Yorktown Farm Needs Your Help to Win Fruit Orchard

There are apples, pears, raspberries, nuts, currants and so many more delicious options you could help choose from.

The Friends of Hilltop Hanover Farm, the non-profit group that supports and operates the county-owned Hilltop Hanover Farm in Yorktown, was chosen as one of the finalists in the Communities Take Root Program. If it makes it into the top 17 (out of 100 worthy community groups), it would win an entire fruit orchard.

To make this happen, you can vote as often as you would like—once every day between now and Aug. 29 by clicking here.

Hilltop Hanover Farm is a regional education center that offers programs on healthy and sustainable food production. In 2010, county legislators presented a plan to by 2014. 

Besides the pick-your-own vegetable operation, a farm stand and educational workshops, the farm also each year. They're already growing their own vegetables, so having a fruit orchard could only add to its value. 

Here’s how you can vote:

• Go to the Communities Take Root website
• Register once or log in, if already registered
• Scroll down the page and find “NY”—you’ll see Friends of Hilltop Hanover Farm—
• Click “Vote"

Here is what the farm has posted on the Communities Take Root website:

The addition of an orchard and bramble fruits would allow HHF to continue its mission to education people on sustainable agricultural practices. We will be able to demonstrate hands on how to grow fruit in one’s own backyard, ensuring better quality and food security. An orchard would permit enhanced workshops and classes: canning, drying and preserving fruit; integrated pest management; organic growing techniques; pruning, site and variety selection. This grant would enable us to expand our course offerings to provide training in pomology—training this is rarely available in our suburban location. We have over 10,000 visitors a year to our Farm – an orchard at the Farm will benefit many of them in some way.

The first round of winners will be announced on May 31.