Hanulcik Farm Market History:
Our 3rd generation family farm was started by our grandpa, Andy Sr., in 1936. Our dad, Andy Jr., and our brother, Alex, followed in his footsteps (they say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree).
Grandpa's farm is on Dildine Rd. It was a long-neglected orchard turned into a cow pasture when he bought it in 1936. Together with grandma (Mary, nee Bursikova), and his two sons (our dad, Andy, and our uncle, Johnny), the family turned it into a thriving apple orchard that included acres of strawberry and raspberry patches as well as a dairy. The fruit harvests were so successful, that grandpa eliminated the dairy and farmed fruit full time.
After dad graduated from high school and got out of the Air Force, he bought nearly 200 acres on N. Jefferson Rd., married mom (Dee, nee Graham) and started a family of 5 kids: Anne, Cat, Andy III, Carol and Alex. Just like grandpa, the whole family helped plant and harvest apples, strawberries, peaches and plums -- and took over Grandpa's farm, too. The fruit production was so huge that dad needed more than just us to bring in the harvest, so he hired lots of workers, including local Ionians and pickers from as far away as Florida.
As dad neared his 60s, he wondered if the family farm would still be a "family farm," because of all of us kids had careers in advertising, broadcasting, engineering, management and securities. Alex, who was working in securities, confided to dad that he missed farming despite the long hours, hard work and weather variables. He longed to be his own boss and call the shots.
So Alex told dad "I'll try farming for 5 years and see what happens". That was 10 years ago. Since then, he expanded the farm operations by an extra 40 acres when he bought his own place at the corner of Dildine and North M-66, where Hanulcik Farm Market is located. He planted raspberries and strawberries and will eventually add blueberries. Dad and Alex work side-by-side taking care of all three farms, which total roughly 300 acres.
Grandpa died 1985 and grandma died last year, but their memories live on through their farm, where dad and Alex harvest 35 acres of Northern Spy, Macintosh, Red Delicious and Fuji apples. Dad's farm supplies the largest percentage of our market's apples, strawberries and peaches. And dad puts in vegetables for the market including sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, squash and more.
We still help on the farm weekends June through Halloween, but dad and Alex are at it full time year-round. Just because the snow's falling doesn't mean there aren't chores to do! Before the first snow, dad and Alex cover all the strawberry patches with straw. In December it's time to prune all the apple trees, which takes ALL winter long. Then in spring they uncover all the strawberry patches, prune the raspberries and get ready for the next harvest all over again. You can see why our pet name for Hanulcik Farm Market is "No Rest Acres." The next generation of Hanulcik Farm Market came along in December 2003, when Alex and his wife (Kristen, nee Kennedy) had their first child, Madeline. She's a little young to work on the farm just now, but she thoroughly enjoys savoring each and every harvest. We think you'll love our delicious fruits an vegetables. Come and join us on the farm and taste the fruit of the family's labors!
