Many thanks to host Alex Markoff for a fun-filled evening out at Calleva Farm. Alex met the group at the campfire area near the Calleva Café with free delicious hors d’oeuvres including chips and salsa, farm-made meatballs, mouthwatering home-made bruschetta, and freshly squeezed lemonade.
Not one to have people sitting for long, Alex, piloting a tractor, got the tour of Calleva Farm started by towing our group expertly through the farm on a wagon. Like many things on the farm, the wagon itself was almost entirely made from wood milled at the farm’s sawmill. This is a Calleva theme: make what you need on the farm itself, as Alex explained during several stops on the tour.
We viewed the large garden, mooing cows, grazing horses (for the riding experiences), the sawmill, stables, and passed by the “ghost town” that is used during Markoff’s Haunted Forest. The sawmill utilizes tree trunks provided at no cost by landscapers and tree businesses. As Alex explained, these would otherwise have to be sent to a landfill. Calleva Farm mills the wood for its own use and to provide for others as well.
Known for its camps and outdoor education classes, the farm includes ropes courses, zip lines, and many other exciting activities. Back at the campfire area, Alex’s wife Nicki took some of the group to look at the garden. Following the tours, the group finished off the evening socializing at the Pizza on the Farm Night with appetizers, wood-fired pizzas, salads, and their favorite beverages.