Page 73 - The Hunt - Winter 2022

Old Stone Farm was assembled in landing as decorations around the outside
three strategic land acquisitions, one of which prevented a townhouse development. Its southern border is the Mason-Dixon Line. “The idea was
always to develop the business as a sustainable farm,” says Mark, who also runs a successful year-round cider operation there. “For a small farmer who’s growing corn and soybeans, that’s hard. It takes a specialty—one that can be sold directly to the public. And Christmas trees are good for that.”
For Mary Gruber, it can’t be much more satisfying to know that her custom wreaths—some 20 of them, which measure six-feet each in diameter—have been
For a small farmer who’s growing corn and soybeans, that’s hard. It takes a specialty—one that can be sold directly to the public. And Christmas trees are good for that.
of Philadelphia’s City Hall over the last four years. “One day, we got a call, and they said they needed 20 large wreaths,” Mark recalls. “We said, ‘Okay. Where?’ They said, ‘Philadelphia.’”
By the time Christmas Day arrives, the Grubers are seriously “Christmased out.”
The family celebrates quietly at home, though they could afford to travel and get away. “We don’t go to the Bahamas or anything,” Mark says. “There’s no hype here—it’s a true farm. There’s no Santa, no hayrides. The owner doesn’t even have a white beard. We truly market it as a family farm.”
Visit christmastrees.org.
TheHuntMagazine.com 71