HOWELL LIVING HISTORY FARM WITH A SIDE OF ICE CREAM
Several miles from Lambertville, New Jersey, you’ll discover the tranquil perfection of the Howell Living History Farm. Sprawling and completely removed from the trappings of the modern world, this working farm shows visitors to life the way it was at the turn of the century. Draft horses plow 45 agricultural fields that produce corn, wheat and spelt: ox and sheep are tended. Now operated by the Mercer County Park Commission, it started out in 1732 as a grain-producing farm. After changing hands over the centuries, it was given to the county by its final owner, Inez Howell after the death of her husband Charles in 1974. Charles Howell, the last private owner of the farm, was a descendant of Edward Howell’s son Richard.
After a slow-paced wagon ride around the wooded property, visitors can savor home-cooked mouth-watering comfort food made from scratch, the only kind of cooking done at Howell Farm. Menus vary from week to week, but cooks Margaret Quinn and Kim Daly say it’s hard to beat the fried chicken, buttermilk biscuits, potato salad, and hand-churned ice cream.
Director Peter Watson says visitors are often smitten with the simple beauty of the farm and return to be a part of activities like ice harvesting, spring plowing, haying, and tending the animals.
July/August 2008 \ Cooking with Paula Deen, pages 94-96
Note: Charles Howell, the last private owner of the farm, was a descendant of Edward Howell’s son Richard.
