience with this new position planting the seed for a sprouting hospitality department. John-Paul brings his corporate chef experience, fine dining acumen, and his hospitality background to elevate …
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a way of connecting families to farmers and increasing local food accessibility. Although there are disparities as to when the first CSA was developed, some believe the model was adapted from a 1920’s European philosopher, while others believe it may have been developed in the 1970s either in Europe or …
Hard Cider is apple cider that has been naturally fermented into alcohol and goes long back to our pioneer roots. Apples and hard cider have a long history, eventually making their way to New Jersey with the early settlers. Apples were primarily used in our region for cider and hard cider, (aka Apple Jack), as …
The Alstede Farms cider mill was started in 2015 and we are proudly going into our 8th year of pressing apples. Having a cider mill on an apple farm means that nothing goes to waste on this sustainable-focused, regenerative farm. The cider mill produces fresh apple cider using an antique rack and cloth press from …
