Animals, Apparitions & Apple Pie on Day 4 of Jen’s South Jersey Road Tour
Down on the Farm
It’s not too often that you hear a young child say “I wanna be a farmer when I grow up.” The trade has always been very much an “all in the family” way of life that is passed down from one generation to the next. However, agriculture, an industry that helped to build our country, is a rapidly decreasing trade. There are SO many factors contributing to the decline of the family farm that it’s impossible to pinpoint just one as the root cause. But all it takes is one rainy summer in the North East and suddenly, that pumpkin patch is rotten and…an irreplaceable channel of income for families counting on a successful harvest come Fall.⠀
⠀
The Robinsons of Salem County, New Jersey are one such family that continues to fight this sometimes up-hill battle and forges forward. Their absolutely breathtaking farm in Salem County is a labor of love and makes you feel like you’ve just walked onto a page of Charlotte’s Web. Barnyard animals of all shapes and sizes roam around freely, along with the family dogs, and I swore those pigs were talking to me!
⠀
While the majority of their crop goes to commercial market, every December they design fruit baskets for the holidays that are magazine swoon worthy. Using the same American-made wooden baskets, beautifully hand-selected fruits, jams and pecans (from their own trees!!!), they are the last local farm in this area still perfecting this long-standing family tradition.⠀
⠀
This holiday season try something different and support your local farmers and farm markets. Family farming is not just a summertime gig and it is truly America’s very first small business. So please #ShopLocal and #SupportYourLocalFarmer. ⠀
>> Visit the Robinsons’ Hens & Honey Shoppe
Red coats, Buccaneers, abolitionists and apparitions…OH MY!
So today I took the Toaster even further off the beaten path to do a little spirit shopping. You could say in South Jersey, this is in and of itself a small business this time of year. Using my very unscientific methods, I channeled the upcoming holiday that haunts & it led me to one of the most eerily beautiful places I know in South Jersey…Greenwich, also lovingly referred to as Green Witch.⠀
⠀
Nestled in the Delaware Bay watershed, sleeps this town that abounds with American history and lore. Officially established in 1684, Greenwich was once home to the Lenni-Lenape, the Swedish and Dutch, the British, bootleggers and buccaneers. Yes, Blackbeard supposedly favoured hiding with his crew on the Cohansey and Harriet Tubman preferred this underground railroad route that ran from Greenwich up into Bridgeton. Then there was that little Jersey-style party in 1774 where we set the tea on fire instead of tossing it overboard like our friends to the North. (Go Eagles, lol.)
⠀
And did I mention, there are just a few ghosts still hanging around??? I had lunch at Aunt Betty’s (a-mazing sammies & homemade desserts) and got to read up on the haunts and hallows of this amazing location. Drive, bicycle or sail into port and you will not be disappointed. There is quite literally something in the air in Greenwich and you feel it the minute you hit Ye Greate Street;) ⠀
⠀
Don’t miss the Cumberland County Historical Society’s Annual Greenwich Halloween Ghost Walking Tour;) But if you find Blackbeard’s treasure, you’ve gotta share;)
>> Visit Aunt Betty’s Facebook Page
>> Visit Historic Greenwich, NJ
