Birds flitted and chatted. A dad played pattycake with his youngest boy, perhaps around six years old, while the oldest ran away from a bee. The middle son looked up from his phone long enough to shout gleefully, “hey, some of my classmates are coming here!” Old fashioned bleeding heart plants nodded in their pots. Welcome to B&B Farms.
For those who don’t know what the B&B stands for on the wooden sign offering seasonal vegetables, flowers, and ice cream on Jones Hill Road, that’ll be Bob and Barbara. The couple behind the tiny working farm were present and accounted for this past Saturday, the start of the second weekend celebrating their 25th Anniversary Year. Fifteen cars in the parking lot, including one from Massachusetts, represented approximately thirty five people enjoying the grounds of this enduring hidden gem that has become embedded in so many people’s memories of West Haven.
A trio of elderly visitors walked with deliberate steps from the gazebo, where they had been sitting among richly-toned windchimes and baskets of lush ferns. One reminisces about a plant they used to have, a succulent called “hen & chicks” (also known as common houseleek.) “It had a lot of babies on it, too!” she tells her companions. As they leave, one sighs, “this place is so beautiful,” The other nods her head, adding, “And it’s so close to where we live!”
A highlight of many visits to B&B Farms is its ice cream stand. On this particular sunny afternoon, the line was six deep. A child was overheard exclaiming, “I actually love that ice cream. Maybe it’s the best ice cream ever!”
There’s something about this homemade treat that seems to make strangers treat one another kindly, or maybe that’s simply the atmosphere that Bob & Barbara create. For example, a woman who ordered a small cup of chocolate peanut butter picked up another’s double chocolate by mistake. “Oops, you got mine,” said its rightful owner, smiling. A moment later someone sneezed and received a prompt “Bless you” from another. In a complex world, these little things are, as they say, the big things.
Speaking of little things, several new flavors including Banana Pudding and Sicilian Orange are available while supplies last. Purchases are cash only, and there is an ATM on site. Before most customers leave the counter, a bit of change can be heard clattering into the tip jar. Fresh tomatoes and corn will come later, in the height of summertime.
Yomali and Erick Martinez, who live up the street, brought their children Ethan and Emily to the farm as a spontaneous outing, their first of the season. They both pointed out with evident pleasure some improvements to the landscaping and customer experience compared to past visits. “It looks like they eliminated some bushes, and added more seating,” said Erick. Yomali added, “The greenhouse is new. It looks really nice!”
Barbara explained with a matter-of-fact chuckle how these updates came about. “I told Bob, ‘we’ve been in business for twenty-five years, time to spruce the place up!’” Her favorite part of the day is 5am, when the two have coffee on their patio together, savoring the quiet of the sanctuary they have built.
As for Bob, he worries about the future of the American Dream. “You’ve got regulations, insurance, taxes, permits, and utilities, not to mention the cost of materials. it’s a wonder we break even.” Barbara expressed her gratitude for owning their own land and facility. “I don’t know how people do it, paying rent. Everything tripled this year.”
Both husband and wife acknowledge it was a different world in 1998 when they first opened. Christmas Tree Shop had not yet opened in Orange. With no Lowe’s or Home Depot or WalMart in the immediate area, people got many of their gardening supplies from the farm.
“We should go way up on our prices,” Bob mused. “But then you see families who can’t afford to go on vacation, so they come here. And I can’t do that to them. I should, but I can’t.” Barbara agrees, pointing out that these aren’t just nameless customers. “After twenty-five years, you know everybody.”
Barbara grew up on Benham Hill Road and recalls walking to the beach and back and forth to school. Bob is from Seymour but has lived in West Haven for the past fifty years. Before B&B, he used to shoe horses.
There is one draft horse still in residence at B&B, named Bud, along with three goats, two donkeys, and two dogs. In years gone by, people would drop rabbits off at the farm after Easter, when the reality of a new furry pet set in. Lately, though, coyotes have culled their numbers.
When a black lab named Annie passed away a few years ago, 5,400 people expressed their condolences on social media. One common memory was how she had helped so many West Haven children become comfortable around dogs. At the same time, they learned to treat her with respect.
A group of artists from New Haven comes to B&B Farms twice a year. They set up easels and sketch the scenery. Children and adults from the Community House visit more frequently.
Meanwhile, Tyler Newkirk Craft Co. leases space from B&B Farm, operating in the building next to the ice cream stand. Many customers will place their orders, then step inside to browse among the greeting cards, indoor potted plants, handmade candles, incense, holiday-themed decor and unique gifts made by local artists. That West Haven is a beach town also comes across in the sensibility of the shop.
One shopper’s T-shirt read, “Some girls are just born with the beach in their souls.”