A Complete Farm Experience
During the summer of 2013 Old School Farm worked closely with Pine Forest Camp in nearby Milford, PA to provide their campers with day outings focused on learning about growing food, cooking, and having fun. These first four "Farm Camp" sessions were such a success (Pine Forest is coming back in 2014) that we have now decided to expand our experiential/educational model by offering these six hour day sessions to other regional summer camps (or any group that is interested).
The primary goals for our Farm Camp experience, are for children to better understand where their food comes from and how to best grow, store, and prepare it. Fostering a strong connection to the natural world and the impact it has on our lives, health and state of mind is key.
Campers will learn how to harvest organic farm produce and how we built and cook in a wood-fired earthen oven. Our Farm Manager, Dave Campeau and two farm interns will provide the backbone, structure, and oversight needed for this very hands-on immersion at the farm.
Old School Farm demonstrates a wide range of topics including: Earthen cob oven construction/pizza & bread baking, bee keeping, maple sugaring , organic vegetable farming, ice cream, cheese & yogurt making, free range poultry keeping, fruit care and harvest, mushroom cultivation, self-sufficient living/solar power, and various other hands on seasonal farm activities.
The six hour day sessions at the farm are action packed. The visit typically begins with the "Farm Challenge" - a farm quiz/scavenger hunt activity that enables youngsters to learn about farming, plants, history, and the land. Harvesting in season produce from the garden areas is also part of this activity. Following the Farm Challenge, the groups meet back up at the timber frame barn for an authentic make your own farm pizza with fresh ingredients and homemade sauce baked in our wood-fired "old school" earthen oven.
Old School Farm demonstrates a wide range of topics including: Earthen cob oven construction/pizza & bread baking, bee keeping, maple sugaring , organic vegetable farming, ice cream, cheese & yogurt making, free range poultry keeping, fruit care and harvest, mushroom cultivation, self-sufficient living/solar power, and various other hands on seasonal farm activities.
The six hour day sessions at the farm are action packed. The visit typically begins with the "Farm Challenge" - a farm quiz/scavenger hunt activity that enables youngsters to learn about farming, plants, history, and the land. Harvesting in season produce from the garden areas is also part of this activity. Following the Farm Challenge, the groups meet back up at the timber frame barn for an authentic make your own farm pizza with fresh ingredients and homemade sauce baked in our wood-fired "old school" earthen oven.
Campers will learn the difference between super market vegetables (right) and "Old School" vegetables grown in nutrient-dense, microbe-rich soil. The visual differences are apparent, but the taste and nutrient comparison is even more compelling.
Connect. Empower. Inspire.
Our Amish-built timber frame barn is home to our earthen oven and food prep/dining area.
"Pleasant Valley" where our 54 acre farm is located is a bucolic river valley that snakes between two small mountain ranges and follows the Dyberry trout stream for several miles. It is idyllic for biking, hiking, trout fishing, relaxing, and of course, great river bottom soil for organic farming.
Because we are in a flood plain, no homes have been built along the Dyberry and no power lines even exist - they come over the hill from behind us. To spend time in our valley is like taking a step back in time - it cleanses the soul and reconnects us with the natural world and a simpler time.
Because we are in a flood plain, no homes have been built along the Dyberry and no power lines even exist - they come over the hill from behind us. To spend time in our valley is like taking a step back in time - it cleanses the soul and reconnects us with the natural world and a simpler time.
A Typical Day at Old School Farm:
What we have on site:
Icelandic Sheep
Honey Bees
Alpine Dairy Goats (spring 2014)
Free Range Chickens
Heritage Breed Turkeys
Two Fruit Tree Orchards
Several Hiking Trails
Waterfalls on Adjacent Property (accessible with OSF staff member)
120' x 27' Hight Tunnel Greenhouse
1 Acre Organic Vegetable Garden
Antique Farm Truck and Tractor with Wagon
1/4 mile of Trout Stream
Springhouse, two small ponds
6 Bedroom, 2 bath Farmhouse, Timber Frame Barn, with full kitchen and dining/lounging areas
3 Large Teepees with wooden floors and sleeping cots
Two outdoor fire pits
Two green roofs
Solar powered irrigation system
Maple Syruping set-up
Two outdoor showers
And of course, our
Earthen Bread/Pizza oven...
If you would like to find out more about having Old School Farm host a Farm Getaway experience for your group, please contact us at info@oldschoolfarm.com
Icelandic Sheep
Honey Bees
Alpine Dairy Goats (spring 2014)
Free Range Chickens
Heritage Breed Turkeys
Two Fruit Tree Orchards
Several Hiking Trails
Waterfalls on Adjacent Property (accessible with OSF staff member)
120' x 27' Hight Tunnel Greenhouse
1 Acre Organic Vegetable Garden
Antique Farm Truck and Tractor with Wagon
1/4 mile of Trout Stream
Springhouse, two small ponds
6 Bedroom, 2 bath Farmhouse, Timber Frame Barn, with full kitchen and dining/lounging areas
3 Large Teepees with wooden floors and sleeping cots
Two outdoor fire pits
Two green roofs
Solar powered irrigation system
Maple Syruping set-up
Two outdoor showers
And of course, our
Earthen Bread/Pizza oven...
If you would like to find out more about having Old School Farm host a Farm Getaway experience for your group, please contact us at info@oldschoolfarm.com
