Reviews for: Shangri La Farm

(16 reviews)
By:
Rabbi Setton (Feb 26, 2025)
Elaine is amazing, in every way. She has a lot to share with people of all ages and from all different paths. I feel very fortunate to know her, and her eggs are the only eggs I am willing to eat. Her farm is very cool and taking one of her tours is an unforgettable experience. Her level of knowledge is very impressive and her work ethic is admirable. I wish her lots of blessings, continued success, good health and happiness.
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Jackie Eak (Nov 3, 2013)
Was looking for eggs since our chickens are molting & have passed Elaine's farm many times & never knew just where to park until we found her here on Local Harvest, so we made a phone call to her & within an hour we had 2 dozen farm fresh eggs & a wonderful tour of her farm. I can not wait to come back when it is warmer & the farms growing season is in full swing!! We even got to meet her wonderful friends & found I lived on the same road as her friend...what a small world! :) There is so much to see & do here & depending on the season I can definitely see spending the whole day here! The owner Elaine is a very warm & welcoming woman who cares about all her animals & plants & I can tell works very hard to keep them all happy...you will not find any animal here that looks unhappy...I have never seen such beautiful happy animals.<3 If you love to reuse, upcycle & think outside the box you will definitely LOVE Shangri La Farm! Thank you so much Elaine for the eggs & I am sure we will have a long relationship w/ you & your fur friends :) All our best to you, Bill & Jackie "Hens & Hounds Haven"
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Amanda Pierson (Apr 2, 2013)
I cannot say enough good things about Shangri-La farm. Elaine, the farmer who owns this place, is one of the most wonderful people I've ever met. She is so kind and truly committed to promoting eating organic food. The prices are very fair, and she is very honest and flexible. Most CSAs have crazy rules and are very strict- this place offers exactly the opposite. I would highly recommend paying this farm a visit, you won't regret it.
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Joyce Wang (Sep 4, 2012)
I had the most amazing opportunity this summer volunteering on Elaine's farm. She always made sure I was safe, that I was learning, and that I enjoyed my hours spent on the farm. She integrates sustainable agriculture methods, such as integrated pest management and passive solar heating, with her hard work in order to provide the best and freshest food at an incredibly reasonable price. I got to pack food for the weekly co-ops, and for $30 there about 18 lbs of fresh produce, ALL ORGANIC. Not just potatoes and weighty vegetables, but cucumbers, peaches, strawberries, grapes, tomatoes, corn, zucchini, yams, lemons, avocados, mangos, bananas, eggs, milk, home-grown greens [delicious! I hardly eat salad, but these are just phenomenal], herbs, eggplants, onions, garlic, string beans, the list goes on forever. She also has jams and spreads, pickles, and bread for sale, all homemade. Not to mention her incredible garden at the back of the farm. The spicy lettuce is to die for. All her tomatoes are sun-ripened and plump before she picks them. And of course, many other surprises that you'll just have to visit to see! She puts so much care and love and energy into her work, and you can really see and feel it when you go to the farm. She's so generous, always giving you more than what you pay for. I learned so much at the farm, from health benefits of overlooked weeds to how rewarding some good ol' manual labor is. She helped me see a lot regarding what I want to learn in college, what I want my career to be, and how to focus on paving the way to my dream future. If you ever have time, please please PLEASE visit Shangri La Farms, bring your kids and spouse, join her co-op, go to her markets, maybe even help out! But in all honesty, do whatever you can so that you can get yourself just a little taste of heaven. :)
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By:
Elaine Taylor ( Sep 5, 2012 )

Hello Joyce. Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. I really appreciate all that you have done for me. I trust that you are back to school and learning how you too can live your dream. Always remember that I am here for you if you need me. Sincerely Elaine

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(Feb 4, 2012)
This is what a woman farming can create..with endless passion, perseverence and the desire to feed those who believe in a healthier and simpler way of life Elaine is an inspiration to all of us.....especially those who think it can't be done!
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jessie bersey (Feb 4, 2012)
today was my second trip to shangri la farm, and just as last time, we had a lovely time. the weather was much nicer today, and my 4 year old daughter, my dad and i enjoyed about an hour with elaine as she showed us around and let us check out the animals and her grounds. again, the food looks delicious and i already broke into the raw organic cheddar for dinner tonight, as well as the spinach. that is the best cheese i have ever had! elaine is such a kind, genuine person and i truly enjoy talking to her. i would love to take my daughter back (she did NOT want to leave) and have her learn the ways of a farm and the work that goes into it. as others have said, the prices are great and the share is generous. its nice to support a local as well, someone who really deserves it and cares about what she is doing!
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margaret sager (Feb 1, 2012)
Buy local, support small bussiness, and eat right. Because of the Organic Produce Co-oP I don't have to go to Shoprite, Stop & Shop nor Pathmart to get healthy. I get milk that has flavor. I happen to be a cheddar fan of cheeses. And the White Raw Cheddar is nice and crisp in taste. The garlic is large and has flavor. To me the cream of the crop is the organic potatoes. Something that is grown in the ground you know is going to soak up all the chemicals, impurities and nasty stuff. So to get organic potatoes is just the bee's knee's. I have turned on two of my neighbors to the Shangri La Farm Organic Produce Co-op. And I will continue to buy local, support small bussiness and eat right.
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Jade Greene (Jan 30, 2012)
Shangri La Farm recently started an organic food co-op that is well worth its reasonable pricing. I get a half-share (I'm single), share it with another single friend, and it still lasts me all week ! The veggies, milk, cheese, and eggs are all farm fresh, and for less than I was spending at the supermarket for non-organic, I'm getting ALL organic !
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(Jan 29, 2012)
I was excited to receive my first bag of organic goodies from Elaine a couple of weeks ago. A generous amount of wholesome food was included; the avocado was perfect, the eggs from her chickens and the assortment of fruits and vegetables were fresh and delicious. Elaine took me out to her hothouses and we harvested a big container of fresh mixed greens. What a treat! As always Elaine is gracious, welcoming and a wonderful networking source for info concerning food sustainablity and all things creative. I applaud Elaine and Rick for giving us a choice to the standard food options, and working so hard to offer a community based resource that betters the lives of it 's participants.
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ppbfarmersmarket (Jan 29, 2012)
I enjoyed another visit to Shangri La today, as I have several times in the past year. I picked up dozens of freshly laid eggs, visited the bunnies, dogs and farm animals, and toured the greenhouses. Greens are available right now, cut your own for peak freshness. I appreciate Elaine starting this new co op venture, to get us through the winter season until our growing season begins. In order to supply an organic share, produce like avocados, bananas and citrus come in from tropical climates. The share is very competitively priced compared to well established co ops in the area. I always bring a camera on my visits, to capture the spirit of the farm in images of bygone farming days. If you visit in the winter, close your eyes and imagine the leaves on the trees, shading your path. I eagerly await the Spring, when the plants start to grow again and the crops are planted. I'll be helping out at the farm next week to learn their way of life and spend as much time as I can at their peaceful oasis. Thanks to Elaine and her family.
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Victoria Kushnir (Jan 28, 2012)
I've known Elaine Taylor for 2 years from her charitable work in the community. So when she announced the start of an organic co-op I knew she would be sourcing the best products she could for the best prices and the products would be keeping my dollars spent locally. This is a brand new venture and Elaine's sensitivity to making organic whole foods available to someone who doesn't have 6 or 7 hundred dollars to buy a year share is the only way I could participate in a CSA at all. I'm on a fixed income and can't afford to be told I'm out of luck for a refund if crops fail. Elaine offers choices from a variety of local sources and is up front about availability of items and weather she is able to buy an organic item locally at any particular time. I can only imagine how hard it is to satisfy a multitude of tastes and differences in consumer knowledge about what it means to grow organically or where food actually comes from in its journey to our tables. The quality and quantity of the items I've received on a half share has been excellent. I've worked at Shangrila farm in the past. Some who may not understand the resourcefulness of farmers needing to keep prices low may mistake a pile of boards, a box of nails or pieces of odd tractor/machinery parts for garbage.
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Beth Hall (Jan 28, 2012)
I can't rave enough about Shangri La Farms. Elaine Taylor is one of the greatest good-hearted human beings I have ever come into contact with. I absolutely love the organic co-op she just started! Fresh organic produce every week for a fantastic price...it truly cannot be beat. I buy from her weekly and I am never disappointed. In fact, I have managed to turn a few friends onto her farm as well and they also love it. And don't forget to try her eggs. They are from her free range chickens and have to be tasted to believed.
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kelly bo (Jan 16, 2012)
We pulled up to this "farm" and we were scared! This looked more like a junk yard than a farm. There was garbage all over the place. We were hoping to see a farm, a place where food is grown. Not here you don't. I dont know where they get the food from, maybe shop rite? Nothing is from NJ, all from California. I can do the same thing, go around and buy organic produce and sell it out of my house! Before you buy, take a ride past this "farm" it is a decapitated home, with a tarped area they call a green house. It was defiantly not worth the 48 dollars they wanted. We were so grossed out! Buyers beware!
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Jackie Eak ( Nov 3, 2013 )

This review had me in tears! How could anyone be so mean?!

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Jackie Eak ( Nov 3, 2013 )

It is all untrue, nasty & uncalled for!

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Amanda Pierson ( Apr 2, 2013 )

How can you comment on a place you've never been? It's very obvious that all you did was drive by. And if all you do is drive by, then yes, all you will see from the road is the stuff in the yard that is waiting to be recycled. However, if you had actually visited the farm, you would have seen exactly where all the food is grown- the hot houses and gardens! It's really unfortunate that you didn't actually stop to visit the farm, if you had you would have met Elaine who is a wonderful woman who grows tasty organic food. She is always happy to give any and everyone a tour of her farm.. well, everyone who bothers to get out of their car that is! It's really a shame, and in my opinion, rather cowardly, that you left such nasty comments without ever even setting foot on the farm.

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Joyce Wang ( Sep 4, 2012 )

Oh, and about the "decapitated home": Elaine sacrifices living in luxury and comfort in order to selflessly continue funding more her endeavors to provide as many people as possible with fresh, local, and organic food. Had you taken the time to take more than half a glance, surely you would've seen that.

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Joyce Wang ( Sep 4, 2012 )

My dear misinformed Kelly, Surely you know that it's difficult to see a sunkissed paradise overflowing in lush green and color in the winters of New Jersey. Also, different crops have different growing seasons. Might I recommend you go again sometime, maybe next midsummer, and check out her back garden that's full of nothing but wonderful greenery and edible goodness. Plenty of food being grown, as Elaine's farm is a completely legitimate farm, and as you so observantly pointed out, farms do grow food. As for what you call "junk" and "garbage", they are nothing but perfectly good material that can be upcycled to fashion into something else to save money. I forgive your ignorance, but providing everyone with the best quality organic food for pricing that is well below Shop Rite's mass-manufactured hormone-infected produce is not an easy thing to do when economy is tight, and you're working off limited supplies. For example, I made a perfectly functioning berry - collector out of an old cardboard box and extra string tied around my neck. Didn't need to buy one. And hey, we got to exercise the creative part of the brain, then use the critical thinking part to make it work. As for the greenhouse, I visited the farm for the first time at the start winter as well. It may not be the most beautiful thing on the planet, but it was all constructed entirely by themselves, and it sure does the job - I was sweating after a few moments inside, wearing my heavy jacket and scarf to keep warm in the cold outside. Sometimes, it's the quality and the insides that matter, not just how something looks. So I just have a few last words to say. Since I do feel bad about what a treat you missed out on, I think you should visit again. As for completely dissing Elaine's farm, I would have attempted to overlook it, but seeing as how you so clearly meant to diss her by establishing that in your review title, I would just like to point out that I'm disappointed at how you handled your brief and superficial visit. Have a lovely day.

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Elaine Taylor ( May 1, 2012 )

I do not know who you are Kelly and I am sad to know that you feel the way that you do.it has taken me a little time to respond to your comment. I needed to recover from the hurt I am truly sorry if you were unhappy. I wish you would have come to me before you were so unkind in your review. If there is any way for me to make amends I surely will. Sincerely, Elaine

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Kim Deitz ( Jan 29, 2012 )

Harshly negative and inaccurate description of the grounds. Disparaging comments about their work and way of life.

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loretta spangler (May 11, 2011)
A 'farm for all seasons' and the best herbs and veggies in the area: They taste better and keep fresh longer than the shipped in veggies at the strip malls new "Farmers Markets". I love riding my bike over there, helping in the garden, sharing a meal, even KP duty. There's always time for relaxing under the arbor, sharing the fruits of labor, weedin or chillin in the greenhouse and even keepin warm by the fire with a cup of fresh herbal tea and local honey=(:the Best Therapy:)
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By:
(Mar 23, 2009)
Elaine's farm is simply one of the most wonderful places I've ever visited. Her eggs are divine, her animals are happy and she is one of the most interesting and informative people I've ever met. I will be returning many, many times.
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Tom Morton (Mar 23, 2009)
Elaine is truly one of the best people I've met in a really long time. I met her while doing a project about local producers, and she has by far the best of the farms I've visited. Elaine has so many beautiful animals, and her land is well-maintained and simply gorgeous. She really cares about the land and the animals, and it is obvious how much she loves what she does. Her eggs and honey are fantastic, and I am so excited to have met her, and I can not wait to return this summer, and many many more!
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