#pam mount

    Gary and Pam Mount and their daughter Reuwai Hanewald receive the honor at the the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture and New Jersey Vegetable Growers Association convention awards banquet on Feb. 7, 2018. 

At the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture and New Jersey Vegetable Growers Association convention the Mount family was presented with Vegetable Grower of the Year award in “recognition of your many years of outstanding and dedicated service to the agricultural community.”

 Terhune Orchards, 185 acres of preserved farmland,  is owned by Pam and Gary Mount and daughters, Reuwai and Tannwen. The family owned  farm in Princeton was lauded at the annual dinner on Feb. 7, 2018,. Gary Mount thanked everyone and Reuwai gave a speech on how Gary and Pam have been innovative, foresighted and risk takers for more than 40 years and that she and her sister are now full time on the farm and continue the work with energy and dedication. She noted they are the 11th generation of the Mount family to farm. Her grandfather had a large wholesale apple orchard on Route 1. Gary and Pam changed direction to a smaller, very intensely planted and diverse farm selling direct to the public.

Meredith Melendez, Agricultural Agent for the Cooperative Extension of Mercer County wrote this lovely introduction for us at the awards banquet that she hopes capture the growth of the farm and our family.  

 “The Mount family has firm roots in New Jersey, but did not come into agriculture by inheriting a family farm.  Gary grew up in a wholesale apple operation, but the farm was sold before Gary realized his own farming dream.  Gary and Pam met in High School, marrying three days after Pam graduated from college.  Shortly after marrying they traveled to the island Satawal in Micronesia to serve the 400 residents through the Peace Corp. 

 After returning back to New Jersey an extended family member mentioned to them that the farm on Cold Soil Road was for sale, and the family soon found themselves farmers.  Their daughter Reuwai was three years old when the family moved to Cold Soil Road, with second daughter Tannwen on the way and son Mark born a few years later. 

 Terhune Orchard is a 200 acre farm growing tree fruit, small fruit, vegetables, and wine grapes.  Today the thriving agritourism operation is proudly run by Gary, Pam, Reuwai, and Tannwen.  Son Mark is a U.S. Army sergeant who is stationed in Louisiana with his family.  Mark has served three tours of duty in Afghanistan.  The Mount grandchildren are familiar faces at the farm and participate in many of the activities that make up daily farm life.

 The farm has grown over the past 40+ years from tree fruit only to a highly diversified farm open year round multi-generational family operation.  The farm started with just apples, peaches and pears and now grows over 40 different crops.  The farm was an early adaptor of the IPM program, and still relies on the Rutgers IPM program scouts and information in making pest management decisions.  The practice is regularly talked about in the farm newsletter and Facebook posts, utilized to educate the public on sound production practices.  The farm makes decisions as a family with regular meetings with family members and key personnel. 

 The most recent improvement to the farm was the building of a wine barn to expand their production, storage and tasting areas.  The interest in growing wine started with the second generation of the farm family, Tannwen and Gary planting 5 acres of grapes in 2006.  Bottling began in 2010 and the family won nine medals in the 2017 annual New Jersey Wine Competition.  Their Terhune Orchards Blueberry Wine was awarded the Governor’s Cup for best fruit wine, and the Harvest Blue, Blossom White and Just Peachy won gold medals. 

 Aside from winning awards for their wine the family is known for hosting farm tours from state, national, and international organizations.  In August Extension educators from across the U.S. and Canada toured Terhune Orchards to glean wisdom learned through their 40+ years of production.  The goal was to share this information with their agricultural producers specializing in tourism events back in their home states.  This tour, like so many others, left the audience feeling inspired and energized thanks to the commitment to the industry and community by the Mount family.

 The Mount family has long been committed to service, and has served in many positions of responsibility over the years.  Most recently Reuiwai was voted Vice President of the Mercer County Board of Agriculture, a position her father has held in the past.  Pam Mount is known for her involvement in starting and sustaining the New Jersey Agricultural Society programs including the Agricultural Leadership Development, and Farmers Against Hunger.  Gary currently sits on the board of the Howell Living History Farm, the Mercer County Agricultural Development Board, the Mercer County Soil Conservation District, and the Trenton Market Growers Cooperative.   Gary has previously served on the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture, as a Mercer County director for the New Jersey Farm Bureau, and served as both President and Vice-President of the Mercer County Board of Agriculture.  These positions represent a fraction of the families involvement with agricultural and community organizations in New Jersey.  Gary was named National Apple Grower of the Year in 2005 by American Fruit Grower Magazine and in 2012 Gary was inducted into the International Fruit Tree Association Hall of Fame.”

 Terhune Orchards is located at 330 Cold Soil, Rd.,Princeton  NJ

The farm store is open Mon- Fri 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sat. – Sun., 9 a.m. –5 p.m. 

The winery is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.

The grand opening celebration for the new 3500 square foot winery production barn at Terhune Orchards Vineyard and Winery was held on Saturday, December 10.

Terhune Orchards is owned and operated by Pam and Gary Mount and daughters Tannwen Mount and Reuwai Hanewald.  Pam and Gary Mount started Terhune Orchards in 1975 after buying the home farm of 55 acres in 1975 on Cold Soil Road.

“We are looking forward to opening our new wine barn and celebrating a decade of hard work,” said Gary Mount. “It is wonderful to finally have our wine making operation all under one roof. It makes production more efficient. As our vineyard continues to grow, we will be able to produce even more wine. We love to share with our customers the excitement we have about making wine in New Jersey.”

In 2003, Terhune Orchards expanded with the purchase of the 67 acre permanently preserved “Johnson Farm” on Van Kirk Road.   These open fields, once cleaned up and rejuvenated, presented lots of possibilities for new directions for Terhune Orchards. Daughter Tannwen returned to the family farm full time after 6 years in San Francisco, enthusiastic about the idea of a vineyard and winery. 

In 2006, Gary and Tannwen planted three acres of grapes. They planted 12 varieties to see what would grow well in our climate, with the largest amounts in Chamborcin, Vidal Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Traminette.  After four years of loving care, the first crop of grapes was harvested in 2009. By September of 2010, the wine was in the bottle with seven varieties and the Terhune Orchards tasting room was open at the farm’s historic barn. Son-in-law Mike Hanewald and Gary had spent several years perfecting Apple Wine made from Terhune Orchards own apple cider, so that was added to the list of offerings.

The vineyards have been expanded to 9 acres of grapes and 12 varieties of wine, including three fruit wines made from Terhune Orchards’ own apple cider.

In late 2015, several small buildings on the farm were removed to make room for a new 3,500 square foot red barn that will house the wine production operation for the estate grown wines produced by Terhune Orchards Winery.  In April visitors at Terhune Orchards came out for a barn raising party. Throughout the year people have been able to watch the steady progress of the facility over the course of the year.  

 Built in the traditional post and beam, the new barn will look similar to the almost 200 -year old barn that currently houses the winery tasting room. Sustainable farming and building practices are a priority at Terhune Orchards. The new building utilizes solar panels and other ways to maximize efficiency in energy and water usage.  With heat and air conditioning, the facility offers year-round climate controlled environment for wine production and the opportunity to hold events. Large windows into the barn will allow guests to see into the production area with the stainless steel wine tanks and the bottling line. The front porch will allow for plenty of seating  for guests to linger and sip a glass of wine and enjoy the view of  the farm.

 The winery tasting room is open Fridays – Sundays from 12-5 p.m. Wine is available for tastings or by the glass.  Bottles are sold daily in the farm store. The farm store is open daily  9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Terhune Orchards is located at 330 Cold Soil Rd. Due to bridge construction, Carter Road is closed. Use Cold Soil Road to visit the farm.