NJ Fibershed Announces Second Annual Barn Crawl

NORTHERN NEW JERSEY — NJ Fibershed has announced the dates for the second annual New Jersey Barn Crawl, which will take place over two consecutive weekends in May. Six farms – three located in the northern part of the state, and three in the south – will participate in this year’s event, which is scheduled for May 13, 14, 20, and 21 from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM. A complete list of participating farms is below.

Like last year’s inaugural event, the Barn Crawl will take place over two weekends, but to make the event more accessible, transportation to all of the farms will be available via charter buses that will depart from New York City and Hoboken, New Jersey. Details are below.

“We're excited to build on the success of last year's inaugural Barn Crawl,” said Rehanna Azimi, coordinator of the NJ Fibershed Barn Crawl. “Most of our fiber producers have small flocks and aren't open to the public, but for two weekends in May, Crawlers are able to visit the farms and meet the people – and the sheep, goats, and alpacas! – behind the yarn they use.”

She continues, “The Barn Crawl is all about making farm education and experience accessible across a diverse audience, so this year, we're offering bus tours with pickups in NYC and Hoboken. Each stop on the Crawl will offer farm tours, fiber arts demonstrations, and artisans vending products made from locally sourced materials. We're particularly looking forward to kicking off our first Fiber-Along event at the Barn Crawl, with monthly Zoom meetings to provide ongoing support among our community of makers and artisans.”

Among the activities taking place at various stops along the Crawl:

• Farm tours offering the opportunity to meet alpacas, adult sheep, lambs, goats, and juvenile peacocks
• Shearing demonstrations
• Fleece skirting and prepping demonstrations
• Spinning, natural dyeing, and weaving demonstrations

Artisan vendor offerings will include:

• Fleeces
• Hand-knit shawls, socks, mittens, scarves, and other garments
• Luxury yarn and spinning fiber
• Sheepskins
• Fibercraft tools and accessories
• Custom charcuterie boards and cutting boards
• Buttons
• Dye Plants
• Vegetable and herb plants
• Fibercraft tools and accessories
• Handcrafted soaps and lotion bars
• Local honey
• Baked goods using locally sourced ingredients

Additionally, there will be a small quantity of the limited-edition New Jersey Blanket available for purchase at a few host farms. This heirloom-quality blanket was created from wool sourced from nine farms throughout the NJ Fibershed region.

Featuring a unique and modern design with three solid color sections representing the three regions of New Jersey: North, Central, and South Jersey, the gradual transition between color blocks is a playful nod to the fundamental New Jersey debate of where exactly Central Jersey starts and ends. The nine lines in the transition represent the nine farms that contributed wool to the project. Two variations of the blanket are available – one with a white background and one with a grey background. The width of the stripes woven into each blanket corresponds with the percentage of fiber each farm contributed.

Each purchase of the New Jersey Blanket supports local, small-scale, sustainable farming.

Barn Crawl Ticket information:
Tickets for the event are priced at $10.00, and free for children under 12. Tickets will provide access to all farms on both weekends and also include the Fiber Quest Guide, a downloadable map of all participating farms and vendors. Tickets are available for purchase HERE

Charter buses will depart from New York City and Hoboken, NJ on Sunday, May 14, and Sunday, May 21. Tickets, which are priced at $75.00, include round-trip transportation and entry fee for the day purchased. There will be senior discounts. Charter bus tickets are available HERE.

NJ Fibershed 2023 Barn Crawl Host Farms:

May 13 & 14, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

• Hardscrabble Farm – Stockton, Hunterdon County
• Smiling Dog Farm – Lumberton, Burlington County
• Windy Farm Alpacas – Chesterfield, Burlington County

May 20 & 21, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

• Hidden Pastures Luxury Fiber Farm – Branchville, Sussex County
• Jenny Jump Farm – Belvidere – Warren County
• Windswept Acres Farm – Pittstown, Hunterdon County

This press release was produced by NJ Fibershed. The views expressed here are the author's own.