Farm History
Griggstown Farm is a local farm that raises and processes all natural poultry on 65 acres of preserved land. We use sustainable principles to grow vegetables and raise poultry for use in products made in our USDA kitchen on the farm.
From a Handful of Quail...
In 1975, George Rude began raising a handful of quail on two acres of a farm located in the small village of Griggstown in Princeton, N.J. At that time the farm was owned by Peter Josten. By the time George purchased the land from Josten in 1992, the Griggstown Quail Farm had grown to over 65 acres of land and had come to accommodate the raising of pheasants, quail, & chickens, and when in season, Mallard and Muscovy ducks, turkeys, and partridge. All the birds were all natural (free of growth hormones and antibiotics) and allowed to range freely with out overcrowding, a standard Farmer George keeps to this day.
The Early Days
In its early days, the Griggstown Quail Farm distributed to a few choice restaurants in the New York City area. Today, the prime distributor is D’Artagnan Inc., located in Newark, N.J. In addition, a number of other distributors and restaurants carry poultry raised on our farm. Some stores in New York include Cittarella Market and Ottomanelli Sons, as well as a number of New York City restaurants. New Jersey restaurants that serve Griggstown Farm poultry & game include The Bernardsville Inn, The Blue Bottle Café, Eno Terra, One 53, Brothers Moon, and Anton’s at the Swan. Our farm raised poultry and game can also be purchased at local farm markets during the spring, summer, and autumn months.
Where we are Now
This past year we worked with the USDA NRCS (National Resources Conservation Service) to build an approved sustainable compost system to break down manure, vegetables, and food waste from our kitchen in an environmentally friendly way. We also expanded our USDA kitchen from 600 sq. ft. to over 4,500 sq ft. of space. This allows us to make more quality products for our store, and our wholesale customers.