There were several dairy farms in town in the ‘40s and most people had milk delivered to their homes and left in insulated metal boxes on their doorsteps, so it was fun to visit the dairy and see where our milk came from. The cows that produced this milk could be seen by the students of the school as they grazed every day right up to the borderline of the playground behind the school.
At the present time it is not as easy for children to see where their milk, meat, vegetables and fruit are raised or grown. That is why it is so pleasurable to find a farm where people of all ages can visit and get close to the animals and see the vegetables growing. Alderbrook Farm on Russells Mills Road in Dartmouth is just such a place. Owned and operated by Allen and Nancy Manley who, despite their early rising and long hard day working the farm, are never too busy to stop, talk and share stories about their beloved animals.
Some beautiful pheasant, and a peacock and peahen are the first attractions you see as you enter the farmyard. If the peacock is in the mood he may give you a brilliant display of his plumage. You often can buy a feather that has been shed from his tail at the farm stand.
The animals are all used to people and are friendly, with the exception being the resident Canada goose, Rock, who on certain days honks and flaps at visitors. He has even been seen trying to intimidate the horse, Gem, with whom he shares a fenced-in pasture. Other animals include pygmy goats, donkeys, steer, sheep and Zoe, the pot-bellied pig.We take a ride to the farm every couple of weeks to buy fresh eggs from the flock of chickens that live in a coop and yard at the top of the lane next to the pigs. A couple of years ago a sow gave birth to many piglets and after a week or so people were allowed, if they were quiet, to go into the barn and watch the piglets nursing. It was amazing to be able to get so close, and steps were placed by the pen so children could climb up and watch.
The animals spend daytime outdoors and are kept in the barn at night where bantams roam freely in and out of the barn doors and yard. After the big snowstorm this winter Gem, the horse, rolled in the snow when she was led out of the barn. Maybe she was trying to make a snow angel?
The lane that leads to the upper fields crosses over a brook that runs through the property and under a small wooden bridge. It’s a beautiful spot that is bordered by wildflowers in the summer, colored leaves in the fall or iced over in winter. In a field by the brook stands an old truck that has almost been absorbed by the plants and vines that grow around and through it. One summer day a painting class was set up in various locations around the farm with their easels, and one woman was painting a landscape including the truck that was covered with greenery and flowers.
In a spot back near the edge of the field are several beehives. The bees are there to pollinate the vegetable and flower gardens that grow in the summer and provide a supply of honey.
This sustainable farm has a farmstand that sells fresh produce in season: herbs, garden plants, bread and pastry, honey, bird seed and many other local products, my favorite being Morning Glory coffee syrup. The Manleys welcome everyone including visiting school classes that have made prior arrangements. Whenever I leave there’s always a sense of slowing down and having gone back to the good old days, and, as far as I know, there is no bull.
