The farmhouse at Two Pond Farm dates to the 1800s. (File photos by Ann Genader)
A barn at Two Pond Farm is covered with solar panels.
The good earth and its wonders are truly loved by two talented West Milford women.
They like spreading their joy and happiness through workshops at Two Pond Farm off Weaver Road.
I know about the beautiful property for my great-grandmother Martha Gormley was born in the farmhouse in 1881, when it was in its original location on Weaver Road (formerly Mathews Road) near Otterhole Road intersection.
Somewhere along the way, the house was moved to its present location.
Allison Hosford, owner of Two Pond Farm, and Judy DeJosia have been doing their popular workshops for some time.
The first workshop on Sunday, Feb. 18 is “Organic Vegetable Gardening,” focusing on beginner’s basics and creation of a larger plan.
The workshop April 6 is about “Saving and Starting Efficiency.”
On May 11, it focuses on “Dig Deeper into the Garden.”
The June 8 topic is “Foraging and Making Pesto - Eat your Weeds.”
Other topics are scheduled monthly for the rest of the year.
This year, the workshops are designed to provide a look at the year-long seasonal process of living on a farm-to-table lifestyle.
Allison and Judy will share knowledge, experiences and stories. People do not need to have a farm to apply what information is being presented. The workshops provide the encouragement, support and skills needed to start gardening journeys and bring cooking skills to a next level.
The workshops start at 10 a.m. with light refreshments in the farmhouse, fields and gardens as appropriate with the seasons and workshop topics. The sessions are limited to 10 participants.
Advance reservations are required. For details and to register for classes, contact Allison at twopondfarmnj.com and Judy at growingwithfood.com.
Life on the farm
Alison’s love of organic gardening and spinning wool began when she was in her early 20s, living in an apartment in Boston. At 29, she was transferred to New Jersey with her job. She moved to Two Pond Farm (before it was a farm) and began gardening and raising sheep and pigs and chickens for eggs on a small scale while working in corporate America full-time.
Then she met Roger. Together they took on farming as their life pursuit. In addition to raising chickens for eggs and organic vegetables, they farmed with a team of draft horses, bred sheep for wool and meat, and raised turkeys for meat for decades.
Roger built barns, and they converted to solar power, set up a greenhouse and sawmill, converted to heating with an outside wood fired boiler, and put up, then moved fencing over and over.
She and Roger attended workshops, read everything they could, picked peoples brains and learned as much as they could about raising organic vegetables and raising animals while treating the land responsibly.
After retiring, Allison dove into organic vegetable gardening and watercolor painting. They currently raise and sell chicken for meat and eggs and custom-raise pigs for pork, sheep for wool and organic vegetables, plants, seeds and compost.
Developing gardens
Judy has been gardening and directing gardening projects for more than 20 years. That includes being a middle school garden director who transformed a 4,000-square-foot abandoned quad area into a full-scale organic garden. She has experience as a community garden director, overseeing two community gardens with more than 60 gardening plots.
During this time, she developed a love for learning about food, growing food and helping others discover how food can be a foundation for growth in all areas of life.
In her search for a deeper understanding of the health benefits of growing and cooking her own food, she received her Holistic Nutritionist Certification from AFAP and started her business, Growing With Food. She is a retired middle school science teacher.
Judy met Allison more than 15 years ago, when Allison invited her to see the farm. It wasn’t long before they became good friends and started presenting farm-to-table workshops.
Most recently, Judy has created a kitchen garden on the farm to demonstrate gardening on a smaller yet highly productive scale. Her latest projects include larger plots of land.