This Historic New Jersey Farm Was The First In The State To Go Solar And Is Still Run By The Same Family After 150 Years

You know that rare kind of place that’s been doing things right for so long, it doesn’t even need to brag about it?

This is that spot.

While most farms were still figuring out electricity, this New Jersey family was already flipping the switch, and then they went and put solar panels on their barn before it was cool.

Six generations deep, still growing, still picking, still welcoming everyone like family.

And the best part?

You can still walk the same fields they’ve been tending for over 150 years.

A Family Legacy That Spans Seven Generations

Some farms feel like businesses. This one feels like a living family album, pages still being written after more than 150 years.

Lee Turkey Farm has been operated by the same family since 1868, when Clement Updike first purchased the land in East Windsor, New Jersey. That is seven generations of the same family waking up every morning to work the same soil.

The original farmhouse on the property was built by Aaron Forman back in 1802, and the current owners still live there today. That detail alone is enough to make you stop and just stand quietly for a moment.

It is not a museum piece or a tourist attraction staged to look old. It is a genuinely lived-in home with roots deeper than most people can even imagine.

Walking the fields here, you get a real sense of continuity. Each row of vegetables and every fruit tree represents a choice someone in this family made decades ago.

That kind of dedication to place and purpose is increasingly rare, and honestly, it feels like a gift to experience it firsthand.

How Pick-Your-Own Changed New Jersey Farming Forever

Before pick-your-own farms became a weekend staple across the Northeast, Lee Turkey Farm was already doing it. Back in 1964, the farm launched New Jersey’s very first pick-your-own operation, letting customers walk directly into the fields and harvest their own fruits and vegetables.

That was a genuinely radical idea at the time.

Today, the tradition continues with a wide rotating variety of produce depending on the season. Strawberries in early summer are a crowd favorite, sweet and warm straight from the plant.

Apples, peaches, nectarines, corn, peppers, green beans, tomatoes, eggplant, and broccoli all make appearances throughout the growing season.

The experience of picking your own food changes how you relate to it. A peach you grabbed yourself from a sun-drenched tree just tastes better than one sitting in a plastic clamshell at a grocery store.

Kids especially seem to get this instinctively, biting into something they just picked with a look of total satisfaction. It is one of those simple pleasures that never gets old, no matter how many times you come back.

Solar Panels on a Barn: A Pioneering Move That Paid Off

In 2005, Ronny Lee did something no other New Jersey farmer had done before. He installed 360 solar panels directly on the farm’s barn, making Lee Turkey Farm the very first farm in the entire state to harness solar energy for agricultural operations.

At the time, that kind of forward thinking was almost unheard of in the farming community.

The system generates roughly 48,000 kilowatt-hours annually, covering approximately 90 percent of the farm’s total energy needs. That is a remarkable figure for a working farm of this size, and it reflects a commitment to sustainability that goes well beyond a marketing talking point.

The solar setup is still running today, quietly doing its job season after season.

Standing near the barn and looking up at those panels on a sunny afternoon, there is something quietly satisfying about the whole picture. A farm that has been feeding families for over 150 years is also doing its part to protect the land for future generations.

That combination of old-world dedication and forward-thinking action is exactly what makes this place feel genuinely special.

The Fruits of the Season: What to Expect When You Visit

Timing your visit to Lee Turkey Farm is part of the fun. The farm rotates its crops throughout the season, so what you find in June looks completely different from what is ready in September.

Strawberries tend to kick things off in early summer, followed by white cherries that require a bit of ladder work to reach the best ones.

Peaches and nectarines are a genuine highlight, sweet and fragrant in a way that supermarket versions simply cannot replicate. Corn shows up later in the season and has earned a loyal following among regulars who make the trip specifically for it.

Apples and pumpkins take center stage in fall, turning the farm into a classic autumn destination.

The variety keeps people coming back from spring all the way through fall, building a kind of seasonal rhythm around the farm. Families often develop their own traditions around specific crops, returning every year for the same peaches or the same apple variety.

That cycle of return visits is one of the best compliments a farm can receive, and Lee Turkey Farm has clearly earned it many times over.

The Corn That Keeps People Coming Back

Among everything growing at Lee Turkey Farm, the corn has developed something of a legendary reputation among regulars. Visitors who have been coming for years consistently point to it as a standout, the kind of sweet, crisp corn that makes you wonder why you ever settled for anything else.

There is a reason people drive out specifically for it.

The farm even allows taste-testing in the field, which is about as generous as a farm can get. Pulling back a husk and biting into a raw ear of corn right there between the rows is one of those experiences that feels almost too good to be true.

It is the agricultural equivalent of eating cookie dough straight from the bowl, and somehow even better because you earned it with a walk through the field.

Fresh-picked corn has a natural sweetness that fades quickly after harvest, which is why farm-direct is so different from store-bought. The sugars start converting to starch almost immediately once the ear leaves the plant.

Getting it straight from the field means you are eating it at its absolute peak, and that difference is something you can taste with your very first bite.

Apple Picking Season: A Fall Tradition Worth the Drive

When September rolls around and the air gets that first cool edge, apple picking season at Lee Turkey Farm becomes a full family event. The orchard fills up with people of all ages, baskets swinging, kids running ahead to find the perfect branch.

There is a particular joy in searching for the right apple, one that is firm and bright and just barely ready to let go of the tree.

The farm’s apple variety keeps things interesting, and the experience of climbing a ladder to reach the higher branches adds a sense of adventure that flat-ground picking just does not provide. White cherries earlier in the season similarly reward those willing to put in a little effort with a ladder.

The payoff in flavor is absolutely worth it.

Fall visits also include pumpkin picking, which rounds out the experience into a genuine seasonal outing rather than just a grocery run. Families load up on apples, grab a pumpkin or two, and head home with that particular kind of satisfaction that only comes from doing something wholesome outdoors.

It is the sort of afternoon that becomes a yearly tradition almost without you deciding to make it one.

The Punch Card System and How Visits Work

Visiting Lee Turkey Farm involves a bit of a ritual, and understanding how it works makes the whole experience smoother. There is an entry fee per person, and first-time visitors during a season purchase a punch card that tracks which types of produce they pick.

Each crop you harvest earns a punch, which comes with a small discount applied to your total.

Your entry fee gets applied toward your final purchase, so the more you pick, the more value you get out of the visit. It is a system that rewards commitment, and most visitors end up leaving with far more than they originally planned.

That is not a complaint. It is just what happens when everything around you looks and smells that good.

Checking the farm’s website before visiting is genuinely useful since crop availability changes week to week and season to season. Going early in the day and early in the season tends to yield the best selection, especially for popular items like peaches and strawberries.

Heading toward the back of the fields rather than staying near the front also tends to turn up better pickings, a tip that regular visitors have learned through happy experience.

A Farm That Works for Families With Kids

Bringing kids to Lee Turkey Farm is genuinely a good idea, not just a tolerable one. The farm has a playground on site, which gives younger children something to do while the adults sort out baskets and entry fees.

That small detail makes a real difference when you have toddlers in tow who are not quite ready for a long walk through the fields.

Red wagons with canopies are a popular choice for families with little ones, and the wide open layout of the farm makes it easy to move around with a stroller or wagon without too much trouble.

The experience of letting kids pick their own food has a way of sparking genuine curiosity about where meals come from, which is the kind of lesson that sticks far longer than anything learned from a worksheet.

Sunscreen, water bottles, and comfortable shoes are the practical essentials for a visit. The fields are expansive and the sun can be strong, especially during peak summer months.

Coming prepared means you can focus entirely on the picking and exploring without any unnecessary discomfort cutting the adventure short.

Sustainability, History, and the Future of Lee Turkey Farm

Lee Turkey Farm has never been a place that stands still.

From introducing New Jersey’s first pick-your-own operation in 1964 to becoming the state’s first solar-powered farm in 2005, the farm has consistently found ways to evolve while staying rooted in its original purpose of growing quality food for the community.

That balance is genuinely hard to maintain over 150 years.

In July 2025, after 87 years of turkey production, the farm made the difficult decision to stop raising and processing turkeys. Challenges with sourcing turkey poults and the rising costs of quality production played into that choice.

The farm continues to grow a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, keeping its commitment to fresh, sustainable produce firmly intact.

The story of this farm is really a story about what it means to care about something across generations. Seven families have worked this same land, made hard decisions, and kept showing up.

That kind of quiet perseverance is worth celebrating, and worth visiting.

Address: 201 Hickory Corner Rd, East Windsor, NJ.