Homage to Paul Keene and Walnut Acres

We first disc0vered the remarkable organic products of Walnut Acres about 21 years ago, when we were living in Washington, DC. We had tasted some of the company's mayonnaise  at a friend's house and soon ordered the Walnut Acres catalog. Superb soups, peanut butters, dressings, apple juice, and apple butter,  and that mayo. I recall that we would order with other people in the neighborhood so that the driver brought to one address, and our order was thereby discounted.

Today Walnut Acres ia gone, though its label lives on with a few soups from Hain Celestial Group. Its founder, Paul Keene, died recently at age 94. His central Pennsylvania farm was one of the first commercial organic entities in the country, selling both to natural foods stores and  mail order customers around the world.   When he started in the 1940's  many people thought his efforts were "kookie", even subversive.  But he and his wife Enid persevered, taking 100 broken down acres and turning them into a 500 acre organic showcase in Penns Creek, with a thriving bakery and retail store.   The strongest pest controls they used were ladybugs.

Evidently the family did not want to continue the business, once Keene left the day to day running of things. After changing the catalog and clogging it with items such as rice cookers and kitchen gadgets--did they ruin it?--they sold Walnut Acres in 2000.

Foodie thought of Keene on a recent visit to one of those mega house and garden centers--at the entrance to the plants section were two or three boxcar sized displays of chemicals for killing every imaginable creepy crawly or flying  thing, every soft furry burrowing beastie, every unwanted bit of anything.   ( Sigh.)

Miss the mayo.

Comments

[Joeanne]

I think it was Fear Not to Sow Because of the Birds.

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[Bonnie Pederson]

Does anyone remember the name of the book that Paul Keene wrote about his life and family and the Begining of Walnut Acres?

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I thought all their products disappear from the market

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[Marie]

My family in New Jersey were friends with Paul Keene for 25 years, and when I was 5 years old, I would sit on his lap when he came to visit. He was a kind, caring and wonderful man. I grew up on organic everything. Home made bread and canning of foods from our garden. My Mom followed up Rachel Carson's book, "Silent Spring",and sucessfully fought for the banning/removal of DDT and Seven from farming lands in New Jersey. She is 95 and still drives, travels and have never been to a Dr. since I was born (1953). She has Zero illness and no physical issues. That speaks for organic farming and real foods. The amount of obesity and fast foods in this country will be our demise. Sad commentary, but too true. We won't need some angry, lithium/deprieved prozac-crazed power hungry world leader to wipe us out, our diets will do that in a matter of time. Look at our kids. It is pathetic the over-weight issues, chronic heart disease and diabetes in this country of plenty. With all our knowledge, we should be ashamed of ourselves. We certainly DO NOT SET a world example on ANY front at this time. Wake up America, we are on a down hill side, and no one has any brakes. Do you want that Super-sized? We are pathetic to the other countries that once looked up to us.

[Ccc]

Used to order from the catalog once a month, and we loved the mayo and granolas!

Is the original farm still in Penns Creek? When we are next in PA, it would be wonderful to do a bit of sightseeing.

[Foodie]

I still miss that mayo!

[bibliochef]

Came across this whileworkingon an entry -- a farmer I met commented on the importance of Keene. So thanks.

[heath callender]

i used to work at the walnut acres store on the farm (i was the produce manager). it was a wonderful place to work and even a better place to explore when on yoru lunch break. rambling creeks and rolling and gree fields. i find it sad this place has disappeared, but then again many things in life do.

[foodie]

Alas, Susan, as far as I know, none of their former products exists anymore.

[Susan Bailin]

I wish somebody could tell me if anybody knows where I could find Walnut Acres Rice & Raisin granola. I really miss it. It was great!

[Cynthia]

No -- I was raised in Illinois. But at one time we had a lot of great apple orchards within an hour's drive of home, and it was an annual autumn outing, to go and pick apples -- about half for cooking and half for eating. There were always donuts and cider at the orchard, too. Maybe that's why today I'm such a big fan of the hard English ciders.

Of course, now that I'm a little older, I might not want to sit in the top of that tree to eat my apple. But I'm sorry for the kids who aren't growing up with that as part of their lives.

[Foodie]

Also a native up state New Yorker? We had the best apples and cider, and many varieties of apples now almost gone. I am always in search of "real" apples, more tart than sweet.

[Cynthia]

It's always good to be reminded that, no matter how cutting edge we think we are today, there is almost always someone who did it earlier, when it was harder. Thank goodness for those who cared about the land before it became a cause celebre.

While I did not have the opportunity to sample that mayo, or anything else from this farm, I am reminded of other wonderful places -- farms and orchards that are now strip malls, where one could watch or work and enjoy a reward of fresher and better than anything from a store. Of course, even before land developers came, law suits banished the joys of sitting high in an apple true, tossing fruit to a sibling below or simply enjoying the sun and the sweet juice of the just-picked apple. I'm sorry they're gone -- or, rather, simply too far away -- but I'm glad I grew up when they still existed and were just on the edge of town.