One of my favorite things about putting together our Food & Drink Issue has been looking beyond what's on our plates and thinking more about how it gets there. And right here in our community, there's a place where children can gather eggs, tend a garden, explore a creek, and begin to understand something many of us rarely stop to consider: where our food actually comes from.
Stratford Ecological Center in Delaware is part working farm, part nature preserve and, perhaps most importantly, a 236-acre outdoor classroom. Its mission is to help children and adults understand the relationships between living things and their environment, building appreciation for the land and everything that depends on it.
That connection has been at the heart of Stratford from the beginning. The idea grew from Gale Warner's experience volunteering at an educational farm while attending Stanford University. She envisioned creating something similar on her grandfather's Delaware County land—a place where children could learn where food and fiber come from while reconnecting with the natural world. Stratford was incorporated in 1990, and its first schoolchildren arrived in 1993.
Today, that vision is alive in muddy boots, garden rows, and curious hands. Visitors can explore four miles of trails, meet livestock, wander through gardens and greenhouses, and discover prairie, forest, creek, pond, and wetlands. Here, agriculture and nature aren't separate subjects. They're part of the same living system—and visitors get to experience that connection for themselves.
For children especially, those lessons stick because they're experienced rather than simply explained. Through Farm School, field trips and seasonal programs, kids may care for animals, tend crops or explore native Ohio habitats.
“When children gather an egg or pull something from the garden, food suddenly has a story,” says Stratford Executive Director Erin Gliatta. “They understand there are people, animals and land behind what we eat.”
Learning happens with hands, senses, and curiosity engaged—and usually with a little dirt involved.
That hands-on philosophy extends well beyond school groups. Families can join Farm Chores and help feed animals, gather and wash eggs, or water the garden. Younger children can experience Story Time on the Farm, while seasonal programs invite visitors to explore everything from maple sugaring and wildflowers to gardening and food preservation.
The farm itself changes with the seasons, giving families a reason to return. Spring brings wildflowers, pollinators, and new life in the barn. Summer fills the fields with Farm Camp participants tending gardens and caring for animals. Fall revolves around harvest and discovery, while winter brings maple season and the chance to follow sap from tree to syrup.
And you don't need to enroll in a program to experience Stratford. During designated visiting hours, guests can hike four miles of trails, visit livestock, explore the gardens and greenhouses, and wander through the creek, pond, prairie, and wetlands of the State Nature Preserve. It's close enough for an afternoon adventure, yet feels worlds away from the shopping centers and subdivisions just a few miles south.
There's also a deeper lesson running through all of it—and one that connects beautifully with our FarmSource story in this issue. Buying locally brings us closer to the people producing our food. Stratford takes that connection one step further by helping us understand the land, work, and natural resources behind it.
“Food is the doorway, but the lesson is really about relationships,” says Gliatta. “Understanding our connection to the soil, farms and community makes us more likely to care for them.”
Stratford has been nurturing those connections for more than three decades. The private nonprofit receives no state or federal funding and is supported by donors and more than 250 active volunteers—a fitting model for a place built around stewardship and community.
Perhaps that's what makes Stratford such a gem for Central Ohio. It isn't simply a farm to visit or a preserve to hike. It's a place to slow down, get your hands a little dirty, and remember that the food on our tables begins somewhere—and that “somewhere” is worth knowing.
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Stratford Ecological Center is located at 3083 Liberty Road in Delaware, just north of Worthington. Visitors can explore four miles of nature trails, visit livestock, tour gardens and greenhouses, and discover the creek, pond, prairie, and wetlands within the State Nature Preserve.
Programming changes with the seasons and includes Farm School, family farm chores, story time, camps, field trips, and special experiences such as maple sugaring. Some programs require advance registration, and self-guided visiting hours may vary, so check the current schedule before heading out.
Stratford is a private nonprofit supported by program fees, donations, and volunteers.
Learn more, explore upcoming programs, and plan your visit at StratfordEcologicalCenter.org before making the trip.