Sap Bush Hollow Farm
My mom and Dad, Jim and Adele Hayes, moved our family to Sap Bush Hollow, a defunct dairy farm, in 1979. Despite the stanchions in the barn and the old milk cans scattered about, the land and the historical maps told us of a deeper story about sheep, vegetable gardens, apple orchards, community survival and subsistence living. They began restoring our pastures by grazing sheep, and eventually diversified to include pasture raised chicken, turkeys, eggs, and pork, as well as grassfed beef, vacation rentals, and a weekly farm-to-table cafe.
How to buy our products
Online
We keep our farm inventory online at www.sapbushfarmstore.com. We pull online orders every Tues, Wed & Thurs and leave them for pick-up in the little red shed at 832 W. Fulton Rd, West Fulton, NY. Many of our products, including our meats, are also available for shipping. You can see the mail order selection here. We ship meats the third week of each month.
Sap Bush Cafe
Sap Bush Cafe, also located at 832 W. Fulton Rd, is open every Saturday from 9-2. There you can enjoy a fabulous farm-to-table meal, or sip lattes & nibble fresh pastries from our espresso bar. We also make a fabulous bloody Mary! Our meats, wool products, local (and not-so-local) beer & wine are also available for purchase.
Honor System Farm Store
Our honor system farm store features a selection of our meats, local dairy products, frozen heat-and-eat meals and pantry items. It is located in the little red shed at 832 W. Fulton Rd, West Fulton, NY. (This is the same shed where you can pick up any online orders). You are welcome to shop there any time of day or night. Checks, credit cards, cash & Venmo are all accepted.
Barbers Farm Stand
During the week, if you are in Schoharie County, the easiest place to find our meats is at Barbers’ farm stand on Route 30 in the Town of Fulton. Barbers is open daily from May through December, and they are open on weekends during the winter. Check their website for hours. They accept checks, cash and all major credit cards.
About Our Family
Shannon Hayes
Shannon is the Chef & CEO of Sap Bush Hollow, as well as the author of several books & host of The Hearth of Sap Bush Hollow podcast.
Bob Hooper
Before meeting Shannon, Bob worked as a registered Maine Guide for LLBean in Freeport, Maine. With a little persuasion and a lot of love, Shannon coaxed him off the coast and high into these hills. Bob is sous-chef at the cafe, and oversees buildings & hospitality.
Jim Hayes
During his tenure as animal science professor at SUNY Cobleskill, Jim Hayes (Shannon’s dad), began experimenting with the best techniques for finishing livestock on grass. Today he applies his theory to his practice and has made the farm a living laboratory. It is owing to his selective breeding and careful livestock management that Sap Bush Hollow has the best tasting beef, lamb, pork and poultry that can be found anywhere.
Adele Hayes
When Adele decided that she would leave her professional career to make the farm a viable venture (at a time when local food was a rarity), she sat down and read the phone book, calling every person she knew to tell them about our products. Her fortitude and courage to work creatively within her community to build the farm business led Sap Bush Hollow to be selected as one of USDA/SARE’s most innovative farms in the country.
Saoirse Hayes Hooper
Born in 2003, Saoirse was homeschooled by Shannon and graduated during the Covid pandemic of 2020. She joined the farm team and quickly climbed to become the farm retail manager. She is also a professionally-trained barista and serves the coffees at Sap Bush Cafe every Saturday morning. Saoirse is passionate about theater, music and fashion design, and studies all three when not working at the farm or cafe.
Ula Hayes Hooper
Born in 2007, Ula works closely with her grandfather, Jim, to oversee herd health. When not homeschooling with Shannon, she studies fashion design with Saoirse and is often seen stitching up new creations to wear in the cafe on Saturdays while she waits tables. Ula is apprenticing as an intuitive counselor and studies violin.