New farm store opens in Falls Village

By Andra Moss

Inspiration can be born of necessity, challenge or pure serendipity. The inspired partnership of the Undermountain Pantry and Beavertides Farm Store in Falls Village was a happy confluence of all three, say collaborators Tracy Hayhurst and Marleen van Gulick.

Van Gulick and her husband, Dan Carr, began sustainably raising animals on 70 acres of pastureland along Undermountain Road nine years ago. Van Gulick explains that they are committed to “regenerative grazing—you regenerate the soil and sequester carbon instead of mining and depleting it. It’s the reason we move the animals to a new piece of land every day. It is a labor-intensive way of farming, but it balances wildlife, pollinators, native plants, soil life and extra-nourishing foods.”

The couple opened a farm store on the property last summer, selling 100 percent grassfed lamb, beef and goat meat as well as wild meadow honey from hives Carr maintains. They soon met Hayhurst, who lives just up the road and knows the farm well. “Tracy farmed here before we did,” says van Gulick. “She had the Chubby Bunny CSA and vegetable farm for over 10 years. Then Dan and I moved here and started the livestock farm.” 

As someone who has always been involved with food (she describes herself as “farmer, chef, educator, dreamer”), Hayhurst was exploring new directions and realized, she said, that “the most important thing to me now is to have my own food. So, I asked Marleen if she wanted to do a garden together. Then I asked her if I could sell bread in their farm store.” 

Thus was born Undermountain Pantry at Beavertides Farm Store. A kinship based on their shared passion for locally grown, sustainable agriculture and the importance of community soon formed. “We’re slowly growing it into something that we saw as missing here,” says van Gulick. 

For Hayhurst, one missing local element was bread. She now bakes fresh sourdough loaves for sale via her Monday newsletter (visit undermountainpantry.com to subscribe and pre-order). Seasonal produce straight from the farm’s garden and greenhouse can also be pre-ordered for pickup Saturdays at the farm store from 10 a.m. to noon. Extra loaves and vegetables will be on hand until they’re gone.

While baking was always something Hayhurst enjoyed, she says that sourdough is relatively new to her repertoire. She has been working extensively with it over the past year and finds it to be “healthier, because it is pre-fermented, meaning that people with a gluten sensitivity may digest it more easily.” 

“Sourdough is more a technique than a flavor,” she continues. “The taste can be impacted by how long it is fermented.” She describes one of the variations for sale, the pan de mie, as “rich, almost like a brioche” due to generous additions of butter, milk and honey. Her staple is the pantry loaf, made with wheatberries that she grinds herself. The seeded loaf boasts millet, pepitas, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Other offerings include bagels, scones and sweet baked goods that will change seasonally. 

The partners continue to explore what else they can offer “to give people the opportunity to eat like a farmer,” as van Gulick puts it. Adds Hayhurst, “We’re trying to create a community place. We also sell [neighbor] Eileen Kinsella’s eggs, Jodi Bronson’s maple syrup and Annie Jenkins’s herbal teas and tinctures.”

Van Gulick emphasizes that “for us, the biggest benefit is that we share in so much. Farms can be isolating, but now we have others. You don’t have to do it all alone, and I get to hang out with my favorite neighbors all the time.”  Hayhurst agrees and laughs that “I’ve lived here 20 years, and this is the most I‘ve seen of our neighbors.” 

Undermountain Pantry and the Beavertides Farm Store are open Saturday mornings at 300 Undermountain Road in Falls Village. For July 4 holiday grilling, Hayhurst will be baking buns, and Beavertides will have freshly ground beef. The farm store also offers free delivery once a month to New York City and Winchester County and free local delivery for larger orders. See their website (beavertidesfarm.com) and social media for updates on upcoming events and classes.