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Polyface Farm, Swoope, VAThis is the farm of the Salatin family and my hero Joel Salatin. The drive through the Virginia countryside out to the farm is just beautiful. There is a great farm store there where you can buy Polyface products, beef, pork and chicken. Also, Joel is the author of quite a few really good books that you can get there. The are also online. I sure do like the way Joel tells a story, and believe it or not, they are all true!! I'm looking forward to going back to Polyface Farm to get my hands dirty and do some work.
http://www.polyfacefarms.com/  |
Full Moon Farms Co-op, Athens, GAA nice farm to visit, the farmer also has a restaurant in Athens. Jason Mann is the farmer and was so great to me and my family when I visited there. The farms I like the best are the ones that let me work! http://fullmooncoop.org/
http://www.farm255.com/ |
Hostel in the Forest, Brunswick, GAThis isn't a farm but they do have some great organic gardens that I had the opportunity to work in on a regular basis. One of my favorite things was going out and picking greens and lettuces before a meal there!
http://www.foresthostel.com/ |
Red Wolf Ranch, Grass Valley, CA
I loved getting to go to this farm while in Grass Valley, California to speak at the Nevada County Grown Sustainable Food and Farm Conference. It was fun meeting everyone there and getting to ride this awesome horse, Cowboy.
It seems like wherever I travel and speak about our food system that there are people out there who think and feel the exact same way as I do. That right there gives me a great deal of hope!
It seems like wherever I travel and speak about our food system that there are people out there who think and feel the exact same way as I do. That right there gives me a great deal of hope!
Italian Farm Experience - Acquaviva Agriturismo
Going to Italy was amazing. I loved this farm, learning to prune olive trees was a totally new experience. I got my first hand at some carpentry work by helping to build a mobile chicken coop. Also it was great putting in the spring garden. The family we stayed with was so nice and made my Mom and I feel just like family. I worked really hard to learn Italian so I could talk to their two little boys ages, 4 & 6. Every farm I visit has something special about it that I love, the view here was amazing. Not only that, this is a holiday farm where anyone can go visit and stay. If you are going to Italy I would definitely recommend that you put Acquaviva on your plans!! http://www.agriviva.it/
Traders Point Creamery - Zionsville, IN
Visited the first organic farm in Indiana! Had lunch at The Loft, experienced the GREEN MARKET, met the cows, had a great talk with farmer Michael Bales, ate awesome icecream, enjoyed seeing a really great operation. The best part is they sell their products in stores, as a matter of fact, I had already tasted their wild berry yogurt before AND it comes in glass containers NOT plastic!
Big City Farms, Indianapolis, IN
Had a nice chat with Matthew Jose of this slow food enterprise in the heart of the city of INDY!
Matthew is taking urban farming to a whole new level by taking run down empty lots and turning
them into food production. Big City Farms Indy has a great CSA program and I really love seeing
food being grown anywhere and everywhere. Check out the website and if you live in Indy in the city
find out how to get your CSA share pronto!
Matthew is taking urban farming to a whole new level by taking run down empty lots and turning
them into food production. Big City Farms Indy has a great CSA program and I really love seeing
food being grown anywhere and everywhere. Check out the website and if you live in Indy in the city
find out how to get your CSA share pronto!
Wishard Slow Food Garden Indianapolis, IN
I was fortunate enough to meet and work with Laura of the Wishard slow food gardens in Indianapolis. Laura and her volunteer crew are really making a difference by providing urban food growing examples in Indianapolis. Everyone has the ability to get involved with what their eating and where it is coming from. The Saturday morning I spent with Laura and her adorable dog named "Maybe" was great and I loved all of the people who stopped by and asked what we were up to! http://www.growingplacesindy.org
Growing Power Milwaukee, WI
Wow! That's all I can say! Anyone who has the chance to visit this operation should just do it! I was stuck like glue to the urban farmer who led the tour - even better it is a snacking tour where you get to taste pea shoots, sunflower shoots, watercress, nasturtiums and more. Seeing the amount of nutrient dense food that is produced on this 2 acre plot is really mind blowing. Worms, fish, goats, chickens, bees, composting, whew! the list goes on! Not only that, I got to meet Will Allen the founder of Growing Power, what an honor! The farm store sells greens, seeds, worm castings and more - I have to tell you I bought a little bit of everything while I was there!
Turner Organic Farm, Cincinnati, OH
I know I say this about every farm I visit but this is a must see non-profit farm! Everything is so intentional and beautful big kudos to all the folks who work hard to keep this place going!! We bought some super delicious greens from them too! Seriously we saw lambs frolicking on the pasture! http://www.turnerfarm.org/
Cruze Farm, Knoxville, TN
Now for me, being an East Tennessee boy this is as local as it gets! I have been to Cruze Farm a few times and Mr. Cruze and the Cruze Farm Girls are always real nice. They have some great milk and the ice cream, well that is in a whole league of its own! I usually go visit with my Grandaddy and we visit the Cruze Farm girls almost every Saturday at the Market Square Farmer's Market in downtown Knoxville, TN. They have a Dairy Bar where they serve icecream, the BEST shakes ever, and other great food like Cruze Farm buttermilk biscuits, pancakes and more. Another great farm keeping it local and yummy!
Salamander Springs Farm - Berea, KY
Susana Lein of Susana's Organics is a no till permaculture farm in the Appalachian mountains. I first met Susana at the Biodynamic Confrerence at Long Hungry Creek farm. I visited Susana while the film crew from "Choice Point" was in the US. Her farm is amazing. She produces popcorn, black beans, pinto beans, herbal salves and a variety of vegetables. Susana has built a passive solar house and has composting toilets, solar shower, fruit and nut trees. I hope to go back to Susana's farm and learn more from her. You can order her products on line from Local Harvest. org .
Enota Organic Farm - Hiawassee, GA
Enota is a retreat center, campground and farm. They have a variety of farm animals including Elsie the Cow, goats, sheep, rabbits, chickens and turkeys. The animal manure is used for composting and fertilizer for the certified organic garden. Farm tours are given daily where people can experience milking the cow, help with the feeding of the animals and even gather eggs from the chickens. There are mountain streams running all through the property. The farm also grows all kinds of vegetables and has recently put in some fruit trees and berry bushes.
Rancho Alegre Farm - Dacula, GA
Rancho Alegre Farm has a variety of farm animals, goats, cows and chickens. All of the animals are on pasture and they milk their cows and goats. They have a greenhouse and some raised bed gardens. They also have a nice outdoor kitchen area where they have workshops and classes. Kids can have a farm experience birthday party there too. They have a nice indoor pavilion for meetings or other events. They sell their raw cow and goat milk for 'pet food' and have a neat little store where you can get eggs, milk and other nutritous straight from the farm food. The farm isn't too far from Atlanta, GA and Pilar the farmer there is really nice.
Beardsley Community Farm - Knoxville, TN
Beardsley Community Farm is located on the grounds of a former middle school in an urban area of Knoxville, TN. They grow almost 4,000 lbs of fruit and veg on less than 2 acres! All of the food grown there is donated to local food banks and a women's shelter. They also have bees and they sell the honey to help pay for the farm. They have a greenhouse, worm composting, regular composting and more. The farm is a non-profit organization and relies on donations, grants and volunteers. The day that I visited I participated in a seed swap with other people from throughout the Knoxville community! I really like what they do at the farm and I look forward to going back. The best part is they have a lot of educational signs and the staff there is very informative.
Imani Farm - Black Mountain, NC
Imani Farm is located at Earthaven Ecovillage. Nestled deep in the mountains the village consists of several neighborhoods with natural buildings and alternative energy sources including solar and hydro. The farm is beautiful with green pastures, and really healthy animals. They were just getting the gardens started for the year but we also saw Red Moon Herbs, so a lot of perennial herbs were growing as we walked around, I noticed yarrow and comfrey in particular. I met L.C. the jersey cow where they get their milk and held a chicken! Our tour was guided by Debbie a resident of the Village Terraces neighborhood, she is also partner with Useful Plants Nursery where they grow edible and medicinal plants only for forest gardens and permaculture.
Green Toe Ground Farm - Burnsville, NC
Green Toe Ground Farm is located near the Celo Community right by the South Toe River and the Pisgah National Forest. It is a biodynamic farm, they have a small CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program and actively sell at local markets. Biodynamic farms are biodiverse, they work with the plants, animals, soil and people. Green Toe Ground has Star, the horse, Gertie, the cow, Sheep (they had spring lambs while I was there!) chickens and pigs. The animals manure is very useful for building really great soil through composting. The soil was really amazing! Nicole, one of the farmers there pulled french breakfast radishes right out of the ground for us to eat! We spent the morning stirring biodynamic preparations and then helped to apply them to one of the fields. There are about 16 acres on the farm. You can really tell that this farm is in harmony with nature, if you live in Asheville, NC or have access to their produce you should definitely check them out!
Buchi Farm - Weaverville, NC
The Buchi Farm is home to the Buchi Kombucha Brewery and is located in Weaverville, NC. Kombucha is a fermented drink that is made with black tea and sugar. Buchi takes it a step further by adding some natural herbs that make it taste even better. Jeannine and Sara, the Buchi Mamas gave me and my family a tour of the brewery and we got to sample some cold Buchi - right out of the tap! They are committed to being a 'local' company. The farm and agriculture there is varied, with some field and terraced garden areas too. There are several different gardens, an orchard, ducks, and bees (I was fortunate enough to see a swarm while I was there!) The gardens and landscape at the Buchi Farm are very beautiful with stone paths and walkways all around the property. We ended our stay with a long hike to to top of the mountain where we sat on Onion Rock to enjoy a really nice view of the Appalachian Mountains. Moonlite, one of the residents of the Buchi Farm shared with me her garden which had kale growing like crazy! Moonlite also makes Moon Mother Truffles, which are raw and made from organic chocolate - lucky me! I got to taste several different kinds while I was there!
Uncle Matt's Organics - Clermont, FL
I have been a fan of Uncle Matt's Organic orange juice for a while, so when I was invited to Orlando for the Disney Kids and Nature Celebration I couldn't pass on the chance to drive down a couple of days early so I could visit the Uncle Matt's citrus grove. What I found was a family who is as passionate about organics and how we treat the soil, water, air and earth as I am. Matt McLean and his Dad, Benny McLean showed me and my family all around their groves. They picked valencia oranges right off the tree and we tasted them right in the grove! I also got to see where they are starting to grow peach trees and even experimenting with pomegranites! I got to ride around with Matt's Dad, Benny McLean - Wow! He is an inspiration to me as a future organic farmer, he showed me how they use tiny parasitic wasps for pest control in the groves, and how certain flowering plants aka weeds are left alone for food for the wasp. I really appreciate these organic farmers and companies who are working with nature for a brighter and healthier future for me. I believe in knowing your farmer and now I know the farmers who make the juice my Mom buys for me!
A Place of the Heart - Pioneer, TN
I first met Adrienne from A Place of the Heart farm in East Tennessee at the Biodynamic Conference held at Jeff Poppen's "The Barefoot Farmer" farm. I finally had the opportunity to visit A Place of the Heart Farm and I am so happy I did. First of all, this farm is beautiful, I was so impressed by the way the farm looks and I discovered it is one of the only biodynamic farms in East Tennessee. They have a wide variety of animals and crops. I look forward to going to the Market Square Farmer's Market so my Mom can buy good food from A Place of the Heart. They also help a lot of interns and WWOOFers learn about natural farming methods like organics and biodynamics and are a CNG-Certified Naturally Grown farm which means they follow NOGS-Natural Organic Standard but are certified through peer review (other farmers like them) instead of the more costly government sanction of organic certification which I have learned is difficult for small farmers due to the fees involved. Mac, Adrienne's husband showed me all around the farm and what they have accomplished over the years. I was real proud to get to spend time there and I look forward to getting to visit again soon.
Erin's Meadow Herb Farm - Clinton, TN
Wow! This place is just amazing! If you ever get the chance to visite Erin's Meadow Herb Farm you should go! Kathy Burke Milhalzco the owner has been stewarding this farm for 16 years (I think that is right!) now. The farm is not only a place of beauty that you can visit; her gardens and farm are a place where you can go for classes and information about how wonderful herbs are and how they can help your farm and garden. Actually she has invited me to speak and teach a class there in September of 2012 and I am certainly looking forward to that! When you arrive in the gravel parking lot there is a big red barn that has herbs and other plants all around, she has a whimsical iron bed with flowers in in (a flower bed - get it?!!) as you walk up the gravel path past the barn you'll see a variety of vegetables and herbs planted. The rainbow swiss chard stood out to me in particular because it is one of my favorites not only for how pretty it is when growing but I really like the taste and eating it too. When we visited, my mom and grandad bought a bunch of herbs and I got some to go in the herb garden and eventually my compost pile which I am learning helps with biodynamics. Yarrow, Valerian, Nettles, Chammomile, Comfrey are good to add to compost. Erin's Meadow grows and sells all of these herbs and many, many more. Not only do they have herbs but flowers and vegetables plants, I picked up a few more heirloom organic tomato plants during my visit too. Check their website for hours and plan a trip when they are open to the public, you will be glad you did - I know I was, it certainly gave me inspiration for my own farm someday to include public gardens, herbs, flowers and more into
Jem Farm - Rogersville, TN
I was fortunate enought to spend 5 days at Jem Farm with Elizabeth, John and Emma. I love how dedicated they are to producing really good food for people. They are the only certified organic pasture raised eggs and animal welfare approved eggs in East Tennessee. In fact my family has a breakfast CSA with them where we get a lb. of sausage and a dozen eggs every week from them. While I was there I helped to mulch a bunch of squash plants, staked up tomatoes and even got to drive the tractor! I enjoyed being immersed in farm life while I was there, although it was awfully hot! I would like to go back and have another round with these great farmers. The farm is beautiful and really reflects farmers who have a deep respect for their land. jemfarm@gmail.com or 423-921-7979
Gateway Farm - Earthaven Ecovillage - Black Mountain, NC
Gateway farm is a pasture based farm that is located at the entrance of Earthaven Ecovillage. Currently they have sheep for wool, lambs and goats for meat production. The farmer, Brian Love who also started the farm with Chris Farmer uses regenerative farming practices. The home and barn on the farm were all built with natural building techniques and materials from the farm land itself. I am pretty impressed at how these guys cleared this land and developed the pasture, it is gorgeous here and the flock looks healthy and happy!
Merle Meadows - Omro, Wisconsin
Merle Meadows is a small CSA farm in Omro, Wisconsin cared for pretty much by farmer Wendy Basel. I found her farm on localharvest.org while in Wisconsin visiting my Nana. Wendy was very welcoming when we contacted her about a visit, I found her small vegetable production to be thriving even during a drought. She lovingly cares for a wide variety of fruits, veggies and herbs and even had the chance to help her get some work done during my short visit (we composted her taters!) We talked a lot about organic practices, composting, biodiversity and the challenges of working a garden/farm without a lot of help. I was really grateful for the time I spent visiting her farm and I think the CSA supporters are really lucky to get to eat what comes from this farm.
Honey Creek Farm - Green Lake, Wisconsin
The second farm I visited in Wisconsin was Honey Creek Farm in Green Lake. I met with Mr. Jim Quick the farmer. Mr. Quick a retired corrections officer who has found his calling on the farm. He stewards his land and pasture with rotational grazing for his cows which are a Devon/Hereford mix. Even though a drought was going on his pasture management is doing pretty well. He also is raising a rare heritage breed of hogs called the American Mulefoot. His sow had 5 piglets when I visited, I got a big kick out of the piglets and their antics! Mr. Quick is pretty passionate about garlic too, he grows about 18 varieties and leeks too.
Boerson Farm - Princeton, WI
I was so excited to get the chance to visit Boerson Farm because they have draft horses and well I love draft horses! They are such big and beautiful animals. Danielle one of the farmers greeted us with their son who had a frog to show us. You know more kids should be outside on farms walking around holding frogs, right? This farm is very bio-diverse which is how I would like my farm to be too. There are cows, even a Scottish Highland which is a really furry cow that I like; also pigs and a good size vegetable CSA/ Some of their CSA members do work exchange and on the day I visited were their helping out. Danielle said that it really helped them a lot. Matt, Danielle's husband and farmer was pretty busy but he did take the time out to say hello and goodbye. It would be great to really work with him someday especially because he's the one who plows with the draft horses. I helped to pick paparika peppers on the day I visited for the CSA boxes. My parents bought some of their salami made from their pastured pork. Danielle and Matt have 2 little boys and I was super excited to gift a copy of my book to them. It just really makes me happy to find more and more farms like this one who are making a difference. These folks are true heroes in my eyes.
Rise Up Rooted Farm & River Camp - Black Mountain, NC
I have thoroughly been enjoying learning from farmer Tom Brody at this farm in the mountains of NC. Located right on the Broad River, Tom and Michelle grow a variety of micro greens and salad greens for restaurants without harmful chemicals. In addition, my family and I have gone in with Tom to raise some laying hens and some broilers (the chicks will be coming soon!) I am testing out my skills here at this farm learning everything from carpentry to succession planting, starting from seed and harvesting. Folks can even come to this farm and camp on the banks of the Broad River in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. Tom grows some real fine collards, kale and swiss chard...anyone who knows me - knows how much I love my dark leafy greens!
