Growing Rice in New Jersey: The Story of Blue Moon Acres

There are few dishes more universal than a bowl of rice. It seems so simple and so common, but often, this unassuming ingredient holds a rich story about agriculture, history, and flavor. 

This is certainly the case with the rice from Blue Moon Acres, a farm in Pennington, New Jersey, that is run by Jim and Kathy Lyons and has been an essential part of the Eleven Madison Park family for over a decade.  

Jim and Kathy started their careers in the world of natural foods and wholesaling, before opening an independent farm where they could deepen their commitment to sustainability. Their first operation debuted in 1992. A true mom-and-pop, the first iteration of Blue Moon Acres quickly attracted the attention of some of the city’s most exacting restaurants. By 2007, demand had become so overwhelming that Jim and Kathy were able to launch the 63-acre Pennington property. 

From herbs and lettuces to fingerlings and gingers, Jim grows a range of prized ingredients. He is a student of Japanese and Amish farming practices, and an expert in regenerative agriculture. But his greatest passion is for rice. He began growing Ukrainian grains in his back garden decades ago, after his friend gave him the variety as a gift. And for the past 15 years, on idyllic, certified organic land, Jim has experimented with a range of cultivation methods.  

Driven by a deep concern for the way our consumption affects the planet, Jim advocates for the use of microbiology to create the most optimal and environmentally friendly approach to growing, one which yields compost to naturally enhance the soil. Blue Moon Acres is entirely solar-powered and harnesses biodiesel equipment, geothermal heating, and cooling techniques to increase the level of flavor and nutrients in our food, all while taking care of the earth.  

After years experimenting with nearly fifty different types of rice, including rare heritage varieties, Blue Moon Acres has honed in on five key grains: short-grain polished sushi rice; medium-grain polished; long-grain polished; Maritelli; and black rice. The rice is field-grown, a carefully-considered deviation from the more common “reduced environment” rice paddy approach, because Jim argues that the latter yields grains high in carcinogens, and adds methane to the atmosphere. 

Every year, we eagerly await the fruits of this labor: the rice is planted by hand in April, transplanted to the field in May, and harvested until October. The grains are processed on the farm the moment they are picked, milled fresh to order every week, before being packed in hermetically-sealed bags to prevent the potentially deleterious effects of oxygen. Given the intimate size of the operation and Jim’s unerring standards, yields are quite small; this is an ingredient to be cherished. We consider it to be among the finest luxuries available to us.  

It’s worth pausing for a moment to remind everyone that this stunning rice comes not from the fields of Japan but from a humble farm we can visit just by crossing the George Washington Bridge.  

We treasure having a product we can always trust, and we are extremely lucky to collaborate with those who, like Jim and Kathy, believe that plant-based eating has transformative potential. We’re grateful for the lessons Jim continues to teach us and look forward to sharing more of his extraordinarily delicious work with you in the future.