Wilkens Fruit and Fir Farm was established during the First World War. While much of Westchester County transformed from open pasture into suburban sprawl over the twentieth century, the Wilkens family preserved their acreage as a working fruit orchard. Commercial longevity in this region is rare. Rising land values, shifting weather patterns, and steep property taxes forced many neighboring farms to subdivide decades ago.
The farm survived by adapting its business model without losing its agricultural footing. In the early decades, barrels of apples were shipped directly to wholesale terminals in New York City. By the late twentieth century, the operation shifted focus toward pick-your-own experiences, on-site processing, and farm-gate sales. Today, the property spans dozens of hillside acres filled with mature dwarf and semi-dwarf apple trees, pumpkin patches, and rows of evergreen firs managed across long cultivation cycles.
This operational pivot preserved open green space in Northern Westchester. Visitors today walk the same rolling terrain worked by four successive generations of the Wilkens and Pratt families. The farm operates without carnival rides, mechanical attractions, or admission gates to enter the grounds, choosing instead to let the fruit trees and hillside topography define the outing.
