by Dmitry | Mar 24, 2017 | Uncategorized
The Ross Farm Music Series begins its third season of concerts this weekend with a Sunday afternoon concert featuring Nashville musicians Kyle Cox and Matt Hires. While we are proud to continue bringing a lineup of wonderfully talented touring musicians to Basking Ridge, we are delighted to have the generous support of some local businesses this year! This is the first time the music committee has sought sponsorship from businesses, and the response from these new sponsors is greatly appreciated!
Please consider thanking these businesses when you visit them or use their services. They are:
Atelier Salon, 1 Brownlee Place, Basking Ridge
Back to Nature Home & Garden, 3055 S. Valley Road, Basking Ridge
Bobi Commer Real Estate, Coldwell Banker, 39 Olcott Square, Bernardsville
The Cafe at Liberty Cycle, 107 N. Maple Ave., Basking Ridge
Concert Audio, Clifton, NJ
Couch Braunsdorf Insurance, 701 Martinsville Road, Liberty Corner
Country Mile Gardens, 1108 Mt. Kemble Ave., Morristown
Crawford Academics, 25 Mountainview Blvd., Basking Ridge
Minuteman Restaurant & Pie Shoppe, 990 Mt. Kemble Ave., Morristown
Mockingbird Cafe, 60 S. Finley Ave., Basking Ridge
Safety and Aquatic Solutions, safetyandaquaticsolutions.com
TAPinto Basking Ridge, tapinto.net/towns/basking-ridge
Tull’s Foreign & Domestic Auto Repairs, 130 S. Finley Ave., Basking Ridge
A banner listing the business names and logos will be displayed not only at every music event but also during other Ross Farm activities such as the ARTsee Happening in May, the 2nd Annual Farm to Table Event in September, Somerset County’s Annual Weekend Journey Through the Past in October and other events sponsored by the Friends of the Boudinot-Southard-Ross Estate. The Ross Farm is owned by the Somerset County Park Commission, which has an agreement with the non-profit Friends group to run educational and cultural events in accordance with the FoBSR mission statement. A suggested donation is requested for the each of the concerts in the Ross Farm Music Series, and those donations, along with the business sponsorships, are used to cover expenses associated with the concerts and other FoBSR-related events.
by Dmitry | Jan 31, 2017 | Uncategorized
“Mary, Mary quite contrary how does your garden grow?” While January may seem an odd time to enquire about the growth of a garden, it’s the perfect time to check in on Boudinot’s Garden which is ‘growing’ all the time!
This past fall a large group of dedicated volunteers spent countless hours installing drainage in the garden. Due to the type of soil and slope of the land, it was determined that a) standing ground water needed to be syphoned off into an adjacent section of the meadow and b) the lowest section of the garden needed raised beds with fresh top soil and compost installed. Therefore when you visit the farm this year you’ll notice that while the physical footprint remains the same, the appearance of Boudinot’s Garden will be slightly different.
Speaking of appearance, in previous years the Ross Farm has been the beneficiary of several Eagle Scout Award, Boy Scout projects. The terrific garden shed is the most recent project for which we are enormously grateful! There are a couple more Eagle Scout Award projects teed up for this coming year, one in particular which will make a huge impact on the appearance of the garden. But that’s currently a secret, so stayed tuned.
While this article is an update on the progress of the garden, we would be remiss if we didn’t thank the young ladies of the various Girl Scout troops who have cleaned and planted the property gardens in front of the tack house, next to the barn and around the gazebo. They are also hard at work creating signage for the various types of produce that will be grown in the garden this coming summer.
But back to the question at hand: ‘what do you grow in a garden in January?’ Besides plans, hopes and dreams, the garden was planted in the fall for a spring crop of garlic and shallots. Those crops are currently wintering over until the ground begins to warm around late March and early April, which will then be the time to plant peas, snow peas, sugar snap peas…. As noted earlier, January is a time to plan, hope and dream. One item we can share news on is the goal of creating a dedicated space in the garden for asparagus. Asparagus is a notoriously finicky perennial but if handled correctly and given the proper type “bed” in which to grow it will produce a late spring crop for up to 20 years.
‘What happens to the produce grown in Boudinot’s Garden?’ you may ask. The vast majority of produce is donated to the Somerset County Food Bank. Between our garden and donations from a few other gardens, such as the Wick Garden at Jockey Hollow, Ross Farm volunteers were able to donate approximately 1,000 pounds of fresh produce to the food bank in 2016. Periodically the produce is used in the preparation of food made available at Ross Farm events such as the Weekend Journey Thru History in October. Did you taste the smoked turkey slider with fried green tomatoes? Yum! A perfect use of late season produce.
For now we’re saving seeds and making plans so that Boudinot’s Garden is healthier than ever producing bumper crops this coming summer.
by Dmitry | Jan 31, 2017 | Uncategorized
We’re absolutely delighted with our 2017 Music Series lineup at the Ross Farm and pleased to announce that we’re creating a “Band of Friends” for the music lovers who plan to attend all seven concerts on our schedule. We’re also making it easier to RSVP for concerts on our website
The musicians we’ve hosted since 2015 have discovered our gem of a venue. We’re fortunate many want to come back and have included us on their busy tour schedules! Our first concert, scheduled for Sunday, March 26 , is a combination of Kyle Cox and Matt Hires in a return engagement for both of them. Kyle and Matt are based in Nashville now, and are longtime friends from Florida – this should be a very special show to kick off our 2017 season!
Folks who have attended any of our three previous Christian Lopez concerts keep asking when he’s coming back – and we’re very happy to say he’ll be here on Sunday, April 9 with Don Gallardo, a Nashville songwriter who walks the line between folk, Americana and roots rock. Singer-songwriter Brian Dunne makes his first appearance at the Farm on Sunday, April 23. With his sharp lyrical prowess and country-influenced vocals, Brian has played the U.S. folk scene far and wide, and we’re looking forward to hosting him right here in Basking Ridge.
The Rad Trads are going to bust us out of our folksy, singer-songwriter genre with their unique brand of American rock & roll tinged with blues, jazz, Americana, funk and R&B. This six-piece band will Rock the Barn on Sunday, May 21 – and their trumpet, trombone and saxophone players represent the first horn section to play one of our Ross Farm concerts. Their latest record is “Must We Call Them Rad Trads,” but we’re sure you’ll call them “awesome” once you’ve seen them play! Past tour highlights include jazz festivals in Atlanta, Rochester and Columbus and exciting tours to the Russian River Jazz & Blues Festival, a monthlong European festival tour and performances in Italy, Edinburgh and Borneo. Shortly before their Basking Ridge show, the Rad Trads have a three night run in Switzerland.
Jared Mahone will make his debut at the Ross Farm on Saturday, June 3. Jared’s raw, acoustic songs and storytelling are inspired by his upbringing on 90s soul, R&B, and hip-hop. He creates a sense of intimacy no matter how large the stage, wrapping crowds into a narrative of which they ultimately become the subject. We can’t wait to finally have Jared at the Farm!
Another “Summer Celebration” concert is in the works for late June, after Bernards Township schools close for the summer. We’re keeping it under wraps until we have more details – so stay tuned!
After taking a little break over the summer, we jump back into our music series in October. Last year we hosted a concert on Saturday night of History Weekend and are doing it again by hosting singer-songwriter Taylor Carson on Saturday, Oct. 14. Taylor is an Essex County native who now calls Northern Virginia home. Most recently, he opened for Billboard chart-toppers O.A.R. during their XXmas Wish List Tour celebrating their 20th year as a band.
These artists perfectly fit our Music Series motto, “American Voices: Making Music Where History Made America.” Our musicians have each brought their unique stories and voices to the Ross Farm and they always seem to leave with an appreciation for the beauty and history of the Farm plus as a good number of new fans! They’ve consistently expressed their appreciation for our audiences who truly listen to the music being performed for them.
We have grown a terrific audience for live music on the historic property and are confident returning and new music lovers will support our efforts through their donations. Our bands are paid with donations and any extra funds go directly to the activities supporting the mission of the Friends of the Boudinot-Southard-Ross Estate. For most of our concerts, the suggested donation will be $20 for adults and $10 for students. We ask those who wish to attend a concert to ‘RSVP’ on the website so we can track our expected audiences. Those who RSVP before the concert will be guaranteed to have a spot for the show; walk-ins at the door risk being turned away if we have a capacity crowd. To make things even easier, guests will be able to make their donation on the website as well.
An exciting new offer this season is our “Band of Friends!” If you’re thinking of attending all seven concerts, get a discount by donating $100 and you’ll be in the Band of Friends! You’ll also receive a few special perks related to our concerts and musicians. Become a member of our Ross Farm family by joining the Band of Friends!
All the exciting details for the 2017 Music Series will be added to our website as we get closer to each event. And be sure to “like” the Ross Farm – Basking Ridge on Facebook for updates and links, too!
by Dmitry | Aug 6, 2016 | Uncategorized
Here we are deep into our second year of working “Boudinot’s Garden”, named in honor of the first gentleman farmer to work the land. (For more on Elias Boudinot, click the Estate History link.)
Last summer, the first growing year, the garden became a shared responsibility between the Ross Farm volunteers and a coalition of local churches who dedicate their efforts to growing fresh produce for local soup kitchens and the county food bank in Somerville. The garden was divided into 6 rectangular beds with a perennial/wild flower border. Surrounding the whole is critter fencing to encourage uninvited foraging “guests” to look elsewhere for their meals.
This past spring, the garden manager, Dave Torcivia, with the help of many of our deeply appreciated Ross Farm volunteers, doubled the size of the garden creating 6 new beds which were assigned to the efforts of the church coalition. We as an organization take gratitude seriously so we would like to take this opportunity to express how thankful we are for our volunteers, partners, and sponsors that are so very dedicated to the success of Boudinot’s Garden; Somerset County Park’s Commission, Back To Nature Home and Garden, St Marks Church, St Bernards Church, St John on the Mountain Church, and The New Jersey Herbal Society gardeners at The Wick House Kitchen Garden in Jockey Hollow, Morristown and the many, many individuals both affiliated and unaffiliated with the above mentioned organizations.
But why create a garden in the first place? What was its intended purpose? And how is it being utilized now? In the words of Mr. Torcivia (also known to those who love him as the Grand High Poobah of the garden) ‘the garden was created to address part of the mission of the Board that supports and promotes the Ross Farm.’
In its historical context, the land was always a gentleman’s farm stretching all the way back to its very first owner, William Penn. (Yes, THAT William Pen.) So the garden pays homage to that aspect of the Board’s mission. It also addresses the educational component through its community building move of partnering with the church coalition. The children of the collective churches grew pre-season green bean seedlings which they then planted directly into the garden bed dedicated primarily to their efforts. The coalition also established a perennial/historical herb bed based on the shape of Caroline Foster’s perennial garden (of Fosterfields Living Historical Farm, Morristown) which features herbs and edible plants either gifted from the Wick Farm kitchen garden at Jockey Hollow National Park, Morristown, or along with numerous herbs currently in favor, ones that might have been found in an 18th/19th century kitchen garden. One of the plants in this bed, the Scarlett Runner Bean, originally came from the Plimoth Plantation, Massachusetts, in the form of seeds; a beautiful flowering vine that produces edible string beans while immature and dried beans if left to over-ripen and dry on the vine. (If you visit the garden you will find this plant climbing the spiral trellis in the center of the bed.)The garden also provided an opportunity for Girl Scout Troop #60477 to establish a butterfly garden in one of the original 6 beds lending fluttering notes of beauty to this special place. (The bed to your far right when you enter the garden gates.)
So what’s on tap for the future of the garden? One small section is currently under a “solar blanket” which will kill back the field grasses underneath in anticipation of prepping the soil for an asparagus bed next spring. But if you ask the “Poobah”, the garden will be expanded yet again! Also the lure of re-establishing a fruit orchard is tantalizingly close. (The farm currently boasts two remaining apple trees from former orchards whose fruit will be used in a dessert at the Farm To Table event scheduled for September 24th this year.)The raspberry patch may be expanded and a blueberry field established. Hopefully soon, a bee hive will be set-up in the field north of the garden.
Sky’s the limit! Stay tuned!
Boudinot’s Garden
Slideshow
by Dmitry | Mar 24, 2016 | Uncategorized
The Friends of the Boudinot Southard Ross Estate expanded our 2016 Music Series with the addition of four more concerts between April 1 and late October!
The Ross Farm will be featured in a TuneTrek, a very cool video project by musician MikelParis . Paris will tour the Ross Farm, its structures and grounds, on Saturday, April 2, when he will interview volunteers, take video and still photos and perform a song composed for the TuneTrek. The following day, Sunday, April 3, Paris will perform a 60-minute set at 3 p.m. on the property. While Paris tours with O.A.R., he has also worked with Pink, Stomp, Jewel, Train, Blues Traveller and more. He infuses his Vocal, Piano and GuitarDrumming skills into a soulful, organic, groove-oriented sound. The gates to the Ross Farm will open at 2:30 p.m. so guests can come in, help themselves to refreshments and get settled in before the show begins.
Tickets are $25 and may be purchased via , a new feature for our concerts this year!
Our next concerts are the previously-announced Mickelson on April 24 and our 2nd Annual Rock the Barn on May 7 with Nick D and the Believers .
We’re happy to announce that JD Eicher will be back at the Ross Farm on Thursday, June 16! JD sang for us at our first Autumn Acoustic Afternoon last October, and we couldn’t wait to invite him back! The gate will open for this show at 7:00 p.m., with music beginning at 7:30 p.m. We’re hoping for a lovely June evening to host this concert outdoors on our beautiful property, but we can move it indoors if we get a June rain instead! JD lives in Ohio, but you can find him performing all over whether he’s with his band, The Goodnights, or playing solo, or perhaps touring several states in a run with other talented musicians! Come catch him in Basking Ridge while you can!
Tickets for this show are also available via $20.
As announced earlier, Christian Lopez is coming back on June 28, but he’s bringing his band with him this time!
We’ll take a little break over the summer, but when we open the property for Somerset County’s annual Weekend Journey Through the Past on October 8 and 9, we’ll be adding an exciting new event to our weekend lineup when Brooks Hubbard plays a Saturday evening concert for us! More details will be announced in the coming months, but you’ll want to come see this young Nashville musician right here in Basking Ridge! Our final concert will bring another talented Ohio musician to our Farm when Hebdo plays for us on Sunday, October 23. Stay posted for more details on both of these artists and the Autumn concerts that we are already excited to share!
Be sure to our Facebook page so you can get updates on our music events and the other great things happening at this historic Basking Ridge site!
by Valentina Ved | Mar 9, 2016 | Uncategorized
Here’s an opportunity for local young artists to get in on the excitement for our 2nd Annual Rock the Barn concert in May! We had a spectacular event poster last year thanks to Kayleigh Torcivia, and we’re excited to see what our creative kids can come up with for this year’s concert! RHS art students may have gotten this form from their art teacher, but the contest is open to any local youth – not just in the art classes, and not just at Ridge.
Know someone who might be interested? Please share this link Poster_Contest_2016 with them.
Email NolaJH@msn.com if you have any questions.
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