We’re super excited to announce a partnership with Cortlandt Manor farm, Hemlock Hill! Or as we like to call it, “a local farm initiative!”

Not only does Hemlock Hill provide hormone and antibiotic-free products, but they’re also one of the oldest family owned (and still operating) farms in Westchester County.

This is a huge deal for us. Here’s why:

1. We get to support another local, family business

Being a relatively small, family business ourselves we understand how crucial it is to have the support and admiration of the local community. And no one does it better than the De Maria family. Since 1939 (one year older than Nabby) they have been hard at work, providing Hudson Valley tables with quality, wholesome products.

It’s not about jumping on the summer camp organic cuisine bandwagon. I mean, we only serve BBQ twice a week. For us it’s about doing our part. It’s about making an effort to support a high quality, high integrity local farm. And ultimately, like most decisions at Nabby, it’s about family.

[Btw, if you want to show your support check out their Kickstarter campaign to help build a new chicken coop/barn.]

2. We get to serve the best beef in Westchester

From a marketing perspective this is a best-case scenario: we tell people where to find the best beef and they tell people where to find the best camp.

But we’re not doing this just to brag. We took a step back and realized that we could be doing better. Now we are.

All of Hemlock Hill’s cattle are pastured-raised and fed a combination of grass and grain (provided by the Captain Lawrence Brewing Company). This is specifically why you can find it in several local restaurants, like Birdsall House and the Peekskill Brewery.

3. We get to have these conversations

To be fair, this whole thing started over a conversation about snack. We were at a family dinner in Millwood and the topic of nudging kids towards better, healthier choices came up. We’d talked previously about changing our snack menu (for lack of a better term) and, after that night, we decided it was something that was doable for the upcoming season.

We didn’t have these conversations 10 years ago. But now it’s the norm. With every new decision we’re actively looking for ways to improve the Camp Nabby experience, for campers and parents.

[Photo credit: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/920061911/barn-raiser]