Where does a carved pumpkin go in a township that doesn't run a garbage truck? Bernards Township doesn't provide municipal trash pickup, so every household hires its own private hauler for curbside collection. The jack-o'-lantern softening on the front step goes into that bin by default. For the sixth year in a row, though, the township has set up a better route, and it ends at a farm on Valley Road that was already working land when Rochambeau's army camped there overnight.
The route is the Pumpkin Smash, set for Saturday, November 7, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at English Farm, 3625 Valley Road in Liberty Corner. The pumpkins end up as feed for the farm's chickens and pigs.
A Township Without a Garbage Truck Sends Its Pumpkins to Pigs
The Bernards Township Agricultural Advisory Committee runs the event with the Environmental Commission. The farm's own announcement also lists the township Health Department as a sponsor. It's free, open to all ages, and needs no registration. Bring as many pumpkins as you have.
The format is simple. You smash your pumpkins safely, then feed the pieces to the animals, with volunteers on hand to watch over things and make sure the pumpkins are prepared properly. Families whose pumpkins already went out with the trash can still join in, because the farm keeps pumpkins on hand for attendees to smash.
TAPinto Basking Ridge quoted Joe Sorge, chair of the Agricultural Advisory Committee: "The event is great family fun, and the pumpkins are used as feed for the chickens and the pigs. It's a win-win." According to the township, the smash usually takes in more than 250 pumpkins a year that could otherwise end up in landfills. In the same article, Environmental Commission chair Alice Smyk tied the effort to keeping pumpkins out of landfills "so as to avoid greenhouse gas emissions."
Because the pumpkins go to livestock, the prep rules are stricter than for a compost bin.
Getting a Pumpkin Ready for a Pig
Carved and whole pumpkins are both welcome. Before you load the car:
- Pull out candles and any wax left in the shell.
- Peel off stickers, googly eyes and plastic decorations.
- Skip any pumpkin that's painted or glittered. The farm's own notice asks for pumpkins "with no paint or glitter" because they go to the pigs and chickens.
- Remove anything else that won't break down.
Saturday's 90-minute window isn't the only option. Residents who can't make the event can drop pumpkins off earlier in the week while the farm is open. The farm store's posted hours make that window wider than it sounds.
| Day | Farm store hours | Pumpkin option |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, Nov. 5 | Noon to 4 p.m. | Drop off during store hours |
| Friday, Nov. 6 | Noon to 4 p.m. | Drop off during store hours |
| Saturday, Nov. 7 | 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Pumpkin Smash, noon to 1:30 p.m. |
On Saturday the store opens an hour before the smash starts and stays open more than two hours after it ends. That leaves time to see the rest of the farm, and the farm is the real reason this event is worth the drive.
The Farm Behind the Smash
According to the farm's history page, English Farm on Valley Road was settled in 1740 and has stayed in continuous use while Bernards Township grew up around its rolling fields. The homepage puts the family's ownership at "circa 1730." The history page traces the property through one family line:
| Year | What happened on the farm |
|---|---|
| 1740 | Jacob Castner settles in Annin's Corner, the village later called Liberty Corner, and builds the first house on the farm |
| 1781 | Comte de Rochambeau's French army camps overnight on the way to Yorktown |
| 1815 | Bound Brook teacher Nicholas Conover Jobs marries into the family; he later served in the NJ State Legislature and as Liberty Corner postmaster |
| 1837–1872 | The farm serves as the first manse of the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church, home to Rev. James English |
| 1872 | The railroad arrives and the farm builds a dairy business |
| 1950s–early 1980s | Brothers Woodruff J. and Nicholas C. English own and operate the farm together, then Woodruff takes over |
| 1991 | The Liberty Corner Historic District, which includes the farm, joins the NJ State and National Registers of Historic Places |
| December 2003 | Bernards Township places a "French Encampment 1781" marker on the property |
| May 2004 | The Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission gives the English family a citation for historic preservation and continuing use |
The English family line runs through Rev. James English, the church's first pastor and a direct descendant of the family that founded Englishtown. He married Nicholas Conover Jobs's daughter, Mary Elizabeth. His great-grandson Woodruff J. English became an attorney and led McCarter & English. As a boy, according to the farm's history, he helped take milk cans by horse-drawn wagon from his father's dairy to be pasteurized and bottled, then shipped by railroad to Newark and New York.
The history page also mentions a second parcel directly east, across Valley Road, where Harrison Brook runs through a grazing meadow. Coming for the smash, you'll be looking at land that has gone from Revolutionary-era campground to church manse to rail-connected dairy without ever stopping being a farm.
What the Farm Store Sells the Same Afternoon
That history matters on Saturday because the farm is still producing. English Farm certifies its organic vegetables, flowers and hay through Baystate Organic Certifiers. The farm store's product list includes:
- Seasonal pumpkins and gourds
- Organic vegetables, plus local apples and tomatoes
- Eggs, bacon and sausage
- Lamb, pork and beef
- Cheese, yogurt and sauces
- Firewood
The pigs and chickens eating your pumpkin pieces at 12:30 work on the same farm that stocks the store's coolers. The farm's events page introduces animals by name, including Tina, Frodo, Hank and Millie, alongside the chickens and pigs. For younger kids, putting names to the animals they just fed tends to stick longer than the smashing.
The farm also runs Sprout Scouts for grades 3 through 5 on Friday afternoons and hosts private events such as birthdays and scout groups. Its Thursday morning Farm Friends Story Time ran through October. Families who enjoy Saturday may want to check the farm's events page for what's next.
Once the Pumpkins Are Gone, the Leaves Are Next
The pumpkins are the first piece of fall cleanup. The leaves come after. For leaves, brush and other yard trimmings, the township's drop-off point is the Pill Hill Recycling Center at 150 Pill Hill Road in Basking Ridge, and you need a permit to use it. Grass clippings aren't accepted. You can bring leaves in any container, but you have to empty it and take it home, and leaves can't be mixed with other materials. Small brush must be tied in bundles no more than 12 inches across.
The township's Pill Hill page lists Saturday hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. from November through March, plus Sunday hours of noon to 4 p.m. in several months including November. That schedule was posted a few years ago, so confirm the current hours on the township's trash and recycling page before you head over.
So the jack-o'-lantern goes to Valley Road on Saturday at noon, and the leaf bags go to Pill Hill Road on a Saturday after that.
Living near a farm that's been worked since 1740 is part of daily life in Bernards Township, and I love sharing what's going on around town. If the Pumpkin Smash has you wondering about Liberty Corner's historic properties or how the township's farmland fits alongside its neighborhoods, I'm happy to talk it through. Karen Boose - Coldwell Banker Realty is always glad to hear from neighbors. Let's Connect.
