621 Lambert Road, Orange
Hours of Operation: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm daily (Shamrock Farm)
Your Hosts:  Jim Zeoli and The Ewen family

The Shamrock Farm business spun from the Andrew-Ewen family farm established in 1830.  When proprietor Jim Zeoli was a child, he remembers the family selling pumpkins and vegetables under an apple tree in the yard on Lambert Road.  The farmers peddled milk, seed corn and other products to consumers in New Haven and area towns.

James Ewen, Sr. taught young Jim how to make wreaths and after Mr. Ewen passed away, Jim took over the farm and expanded it.  In 1980, he started with one greenhouse to grow vegetable plants for his own use, and people began coming from miles around because they wanted to buy the same plants that the farmers used, believing they were better than those from a big box store.

In the spring, Jim sells vegetable plants, hanging flower baskets, herbs and flats of flowering plants.  From July to October, he sells vegetables that he grows on the farm and in the fall he sells squash, pumpkins and gourds.  For the holidays in December, he makes wreaths and greens for customers.  He also raises beef cattle and sheep and gets eggs from his hens.
 

Meadowbrook Valley Farm is also known as the "Andrew-Ewen Farm".  The farm has been in the family for 172 years.  The farm was originally a dairy farm, produced beef products and high quality live stock that were sold in the local and New Haven area.  It also produced seed for a local seed company owned by the Clark and Woodruff families which eventually was known as Asgrow seed.  The farm was leased back in the 70’s to Jim Zeoli as the "Shamrock Farm".