HILTON, N.Y. — Nestled beside a cozy family home, the Blodgett Family Farm bursts with rustic fall beauty, drawing the gaze of those who pass by its vast fields and inviting landscape. But there is more to this farm than just a fall backdrop.
Beth Jamison, smiling warmly at the customer in front of her, stands behind the cash register, clad in overalls displaying the farm’s logo. The story of this family farm is hers to tell along with her five other siblings, the children of Dave and Ruth Blodgett. Beth and her siblings watched the farm evolve from the small patch of farmland their parents could hardly keep up with to what it is today.
In 1989, Dave and Ruth Blodgett bought a farmhouse on 50 acres on Parma Center Road. From there, what began as an on-and-off retirement project for the two transformed into something magical.
“My dad worked many, many years in the grocery business, and when he was about to retire a couple years before that, he and one of my brothers decided they wanted to restart the farm,” Jamison said. “The first couple years were rough. We tried to do veggie farming and just sell them on the side of the road. That did not work out as well, and I was not as involved in that at the time. But then a couple of things happened.”
Business began to take off when Beth’s sister suggested that their parents revamp their small vegetable farm into a fall-themed family experience. This idea altered the course of the farm and opened the family up to an entirely new opportunity to reach their community.
The second idea that urged the family to stick to a fall theme came from a customer. The customer asked Ruth and Dave if they could grow blue pumpkins, which they had never heard of before. Jarrahdale, a blue-tinged variety of pumpkin is a multipurpose pumpkin that is great for aesthetics and for baking. The introduction of this new pumpkin inspired the family to get more creative with different colors and species of pumpkins, growing their farm from a small pumpkin patch next to their home, to a massive array of diverse pumpkins and displays filling their yard.
Aside from being the home of the $5 pumpkin, the Blodgett Family Farm is home to many different plants, vendors, animals and activities for the whole family. Goats and miniature donkeys reside in the petting zoo area, accompanied by vendors at the craft stores and concessions where patrons can enjoy Zarpentine Farms’ baked goods, hot dogs, fried dough and more. Playgrounds and a free fairy-themed scavenger hunt are just a few of the attractions offered for children.
Brendan Anderson and Jenna Griffin experience the farm for the first time, exploring all it has to offer. The pair circles a chain link fence that encloses three donkeys and a couple of small goats who silently graze the enclosure.
“I heard about it from some family members that live up the road. It’s very nice so far. It’s all very family-oriented,” Anderson said.
Carla Heise is a volunteer at the concession stand in the center of the farm that sells various foods from Zarpentine Farms and Ruthie’s Baked Goods. This is Heise’s first year volunteering at the farm, yet she can already feel the atmosphere of a farm centered on facilitating family fun and memory making.
“I just love how family-friendly it is here, how everybody is happy. You see kids of all ages, adults, parents and grandparents. It feels like every part of a community coming into one place and sharing an experience and a harvest,” Heise said.
The Blodgett Family Farm is more than just a place to get pumpkins, mums and baked goods for a reasonable price. The farm is a collection of memories made by the family that created it and the families that visit it every year.
