Angel Horses Inc.
12 Knollwood Lane
The mission of Angel Horses Inc. is to provide a permanent retirement sanctuary for horses that have been teachers and healers in the therapeutic world. These special horses receive nurturing, companionship and love for the rest of their days. In addition, this past year Angel Horses Inc. partnered with other rescues to save three horses from the slaughter pipeline and provide them a permanent and peaceful home. These efforts are made possible through volunteers and generous donations.
Angel Horses Inc. is also a place where humans can come to connect with such sensitive beings. On Open Farm Day, visitors can experience a farm tour and meet the horses, mini donkeys, goats and sheep that call the farm their home, plus experience the soothing effect live flute and harp music has on the animals and a fun demonstration with miniature horses. The Granby Horse Council will also be on hand to talk about its mission and activities, and Salmon Brook Veterinary Hospital will be on hand to talk about animal care.
Blooms of Lost Acres
At Lost Acres Vineyard on Open Farm Day
Blooms of Lost Acres is a woman-owned micro flower farm located in North Granby. Founded by Gabby in 2020, Blooms partners with local businesses throughout the Hartford County region to spread happiness through beautiful flowers. Services include flower subscriptions, event decor, DIY buckets, and a new pick-your-own tulip farm blooming for spring 2024. Stop by its stand on Granby Open Farm Day at Lost Acres Vineyard to grab some locally grown flowers at the bloom bar, pick up your exclusive merchandise, learn more about the new farm, and enjoy a kid-friendly activity!
Clark Farms at Bushy Hill Orchard
29 Bushy Hill Road
Clark Farm at Bushy Hill Orchard is one of three farms run by the Clark family. Bushy Hill is a 75-acre farm/orchard growing apples, blueberries, peaches, plums, pears, nectarines, and vegetables. The farm is open seasonally, offering a farm-to-table café, the new Bushy Hill Cidery Pub, ice cream and a full bakery (including the famous apple cider donuts) plus pick your own apples and blueberries.
The farm offers a great location for family outings and small events. There are many things to check out at the farm and farm store: sweet and hard apple cider pressed fresh from the farm, a variety of local products, and flowers from the Clarks’ Goodyear Farm location in Suffield.
On Open Farm Day you will have the opportunity to pick-your-own apples from 17 varieties, take a wagon ride, and sample those famous homemade apple cider donuts!
Coward Farm
170 North Granby Road
Coward Farm is among Granby’s newer working farms. Located on the former Maplewood Farm land once owned by Dr. Forrest Davis and protected by a conservation easement (acquired with financial support from the Granby Land Trust, the Town of Granby and the State of Connecticut), John and Teresa Coward obtained the vacant dairy farm on North Granby Road and now grow tobacco and pumpkins. The tobacco grown at Coward Farm is sold to the US Cigar manufacturer General Cigar, which manufactures cigars around the world. The pumpkins are sold at the Southwick Coward Farm.
On Open Farm Day, folks will get a tour of the farm, learn how tobacco is grown and cut, how a curing shed works and how the tobacco gets used for cigars.
Granby Grange
212 North Granby Road
Granby Grange #5 has been a big part of the Granby community for over 100 years. Originally started by and for farmers, the grange has evolved into a community public interest organization where people can come together to network, learn leadership skills, showcase homegrown and homemade items at the annual Agricultural Fair and state competitions, and participate in fun programs and activities.
The Granby Grange donates to other local organizations like Waste Not Want Not, FFA and the 4-H club. This year the grange held its first annual Rubber Duck Race with lots of great prizes and created a garden, growing vegetables including squash, Indian corn and pumpkins for the food shelf and fall festivities. The Granby Grange holds workshops, concerts, tag sales and other fun and educational activities for members and the public. At Open Farm Day, visitors can tour the Grange and antique farm implements, experience a honeybee demonstration, balloon animals for kids, teacup auction and a chili contest. For $10, get a bowl of chili, cornbread and drink.
Friends of Granby Wildflower Meadow
At Maple View Farm on Open Farm Day
The Friends of Granby Wildflower Meadow are creating and maintaining a native wildflower meadow to be part of the Connecticut Pollinator Pathway, a welcoming habitat for birds, bees, butterflies and other pollinators, and small animals that live in such meadows. The meadow is located on Salmon Brook Street (Routes 10/202) across from Maple View Farm just south of the town center. On Open Farm Day, The Friends of Granby Wildflower Meadow will be stationed at Maple View Farm to offer resources for adding natives to your own garden.
Granby Horse Council
At Angel Horses on Open Farm Day
The mission of the Granby Horse Council is to promote the value of horses to individuals and the community. On Granby Open Farm Day, the Granby Horse Council will be stationed at Angel Horses with an exhibit providing examples of programs about equine care and disciplines. Council members will also show how the club educates the public about safety and supports the community through scholarships and donations to local organizations. Visitors will also learn about the Horse Council’s activities such as the parade team, trail rides and de-spooking sessions.
Granby Land Trust
At Sweet Pea Cheese on Open Farm Day
According to the American Farmland Trust, the United States is losing 40 acres of farm and ranch land every hour to new development. The Granby Land Trust works to preserve farmland in Granby through the implementation of farm conservation easements and by acquiring tracts of land, which it then leases to local farmers at no cost.
Farmland is a finite and irreplaceable natural resource. Preserving it is crucial for ensuring a stable and reliable food supply. Preserving farmland also helps us control flooding, protect wetlands and watersheds, conserve biodiversity, improve air quality and mitigate climate change. Perhaps most importantly, it helps ensure that our children will have enough land on which to grow their food. To learn more or to become a member of the GLT (and show your support for these efforts), visit them at Sweet Pea Cheese on Open Farm Day.
Holcomb Farm CSA
111 Simsbury Road
Holcomb Farm is a 312-acre historic working farm that is open to the public year-round. Farmed from the mid-1700s to the mid-1900s by the Holcomb Family, this “jewel of Granby” is now owned by the Town of Granby and managed by the nonprofit Friends of Holcomb Farm (FOHF) for the benefit of the Granby community and beyond.
The property includes extensive fields of produce—all grown without chemicals, a Farm Store that stocks a range of products from several local farms, 10+ miles of maintained and marked trails and an educational arboretum (our “Tree Trail”). The farm offers both summer and winter CSA subscriptions, which are very popular. In 2022, the town, the FOHF and the Granby Land Trust worked together to preserve 277 acres of the farm, protecting it from development forever. As part of its nonprofit mission, and with the generous support of donors and granting agencies, the FOHF Fresh Access program provides a portion of its harvest to social service agencies throughout Greater Hartford, for distribution to individuals dealing with food insecurity, having limited access to healthy food, or struggling with a health crisis.
Visitors on Open Farm Day can tour the tree trail and learn about chemical-free growing in the farm fields, watch a cooking demo from Metro Bis Chef Chris Prosperi, and kids can learn about our local wildlife from CT DEEP.
Lost Acres Orchard
130 Lost Acres Road
Lost Acres Orchard grows peaches and apples, along with sunflowers, raspberries, blueberries, and a variety of vegetables from the farm gardens as the seasons permit. In the later summer and fall, you can buy peaches and apples by the box/bag. The farm also presses apples for cider in late September–October. The orchard’s kitchen/bakery stays open year-round selling pies along with a variety of baked goods, dinner entrees, soups, quiches, jams and more. Please visit the website, Facebook, or Instagram for the latest information and hours of operation. Come get “lost” at Lost Acres Orchard and Bakery! On Open Farm Day, enjoy complimentary wagon rides through the orchard. The bakery will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with pastries, pies, jams and more. Farmhouse (grab and go) lunches will be available 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Lost Acres Vineyard
80 Lost Acres Road
In the 1700s Lost Acres was a political no-man’s land known as “the Wedge.” In the early 1800s, the Wedge’s free-spirited, cider-distilling hill farmers populated the area. At Lost Acres Vineyard, owners Kevin Riggott and Michelle Niedermeyer continue this tradition with grape wine. A former apple orchard, Lost Acres Vineyard reclaimed this land in 2008, and is now home to five acres of wine grapes, contributing to the agricultural spirit and the natural beauty of Granby.
On Open Farm Day, the vineyard will have free samples of its most popular estate-grown Wedge White wine. Grape pressing demonstrations with an old-style wine press will yield grape juice for sampling. Visitors can take a winemaker’s tour of the cellar to learn about the winemaking process. Food by Avon Prime Meats will be available from 12 to 5 p.m.
Sepe Farm will have sheep shearing demos, a felting activity, a wool spinning demo and knitting classes. Blooms of Lost Acres will be on-site all day with a Bloom Bar where visitors can build their own bouquets. Copper Hill Equestrian will have a vaulting demo at 1:30 p.m. and Outrider Dogs will have a training demo at 3 p.m. with adoptable puppies to meet.
Sepe Farm
At Lost Acres Vineyard on Open Farm Day
The sheep shearing team of Peter and Carolyn Sepe, Erin Sepe Pirro and Jonathan Pirro will be at the Lost Acres Vineyard to demonstrate fall sheep shearing, wool spinning, and a felting craft for kids. Knitting classes will take place at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. Please pre-register for the knitting classes at morehousefarm.com/granbyag
Lyric Hill Farm
134 Hungary Road
Lyric Hill is a small family farm dedicated to sustainable growing practices and educating the public. It uses fresh milk from a herd of Alpine dairy goats and a variety of herbs and wild harvested botanicals (grown and collected on the farm) to make soaps and other eco-friendly, farm-based products. The farm store is open year-round. On Open Farm Day, Lyric Hill visitors can meet the goats, learn how to use and preserve fresh herbs and flowers, observe the soap making process and browse Lyric Hill’s handcrafted products for sale.
Maple View Farm
192 Salmon Brook Street
Maple View Farm is a 4th generation working farm on 50 acres in the center of Granby. The on-farm Brewery offers beer brewed with local and farm grown ingredients and its Farm Food service is sourced straight from its pastures and gardens. Hike the farm fields loop trail or explore the Salmon Brook any time The Brewery is open. The Farmhouse, booked through Airbnb, offers guests a taste of what it is like to live on a working farm (rooster-crow wake up calls and all).
On Open Farm Day, Maple View offers self-guided tours, pony rides from 1 to 3 p.m., farm food including farm raised sausages and pizza, live music, Ask the Farmer sessions, and a hay bale throwing contest with prizes for all ages. Plus, learn how to add natives to your garden from Friends of the Granby Wildflower Meadow.
O’Brien Nursery
40 Wells Road
O’Brien Nursery is known far and wide for its hosta offerings and has grown into a destination for unique shade perennials, in addition to a wide selection of conifers, special Japanese maples, and numerous dwarf ginkgo selections. On open Farm Day, nurseryman John O’Brien invites the community to discover the pleasure of plants and explore an impressive six acres of display gardens. O’Brien Nursery will also feature hosta dividing demonstrations at 10:45 a.m. and 1:45 p.m.
Salmon Brook Historical Society’s Colton-Hayes Tobacco Barn
208 Salmon Brook Street
salmonbrookhistoricalsociety.com
The Colton-Hayes Tobacco Barn was built in 1914 by Fred M. Colton and donated to the historical society by his daughters in 1976. The front part of the barn provides a view of village life in the late 1800s. It includes representations of an old meeting hall, post office, village store, dressmaker’s shop, and more. The back of the barn offers a look at Granby’s agricultural past with a sampling of farm tools and machinery, items used in cider mills, grist mills, blacksmithing, maple sugaring, hog slaughtering, bee keeping, harness making, ice cutting and a large tobacco section. On Open Farm Day, visitors can tour the barn including historic farm implements.
Salmon Brook Historical Society’s Wilcox House and Barn
143 Simsbury Road
salmonbrookhistoricalsociety.com
The Captain Sadoce Wilcox House, built c.1800, and the Lyman Wilcox Barn, built c.1857, are part of the West Granby Historic District. Until 2019, when the property was purchased by the Granby Land Trust and the house and barn were given to the historical society, the property had been in the same family for six generations. For the last century, the family used the house as a summer residence, leaving much of the interior unaltered. The property provides visitors with a unique view of the life of 19th century farmers and artisans in Granby. A large four-post loom has recently been restored and a weaver will be demonstrating throughout the day. On Open Farm Day, visitors can tour the house and see the Wilcox family’s cloth production operation come alive.
Salmon Brook Veterinary Hospital
At Angel Horses Inc. on Open Farm Day
Since 1953 Salmon Brook Veterinary Hospital has been committed to providing the best in veterinary care for small and large animals—including farm animals. On Open Farm Day, Dr. Christopher Weber from Salmon Brook will be stationed at Angel Horses giving visitors a look at one of the hospital trucks and speaking with visitors about animal care.
Sweet Pea Cheese
151 East Street
Follow @SweetPeaCheese on Facebook
Sweet Pea Cheese is a family-run farm that specializes in pasteurized cream line goat and cow dairy products. On Open Farm Day come visit the goats and sample some of its products. There is a farm store on the farm that is open year-round. Don’t forget to bring your cooler!
Wilhelm Farm
329 North Granby Road
Wilhelm Farm is a family-owned farm and forest. From the road passersby see hay fields, gardens and farm buildings, but beyond this lies an additional 35 acres of woods. Wilhelm farm has a conservation easement on it, held by the Granby Land Trust, which preserves the land for agricultural and forestry uses and restricts future development.
The owners, Ann Wilhelm and Bill Bentley, are the third generation of the Wilhelm Family to own and steward these resources. Ann and Bill manage their land to produce environmental services (wildlife habitat, water and air quality, hydrologic control and carbon sequestration) while sustainably producing food, timber and non-timber forest products. The farm is investing in several agroforestry practices, including silvopasture, forest farming and living snow fences. On Open Farm Day, visitors can take a self-guided hike through the woods on a one-mile loop trail and can view the various gardens and tree plantings.