2025-12-09 06:35:46
With more than 7 million acres of farmland within Pennsylvania’s borders, the Keystone State is an agritourism paradise. Visit the very places where local gourmet delights are grown, harvested, and handmade.
Known for its calming properties and versatility, lavender can be used in everything from relaxing tea to floral syrup. Take a delightful detour to Hope Hill Lavender Farm, set like an amethyst in the rolling hills of Pottsville. Go on a guided farm tour for an informative discussion about growing, pruning, drying, and preparing the flowering herb, then stroll the vibrant fields and ultrafragrant drying shed. You’ll conclude with an introduction to Hope Hill’s animal ambassadors — horses, a pony, three mini donkeys, and five hens — plus a chance to stock up on farm-crafted essential oils and products.
Ready to take your relationship (either with your partner, with cheese, or both) to the next level? Don’t miss the Cheesemaking Weekend at Mercersburg Inn. For one glorious weekend every fall, curious turophiles (cheese lovers) from all over the country descend upon this stately Georgian mansion and settle into their perfectly appointed guest rooms for an unforgettable few days. The Faillace family, owners of Three Shepherds Cheese, have been featured by “Travel & Leisure,” “Gourmet,” Martha Stewart Television, and many more. Under their guidance, you’ll use timehonored techniques to make your own feta, ricotta, and mozzarella, all savored alongside gourmet meals.
It’s not a visit to Pennsylvania farm country without a pick-your-own produce experience. At Cherry Hill Orchards & Farm Market in Lancaster, there’s something delicious in season from late May through mid-November (give or take a week or two on either end, for the whims of Mother Nature). If you’re visiting in the spring or early summer, you can pick your own ripe strawberries, cherries, and blackberries; plums, apricots, peaches, and apples start to ripen in late summer, just as the farm’s sunflowers burst into bloom. Fall visitors also can take a hayride to the pumpkin patch, and the Farm Market carries locally made jams, butters, salsas, and honey year-round.
While our maple syrup is not quite as famous as our mushrooms, Pennsylvania is among the top 10 U.S. producers of the sweet stuff, and Somerset County is the place to tap into the tradition’s local heritage. For two weekends every March, the area’s many sugar camps (maple orchards outfitted with sugar houses, where sap is boiled down into syrup) host Taste and Tour Camps.
Each of the 25 camps is unique, with tasty extras on top of their family histories, special methods and signature syrups. Whether you visit Rockwood’s Livengood Brothers Maple for the maple kettlecorn, Normalville's Duck’s Maple Farm for bourbon barrel-aged maple candies or another camp, there are no bad choices.
When an hour or two in the fields just isn’t enough, a farm stay may be in order — and Coopersburg’s Flint Hill Farm is waiting with open arms.
With a history dating back to the early 1850s, this 27-acre working farm and educational center makes it easy to immerse yourself in the agricultural arts.
After a peaceful night’s sleep in your farmhouse room, you’ll enjoy a hearty farmer’s breakfast of eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese, bacon, and fresh-baked bread, all sourced on site. Afterwards, choose your own adventure! Sign up for farm chores like collecting eggs, feeding the ponies, or milking the goats; learn to bake bread or make cheese; or take a peaceful selfguided walk in the woods.
It only takes a day or two in rural Pennsylvania to understand how fresh, locally sourced ingredients can transform a simple meal into culinary art. Johnston & Wales-trained chef Kelly Unger spends her summers traveling the world for farflung locavore inspiration, and the rest of the year bringing these revelations to you, courtesy of The Rooster & The Carrot Cooking Studio in Doylestown.
In her light-filled teaching kitchen, a renovated barn overlooking charming downtown Carversville, you’ll apply the French concept of goût de terroir (taste of the soil) to modern farm-to-table cuisine. Classes are typically influenced by recent travels, so get ready for an odyssey of international flavors.
Cream of the Crop
The pride of the Glick family since 1948, Maplehofe Dairy in Quarryville is everything you’d expect from a three-generation family agribusiness: wholesome, home-grown, and delicious. Maplehofe’s Holstein herd is fed with crops grown on-site for fresh, RBST-free dairy products, including their beloved lineup of flavored milks: chocolate, strawberry, blueberry, vanilla, and orange cream.
Buzz-Worthy Stops
What began as a backyard hobby for Glenn and Sue Scott has grown into Honey in the Hollow Bee Farm, a thriving family business in Newport. Today, they produce a variety of flavorful strained, creamed, and comb honeys, while their daughter Kimberly creates small-batch candles, beeswax lotions, and natural lip balms.
Beekeeping in Pennsylvania isn’t without challenges — namely, limited nectar flow throughout the year, which can make honey production tricky — but community support makes all the difference. “It is a great place to learn beekeeping thanks to the numerous beekeeping clubs and massive societal support for honeybees,” says Sue.
Browse the full product line at the farm store and sample some flavors while you’re there. “Our fan favorite is our lavender-infused honey,” Sue adds. “It pairs great with matcha, tea, yogurt, and more.”
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