Last week, we spent some time at The Hickories, an organic farm in Ridgefield I’d visited before to shop at the farmstand and pick up a friend’s CSA share, but this was our first time touring the grounds.
I couldn’t have been more impressed – The Hickories is a perfect spot for a family outing!
The first spot we hit was the farm shop. It was filled with gorgeous produce, organic meats, jams, and knit products made from the wool shorn on the property, and it’s a wonderful place filled with temptations. We skipped buying anything there, but I’ll return soon to pick up some homemade sausage or a new scarf.
Next, after playing around a bit with Grace, the resident Border Collie, we headed to the pumpkin patch. I loved that it was an open space with lots of freedom for my son, the Little Monkey, to roam. The staff was helpful without hovering and patient while my son tried to lift nearly every pumpkin there.
After we selected a couple of pumpkins, we joined a few other families on the hayride. For the fair price of $5/person (not including the Little Monkey, who rode for free), we hopped onto the trailer on the back of a tractor and headed out for the farm tour. It’s a simply beautiful property. The children on the hayride enjoyed seeing the sweet animals – goats, pigs, alpacas, and sheep. My son particularly loved flinging handfuls of hay out of the cart at them while screaming, “Moo Moo!” (even though we did not see any cows).
I enjoyed learning more about the farm’s history and organic farming processes from the farmer who led the tour. He talked about the care of the animals, the sheering process used for the sheep, and the owners’ philosophy about organic farming.
I love the opportunity to support local businesses, and as a Ridgefield resident, I’m so proud to have found such a special place in my backyard. I encourage you to shop the farm stand, pick your jack-o-lantern pumpkin, and visit the animals as soon as possible!
