“The single greatest lesson the garden teaches is that our relationship to the planet need not be zero-sum, and that as long as the sun still shines and people still can plan and plant, think and do, we can, if we bother to try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world.” ― Michael Pollan, The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
How do you like that quote? Among the lessons current events have taught us may be the value of gardening and importance of local food sources. Whether already an avid, accomplished gardener, one who dabbles a bit in flowers, or someone who lives in a tiny apartment and has never planted a thing, wouldn't a COVID-19 Victory Garden be a glorious endeavor this year?
Here we list (in alphabetical order) a few establishments that are open and ready to do business to help beautify our home environs and nourish our bodies (complying with social distancing and mask guidelines, of course). Please check individual websites and/or call first to make sure they are open on the particular day/time you would like to visit, among other parameters. We have included Facebook links in many cases, as often the most up-to-date information can be found there.
An astersik (*) denotes farms that offer Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), programs in which you can purchase shares of a variety of high quality, fresh produce to enjoy all through the season. In addition to vegetables and fruits, many offer flowers and herbs; and some subscriptions may provide eggs, meat, cheeses and honey.
A plus sign (+) denotes establishments that may also have a variety of other household groceries in stock.
If your favorite garden center or farm market is open but we don't have it listed here, please drop us a line at tourism@co.warren.nj.us so we can make amends! In doing this online research, we only included establishments that clearly appeared to be operating as of April 30, 2020. When in doubt, we left it out. As we compiled this list, we figured it would be a good idea to include local meat sources, too.
A & J Messina Greenhouses, Blairstown
+ Alpine Meats and Deli, Blairstown (custom butchering) Facebook
+ Arctic Foods, Washington (locally raised meats) Facebook
* Asbury Village Farm, Asbury (Franklin Twp.)
+ Best’s Fruit Farm, Independence Township
* Community Supported Garden at Genesis Farm, Blairstown
+ Country Fresh Farm, Hampton (Washington Twp.) Facebook
+ Dale's Market, Blairstown Facebook
+ Donaldson Farms and Donaldson Greenhouse and Nursery, Hackettstown Facebook
Dutch Valley Florist, Hampton (Washington Twp.) (delivery only)
Flowerland Growers, LLC, Belvidere (White Twp.) Facebook
* Godlewsky Farms, Great Meadows Facebook
*+ Growing Dirt, Great Meadows
*+ Hensler Farms, Belvidere (White Twp.) Facebook
* Little Big Farm, Blairstown (flowers) Facebook
+ Mackey’s Orchard, White Township Facebook
+ Marshall’s Farm Market, Delaware (Knowlton Twp.) Facebook
+ Nature’s Harvest, Blairstown (local meat, bread, cheese)
Orchard View Lavender Farm, Port Murray Order online in advance for curbside pickup appointment. Bath & body (hand sanitizer!), some culinary items.
Peacefield Gardens, Phillipsburg Facebook
+ Race Farm, Blairstown
+ Rath’s Butcher and Delicatessen, Stewartsville (some meats locally sourced) Facebook
* School Lunch Organic Farm and CSA, Hackettstown
Snover’s Greenhouses, LLC, Phillipsburg
+ Tranqillity Farms, Allamuchy
+ Treelicious Orchards, Port Murray
* + Von Thun Farms, Washington Facebook
Well-Sweep Herb Farm, Port Murray Facebook
Wild Ridge Plants, Pohatcong Twp.