WILTON — Walnut Ridge Farm began when Scott and Jennifer Taylor, their son D.J., and his wife Jacklynn became concerned with what was in their food supply.

All four family members enjoy gardening. They joked about selling their homes to buy a property and become a modern day “The Waltons”. Three years later, the joke is now a reality.

The property they found and purchased is near land owned by Scott’s parents in East Wilton. His father remembers picking apples there as a boy and the apple trees are still there. The property was overgrown then.

“It is very different looking today, thanks to a lot of blood, sweat and tears,” Jennifer said.

The farm is named for a large Black Walnut Tree found near the original home. Every other year it produces abundantly. Jacklynn makes a fantastic walnut pesto which she hopes to be able to sell once a commercial kitchen is installed.

Jacklynn noted the garage was built first. The building served as a goat barn until a true barn could be set up. Her uncle provided the first two goats. “Goats are a big commitment, but we fell in love with them,” she said.

The farm has expanded to include chickens and pigs. The Taylors raise as much of their food as possible. They want their food to be pesticide and GMO free. “Sustainable practices are used as much as possible,” Jacklynn said.

The two couples share the work responsibilities while not working at their day jobs. They raise their own meat birds and pigs which they slaughter themselves. Jacklynn says their animals have such a happy life right up until that moment. “I understand it’s part of the farm,” she said.

Jacklynn prefers not to be involved with the kill phase, but is right there during processing. She is glad their animals got to run, play, and be a pig. She said documentaries about commercial livestock operations often show a “not very pretty story.” In the future, Scott would like to have a licensed slaughter house to be able sell their meats.

Jacklynn has a degree in community health and envisions having a larger commercial kitchen and meeting room where she can hold classes on cheese making, growing crops, etc. She would like to teach school children about cooking and getting back to old school methods.

Jennifer said a lot of health issues stem from today’s food system. She recently made chicken and dumplings from scratch with products made on the farm. “It’s rewarding to raise all the ingredients that go into a night’s meal,” she said.

The farm is a 50-50 proposition. “The kids are as involved as Scott and I are,” Jennifer said. Jacklynn added they are able to accomplish so much more with everyone working together.

A few buildings that were on the property when the Taylors bought it are being used for now. Many buildings have been built brand new. One of those buildings is the new chicken coop that D.J. calls “the Taj Mahal of chicken coops.” It has a separate room to start the chicks raised for meat, eight laying boxes and a large area for the laying hens to move around in. Eggs are sold at Tranten’s and on the farm.

The barn that was originally near the white house has been moved closer to the other buildings. It has been gutted out and rebuilt inside. There are several stalls for the goats on one side and space for hay storage on the other. Each goat has its own stall in the winter, although in the summer they have access to an outdoor pasture and may use any stall to get inside.

The goat dairy recently was licensed. About 3.5 pounds of milk is produced daily from four goats. They are milked in a separate parlor with two milking stands. One goat is still nursing her kid. Fresh goat milk, and mozzarella cheese are sold. Simple cheeses and yogurt are available upon request.

Instead of having a large lawn, the area in front of the house is a large vegetable garden. The two families didn’t want to spend time mowing a lawn. “It’s great to be able to run out to the garden and pick something needed for supper after a day spent working,” Jennifer said.

Some surplus vegetables will be sold on the farm. Jacklynn enjoys canning and preserving the harvest. Applesauce and pickled fiddleheads are a few products that will be sold in the future. The farm also has a large root cellar for winter storage.

Everything on the farm has been a learning process. “The fun part is learning what we enjoy and what works,” Jacklynn said. The two couples haven’t stuck to just one thing and will be adding a greenhouse by fall to extend the growing season.

The farm is open after 2 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. on the weekend. Call ahead if other times are needed. The Taylors ask that you come to the door and knock since the house is made of concrete and they might not hear a car driving in.

Walnut Ridge Farm is located at 1480 Main St. in East Wilton. From Farmington, turn right across from the bowling alley and immediately turn right again and go all the way to the end (if you reach the dentist offices on each side of the road, you’ve gone too far!).

For more information or to place an order, call 491-7027 or 491-5188. The farm email is [email protected]. Their Facebook page is another great way to contact them.

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