Stone Barns

The recession hit very close to home last week when my husband was laid off with the closing of the magazine he worked for.  We were one of the lucky families because he was hired right away within the company and our anxiety was short lived.  We decided to take advantage of this brief hiatus between jobs to have some much needed family time.  Since it is a recession we decided to stay local and be tourists in our own area.

One place that I had wanted to visit for some time is the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Tarrytown, NY.   Stone Barns is the former Rockefeller farm donated by David Rockefeller in loving memory of his wife Peggy.  It has been said of the Rockefeller family's mansion Kykuit, "It's what God would have built, if only he had the money", well Stone Barns may not be the kind of farm God would have built but it certainly would give Marie Antoinette's farm a run for her money.  It is beautiful.

The mission of Stone Barns is to educate people about the importance of sustainable and local agriculture in a hands on way.  Both the Blue Hill restaurant and cafe offer seasonal menus supplied by the food grown there.  A real farm-to-table experience.  I have been dying to go to the restaurant however it is only open in the evening so for lunch we sampled the tasty fare in the cafe.  One word, delicious!  My husband had an open face bologna sandwich (yes they make their own bologna) and I had an open faced goat cheese and asparagus sandwich with a hint of vinaigrette.  The kids being the finicky eaters they are settled for chocolate milk and croissants.  For dessert we had chocolate brownies and carrot cake.  If that does not drive home the benefits of local sustainable agriculture I don't know what will. 

My husband's bologna sandwich, resting in a shredded paper bed...

For the most part, we (dog included) just enjoyed a beautiful day outdoors, with fresh air and open space.  The kids loved seeing the animals.  The new baby lambs were a real treat, cute enough to make me a vegetarian  - well almost.  

As a child I was lucky to spend my summers visiting my grandmothers' farms in the country.  There I learned where food comes from, the importance of farming and how hard people have to work to get it from the farm to the table.  My kids may not have the same opportunities to visit the country, but they can still have an appreciation for food they eat and Stone Barns is a fun way to learn.  We can't wait for our next visit!

For more information or to plan your visit to Stone Barns visit their website: http://www.stonebarnscenter.org/