General Information
When are you open?
We have decided to remain closed for the 2021 season.
How do I get there?
Using our address in your GPS or internet mapping sites do not always get you to the correct place. If you look up Pleasant Valley Farm on Google Maps, I reset the marker so it is correct, but only under our business listing. Find Route 36 from your location. If headed north from Cook Forest, we are about 4.5 miles north of the blinker light at the intersection of 208 & 36. When you pass the Seldom Inn bar/restaurant, we are the first paved road to the right (directly across from Tionesta Builder's Supply). Go 1/2 mile, we will be to your right. From Tionesta, we are about 5 miles south on Route 36. Turn left across from the Tionesta Builders Supply. If you pass Seldom Inn you've gone too far! Once you turn, our farm is located 1/2 mile and to your right. Watch for the roadside sign on Route 36 on Tuesdays and Saturdays!
Are you the same people who ran the farm before?
The farm has stayed in the Stevenson family. Tom & Betty Stevenson opened Pleasant Valley Farm in 1990 and ran it until 2005, when they moved to Florida. While the farm was idle for a few years, Tom & Betty's son, Dan, has now taken over the farm with the help of his wife, Emily. Dan & Emily use the same organic farming methods and secret family recipe for the breakfast sausage. Tom and Betty love to visit, but have no plans of returning to the farm full time.
What happened to the baked goods I remember getting there?
Betty's breads and pies were well known, and we know many of you stopped by just for them. However, Betty is no longer part of the farm's day-to-day operations which means she's not here to bake anymore. While Emily has many talents, baking just isn't one of them, so we will no longer have baked goods of any kind.
Can I still buy beef, lamb or turkeys from you?
While we do NOT offer beef or pork by the 1/4, 1/2 or whole, we offer a variety of cuts sold by the pound at the farm. We do not currently offer turkeys. Lamb is available by the pound throughout the farm stand season, and whole freezer lambs are available in limited quantities in the fall.
How can I place an order?
Please give us a call at 814-755-3911 or email us at [email protected]. Let us know what you want and we'll have it ready for pickup on Saturday (or Tuesdays, but please note all meats are frozen as we only butcher once per week.). Please place orders before 12:00 PM on Fridays. We may not be able to process orders after that time and cannot guarantee that late orders will be processed before the stand opens Saturday mornings.
What are your farming methods?
We are not certified by the government as organic because certification is expensive and requires much government paperwork. We do use organic methods and a sustainable way of farming that we feel is better for the environment as well as for the consumers of the food we grow, which includes us! We do not use any chemical or petroleum products as fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. Our animals never receive any hormones, chemicals or unnecessary antibiotics. We will give medicine to a sick animal, but a sick or medicated animal is never processed for food. All our animals have access to outdoor areas where they can exhibit their natural behaviors and instincts: hogs can root and wallow, chickens can peck, crow and chase and eat bugs as they please. Our fields are not worked by tractors, but by a mother and daughter team of Belgian horses that were born, raised and trained on the farm. We are very proud of our farming methods and welcome your questions about how your food is grown.
Are you Amish?
While we do work horses instead of tractors, it is a personal choice and not because we belong to an Amish or Mennonite community. Both of those groups actually refer to religious beliefs. We enjoy many non-Amish things at the farm such as electricity and motor vehicles. For more information on our choice to use horses, please see our Why Work Horses? page.
Do you give tours?
We do not have any tours currently scheduled. We will post any under the Coming Events section on the home page. If you are interested in bringing a group to see the farm, please contact us. Emily is also available to come to your school, group or other organization and do a presentation. Possible topics include, but are not limited to, choosing local/organic foods, working horses, heirloom plants & heritage livestock, or making the most of a visit to a farm/farmer's market.
We have decided to remain closed for the 2021 season.
How do I get there?
Using our address in your GPS or internet mapping sites do not always get you to the correct place. If you look up Pleasant Valley Farm on Google Maps, I reset the marker so it is correct, but only under our business listing. Find Route 36 from your location. If headed north from Cook Forest, we are about 4.5 miles north of the blinker light at the intersection of 208 & 36. When you pass the Seldom Inn bar/restaurant, we are the first paved road to the right (directly across from Tionesta Builder's Supply). Go 1/2 mile, we will be to your right. From Tionesta, we are about 5 miles south on Route 36. Turn left across from the Tionesta Builders Supply. If you pass Seldom Inn you've gone too far! Once you turn, our farm is located 1/2 mile and to your right. Watch for the roadside sign on Route 36 on Tuesdays and Saturdays!
Are you the same people who ran the farm before?
The farm has stayed in the Stevenson family. Tom & Betty Stevenson opened Pleasant Valley Farm in 1990 and ran it until 2005, when they moved to Florida. While the farm was idle for a few years, Tom & Betty's son, Dan, has now taken over the farm with the help of his wife, Emily. Dan & Emily use the same organic farming methods and secret family recipe for the breakfast sausage. Tom and Betty love to visit, but have no plans of returning to the farm full time.
What happened to the baked goods I remember getting there?
Betty's breads and pies were well known, and we know many of you stopped by just for them. However, Betty is no longer part of the farm's day-to-day operations which means she's not here to bake anymore. While Emily has many talents, baking just isn't one of them, so we will no longer have baked goods of any kind.
Can I still buy beef, lamb or turkeys from you?
While we do NOT offer beef or pork by the 1/4, 1/2 or whole, we offer a variety of cuts sold by the pound at the farm. We do not currently offer turkeys. Lamb is available by the pound throughout the farm stand season, and whole freezer lambs are available in limited quantities in the fall.
How can I place an order?
Please give us a call at 814-755-3911 or email us at [email protected]. Let us know what you want and we'll have it ready for pickup on Saturday (or Tuesdays, but please note all meats are frozen as we only butcher once per week.). Please place orders before 12:00 PM on Fridays. We may not be able to process orders after that time and cannot guarantee that late orders will be processed before the stand opens Saturday mornings.
What are your farming methods?
We are not certified by the government as organic because certification is expensive and requires much government paperwork. We do use organic methods and a sustainable way of farming that we feel is better for the environment as well as for the consumers of the food we grow, which includes us! We do not use any chemical or petroleum products as fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. Our animals never receive any hormones, chemicals or unnecessary antibiotics. We will give medicine to a sick animal, but a sick or medicated animal is never processed for food. All our animals have access to outdoor areas where they can exhibit their natural behaviors and instincts: hogs can root and wallow, chickens can peck, crow and chase and eat bugs as they please. Our fields are not worked by tractors, but by a mother and daughter team of Belgian horses that were born, raised and trained on the farm. We are very proud of our farming methods and welcome your questions about how your food is grown.
Are you Amish?
While we do work horses instead of tractors, it is a personal choice and not because we belong to an Amish or Mennonite community. Both of those groups actually refer to religious beliefs. We enjoy many non-Amish things at the farm such as electricity and motor vehicles. For more information on our choice to use horses, please see our Why Work Horses? page.
Do you give tours?
We do not have any tours currently scheduled. We will post any under the Coming Events section on the home page. If you are interested in bringing a group to see the farm, please contact us. Emily is also available to come to your school, group or other organization and do a presentation. Possible topics include, but are not limited to, choosing local/organic foods, working horses, heirloom plants & heritage livestock, or making the most of a visit to a farm/farmer's market.
Food Concerns
What is this purple/blue mark on my pork/beef/lamb? Is it safe to eat?
All our animals are processed at a certified USDA inspection facility, Hirsch's Meats of Kossuth. The USDA inspector uses powdered grape juice as ink to stamp all meat that passes inspection, so ignore the mark and just cook as you normally would. Very few of the final cuts have a mark on them. However, your meat was inspected regardless and is safe to eat.
Why can't I get the shell off of my hard boiled eggs?
The eggs were too fresh! Store bought eggs are generally about a month old when you buy them, but our farm fresh eggs are usually no more than a few days old. We wait 10 days before we try to hard boil any of our eggs, but we have had customers tell us they wait up to 3 weeks to ensure the shell will come off easily.
Where do the blue-green eggs come from?
They are chicken eggs that come from a breed called the Ameracauna. They look just like any other farm fresh egg inside, and there is no difference in cooking times, although some people can detect a slightly different, but delicious, flavor.
Do you make the cheese?
We do not make the cheese, but we feel that it is a high quality product from a family farm and are happy to carry it at the farm stand. It is made by a family in the Chambersburg, PA area whose business is called Whispering Brook Cheese Haus & Country Store. The cows are all grass-fed and never treated with hormones like rBST. Additionally, it is raw milk cheese which means that the milk was not pasteurized. This means that all the probiotics and healthy organisms that were present in the milk are still present in the cheese.
All our animals are processed at a certified USDA inspection facility, Hirsch's Meats of Kossuth. The USDA inspector uses powdered grape juice as ink to stamp all meat that passes inspection, so ignore the mark and just cook as you normally would. Very few of the final cuts have a mark on them. However, your meat was inspected regardless and is safe to eat.
Why can't I get the shell off of my hard boiled eggs?
The eggs were too fresh! Store bought eggs are generally about a month old when you buy them, but our farm fresh eggs are usually no more than a few days old. We wait 10 days before we try to hard boil any of our eggs, but we have had customers tell us they wait up to 3 weeks to ensure the shell will come off easily.
Where do the blue-green eggs come from?
They are chicken eggs that come from a breed called the Ameracauna. They look just like any other farm fresh egg inside, and there is no difference in cooking times, although some people can detect a slightly different, but delicious, flavor.
Do you make the cheese?
We do not make the cheese, but we feel that it is a high quality product from a family farm and are happy to carry it at the farm stand. It is made by a family in the Chambersburg, PA area whose business is called Whispering Brook Cheese Haus & Country Store. The cows are all grass-fed and never treated with hormones like rBST. Additionally, it is raw milk cheese which means that the milk was not pasteurized. This means that all the probiotics and healthy organisms that were present in the milk are still present in the cheese.
Live Animals & Poultry
What kinds of poultry do you sell?
We sell day-old chicks from March into early June. We currently have the following breeds of chicken: Barred Rock, Black Copper Maran, Easter Egger, Delaware, Gold Laced Polish. We also raise Coturnix quail, Bourbon Red Turkeys, Khaki Campbell and Black Cayuga ducks, and peafowl. Please read our "Meet the Birds" page for more information on each of these varieties. Any live poultry or livestock currently for sale can be found on our Stock for Sale page.
Do you have a minimum order on chicks?
Yes. Domestic poultry like chickens and ducks are flock animals and do best with members of their own species. Minimum for chicks is 5, ducks and turkeys minimum 4, quail minimum 10 and peafowl minimum 3.
I really just want egg layers. Can I just buy hens?
We do not sex chicks, so all poultry is sold straight run, meaning you should expect a mix of 50% males (roosters) and 50% females (hens). We hatch weekly, so your chicks will be no more than a few days old when you pick them up. A chicken typically starts to lay eggs at 6 months of age. We do not sell laying hens or started pullets.
What kind of livestock do you sell?
We raise and sell heritage breed Silver Fox rabbits. Our rabbits are purebred, and some will have complete pedigrees. Others will only have partial (incomplete)pedigrees.. We are able to unrelated stock for people interested in breeding pairs to start their own rabbitry. We are recognized by the American Rabbit Breeder's Association as ARBA Rabbitry #D6698. We are happy to answer questions and take reservations for upcoming litters.
We may occasionally have other animals for sale as well. Currently available stock is listed on the Stock for Sale page.
We sell day-old chicks from March into early June. We currently have the following breeds of chicken: Barred Rock, Black Copper Maran, Easter Egger, Delaware, Gold Laced Polish. We also raise Coturnix quail, Bourbon Red Turkeys, Khaki Campbell and Black Cayuga ducks, and peafowl. Please read our "Meet the Birds" page for more information on each of these varieties. Any live poultry or livestock currently for sale can be found on our Stock for Sale page.
Do you have a minimum order on chicks?
Yes. Domestic poultry like chickens and ducks are flock animals and do best with members of their own species. Minimum for chicks is 5, ducks and turkeys minimum 4, quail minimum 10 and peafowl minimum 3.
I really just want egg layers. Can I just buy hens?
We do not sex chicks, so all poultry is sold straight run, meaning you should expect a mix of 50% males (roosters) and 50% females (hens). We hatch weekly, so your chicks will be no more than a few days old when you pick them up. A chicken typically starts to lay eggs at 6 months of age. We do not sell laying hens or started pullets.
What kind of livestock do you sell?
We raise and sell heritage breed Silver Fox rabbits. Our rabbits are purebred, and some will have complete pedigrees. Others will only have partial (incomplete)pedigrees.. We are able to unrelated stock for people interested in breeding pairs to start their own rabbitry. We are recognized by the American Rabbit Breeder's Association as ARBA Rabbitry #D6698. We are happy to answer questions and take reservations for upcoming litters.
We may occasionally have other animals for sale as well. Currently available stock is listed on the Stock for Sale page.