Fresh from the farm to the restaurant table

WANTAGE — Incorporating local produce and farm fresh ingredients into restaurant menus and eateries is a popular concept at the moment. Taking it one step further, Crystal Springs Resort and Green Valley Farms in Wantage have joined hands to produce a farm where its bounties will be exclusively used at the resort.

“We were approached by Crystal Springs to become partners with the goal to raise quality products for the restaurant business,” said Duce Tallamy, owner of Green Valley Farms.

Formally where Sammi’s Organic Farm stood, Green Valley Farm at Crystal Springs – located off Route 94 in Hamburg – is new within the last month. Crystal Springs acquired the property in 2012, halfway through the farming season – this is the first full year of farming for the resort. It also had used an interim farmer until Green Valley stepped in.

“Our Chefs are experts in the kitchen, while a farmer brings knowledge of planting, harvesting and raising livestock to the table,” Chelsea Vander Groef, Public Relations Manager of Crystal Springs, said of the newly formed partnership.

Already in full gear, the farm has accumulated a bundle of bunnies, flocks of chickens, hives of bees and a variety of produce.

“We have 40 chickens total,” said Florian Wehrli, Executive Sous Chef at Crystal Springs. “And there are a variety of chickens that lay green eggs, brown eggs, bluish eggs. We use different ones at different restaurants.”

Wehrli especially loves picking freshly laid eggs to make home made pasta dough for the resort’s Italian eatery – Springs Bistro.

“Possibly down the road we will use the chickens for poultry,” Wehrli said. “But we are a big resort and would require a lot of poultry and with laws surrounding the slaughtering, we will just use the chickens for eggs for now.”

Fluffy bunnies also roam the property in caged pens, where they are fed fresh carrots from the farm and chomp on grass in the area. The rabbits will not be used for cooking and will merely serve as a cute and cuddly factor for guests.

“Rabbits here will live happy lives,” said Florence. “Hotel guests will be able to tour their habitat and pet them.”

The rabbits and chickens were provided to the resort by Sweezy Family Farm from Newton.

Looking to the sweet side, the resort has acquired 100,000 bees from Sweet Things Wild Thyme Honey located in Warwick, N.Y. In total they have 10 hives that house 10,000 bees per hive.

“We work with a beekeeper and when they are ready we will get honey from hives,” said Wehrli.

Beekeeping demonstrations and a honey harvest will be held on Aug. 25 at the resort.

Serving as a sweet addition to the resort’s menu and as an educational tool, the hives also help out Wehrli's testing berry patch. Wehrli would like to start growing berry bushes and has already planted a few — including currants, gooseberries, black berries and raspberries — near the hives.

“The bees love the flowers from the berry bushes and pollinate them,” said Wehrli.

The bears also love the honey, so an electric fence surrounds the bees for protection.

Green Valley Farm is approximately 25 acres of production land. Currently only a small portion is being used now, but Tallamy says next year they will be in full production.

Although they are not in full production, Duce is growing a variety of produce including: sweet corn, zucchini, tomato, squash, cucumber, potatoes, beans and carrots.

“The goal is to expand and grow specialty products,” said Wehrli. “Such as sunchokes and berries.”

Along with the berries, the farm has an herb garden and an area set up as a test garden to try out new crops. Wehrli pointed to a 70 pound pumpkin that was growing nicely in the test area.

Overall both Crystal Springs and the Tallamy’s are happy with the partnership. Duce, Joy and their five children — Leanna, Larissa, Lanae, Loree and Travis — also sell crops from the farm on the roadside across from the farm Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“Having Green Valley partnering means we can bring fresh product to the table right from the farm,” said Duce.

Bringing the Tallamy’s dream to reality, Green Valley Farm at Crystal Spring will host a Pasture to Plate on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 4 p.m. where guests will be able to eat farm fresh food right on the fields they were grown on. Tables will be set up on the farm for dining.

For more information on the farm and the upcoming events visit Crystalgolfresort.com or greenvalleyfarms.us.