Certified Organic Plant Sale
Each Saturday in May, you may curbside pickup your pre-ordered, prepaid plants. Email info@schoollunchfarm.com or call 908-541-0051.
Virtual Wine & Chocolate Tasting
Treat Mom! Villa Milagro hosts a Virtual Wine & Chocolate Tasting, pairing delectable handmade chocolates from two different chocolatiers with two different wines. Sign up for the event before May 6 and they will ship your wine & chocolate selections to you. You may also pick up at the winery. On May 9 via Zoom there will be a guided virtual tasting and pairing.
Warren County Library now offering Curbside Service and Grab and Go Bags!
The Warren County Library System is offering Curbside Service and Grab and Go Bags! Visit the library website to request books, DVDs, magazines, and more! Once your items arrive, you may make an appointment to pick them up. Not sure what to request? Try the library's newest service, Grab and Go Bags! Fill out a quick questionnaire with your interests, and library staff will pull together a bag of items for you. Complete information about these services, including Frequently Asked Questions, can be found on the library website.
A variety of activities continue to be offered online; please refer to the events calendar and Facebook to find out about all the activities for kids and adults you may have been missing!
Garden Centers and Farm Markets are Open!
“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.
Mother's Day Menus
We are pleased to report that many of our local eateries have adapted and continue to operate. If you can, we encourage you to patronize your favorite local restaurant for takeout. Even better, how about ordering from an establishment you’ve always been curious about, but never tried before? We have noticed a few places have started posting special menus for Mother’s Day. There could be lots more - we welcome you to do your own research - but the following have come to our attention:
Buck Hill Restaurant and Brewery, Blairstown
Flynn’s on the Hill, Phillipsburg
James on Main, Hackettstown
Mama’s Café Baci, Hackettstown
Mattar’s Bistro and Lounge, Allamuchy
The Willows Restaurant and Catering, Asbury
Help Document Life During COVID-19
Shippen Manor, like all of our county museums, is closed to the public right now, but the cultural and heritage folks there are conducting a project to document how COVID-19 is impacting the people of Warren County. Now through May 15 they are collecting photographs taken within Warren County to show how people are dealing with the pandemic while at home. Send photos about how you and your family are keeping busy during this time, such as chalk drawings in your driveway, making masks at home, pictures of you in masks, empty parking lots, etc. A photo collage will be shared on Facebook and their website, www.warrenparks.com/wcchc, and will be used to document the stories of our residents. Please include your name, town, and a description of your photograph. Find details include how to submit your photos here.
Take a Bow, Centenary Stage Company!
Centenary Stage Company has teamed up with WisEngineering, LLC and the larger 3D printing community to produce 3D printed personal protective equipment (PPE) for local healthcare and first responder personnel on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The item being produced is the very much needed face shield holder, which is used to protect N95 masks and extend the usability of a single mask, making the need to dispose of them less frequent. The plastic sheets that attach to the holders can be removed, discarded and replaced or disinfected for continued use. Bravo, Centenary Stage Company, take a bow! Warren County Wanderings salutes your civic spirit and ingenuity! Read all about it here and see the News12NJ report here.
Certified Organic Plant Sale
Each Saturday in May, you may curbside pickup your pre-ordered, prepaid plants. Email info@schoollunchfarm.com or call 908-541-0051.
Waterloo Food Truck and Music Festival
Celebrate a day in the sun with quality food trucks and great music. Bring your family, dog, blankets and chairs. This event is sponsored by One Step Closer Animal Rescue (O.S.C.A.R.).