Stony Hill Farm a Family Affair in Chester

When the crowds get crazy at Stony Hill Farm, Dale Davis III knows he can rely on his staff, because they are his family.

"I always told the kids, 'Do whatever you want to do. You don't have to come here,'" said Davis, general manager and co-owner of Stony Hill Farm. "But they all have chosen at this point to be involved in the family business so I think that's kind of unusual."

Davis, along with his wife Carol, share the responsibility of their Chester farm with their three children, Dale, Brandt and Kaitlyn, as well as two daughters-in-law, Dana and Kaitlyn. In addition to the family bonding time, Davis said it's also a boon for business.

"I think it gives us an advantage," he said. "Because here and at our farm markets, people know that a family member is there all the time. We never send a truck out, and we do 22 markets a week, that doesn't have a family member that's on that truck."

Stony Hill Farm, a trio of properties clustered on the outskirts of downtown Chester, features a Farm Market on North Road, a Greenhouse and pick-your-own orchard on Route 513 and a new pick-your-own property on Parker Road.

"We planted about 4,000 apple trees [at the new property] and as far as I know, we're one of the few farms in the area that still has apples on the trees," Davis said. "Since it's new, a lot of people don't know about it yet."

The pick-your-own farm, located on a quiet spot on Parker Road, features 22 varieties of apples, a mini corn maze and pick-your-own pumpkins. Dana Ronyack-Davis, Davis' daughter-in-law and wife to his son, Dale, runs the new pick-your-own location and said there's still plenty to be had."

"We have a lot of new varieties here and some old favorites too," she said. "We have the Winesaps, Stayman, Gibson, Golden, Fuji, Gala, Macintosh, Macoun, and the newer ones like Snowsweet and Crimson Crisp. Since we were new this year, a lot of people are just finding out about us so we haven't really had that much picked out of the fields yet so there's a lot left on the trees.

Cassandra Arroyo from North Plainfield, said she and her children appreciated the variety of apples and other produce to be had at the pick-your-own location.

"We got watermelon, pumpkins and apples," she said. "We didn't expect the watermelon but my husband will be happy about it."

Ronyack-Davis cited simplicity and a low-key atmosphere as the primary draws of the new location.

"The whole nature of our farm is more like a country setting," said Ronyack-Davis. "It's not a lot of amusements and stuff. It's a hayride and just fields full of produce and apples to be picked."

At the Farm Market, which is Stony Hill's main property on North Road, families and farmgoers can enjoy live music on the weekends as well as a playarea known as Maze Fun Park, which features four mazes, a playground and a gemstone mining activity. On an Indian Summer Sunday in October, a local band called The Inn Mates played classic and modern hits from The Temptations' "My Girl" to Katy Perry's "California Gurls" for a crowd of several hundred farmgoers munching hotdogs, picking pumpkins and waiting to enter the 10-acre corn maze.

"We have probably the best corn maze around in my opinion," said Davis. "There's a lot to do in it. Lots of different options for different people in it."

Long Valley resident Crystal Kudish said the mazes were the primary reasons she brought her son, Henry, 10, and his cousins, Isael Kudish, 9, and Noah Kudish, 12 to the farm.

"We came here last Fall and it's a great maze," said Kudish. "It has lots of other little mazes that are really fun. The chain maze and the bricks and the mining is really cool."

In addition to entertainment, the market has a pumpkin patch and homebaked goods for sale including pies, caramel apples and apple cider doughnuts. Davis said the doughnuts are among his favorite fall treats the farm has to offer.

"We're one of the only farms around here that actually makes them from scratch and fries them," he said.

Ronyack-Davis said the homebaked, homegrown approach permeates throughout the farm thanks to the family involvement. 

"The family members care so much about the business and we care about the quality of our product," she said. "We're out there in the fields, my husband plants everything and we're all in it together so we really care about the product what we're putting out there."

"Our farm has probably more family members working in the business together than any other farm around here," said Davis. "I think that gives us an edge because people can actually come and talk to somebody that knows what's going on on the farm.

Stony Hill Farm Market is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Corn Maze is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The pick-your-own farm is open Saturdays and Sundays through the end of October from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.