peaceful.valley.orchards

This project was completed over ten years ago. Ownership of the farm has changed and much of the information in the original story is outdated.

Currently, Peaceful Valley Orchards is owned and operated by Merideth and Jeremy Compton.The orchard described below is no longer in operation, nor is managed by Jeremy Compton. The Comptons solely operate out of Peaceful Valley Orchards located at 150 Pittstown Road in Pittstown, New Jersey.

The original story created by the students at Franklin Township School is below, but please note that it does not apply to the current status of of Peaceful Valley Orchards.

Peaceful Valley Orchards was owned by Tom Hodulik. The farm is managed by Jeremy Compton. There are 87 acres on the farm. Mr. Hodulik’s farm grows apples and pears. In the past, he grew peaches. The farm has been around for two generations.

Originally, when Mr. Hodulik was a boy, Peaceful Valley Orchards was a dairy farm.

The dairy barn was built in 1935.

The history of the property dates back to the times of the Native Americans. Mr. Hodulik has found arrow heads and a lot of flint. He has a collection of flint and arrow heads from his farm.

Mr. Hodulik had eleven brothers and sisters originally, but only nine survived. He is the youngest of all the boys. Ted was Mr. Hodulik’s favorite brother to play with. After the death of Ted, Mr. Hodulik made a memorial behind the old farm house.

The old farm house is a very special part of the farm. It has 22 rooms.

Due to its age, the farm house will be torn down in 2001 to make way for a new home.

Mr. Hodulik runs a farm market on his property.

A few of the things that he sells in his store are thirteen different types of apples (from his orchard), cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchinis, asparagus, Indian corn, squash, cabbage, and more. He also makes honey and cider (7,000 - 8,000 gallons). Mr. Hodulik opened his store in 1995.

The biggest difficulty faced on the farm is the destruction caused by deer. The deer eat the plants they grow. The busiest time of year is August through November, harvest time.

Some memories that Mr. Hodulik has are when he first saw a deer and its tracks, that was in the thirties. Another memory that he has is using his first tractor. It was a John Deere. Mr. Hodulik’s favorite spot is by the barn overlooking the orchards.

Mr. Hodulik chose to be a farmer because he thought it would give him an education. “If I could be a farmer, I would do it again,” said Mr. Hodulik proudly. He has lived at his farm ever since he was born in 1925.