Farm education, not agritourism, at Stone Barns in N.Y.

Posted September 12, 2014 6:00 am

By Beth J. Harpaz Associated Press

Visitors walk through a flower garden at Stone Barns, a nonprofit working farm in Pocantico Hills, N.Y., dedicated to education and conservation. Stone Barns belonged to the Rockefeller family and was turned into an education site by David Rockefeller in honor of his late wife Peggy, an advocate for farmland preservation. Associated Press

POCANTICO HILLS, N.Y. — Agriculture tourism lures travelers each fall with farms offering petting zoos, dressed-up scarecrows, pick-your-own pumpkins and pony rides. But Stone Barns, in New York's Hudson Valley, offers a different type of agritourism.

Stone Barns is a real working farm, but it's dedicated to education and sustainable agriculture. You don't come here to buy pellets from a coin-operated machine to feed baby goats. Instead, you come to see free-range turkeys and chickens, colorful gardens bursting with flowers and herbs, a year-round greenhouse, and a barn full of oinking piglets. There are fields of vegetables grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, quiet wooded paths, a mountain of compost and a buzzing apiary.

Located about an hour north of New York City in Pocantico Hills, Stone Barns was built in the 1930s as a dairy farm by John D. Rockefeller Jr. The Rockefellers' 40-room mansion and estate, Kykuit, is located nearby. Ten years ago, the farm was turned into an education site by John's son David Rockefeller and David's daughter Peggy Dulany in honor of David's late wife, Peggy, who was an advocate for farmland preservation.

Farming practices here include crop rotation, composting and other methods designed to improve nutrition, enrich soil and reduce energy consumption. Some 200 varieties of produce are grown in fields, gardens and greenhouses, along with eggs, meat and honey.

Stone Barns offers a variety of educational programs to the public, including some designed for children, but it's also open Wednesday through Sunday year-round to the public. A self-guided tour of the entire property — 23 acres of pasture and 40 acres of woodlands — takes several hours. A free iPhone app and free maps from the gift shop can help guide your way. On weekends, interpretive stations are set up. Events include an upcoming harvest festival on Sunday, Oct. 5.

Stone Barns relies on philanthropic funding but also earns income from its products, some of which are sold in the gift shop and in farmers markets. In addition, the farm has a unique commercial partnership with chef Dan Barber, who operates two fancy restaurants, Blue Hill in Manhattan and Blue Hill at Stone Barns. The restaurant located within Stone Barns Center offers a chef's menu that's $198 a person, excluding tax, tip and drinks. Reservations are accepted two months in advance and despite the price, the meals are so prized among foodies that the reservations go fast. (President Barack Obama's personal chef recently held his wedding here, and the Obama family attended.) A smaller three-course menu at the bar is $58 (not including tax, tip or drinks; no reservations). Barber's recent book “The Third Plate” looks at the farm-to-table movement and beyond.

But don't fret if the Blue Hill menu is beyond your budget. You can get an affordable taste of Stone Barns' farm-fresh flavors at its on-site Grain Bar, which sells salads, frittatas, sandwiches and sweets. It's the perfect spot for lunch or a snack after you've built up a farm-sized appetite visiting the pigs and the fields.

Get up close to Stone Barns' pigs, plus other animals like free-range turkeys and chickens at the Hudson Valley farm. Associated Press

While at Stone Barns, visitors can see free-range turkeys and chickens, a barn full of piglets, fields of vegetables, a buzzing apiary, and organic gardens and greenhouses. Associated Press

The greenhouse is open year-round at Stone Barns, a nonprofit working farm in Pocantico Hills, N.Y. Associated Press

Children play on a compost heap at Stone Barns in the Hudson Valley area of New York. Associated Press

Stone Barns

Where: 630 Bedford Road, Pocantico Hills, N.Y.,

Getting here: By car, it's about an hour's drive north of New York City; by train from Manhattan, take MetroNorth to the Tarrytown station, then a 10-minute cab ride to Stone Barns

Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday year-round, with a

Cost: $10 admission fee per car Friday through Sunday

Info: (914) 366-6200 or <a href="http://www.stonebarnscenter.org/">stonebarnscenter.org/</a>

Harvest festival fundraiser: Sunday, Oct. 5. Cost is $40 for adults, $20 for kids 2-14.

Article Comments

Article Categories
Lifestyle Travel

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.