Danica Ferrante doesn’t remember exactly how old she was when she first started helping out on her grandparents’ farm. “Although it probably started with the kind of ‘helping’ that you ask kids to do when you need to get them out of the way,” she chuckles. “So I’ve always been around. Really, though, the whole family — all my sisters, all my cousins — this was our first job, after school and on weekends.”
Pete and Carol Ferrante founded Wallkill View Farms back in 1960 with their four sons. Originally, they brought their produce to market; not long after, they realized that the market would come to them, and began selling from a covered wagon on their property. The first actual brick-and-mortar market was built in 1976; since then, they’ve added greenhouses, a pole building, and a bakery.
Danica Ferrante, Pete and Carol’s oldest grandchild, has taken the lead at the business with her cousin John and has always loved the seasonal rhythms of farm life. “There’s always something new, new things to focus on, new challenges,” she says. “And the chance to work with family is very special.
We call ourselves a four-season farm, and I think we live up to that — we take a break midwinter, but we stay open right up until Christmas selling holiday things: trees, hand-decorated wreaths, gifts, poinsettias. Leading up to that, in the fall, we’re focused on pick-your-own pumpkins, apple cider donuts, and pies.”
Pete and Carol Ferrante founded Wallkill View Farms back in 1960 with their four sons.
“We call ourselves a four-season farm, and I think we live up to that.” – Danica Ferrante
Now, in spring — planting season — the greenhouses are packed with flower and vegetable starts and seedlings, and the Wallkill View team can also provide you with the soil and compost that will make them happy, along with all the good advice you need. “Spring is really about the Garden Center,” Ferrante says. “Then, in June, the strawberries come in, and the whole summer is mainly about the produce we grow right here. And we don’t have an orchard, so we bring in the best peaches and apples from nearby farmers.”
The beauty of the location, with fetching views of the Gunks and the village of New Paltz, is wildly outstanding.
The beauty of the location, with fetching views of the Gunks to its west and the village of New Paltz rising up the hill across the Wallkill River, is wildly outstanding. But it doesn’t come without challenges: most every spring, the fields flood, which is good for the topsoil. But the floods have become more erratic: a couple of years ago, an autumn one wiped out the pumpkin crop, a fall mainstay and crowd pleaser. “I think our pumpkin patch is a bit unique,” says Ferrante.
Originally, they brought their produce to market before selling from a covered wagon on their property. The first actual brick-and-mortar market was built in 1976.
“Most places harvest their pumpkins and pile them up for you to pick through. Here, you can actually go out into the fields and pick your own. And we do a corn maze and hayrides, celebrating harvest season — but our primary focus is on the growing, the farm itself, and people do seem to enjoy visiting.” People do, and it’s unquestionable that this third-generation family farm is a New Paltz icon. And there’s a wee bit of a fourth generation sprouting. “My son’s ten, and he’s been saying he’ll help,” says Ferrante. "But I think the job he wants most is as a donut taste tester!"
wallkill view farm market
15 State Route 299 West, New Paltz
845-255-8050
wallkillviewfarmmarket.com
