7686 Herber Rd, New Tripoli 18066
Willow Haven Farm
To begin with, Willow Haven Farm is a small, family farm located in New Tripoli. The farm is operated by Reuben and Tessa DeMaster and their children. In fact, Tessa’s family has owned the farm for over 60 years. Furthermore, everyone here works hard to bring fresh vegetables, pastured meats, and special farm made items to you.
Visitors to the farm enjoy the beautiful rolling hills, the quiet atmosphere, and seeing animals out in our pastures. We believe that the small size and the diversity of the farm are its strengths. In short, our time, attention and resources go directly into improving our soil and growing great-tasting food for you.
Our Growing Practices
You can be certain that we will do everything that we can to ensure that your vegetables are safe and healthy. After all, we eat this food too!
Willow Haven Farm is dedicated to growing organic vegetables for the Lehigh Valley. We are committed to following the strict requirements of the National Organic Program and have done so for over 10 years.
We believe that organic growing practices give people healthier food when it is free from chemical spray and fertilizer residue. Often this means that we have to do extra work to produce the vegetables.
You benefit by getting clean, healthy food and not worrying about toxins and harmful health consequences. We relish knowing that the fresh food we produce on our farm will be enjoyed by you when you create amazing, fresh meals for yourself and your family.
Our Growing Practices
Willow Haven Farm uses growing practices consistent with the organic movement. We have chosen not to use any crop input that is prohibited by the Organic Material Review Institute. Our growing schedule depends on variety rotation and biodynamic calendar to help control insects and diseases. We use a drip irrigation system that conserves water. Cover crops improve the soil over time and prevent erosion. Some crops receive a heavy mulch that suppresses weeds and keeps the ground moist. We do not apply raw manure to the soil within 6 months of harvest.
You can be certain that we will do everything that we can to ensure that your vegetables are safe and healthy. After all, we eat this food too.
Meet Our Team
Farmer
Farming in my life I have been farming Willow Haven Farm for over 10 years, but my farming experience began as a child. My father grew up on a dairy farm and I began helping make hay when I was too young to lift a bale. We lived in town, but most of my friends lived on farms. There was always farm work to do and I helped with the harvest every summer. I picked asparagus, raspberries, strawberries, sweet corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, and more.
Beginnings Desiring to raise our children in a rural community, my wife and I moved to Pennsylvania in 2005 to the home in which she was raised. In 2009, I was ready to expand my garden from 1/4 acre to 2 acres. It was a challenging year as I learned how to grow on a larger scale and how to estimate costs and harvests. It was also a year in which late blight killed the tomato plants by the end of August. This was my introduction to the challenges that farmers must overcome in order to produce a harvest.
The Joy of Farming By the end of several years of farming, I had learned the basics of organic production and the need for organic food. More importantly, I quickly discovered the joy of producing an abundance of food for people and that in growing the food I was able to share the joy with others.
Connecting Farming to Health Next I started to discover the state of our food and quickly became concerned with the deficiencies in food. Because the way that food is produced affects our land, our water, and our health, food can be a source of nutrition and healing or something much worse. I found that people were suffering from chronic diseases that in some cases could be connected directly to the food that they were eating. By visiting farms, reading, and listening to experts in many fields, I understand that farming is much more than simply growing food for people. It is a responsibility to continue improving our soil, using the best organic practices, in order to produce safe, nutritious and healing food for my family and my community. The goal of Willow Haven Farm is to connect as many local people as we can with our real, nutritious, farm fresh food in order to help them build real health.
The Farmer’s Wife
Tessa grew up on this farm and spent summers in the large family garden they called, “The Truck Patch”. She and her brothers helped her mother every summer, picking beans, weeding, and cutting fruits and vegetables for the hundreds of jars of canned and frozen produce they put up. Now she spends less time out in the field and more time in the kitchen doing the same preserving for her own farm family. Finally, Reuben values her many hours doing much of the behind the scenes marketing, website, emails, newsletters etc. She is always learning along the way in her quest to improve the farm experience for each of our CSA members and market customers.
Farm Daughter, Flower Farmer
Annika has grown up alongside Willow Haven and has embraced her farm girl identity. In order to pay for college, Annika started her own cut flower farm on our land. As a young farmer and business owner, Annika is using all the skills she learned as a farm girl and recieving the guidance of her farming father to create a successful and flower farm.
Her beautiful bouquets are a delightful blend of seasonal flowers and greenery, grown chemical free, picked and arranged by hand. Her CSA members are flower lovers whose lives and homes were brightened by the every changing bounty of only one acre of flowers.
Farm Son, Field Hand
Simeon is out in the field every day, whether it’s to feed and monitor our pastured animals or plant, weed or pick vegetables. Learning his speed and expertise from his Dad makes him invaluable to the farm and his knowledge increases every season. True to his nature, Simeon likes to converse with visitors and share his knowledge, so don’t be shy when you come to visit – any question will get him started.
Farm Daughter, Vegetable Washer, Packer
While Britta is quite good in the field, her skills really emerge in our packing room. She is often the “right hand girl” when it comes to custom packing your CSA Farm Share boxes. Britta likes things consistent and organized so that your box is full of the great-tasting, clean and fresh vegetables that you choose each week.
Farm Son, Water boy and Transplanter
Learning from an older brother isn’t easy but our second son is getting the hang of keeping all the animals watered in every season and location – not an easy task. He is also quite a good partner to have on the back of the transplanter.
Farm Kids, Field Workers and Helpers
The rest of the kids, no matter their age, help around the farm all year, but especially during the growing season. They experience every aspect: from helping seed the trays, watering the greenhouse, weeding rows in the field or picking strawberries, beans or cherry tomatoes. Their energy and quick smiles are a great asset to everyone and since they know every nook and cranny, they make great tour guides when you visit us.
Farm Grandparents
Tessa’s dad, Dave, grew up on this farm and is proud to see what it has become under Reuben’s direction. He enjoys helping out, seeing our visitors and entertaining children. His generosity makes everything we do at Willow Haven Farm possible.
Tessa’s mom, Lo, is our resident fiber artist and she loves to show what can be done with her spinning wheel, loom or knitting needles. Our Jacob sheep provide her with enough high quality fleece to keep her washing, sorting and spinning wool all year long. You can often watch her, visit and ask questions on Saturdays during our markets; she is always ready for show and tell.
