Allan Schanbacher (left) and Chris Gangi (right)
An effective motivator can present itself in many forms. For Chris Gangi, it arrived via pink slip from his employer, Rodale Inc. At the time, he was serving as creative director for the company’s Organic Life magazine—his second stretch with the company. “It really was the kick in the pants that I needed,” he says. More than two years later, the benefits of hindsight make it easier for Gangi to muse about the silver lining to his dismissal. But, at the time, his sudden and unexpected unemployment threw a wrench into the plans he had laid out with his husband, Allan Schanbacher, and their fledgling seven-acre homestead in Slatington: Kreeky Tree Farm.
The pair had long toyed with the idea of putting down roots and taking charge of a farm of their own. Although neither grew up in a farming family, both formed connections with the land at a young age. Schanbacher says he learned to cook and can food from his grandmother while growing up in rural Oklahoma. He would go on to train at the French Culinary Institute in New York City. “I’ve always been a chef who’s been involved in farm-to-table,” he says. Schanbacher was also a chef who was in demand; he put his culinary wizardry to work alongside famed foodies like Eli Zabar and Alice Waters in Manhattan’s top restaurants.
Meanwhile, Gangi might be happiest when he’s up to his elbows in dirt. A northern New Jersey native, he’s been putting his green thumb to good use since he was a child. “I just got the bug and it never stopped,” he says. Gangi put his passion to work, making his mark on mastheads like Garden Design, Organic Gardening and Condé Nast Traveler.
It was around the year 2013 when the couple decided to give farming a go, and went on the hunt for property in the Lehigh Valley. They were already familiar with the area thanks to Gangi’s first stint with Rodale, which lasted from 1999 until 2004. “We knew the area, we liked the area,” says Schanbacher. “There’s a comfort level here,” adds Gangi. They were staying at a rental property in Kempton for a few brief months before they came across their future home in Slatington. “We just got settled there, and then we were packing again,” recalls Schanbacher. Moving hassles aside, the couple knew the property, tucked within a patch of woods near the base of the Blue Mountain, was both too good to pass up and also brimming with potential. There was a house and a garage, and not much more. “It was the perfect blank slate,” says Gangi. “I just saw the opportunities. It had the land we needed so we could expand.”
Once the property was theirs, Schanbacher and Gangi faced the daunting task of turning their new farm into a profitable operation. They freely admit that they didn’t exactly have a firm plan in place. “We weren’t going to push it, we weren’t going to jump through hoops,” says Schanbacher. “We thought, ‘Let’s just see what happens.’” One constant they were counting on was Gangi bringing home a steady paycheck from Rodale, while Schanbacher slowly got the wheels turning at Kreeky Tree, but then
Gangi was laid off in 2015. A setback, certainly, and yet the couple had already weathered worse storms, including storms in the all-too-literal sense that gave the farm its name. They recall enduring a number of wicked storms during their first winter at the farm, watching the trees sway and crack in the wind. Says Schanbacher: “We were watching the trees, saying, ‘Please don’t fall over. Please don’t fall over.’”
Even before he was laid off, Gangi was investing a lot of time in coaxing the land to be productive. “I’m in charge of the greenery, the fruit trees and the vegetables,” he explains. He aids the veggie-growing process by using raised beds packed with homemade compost to offset the clay, stones and other inhospitable materials found in the natural soil. His harvest has included dozens of varieties, everything from Yukon Gold potatoes to Jersey Knight asparagus to Sugar Baby watermelon, all completely organic.
Meanwhile, Schanbacher spends most of his day in the company of the farm’s four-legged and two-winged residents. “Allan is in charge of the chickens and goats,” explains Gangi. The couple’s first purchase as official farmers was six hens, which provided Kreeky Tree Farm with its first product to sell: fresh eggs. “People say, ‘When I have your eggs, it’s hard to go back to store-bought eggs,’” says Schanbacher. Next among the farm’s offerings would be meat birds. Schanbacher says shepherding a chicken from egg to dinner plate gives him a sense of satisfaction. “I enjoy the whole process,” he says. “We’re monitoring everything from start to finish,” adds Gangi.
Recently, the farm began offering Bresse chickens, named for a region in France from which they originate. “They’re supposed to be the tastiest chickens ever,” Schanbacher says. At the urging of their friends, who had sampled the birds during a vacation to France and could vouch for their deliciousness, the couple decided to bring the Bresse to Kreeky Tree. It took some digging until they located breeders who sold the birds in the United States, but Schanbacher and Gangi say they believe they’re the only farmers in the Lehigh Valley who offer the delicacy.
Beyond the chicken coop, Schanbacher says goats have always been on his wish list, preferring them to the sheep he grew up with in Oklahoma. “Goats just have more personality,” he says. That’s not to say Gangi doesn’t have a brood of his own, but he tends to favor animals that are more like pets than money-makers. “I call them the non-profits,” quips Schanbacher. There’s Rusty, a Belgian-mix horse who pals around with Duncan, a mini Shetland. Pearl, a rescue donkey, was another early addition, who, unbeknownst to her new owners, was pregnant when she joined the Kreeky Tree family. She found a new mate when Target, a French Poitou donkey, was adopted in April of 2017. A pair of peacocks is another recent adoption. Although these and other “non-profits” on the farm may not earn their keep through an output of milk or eggs, they have become an attraction for visitors. “People like the animals,” says Gangi. “They know when they get sick, when they have babies.”
And that hint of agritourism could be a key component for the future profitability of Kreeky Tree Farm, as Gangi and Schanbacher decide their next move. “We’re still trying to find our niche,” says Schanbacher. “We’re always asking, ‘What’s something that hasn’t been done?’” Everything they’ve tried so far has been an exercise in trial and error. Their homemade hot sauce was a big hit, but production is time-consuming, so they’re branching out with other products, like canned jams, homemade cheeses and dulce de leche made from goat milk. “We know the basics of what we want to do,” says Gangi. “But until we get the product out there, we don’t know what will sell. The ideas are changing. It’s still new.”
But cooking up new products to sell is only part of the equation; Gangi and Schanbacher want Kreeky Tree Farm to become a destination for those who want to learn the tricks of the trade. A series of open houses at the farm—dubbed “farm days”—drew a crowd last year, so the couple is planning more of those for 2018. And they’re hoping to put their recently constructed production barn—complete with a professional kitchen—to good use, with cooking classes or how-to classes. “You contact us, we gear it toward what your needs are,” says Schanbacher—anything from butchering chickens to making basic doughs.
Make no mistake about it—just because the destination is still a little hazy doesn’t mean Kreeky Tree Farm’s proud proprietors aren’t enjoying the ride. “I can’t fathom going back to a desk job now,” Gangi says. Adds Schanbacher: “Did I always think I would be a farmer? No. Am I happy I’m a farmer? Yes.”
