Gooserock Farm, located in Montville, NJ, sits on the shores of Gooserock Pond, a haven for all kinds of wildlife, including Canada geese who in some years nest on the large rock in the middle of the pond. Visitors are welcome to visit the Honey House, where honey and other farm products are offered for sale. Unfortunately, we do not offer farm tours as we are kept busy way beyond normal working hours just caring for the bees and making our honey and beeswax products.
Family-Owned and Run
The farm is run by Master Beekeeper Landi Simone, who maintains apiaries (bee yards) here and at various locations in the Montville-Boonton area of Morris County. Husband Paul, owner of Vienna Piano Company of Hackettstown, NJ, sometimes helps move bees, and lends woodworking/finishing expertise. Daughter Kira, now in college, but a past NJ Honey Princess, provides honey tasting services between studying to be sure our products remain top quality! And son Adrian - always willing to lend a hand with anything that needs doing, if he's home - helps keep his family and the rest of the country secure by serving in the US Marine Corps.
Over the years, the farm has enjoyed help from non-family members who have become like family to us. Ryan Smith and Cody Nelson are great young beekeepers who have provided seasonal help with the bees. And Lucille Kudelko is Landi's Right Hand Gal not only in making honey products, cosmetics, doing farmer's markets, but also in working the bees as needed. Patty Gamsby not only provides a home for our largest honey production apiary at the Bjorn-Lass Kennels in Pine Brook, but also helps at craft fairs and pouring honey as needed.
Our Products
We produce raw, minimally filtered local NJ honey, using the most natural means possible. If a colony needs treatment for mites, we use formic acid, an organic acid which occurs naturally in honey or thymol, the essential oil of thyme. Most years no treatment is needed because we also raise our own queens from the Minnesota hygienic line of varroa and AFB-resistant bees.
The beeswax we harvest from our colonies goes to make fine hand-crafted creams, soaps, lip balms, candles and other crafts. Gooserock Farm has taken countless prizes for its honey, candles and cosmetics in local, state, and regional shows.
Many of our regular customers take our local honey for allergies. We make no health claims but many people feel local honey, especially raw unfiltered honey is helpful with seasonal allergies. And it sure tastes great!
Apiaries
We currently maintain about 80 to 100 colonies of honey bees in nine apiaries in the Pine Brook, Towaco, Montville and Boonton Township area of Morris County, New Jersey. Landi is an active member of the New Jersey Beekeepers Association. She is past president of the Essex County Beekeepers Society and first vice president of the state association.
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