Beyond the Brand: The Fir Farm

By: Cathy Padilla | October 30, 2021 |  Beyond The Brand |  Colts Neck

Photo: A Family Affair: (l to r) Cousin Amanda, Cousin John, Bob Clark, Mickey Clark, Cousin Neil, Charlotte & Cynthia (Bob’s daughters) in August with the home grown hops from the farm.

“Hops, Bees, and Christmas Trees” is how brothers Bob and Mickey Clark refer to the business. The 23-acre Fir Farm in Colts Neck has been selling Christmas trees for nearly 40 years, but the brothers are also beekeepers and harvesters of hops, running an all- organic farm free of any pesticides.

“Every year we have families coming back to The Fir Farm telling us that they visited as kids,” said Bob. “Now they’re returning with their children to the farm and continuing their Christmas tradition.”

The farm provides locals with the option of purchasing a pre-cut Christmas tree or cutting down the tree of choice, and in recent years the brothers have regularly supplied towns like Red Bank and Asbury Park with massive Frasier Firs to be lit up for holiday events. The Clark brothers agree, however, that no tradition has meant more to their family business than the trees they give away. For the past eight years, The Fir Farm has participated in a program known as Trees for Troops, an initiative founded in 2005 by the National Christmas Tree Association and its offshoot, the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation. Annually Trees for Troops delivers thousands of Christmas trees to families and individuals stationed at domestic military bases, as well as those located abroad in active war zones.

“Trees for Troops delivers real Christmas trees, joy, and happiness to families living on military bases around the country during the holiday season and we are happy to be part of the program!” shared Bob.

To date, the Trees for Troops program has delivered more than 157,000 trees to military families in the U.S. and to troops stationed overseas.

“We started with Trees for Troops in 2014,” said Bob. “Our dad was in the Navy and we have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for those who serve our country. Everyone should have a real Christmas tree for the holiday season and we are happy to help trees get to families living on military bases.”

This year, Trees for Troops Weekend is December 3rd through December 5th, and the farm is accepting tree donations now in person and online at their e-store.

Beyond trees, one can also find hops, honey, and grapes on the farm.

“2021 was our seventh year harvesting hops and most likely was the biggest hop harvest ever in the state of NJ,” said Bob. “We celebrated Hop Harvest Fest on three Saturdays in August with live music, BBQ, and of course hop picking, all done by hand. We had a great time picking for Alternate Ending Brewery, Ship Bottom Brewery, 3BR Distillery, Toms River Brewing, and Twin Lights Brewing and they all made delicious beverages with our hops.”

The Fir Farm also delivered freshly picked hops to The Bent Spoon in Princeton and Amici Gelato & Caffe in Asbury Park. Both locations made sorbets with the hops. Next, the farm is looking to its vineyard for a growing harvest.

“In 2020 we planted special grapes developed by the Cornell no-spray program and established a small vineyard here on the farm,” shared Bob. “We had a nice grape harvest this year and look forward to an even bigger and better harvest next year.”

Fir Farm Honey is another local favorite, with the brothers keeping all of their hives located on the farm. The honey is raw, all natural, and never heated.

A member of both the Jersey Fresh and Grown in Monmouth programs and also a member of the Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce and the Colts Neck Business Association, the brothers take their commitment to local and community seriously. They encourage everyone to join them on their Facebook and Instagram accounts for all the latest farm news.