by: Kristen Hartke
If real life were a 1960s sitcom, you might just wake up one morning, dramatically announce your resignation to the senior partner, and head out to the old homestead to live the rest of your days off the land. However, since most of us city folks aren’t quite ready to trade in penthouses for pigsties, there is an alternative: the farm stay vacation.
Beyond the traditional bed and breakfast, a farm stay gives visitors a chance to really soak up the country air, tramp across the fields, and maybe even milk a cow or two. Dozens of real working farms across the mid-Atlantic region offer urbanites the chance to pick fruit and eat it while it’s still warm from the sun, whip up seriously fresh scrambled eggs, and search the woods for wild morels.
So slip on your Wellies, breathe in the scent of freshly mown hay, and trade in your Blackberry for the edible kind. Farm livin’ just might be the life for you — at least for the weekend.
Bookamer Family Farm — Meadville, Pennsylvania
It’s thanks to Linda and Tom Bookamer’s daughter Michael that guests can now enjoy the beauties of Bookamer Farm in western Pennsylvania. “She was the one with the great idea for a B&B,” says Linda. “Mike turned 16 and wanted to have a farm job like her two older sisters.”
Just two years later, they are welcoming business travelers, parents dropping their kids off at the local college, older couples looking to reminisce about a time gone by, families with young children, and foodies. The Bookamer family has embraced all these visitors with open arms: “It has been a great experience not only for them to see the farm up close, but also for us to meet so many wonderful new friends,” declares Linda.
A trip to the Bookamer Farm is all about the food. Guests at the farm’s private cottage are invited to gather their own eggs and fruit for breakfast, and are provided with homemade bread and butter, yogurt, farmhouse granola, farm-raised sausage (Breakfast, Italian, or Maple), and the farm’s specialty (and lately, a very hot topic) raw milk, all of which they can use to prepare meals in the cottage’s kitchen.
For those who want to learn more about the farm’s fresh ingredients, Linda is happy to comply. “A healthy, flavorful diet is one that we enjoy teaching to our friends. To teach the many things that they can do with raw milk to give their families a tasty meal is such a joy.”
Teaching the joys of food and farm life is clearly the centerpiece of the Bookamers’ mission; both children and adults can take a two-and-a-half hour eco-tour of the farm, explore the sawmill, farm pond, and pastures, and learn how invasive plants, composting, and pesticides affect the daily life of the farm in different ways. Children can also participate in classes like “Cow to Pizza — The Science of Dairy,” when they’ll get a chance to milk a cow, turn the milk into mozzarella cheese, and then eat the fruits of their labor. Don’t worry — adults can join in on the fun, too.
Brightwood Vineyard and Farm — Brightwood, Virginia
Eve Conant would be eligible for a frequent visitor card to Brightwood Vineyard and Farm, if such a thing existed. “I’ve been there about 10 times or so since 2008,” she laughs. “I need nothing else.”
A busy working mom, Conant found Brightwood while looking for a place to give her son Bennett, now 7, a country experience completely opposite his urban upbringing. “We try to go once a season,” she explains, “so that he can see how the seasons affect a farm.”
Located near the historic presidential homes of Montpelier and Monticello in central Virginia, part of the main attraction is the farm’s private cottage, which owners Susan and Dean Vidal opened up to visitors in 2005. “We make a point of not having television or internet at the Cottage,” says Susan Vidal, “and our guests have enjoyed the freedom from being wired in and assaulted with news 24/7. It’s a good place to catch up.”
While at Brightwood, visitors opt for the cook-your-own breakfast option: a basket delivered each day to the cottage that includes fresh eggs and butter, homemade jams, organic berries in season, and locally raised breakfast meats.
“Our breakfasts are largely from our farm and others in the area and almost all of the items are organic,” says Vidal. “This is the way we eat and it seems right to serve the same food to our guests.”
Cooking and relaxing are how Conant prefers to spend her time at Brightwood: “Some of the best potatoes I’ve ever had in my life came from there, and we’ve even cooked rooster for rooster stew.”
Calling the farm a “living picture book,” Vidal points out that visitors to Brightwood have a perfect opportunity to get up close and personal with the animals in a safe and supervised environment, including hens, goats, and sheep. “A stay at our cottage is an excellent way to introduce guests to many of the farm animals that they have heard about but may not have actually met ‘in person’,” says Vidal
Visitors are also invited to get their hands dirty and help with chores — berry picking is the most popular, although some guests like to try their hands at racking and bottling the wine, especially if it includes a tasting at the end of the day. “I just love the idea of being on a farm,” says Conant. “I park my car and stay put until the weekend’s over.”
Crow Farm — Kennedyville, Maryland
Any unfulfilled dreams of the picture-perfect farmhouse experience can become a reality at Crow Farm, just a short drive from Chestertown on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Owners Judy and Roy Crow — the third generation to farm the property — completely renovated the farmhouse in 2009, opening up three bedrooms to visitors the next year to rave reviews for the Crow’s warmth and hospitality. “Folks come from Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, North Carolina,” says Judy Crow, “looking for something interesting that is a short drive away.” Sprawling across 365 acres, there’s plenty to find, from barn cats snoozing in the sun and free-range chickens to herds of Angus cattle and a brand new vineyard
A strong advocate of the farm-to-fork movement, the Crow Farm partners with other farms, wineries, and local restaurants to promote fresh local ingredients, sponsoring events where visitors can prep food in the kitchen with local chefs, learn about handmade teas (Crow Farm even has their own special blend), and check out vintages from the Chesapeake Wine Trail.
Breakfast at Crow Farm is definitely a family affair in a bright communal dining room, featuring bacon and eggs straight from the farm and homemade smoothies made from the fresh fruit gathered on site. Guests can tour the farm with Judy after breakfast and learn about their sustainable farming practices, and help feed the pigs and chickens before picking up a picnic lunch to eat under the willows beside the pond. And if the weekend seems to come to an end too quickly, visitors can take a piece of Crow Farm home with them — Judy and Roy recently had insulated bags designed with the farm’s logo, which guests can fill with pork, beef, eggs, and vegetables, so they can extend that farm-to-fork experience just a little bit longer.
Weather Lea Farm — Lovettsville, Virginia
Nestled in what is fondly known as “D.C.’s Wine Country,” just about an hour outside the city, Weather Lea Farm can trace its roots at least as far back as 1794. Pamela and Malcolm Baldwin bought the property in 1992 became full-time farmers upon Malcolm’s retirement in 2003. They started off raising sheep and then added a vineyard two years later.
“After our daughter’s wedding at the farm, we decided to offer our place to other couples for wedding celebrations,” recalls Pamela. “In 2010, we converted one of our cottages to a farm stay accommodation. Our greatest asset is variety of enjoyable and interesting experiences within easy reach, combined with the powerfully relaxing and aesthetic atmosphere of the farm itself.”
Sharon Hallman would definitely agree on the powers of Weather Lea Farm. She and her husband Jud visited Weather Lea just this past February, and, despite the frigid temperatures, fell in love with the surrounding landscape.
“From the minute you enter the long winding driveway your anticipation builds and you get the sense that you are about to experience something special,” remembers Hallman. “Near the edge of the lower barn you are stared at by the llamas lovingly protecting their flock while classical music is playing in the barn for the animals to soothe them. Further up the driveway you are greeted by Jack and Jill, the resident border collies who are excited that you are there to see them. The innkeepers are waving in front of their beautiful farm house flanked by gardens.
In fact, the experience was so perfect that Hallman, who had recently relocated from New York to Maryland with her husband, returned to the farm the following week at Pamela’s invitation to watch the sheep being sheared.
“Being on a farm surrounded by nature and animals can truly fill one’s soul and bring inner peace; exactly what a vacation is supposed to provide,” says Hallman.
Within a few months, the Hallmans had packed up and moved to nearby Hamilton, Va., for an exciting fresh start. Pamela, who clearly agrees with Hallman that Weather Lea Farm is “a little piece of heaven on earth,” is amazed herself at impact it had: “Their weekend here changed their lives!”
See also: Flavor’s Farmstay Directory for more farmstay destination locations
Kristen Hartke writes about food, health, education and the arts, both locally and nationally. Her musings about food and family are featured in her blog Cooking on the Fly and she is currently having way too much fun researching her upcoming blog, Good Booze.
Traveling farther a-field? Try the Farm Stay U.S. website (www.farmstayus.com) that lists over 900 working farms and ranches around the U.S. that offer lodging. For families, our guests’ kids have told us, “… this is better than Disneyland!” For adults, minus the kids, sitting on the porch with a good book and a glass of wine is all the peace they were looking for.