Stone Barns

At the end of June my cousin and his girlfriend came to visit from Montreal. Douglas and I took them to Stone Barns an organic farm in Westchester. I actually pass this farm on my way to and from work every day. I consider myself fortunate to have such beautiful scenery.

It is possible to park in a lot of the farm, but we decided to park down the road and walk a bit. This allowed us to get some exercise and enjoy nature. Well-behaved dogs are also permitted to visit. Kahlua is a doll. I have only heard her bark about six times in the three and a half years she has lived with us.

Although Stone Barns is a working farm, they invite people to visit and allow you to wander the grounds at will. In fact, the only area on the farm that is closed to the public are the breeding pens.

Blue Hill is the restaurant at Stone Barns. It is a high-end restaurant, with a dress code, long waiting list and high prices. However, if you do not have a reservation at the restaurant, you can eat at the cafe. The food there is just as delicious but not as expensive.

Many items are sold in the gift shop including some meat, eggs and produce. There is also a farmers’ market on the weekend.

The buildings are beautiful and made of stone as you might imagine by the name. They were built by the Rockefeller family and form part of the Rockefeller State Park Preserve.

The wine cellar is built into the side of a hill. While we were passing by, an employee was bringing out a cart full of wine. I wonder what it looks like in the cellar.

I like to visit the inside of the silos. Once when I came with my brothers, Justin climbed to the top of the silo. Then some people came in, and he had to wait up there until they left. I was amazed that they never even noticed that he was up there.

We found out that there is a free tour. I have visited Stone Barns many times over the years, but this was the first time that I took the tour. It was extremely informative. The farm manager took us through the fields and pastures. Kahlua accompanied us the entire time with the exception of the pasture. Dogs are not allowed out there.

She was only able to enjoy the chickens from afar. The rest of us were allowed much closer. These chickens change location every day.

We were also permitted to eat the sugar snap peas and pick some lavender.

One of the fields was covered in cloth in an attempt to keep pests off. The farmers at Stone Barns are constantly experimenting with new methods of organic farming.

I enjoyed watching the farmers with the bees. Kahlua was intrigued for a moment before losing all interest.

One of my favorite parts of the farm are the sheep. Unfortunately, this summer there are only three sheep on the farm. The rest are on loan to the Rockefeller Preserve to eat the invasive plants.

We ended the tour at the compost plant. I appreciate that they are using compost, as we are in our little yard, but I did not appreciate the smell of theirs.

After the tour we went by the greenhouses and animal pens.

The birds are kept in pens when they are small. As they get bigger they are allowed out during the day and put back in the pens at night.

We arrived at the animal pens right before they were fed. They must have been hungry because they ran right over to us as soon as they saw us. They were not even intimidated by Kahlua. In fact, I think that she was more afraid of those birds than they were of her.

If you are ever in Westchester, I highly recommend a visit to Stone Barns. Let me know, and I will take you there myself!

Happy Homemaking!

P.S. This post was written earlier and scheduled to post today. I am in Costa Rica and will not have regular access to the internet. Please, DO leave comments but understand that I will not be able to respond to them immediately. Also, feel free to extend your condolences to Douglas, Kahlua and Crème, who have been left behind to guard the fort while I am away.