[This blog post is part of The Farm Project and showcases a few photos from my holiday visit to Ticonderoga Farm. It was time for their Christmas tree festival. Visit my photography website to see all the photos from this photo shoot. ~ Andrea]
Ticonderoga Farms began their Christmas tree destination 50 years ago, so this is a very special time of year for the farm. They start their celebration the weekend after Thanksgiving with breakfast with Santa and of course cut your own Christmas tree. They grow White Pines, Weymouth Pines (aka Virginia Pine), Scotch Pine, Red Cedar, Leyland Cyprus, and Norway Spruce. They also sell pre-cut Frasier Fir trees that they obtain from growers further north since the tree does not grow in our climate.
In addition to the trees, they offer garland from the White Pines they grow, and it’s so beautiful, very full and fragrant. I was admiring it as soon as I arrived for the photo shoot and knew I would take some home to drape around our front door. They sell 20’ and 75’ lengths of the white pine garland, and it lends an elegant, rustic look to doorways, fireplaces, and stair rails.
Tramping about the fields in the crisp fresh air is part of the fun of cutting your own tree, and Ticonderoga has plenty of fields to roam, plus they have their hayride out to the White Pine fields. And if you need to warm up afterward, you can stop by the fire pits and roast your marshmallows and hot dogs.
Ticonderoga is open 10:00 to 5:00 pm on the weekends during the Christmas season and open to groups with reservations on weekdays. They have both precut and cut your own trees, wreaths, garland, pine cones, and other items from the farm available for you to use in decorating your home. And there’s one more weekend to have breakfast with Santa. Visit my photography website for more photos of Ticonderoga Farm.
I was walking through Manhattan the other day and encountered a sidewalk tree "store" which smelled fantastic! And, these were trees that had been cut already! I can just imagine the wonderful aroma at this beautiful arm. I've only cut a fresh tree once.
That's the best part, the smell. I always walk through a tree farm taking in the sights and smells before choosing a tree.
Gorgeous photos, Andrea! I, too, can imagine how wonderful it must smell. We already have our tree this year but I'm putting them on the list for next year!
I'm lucky to live in "farm" country, where there are tree farms every couple of miles along the roads here. The state of Rhode Island offers a tax incentive to farmers to grow trees and keep the land open. It's a bonus for those of us who live nearby, too. We cut trees from our own woods most years for the holidays, but it's wonderful to have farms that are preserving the land and the tradition for all of us.