When I was a denizen of Yorktown Heights, I must have passed Hilltop Hanover Farm hundreds of times. And honestly, it is one of the most beautiful farms I’ve ever seen. While a picturesque locale could be enough reason for me to stop, I learned last year that the farm has a lot more to offer.
Springtime is a particularly fun time on the farm as my family discovered last spring when we visited.
BABY ANIMALS AND MORE
My kids are now teens, but the charm of newlyborn animals in the springtime still gets an “awwww” from my 16-year-old daughter. My 14-year-old son has always had an abiding interest in pigs and goats and there are plenty of those to pet and enjoy. He really loves to see the “behind the scenes” activities necessary for any going concern, so he enjoyed watching and learning about the work that goes into a real working farm.
HISTORY
Hilltop Hanover Farm started out as a family farm owned by the Underhill family as far back as 1780. They owned the farm for 125 years until it changed hands in 1940 and was renamed Hanover Hill Farm. At that point its mainstay was cows, horses and chickens. In 1977 the farm was sold again and was repurposed for raising Holsteins. The farm closed by 1991 and was eventually purchased by Westchester County in 2003.
A NEW MISSION
Under the ownership of the county, the farm was to serve a dual purpose as protection for the local watershed area and as an education center. There is a lot to learn at Hilltop Hanover Farm. As amateur vegetable growers, my wife and I appreciated the information the farmers at Hilltop offered on starting home vegetable gardens. It can be a daunting task for the agriculturallychallenged, so having an actual farmer answer questions is very helpful. Two major things we learned on our visit was the importance of having a good soil mix and, of course, the right amount of light and water. Our advisor recommended that we should build raised beds instead of planting directly in our backyard soil. This was some of the best advice we’d ever received; the tomatoes and squash we harvested at the end of last summer were the best we’d ever produced.
CHICKENS ON THE MOVE
During our visit we spied one of the most curious farm buildings we’d ever seen: a chicken coop on a flatbed trailer. I casually mentioned this to one of the farm workers and learned that this mobile chicken coop was actually the brainchild of Brett Alcaro, the head farmer at Hilltop, and Ed Janson one of the farm’s board members. The idea behind the mobile coop was that the 75 or so chickens housed in the unit could be moved to various locations around the farm in order to get a wider variety of food. Innovations like this are happening all the time on the farm and it’s built into the farm’s educational culture.
CLASSES FOR ALL
In addition to baby animals, a U-Pick program for produce and a very active farm stand, Hilltop Hanover Farm offers an array of educational opportunities and workshops. On our visit they were holding workshops on starting seedlings and perennial food gardens and, of particular interest to me, home beer brewing. The farm also offers cooking classes and classes on spinning yarn and knitting as well as lectures on a variety of earthfriendly topics. They also have a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program that allows families to participate in a subscription-style farming partnership.
In addition to daily or weekly programs the farm also offers more in-depth programs for youth, adults and scouts. When the farm is in full production mode, there are summer camps for kids. My children attended farm camps when they were younger and I highly recommend enrolling children in one. The summers they spent at farm camp continue to be some of their most treasured childhood memories.
Bob Berry is an illustrator and writer and a lifelong resident of the Hudson Valley.
When You Go…
Hilltop Hanover Farm and Environmental Center
1271 Hanover St.
Yorktown Heights, N.Y.
962-2368
hilltophanoverfarm.org
HOURS
The farm is open year-round. Hours are seasonal, please consult website for furtherinformation. The Farmstand is open July through November on Fridays and Saturdays only. U-Pick operates July through November on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
