Chris and Deb Colitas should have made headlines two years ago. Every week brings another story about Lehigh Valley farmland going under, and theirs ran the other way. They bought 46 acres of agricultural land off Airport Road at market value, beating out two solar farms, two developers and a government entity, for the express purpose of keeping it a farm.
No headline came. What came instead was room to grow. That purchase is the reason Valley Fruits & Veggies now farms 55 acres across three properties, and the reason thousands of Lehigh Valley families will spend this October in a corn maze instead of driving past a subdivision.
The Land That Stayed a Farm
Since 2015, Chris and Deb had been working 8.5 acres at the corner of Weaversville Road and Colony Drive in Bethlehem. The customer base kept growing, and so did a problem familiar to every small grower: the same ground cannot grow the same crop forever. Between customer demand and the need for proper crop rotation, they had to expand or stall out.
They fought hard to make sure the Airport Road land remained what it should be, which is farmland. Today the pick-your-own and retail operation runs out of 6100 Locust Road in Bath, and, as Deb puts it, with three properties totaling 55 acres, the sky is the limit.
A Landscaper’s Rows and a Jersey Girl’s Marketing
Chris grew up in Hanover Township and studied Landscape Contracting at Penn State. “If you’ve ever seen how straight the rows of berries are and weed free, that’s because he treats his fields as his landscape,” Deb said.
Deb grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and attended Muhlenberg College. The two met at the wedding of mutual friends. They are celebrating 25 years of marriage this year.
The next generation is already arriving. Their son, Nico Colitas, graduates from Messiah University this spring and is coming into the business full time as the up-and-coming farm manager for all operations, with his fiancee, Aemelia Heitzenrater, involved in design and team management. Their daughter, Calli Colitas Maldonado, handles social media and design. Chris is, in Deb’s words, the heart of growing at the farm, while Deb runs community development, marketing and team management.
Beyond the family is what Deb calls an incredible team of adults, teenagers and college students. The farm also partners with the nonprofit iHave iNeed, which gets its extra produce into the hands of food pantries and people who need it.
Open Every Day From Late May to Nov. 1
The farm’s calendar runs in three acts.
May and June belong to strawberries: more than 100,000 plants for pick-your-own and pre-picked berries, plus the strawberry milkshakes the farm is known for, strawberry shortcake, soft serve and strawberry lemonade slushies. The Gyro Company food trailer opens on weekends, and Valleyville Play, the Barrel Train and feeding the goats are spring favorites.
Late June through August is Produce Market season: sweet corn, the farm’s famous cantaloupe, watermelon, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, eggplant, onions, cauliflower, broccoli, peaches, plums, cherries, raspberries, blueberries and more, alongside homemade strawberry, raspberry and blueberry syrups.
September and October is Fall Fest, when the entire farm comes alive. Birthday parties and group celebrations run every weekend, and field trips come through every day in October.
As for this year’s growing season: a hard spring frost set the strawberries back about five days, but the crop recovered into what Deb called an incredible picking. The pumpkins, she said, are looking amazing and “all need to be adopted to a good home for carving and front porch decorations.”
What’s Open This Fall
Fall Fest runs through Nov. 1. In October, every activity is open Friday starting at noon, plus all weekend.
Weekdays, noon to 6 p.m.: Produce Market, Sweet Treats, the corn maze with its 16-checkpoint scavenger hunt, Valleyville Play and goat feeding.
Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.: everything above plus the hay ride, pick-your-own pumpkins, the Jump Pad, the Barrel Train, The Gyro Company food trailer, Aw Shucks style corn roasting, birthday parties and reserved group space.
Five Acres, 2.5 Miles of Path, 16 Checkpoints
This year’s corn maze came with a partner. Pennie.com, the Pennsylvania health insurance exchange, reached out looking to support a farm through a corn maze partnership. The result covers five acres with 2.5 miles of path and hides 16 checkpoints inside it.
“So far, participants in the maze are saying this is the best one yet,” Deb said. If you are determined to find all 16, plan on about 90 minutes.
Pay As You Go
“We are a pay-as-you-go farm. You only ever pay for what you participate in or eat,” Deb said. “We know that families have different budgets and we want to provide a place where everyone can leave saying that they had the best experience with their desired budget.”
Activities for kids 12 and under run on a play-all-day wristband: pay once, play as much as you like. The most popular is the $20 Bonus Wristband, covering Valleyville Play, the Jump Pad and the Barrel Train. Families who come back more than once can buy a Fall Farm Fun Pass for $35 and play all season. The corn maze is $8 per person for ages 4 and up, and free for children 3 and under.
Tickets for after-hours events are cheaper online than at the gate, and buying ahead helps the farm plan.
“We Do NOT Go Halfway on Food”
Ask Deb about the milkshakes and the answer arrives in capital letters.
“Look, we do NOT go halfway on food. We stick to whole ingredients and only provide top quality options that we love,” she said.
Strawberry milkshakes carry the spring and summer, then turn caramel in the fall. The pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread come from recipes that belonged to Deb’s mother. The apple cider donuts are baked fresh daily. The soft serve comes from Galliker’s Dairy out of Pittsburgh, which opens up what Deb describes as an incredible number of combinations. And do not forget the apple cider slushie.
Still to Come This October
Two events run beyond regular farm hours before the season closes. Tickets cost less online than at the gate, and buying ahead helps the farm plan.
- GLOW Maze Nights, Oct. 16, 17, 23, 24, 30 and 31, 7 to 9 p.m.: glow gear for everyone, because night is the best time to get lost. Oct. 30 adds Halloween dress-up and trick-or-treating, and Santa arrives at the maze on Oct. 31.
- Pumpkins & Pancakes, Oct. 17, 8:30 to 10 a.m.: pancakes at the farm, a hay ride, pumpkin decorating and play.
This year’s lineup also brought a Dog Day with K9 Resorts Bethlehem and Wine Your Way, a 21-and-older night of wine tasting, live music and vendors, both of which came and went earlier in the month.
The Part That Is Harder Than Farming
Asked what is hardest about running a family farm and an agritourism business today, Deb did not say weather or labor or margins. She said grocery habits.
“It is amazing how everyone says they want to support fresh and wants farmland to stay farming, but that means everyone should be AT a farm at least once a week to make their purchases,” she said. “You can go to any supermarket in the Lehigh Valley and see it full. For us farmers, we would love the same impact that just is not there.”
Everyone loves the fun stuff, she said, and the fun stuff is genuinely fun. But what keeps land in an agricultural state is the community choosing to buy from that farm. “We appreciate the voices who support land staying farming, but it actually becomes rewarding when we see individuals taking action through their food purchasing habits.”
The reward side of the ledger is simpler. “Families who come back year after year, memories made, fresh produce being enjoyed, these are all the moments we are most proud of,” Deb said. “We love what we do and are beyond thankful for the amazing support of the community.”
If You Go
Come as you are, any day they are open. Closed-toe shoes are always a wise choice, and in the fall it is worth watching the forecast and keeping an extra set of layers in the car. The farm’s website and social media stay current on weather changes and daily activities.
Dogs are welcome this fall everywhere except the Produce Market and inside the Valleyville Play area. They are not permitted in the strawberry field in spring.
At a Glance
- Business: Valley Fruits & Veggies, 6100 Locust Road, Bath
- Owners: Chris and Deb Colitas, married 25 years
- How it grew: 8.5 acres at Weaversville Road and Colony Drive in Bethlehem starting in 2015, then 46 acres off Airport Road bought two years ago to keep it farmland. 55 acres across three properties today
- Season: Open every day from late May through Nov. 1
- Fall Fest hours: Weekdays noon to 6 p.m., weekends 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. In October every activity opens Friday at noon
- Admission: Pay as you go. $20 Bonus Wristband for ages 12 and under, $35 Fall Farm Fun Pass for the whole season, corn maze $8 for ages 4 and up and free for 3 and under
- The maze: Five acres, 2.5 miles of path, 16 checkpoints, about 90 minutes to find them all, in partnership with Pennie.com
- Known for: Strawberry milkshakes, apple cider donuts baked fresh daily, pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread from Deb’s mother’s recipes, soft serve from Galliker’s Dairy
- The next generation: Nico Colitas, incoming farm manager; Calli Colitas Maldonado, social media and design; Aemelia Heitzenrater, design and team management
- Giving back: Extra produce goes to food pantries through the nonprofit iHave iNeed
- Dogs: Welcome in the fall everywhere except the Produce Market and inside Valleyville Play. Not permitted in the strawberry field in spring
- Contact: 484-212-1417
- Online: valleyfruitsandveggies.com
