In July, the Greater Princeton Branch of AYLUS (GPA) gave a hand to one of our local Farms & Orchards (Sunrise, 290 Perrineville Road, Robbinsville, NJ 08691) by watering the vegetables and thinning the fruit trees. GPA members worked and made charity donations to give back to our community.
Sunrise Farm was founded in 2017 by husband and wife, Robert and Lisa. Based on their desire to eat organic, fresh produce, their adventures in farming began many years ago in their own backyard. They started with just a few persimmon trees and Asian pear trees (Robert’s favorite fruits) and within a few years the backyard was transformed into a mini orchard and farm. From growing organic figs to Asian pears to seasonal vegetables, they were able to achieve their simple goal of always knowing where quality food came from. During the summer and fall months they were able to sustain themselves on their own fruits and vegetables. Eventually though, it was obvious that they had outgrown their one acre backyard and expanding to a larger property was the natural next step.
They truly believed that the fruits of their labor always tasted sweeter, juicier, and fresher and wanted everyone to have the opportunity to eat what they were eating. Robert, a “backyard farmer” also believed that if he could grow and enjoy his own produce from the backyard, so could anyone else. The idea of creating a farm that offered fresh produce and the seedlings to build your own mini farm was soon formed. Robert’s vision for the farm was simple. He wanted people to be able to “pick your own” and “grow your own.”
In the winter of 2016, Robert and Lisa purchased a beautiful piece of land around 80 acres in Robbinsville, New Jersey, just 15 minutes from their home. They named it Sunrise, after their daughter, whose Chinese name symbolizes “sun rising” since she was born in the early morning. By the spring of 2017, Sunrise Farm was established and planting of Asian pear, peach, apple, and cherry trees began. Robert also began cultivating all the products that he knew would be successful for a backyard farm.
GPA Volunteers (7/9, 3 hrs): Sarah Yan, Erick Yan, Aaron Li, George Chen, Mingze Emma Feng, Ethan Jiang, James Jiang, Fangyi Chen, Vivien Yang, Jingjun Ni, Ziqi Zhang, Zhihan Zhang, Eric Li, Dylan Li, Larry Hu, Ryan Peng, and more.
