One of the greatest things about living in the Garden State is the number of local farms nearby. Miller’s Hill Farm is a small farm just over five miles from our house. They have a very sweet one room farmhouse market with an assortment of produce, eggs, meat, and baked goods that is often left unattended because the family is busy on the farm. There’s a scale to weigh stuff, a calculator to add up your purchase if needed, a pad to jot it down and a basket full of cash. Years ago someone stole the basket, patrons heard about it, chipped in to cover the loss and the honor system never stopped.
Earlier today a friend wrote about running a restaurant in Arizona during a pandemic and how when someone on his staff recently tested positive he shut his business down and arranged tests for all of his other employees. Another restaurant where that server worked chose to stay open knowing he was working there with an incredibly contagious virus. Our friend lamented that although it wasn’t illegal for that other restaurant to endanger their staff and community it was immoral. A discussion ensued about honor and trust and how inconsistent and scary it can be right now to trust that businesses and people are doing the right thing. So I especially enjoyed pulling up to this familiar place today looking out at the fields, waiting as someone made their purchase. He apologized and explained he was finding things that weighed the right amount to simplify paying- it’s kind of a game I’ve played there myself. I circled the store admiring the homemade jams, sauces and pickles, considered the zucchini, rhubarb, blueberries, and broccoli, but got a pint of sweet ripe strawberries, a red onion, a big juicy tomato, two limes, two sweet potatoes, and two bananas wrote it down on the pad, placed a $20 bill in the basket, took out a $10 and was on my way. There’s something to be said about trusting a business right now and knowing they’re trusting me. Highly recommend supporting your local farms or mine.
First visited there October 8, 2017 and here’s what I wrote back then-
self-serve honor system.
Made my way over to Millers Hill Farm for the first time. I’d never been even though it’s less than five miles away from home.
Wandered through a small cut-your-own flower garden as dozens of butterflies took flight and fluttered around me. Just past the flowers is a pond and a really big, really beautiful tree. Up the hill there’s a pumpkin patch, a crop of Christmas trees, and a working garden. Across the street in an old farmhouse is a farm shop that sells eggs, cider, pies, pumpkins, mums, and locally grown produce including their own. Everyone there was warm and welcoming and I came home with a bunch of cosmos, and bags overflowing with cider, beans, tomatoes, kale and a sweet potato for $14.95.
There’s a basket on the counter and when the shop is unattended folks are encouraged to leave their cash and jot down a note detailing their purchase. The owners believe that anyone who’d take food or money needs it more than they do.
Self-serve honor system is a method of payment but it also sums up this challenge. Caring for and honoring myself and everything I discover along the way.
Miller’s Hill Farm 10 Combs Avenue Mendham, NJ
