Pennypack Farm & Education Center — Attraction in Horsham Township

This comment is long overdue, but better late than never, I guess.

First, it's worth mentioning that I was an organic farmer for a little over a decade and have been an agricultural consultant now with a research institution for seven years. I’ve visited farms all over the country and talked with growers, toured their operations, and have seen hundreds of different ag endeavors from small community gardens to tens of thousands of acres of commodity crop production.

I can tell you without a doubt, that the farmers at Pennypack are the best organic vegetable farmers in the Northeastern United States. Kirstie and Steph might cringe to hear me say that, because they’re humble, good people. But it’s the truth.

First, you’ll never find a CSA share more generous than this one. I still don’t understand how they produce so much food on the modest amount of acreage available to them, but they do. They do it year after year, battling through extreme weather events, with no identifiable decrease in the share volume. It’s an incredible feat. Every week, we left with bags and bags of produce. In the summer, it was literally too much for one person to carry. I say this not to add the pressure of unrealistic expectations to their lives; farm seasons are more unpredictable than ever and it may not always be this way. But Kirstie & Steph have an unparalleled ability to produce massive amounts of healthy food and it's proven out every season.

Second, the quality of what they produce is so high that it makes me embarrassed to say I was ever a farmer. Do you know how hard it is to grow a Napa cabbage without little holes from flea beetles? I legitimately thought it was impossible. Do you know how absolutely infuriating it is to grow good quality carrots? They make it look easy. And yet, this is the norm for the farmers at Pennypack. Everything is beautiful, and it tastes exactly the way it looks.

Finally, I have yet to meet farmers like Kirstie and Steph that do the amazing work that they do, care so deeply about their community, and do it with little or no fanfare or public recognition. Farmers with their depth of knowledge and expertise are rare. They’re precious to our society. And if young people don’t continue to engage with farming, the combined mental library that Kirstie and Steph have amassed via practical experience will simply go away. Very few will ever know how to farm like that on that specific piece of land ever again. Yet every year, even with the thousands of other things they have to focus on, they take the time to train and teach new & beginning farmers and send them out into the world.

The people at Pennypack - Julie, Audrey, Kirstie, and Steph - are smart and passionate, they’re kind to everyone, and I hope people that become CSA members in the future will appreciate that the farm is an extraordinary place. Hundreds of families and their kids have enjoyed visiting to pick strawberries, tomatoes, peas, and beans grown with great effort and care. It's a place where you can feel safe in the knowledge that nothing was sprayed with harmful inputs, where the entire farm and surrounding forest is brimming with life, and where you can bring your kids to engage with a real working farm that lives in concert with nature.

Our daughter’s first-ever strawberry was from the farm. It was a special moment that I’ll never forget. What could be better than that?

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Pennypack Farm is such a wonderful community. I’ve been a member for six years, and the variety, quantity, and quality of produce can’t be beat. I love taking my kids to pick our own green beans and cherry tomatoes, and the greens through the winter are amazing. This isn’t a CSA where you’re left with pounds of beets (though the red and golden beets — including the greens — are top-notch). I love the lettuce, potatoes, kale, squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes, but also veggies I haven’t tried otherwise, like celeriac, salad turnips, and tatsoi. Oh, and the strawberries in June will make you never want a grocery store strawberry again. Be warned.

Summer shares run June-November and require volunteer time, or a donation. Volunteering on the farm has really enriched my experience. The farmers are so kind and knowledgeable, and I’ve built a community of folks I see each week. You can also add on a cut-your-own flower share for the summer, providing a gorgeous bouquet each week. Winter shares run November-March and include an amazing variety of food, from Napa cabbage to butternuts and winter spinach...

My wife & I have been summer/winter members of PFEC for several years. As health-conscious environmentalists, we give it one star for the great food it provides, one star for the environmental damage it avoids, one star for the kind & generous people we meet, one star for the efforts to educate young & old, & one star for helping to fight hunger through food donations. On top of that, we get to commune with the birds & bees while picking veggies, fruit & flowers. Try it. You'll like it....