History
What Does Biodynamic Mean?
What We Grow and Make
- Garlic
- Lamb
- Fire Tonic
History
Carlton Farms is a diverse certified organic and Biodynamic® family farm located in the Endless Mountains region of northeast Pennsylvania. We are in what once was a thriving dairy farm tregion. The barns, all built in the Dutch colonial style, reflect what was needed back then to support a full-blown dairying operation; a cow barn, horse barn, bull barn, heifer barn, machine shop, ice-house, and creamery.
Herdsmen in white coats milked the beautiful fawn and white Guernsey cows known for their rich, high fat, protein and B-carotene milk. Work horses pulled the plows and implements used for haying, and for growing corn and field crops. Bottled milk, ice-cream, fluid cream, and butter were sold locally and also shipped to New York City.
There were chickens, too; one house for layers and one for brooding. The US Post office carried fresh eggs to the city in metal containers with tiny springs built in to absorb vibration and shocks. Evidence of these early operations, as well as some of the horse-drawn implements, can still be seen around the farm.
Our 233 acres were pieced together in the late 1800’s by George Wells Comstock of New York City. George’s son, George Carlton Comstock, designed and built the farm in the early 1900’s as it exists today.
Today, we care for all the original buildings except for the creamery and icehouse, which burned down in the 1950’s. Six generations (and now 7) have shared, loved, and experienced life on the farm. Currently, members of the 4th, 5th, and 6th generations are involved in various aspects of the farm’s operations while the 7th generation gets to play in the hay lofts and enjoy the fresh air and open fields.
What Does Biodynamic Mean?
A Biodynamic® farm follows cultural practices designed by the educator and scientist Rudolf Steiner who saw the farm as a self-reliant organism, growing and supplying everything needed to improve the soil continuously. Our sheep help us create rich compost that along with cover crops are the primary source of nutrients for our garlic and gardens
We do not use chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or insecticides. Instead, we apply plant, mineral, and animal-based preparations in homeopathic quantities to enliven the soil and vegetation. These, along with animal and plant-derived compost contribute to a high level of vitality in everything we produce.
Carlton Farms is also certified organic, which means we follow the practices set forth by the US Department of Agriculture. We are happy to do this, not only because we produce healthy food, but because it helps us to improve the environment.
What We Grow
Vegetables
Garlic
Of all the veggie crops, garlic deserves special mention. We primarily grow two hardneck varieties – German White, and Spanish Roja. This fall we will plant about 16,000 cloves. With any luck we will harvest that many heads for sale at the festivals we attend. We also use some of the crop in our Fire Tonic product. In addition to creating a garlic bulb from each clove we plant, each hard neck garlic clove sends up a “scape,” which is the stem and the flower bud of the plant. Scapes are quite delicious on their own with strong garlic flavor but without the intense “bite” of the bulb. We think of them as a “bonus” for growing garlic.
Lamb
We raise heritage Tunis sheep, one of the original American breeds favored by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Tunis are “fat-tailed” sheep imported from Tunisia as a gift from the Bey of Tunis to George Washington in the late 1700’s. Today, they are considered a rare and endangered breed, and we are happy to join in the effort to re-establish them. Everything about the Tunis suits our farm from their ability to thrive
on pasture to their famed devotion to their lambs. Plus, we just like the way they look with their red faces and legs and creamy fleece. Because most of our pastures are visible from the country lane that crosses our land, joggers, and drivers to stop and take photos of our flock. We are proud of them, and they are an integral part of our farm.
Fruit
Our berry patch produces some of the tastiest raspberries ever. No matter how many bushes, we plant we never seem to have enough. Our gooseberries are a rarity – few people in the US have ever seen them before. Blackberries, currants and blueberries round out our soft fruit production.
Herbs
Our herb garden produces an ever-expanding variety of culinary and medicinal herbs. These include nettle, nasturtium, tulsi, violet, oregano, basil, thyme, tarragon, shiso,
calendula, dill, cilantro, hops, lavender, sage, mint, lemongrass, lemon balm, lemon verbena, and equisetum.
What We Make
Fire Tonic
Fire Tonic is our signature product first offered in 2013 when we realized that value-added products are what customers crave, especially off season when fresh products are not available or in short supply. Made with raw apple cider vinegar aged with our own mix of onion, ginger, garlic, turmeric, horseradish, and cayenne pepper, Fire Tonic is an effective immune system builder, anti-oxident, and anti-inflammatory remedy.
