Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture
Encyclopedia
Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture is a non-profit farm
and educational center with a partner restaurant, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, located in Westchester County, New York
. The Center was created on 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) formerly belonging to the Rockefeller estate in Pocantico Hills
by David Rockefeller and his daughter, Peggy Dulany. It is dedicated to promoting sustainable agriculture
, local food
, and community-supported agriculture
. Its proximity to New York City allows people who primarily live in urban and suburban settings to experience a working farm.
Stone Barns Center is also home to Blue Hill at Stone Barns, a restaurant that offers guests contemporary cuisine using local ingredients, with an emphasis on produce from the Center's farm. Blue Hill staff also participate in the Center's education programs.
Stone Barns Center is a four-season operation, producing food even in deep winter in the minimally heated greenhouse
.
Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture as it exists today was created by David Rockefeller, his daughter, Peggy Dulany, and their associate James Ford as a memorial for Peggy Rockefeller, who died in 1996. . Stone Barns Center opened to the public in May 2004.
The farm grows 200 varieties of produce year-round, both in the outdoor fields and gardens and in the 22000 square feet (2,043.9 m²) minimally heated greenhouse that capitalizes on each season’s available sunlight. Among the crops suitable for the local soil and climate are rare varieties such as celtuce
, suiho
, hakurei turnips
, New England Eight-Row Flint seed corn
and finale fennel
. The highly diversified crops allows farmers to hedge their bets against poor weather.
The farmers use no pesticides, herbicides or chemical additives. The primary amendment to the soil is a highly nutritious compost
, often referred to as "black gold," made from leaves, grass clippings, livestock manure and hay, and the restaurant’s kitchen scraps. A six-month composting cycle that uses natural biological heat processes, reduces the weed and pathogen contamination to produce a fertilizer key to the health of the farm.
and bees suited to the local ecosystem. The livestock farmers try to raise animals in a manner consistent with the animals' evolutionary instincts. The chickens, turkeys, sheep and geese are raised on pasture that’s kept healthy and productive through carefully managed rotational grazing. Grazing animals will contentedly spread their manure if they’re kept on the move with the help of portable waterers, portable fencing and other structures. The sheep and pigs’ bedding packs are regularly turned and composted. Farmers who raise animals in this fashion are frequently called “grass farmers” because there is so much emphasis on the health of the pastures.
Strategies for maintaining the pastures include intensive paddock management so the grazed area has ample time to recover and provide a natural refuge for birds and other wildlife, essential for the maintenance of ecological balance.
Sourcing from the surrounding fields and pasture, as well as other local farms, Blue Hill at Stone Barns highlights the abundant resources of the Hudson Valley. Its head chef and owner is Dan Barber
, who also owns Blue Hill Restaurant
in New York City.
was filmed at Stone Barns Center. The chefs used the restaurant's kitchen to prepare a meal for the farm's workers and their families.
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
and educational center with a partner restaurant, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, located in Westchester County, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The Center was created on 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) formerly belonging to the Rockefeller estate in Pocantico Hills
Pocantico Hills, New York
Pocantico Hills is a hamlet in the town of Mount Pleasant, New York, northeast of the village of Sleepy Hollow and southwest of the village of Pleasantville. The area was originally settled by native Americans of the Wecquaesgeek tribes; "Pocantico" means "running between two hills," and the name...
by David Rockefeller and his daughter, Peggy Dulany. It is dedicated to promoting sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is the practice of farming using principles of ecology, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment...
, local food
Local food
Local food or the local food movement is a "collaborative effort to build more locally based, self-reliant food economies - one in which sustainable food production, processing, distribution, and consumption is integrated to enhance the economic, environmental and social health of a particular...
, and community-supported agriculture
Community-supported agriculture
Community-supported agriculture, a form of an alternative food network, is a socio-economic model of agriculture and food distribution. A CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farming operation where the growers and consumers share the risks and benefits of food...
. Its proximity to New York City allows people who primarily live in urban and suburban settings to experience a working farm.
Stone Barns Center is also home to Blue Hill at Stone Barns, a restaurant that offers guests contemporary cuisine using local ingredients, with an emphasis on produce from the Center's farm. Blue Hill staff also participate in the Center's education programs.
Stone Barns Center is a four-season operation, producing food even in deep winter in the minimally heated greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
.
History
The land where Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture now sits was once part of the Rockefeller estate, which has existed in the Pocantico Hills area since the 1890s. The stone barns themselves were commissioned by John D. Rockefeller Jr. to be a dairy farm. The complex fell into disuse during the 1950s, and was mainly used for storage. In the 1970s, agricultural activity resumed when David Rockefeller's wife Peggy began a successful cattle breeding operation.Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture as it exists today was created by David Rockefeller, his daughter, Peggy Dulany, and their associate James Ford as a memorial for Peggy Rockefeller, who died in 1996. . Stone Barns Center opened to the public in May 2004.
Four Season Farm
The farm at Stone Barns Center is a four-season operation with approximately 6 acres (24,281.2 m²) used for vegetable production. It serves as an educational resource by illustrating land use that is environmentally, economically and culturally sustainable. The farmers use an intensively managed six-year rotation schedule in the field and greenhouse beds, preserving the soil and locking in important nutrients.The farm grows 200 varieties of produce year-round, both in the outdoor fields and gardens and in the 22000 square feet (2,043.9 m²) minimally heated greenhouse that capitalizes on each season’s available sunlight. Among the crops suitable for the local soil and climate are rare varieties such as celtuce
Celtuce
Celtuse , also called stem lettuce, celery lettuce, asparagus lettuce, or Chinese lettuce, IPA , is a cultivar of lettuce grown primarily for its thick stem, used as a vegetable...
, suiho
Kai-lan
Kai-lan, also known as Chinese broccoli, is a leaf vegetable featuring thick, flat, glossy blue-green leaves with thick stems and a small number of tiny, almost vestigial flower heads similar to those of broccoli. Broccoli and kai-lan belong to the same species Brassica oleracea, but kai-lan is in...
, hakurei turnips
Turnip
The turnip or white turnip is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, bulbous taproot. Small, tender varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties are grown as feed for livestock...
, New England Eight-Row Flint seed corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
and finale fennel
Fennel
Fennel is a plant species in the genus Foeniculum . It is a member of the family Apiaceae . It is a hardy, perennial, umbelliferous herb, with yellow flowers and feathery leaves...
. The highly diversified crops allows farmers to hedge their bets against poor weather.
The farmers use no pesticides, herbicides or chemical additives. The primary amendment to the soil is a highly nutritious compost
Compost
Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment. Compost is a key ingredient in organic farming. At its most essential, the process of composting requires simply piling up waste outdoors and waiting for the materials to break down from anywhere...
, often referred to as "black gold," made from leaves, grass clippings, livestock manure and hay, and the restaurant’s kitchen scraps. A six-month composting cycle that uses natural biological heat processes, reduces the weed and pathogen contamination to produce a fertilizer key to the health of the farm.
Livestock
Stone Barns Center raises chickens, turkeys, geese, sheep, pigsPIGS
PIGS is a four letter acronym that can stand for:* PIGS , Phosphatidylinositol glycan anchor biosynthesis, class S, a human gene* PIGS , the economies of Portugal, Italy , Greece and Spain...
and bees suited to the local ecosystem. The livestock farmers try to raise animals in a manner consistent with the animals' evolutionary instincts. The chickens, turkeys, sheep and geese are raised on pasture that’s kept healthy and productive through carefully managed rotational grazing. Grazing animals will contentedly spread their manure if they’re kept on the move with the help of portable waterers, portable fencing and other structures. The sheep and pigs’ bedding packs are regularly turned and composted. Farmers who raise animals in this fashion are frequently called “grass farmers” because there is so much emphasis on the health of the pastures.
Strategies for maintaining the pastures include intensive paddock management so the grazed area has ample time to recover and provide a natural refuge for birds and other wildlife, essential for the maintenance of ecological balance.
Blue Hill at Stone Barns
In spring of 2004, Blue Hill at Stone Barns opened within the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, New York.Sourcing from the surrounding fields and pasture, as well as other local farms, Blue Hill at Stone Barns highlights the abundant resources of the Hudson Valley. Its head chef and owner is Dan Barber
Dan Barber
Dan Barber is a chef and owner of several restaurants including Blue Hill in Manhattan and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, New York. He is a 1992 graduate of Tufts University with a B.A. in English.- Achievements :...
, who also owns Blue Hill Restaurant
Blue Hill Restaurant
The Blue Hill Restaurant is a restaurant located in New York City near Washington Square Park, with a second location in the Pocantico Hills about 30 miles outside the city. It has been reviewed by the New York Times, and New York magazine.The Blue Hill Restaurant was established in April 2000,...
in New York City.
Top Chef
An episode of Top ChefTop Chef (season 5)
Top Chef: New York is the fifth season of American reality television series Top Chef and was filmed first in New York City, New York, and concluded in New Orleans, Louisiana...
was filmed at Stone Barns Center. The chefs used the restaurant's kitchen to prepare a meal for the farm's workers and their families.