Our Story
Tait Farm is a diversified family farm in central Pennsylvania. We are located 7 miles east of State College and Penn State University. Tait Farm Foods is a multi-faceted company that has evolved enormously over the years. It includes 8 acres of certified organic vegetables, fruits, and greenhouse production that serve our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program known as Community Harvest; our on-farm retail store, The Harvest Shop; a farmers market; and several local restaurants. We manufacture a line of 60 + specialty foods in the nearby village of Boalsburg and sell our products at the farm, through this website, and to retailers and restaurants. Our Harvest Shop is open year-round and is a destination for locals and travelers alike. In addition to our own food products, we carry other regional artisan foods and crafts, as well as seasonally-inspired décor and gifts for the kitchen, home, and garden. Our seasonal Greenhouse is truly the area’s secret garden for the kitchen and cottage gardener. We offer a great selection of garden seeds, unique plants, pots and organic gardening supplies. The enterprises of Tait Farm Trees and Tait Farm Bassets also operate on the farm under their own banner and separate family ownership. These include over 25 acres of cut-your-own fir and pine Christmas trees and the famous Tait Basset hounds. We welcome you to visit the farm anytime!
Photo courtesy of State College Magazine
History
Marian and Elton Tait purchased the farm in 1950. They were both Penn State graduates working for Agricultural Extension. Their new hobby farm was just the place to raise their 3 children (Sandy, David and John), as well as sheep, chickens, hogs, horses, and a few Basset hound dogs and Christmas Trees. In the late 1970’s, the 2 prodigal sons left their day jobs and decided to return to the family farm to make a living off the land. Perennial crops of raspberries, asparagus, apples and more Christmas trees followed. By the mid-1980’s, Tait Farm was the local place to come for pick-your-own crops, Christmas trees and dogs. In the summer of 1986, a bumper crop of raspberries was hanging on the canes while it rained buckets for nearly 2 weeks. Rather than allow the fruit to rot, it was picked and frozen for winter sales. After several unsuccessful attempts to sell the frozen raspberries, a family friend reminded David Tait of an old Colonial beverage called Raspberry Shrub. Shrub is made by preserving fresh fruit in vinegar and sweetening it with sugar, it was the perfect solution! This concentrate is then mixed with water (or spirits) to make a delicious sweet, tart beverage. The first bottles of Raspberry Shrub were made in David’s kitchen on the farm in 1987, and since that time has grown into a line of more than 50 value-added products.
