Locally Grown - Availability for June 19th, 2013l

Hey Local Food Lovers,

I know it’s very late to be sending out the Locally Grown announcement, but this may very well be one of the busiest times of my life (I sure hope so) and I decided to turn my brain off last night until I could write a decent summary of this weekend’s amazing FARM TOUR!

I’m so thankful to the nearly 200 or more people who came out over the weekend to see what has been accomplished with Local Foods over the last 4 years or so. I can’t think of another weekend of the year that we should feel prouder of the incredible effort of so many farmers all throughout our region. Not only does this event celebrate the individual efforts of each farm, it also demonstrates the benefits of our collective efforts. Farmers throughout a 6-8 county area have only been getting together and collaborating en masse for the last couple of years and it’s really paying off. In fact, the farm tour may arguably be on its way to becoming one of the best known, best attended local food events certainly in the region if not in the state. We all commented that based on the success of the first two years we expect it to continue to grow each year.

Ok, enough about the big picture. I want to talk about the incredible experience that I had over the weekend. The other tour organizer Maggie and a very talented video photographer Andrew drove around both days to experience the tour for ourselves and catch up with our many friends who were featured.

Saturday we started at Steve Whiteman’s Trillium Farms. As soon as we arrived I was able to start off by purchasing a delicious muffin made by Kristen Costley while we waited for the tour to start. I wrote about Steve and his farming innovations extensively for my dissertation (just completed on Friday) and there’s no question that he’s one of the most innovative farmers in our region. In addition to the cob furnace, basement growing, and constructed greenhouses that he uses to grow microgreens it was amazing to see his advancements in greenhouse design and construction. His version of a Haygrove tunnel is to be admired for its understanding of how heat and air and moisture move and how they influence plant growth. Steve understands plants and nature, and natural cycles better than most of us ever will because he’s interacting with them everyday of his life. And it’s too our benefit. His microgreens are amongst the best foods I’ve ever eaten. If you haven’t tried them you need to go find him at the Clarkesville Farmers Market on Saturdays at the Old Clarkesville Mill (as he doesn’t sell on Locally Grown).

Next stop was LoganBerry Farms. Sharon Mauney has one of the most dramatically beautiful farms you will ever see. And she’s brilliant at showing you how to eat the foods that she grows with taste tests and recipes that help those of us challenged with what to do with a garlic scape amongst others. She started the day by explaining her compost tea brewer which is one of the central ways that she increases soil fertility, controls for disease and increases plant vigor. It’s an amazing practice and one that I expect will become common by many sustainable farmers in the years ahead. Next we piled on a tractor bed for a hay ride around the farm. Sharon works to make every area of her farm function holistically and you can see that in her attention to the in-between areas (between her crops that is) where she plants trees, and retains or releases water where it can have the greatest benefit. Before leaving we all topped off our water bottles with her incredible herb infused ice water that she puts out for all her guests. An incredibly hospitable, genteel, southern hostess with the work ethic of ten old-time farmers put together. An impressive lady and an impressive farm.

Our final stop on Saturday was to Scott Hancock’s Nacoochee Valley Farm right on the Chattahoochee River and taking advantage of the incredible bottomland soils. Scott is one of the few farms in the whole region that is re-building the nearly lost art of horse farming. With over 20 different horse drawn farm implements, Scott can demonstrate how we can get off our our reliance on fossil fuels while caring for the land. He’s one of the largest producers of pastured poultry EGGS in the region, and has an honor system stand that is open most of the year. Scott knows how to build things better, using the best materials, and the least energy. Rather than our reliance on creosote soaked wood for our houses, barns, etc., he has Amish friends that harvest Black Locust and other woods that will last just as long with no harmful effects to the soil, crops or animals. He uses wind power to pump his water, and horse power to work his land.

Sunday we started at the Old School Garden, which I have to admit beats the socks off our own Clarkesville Green Way Garden in the creativity department. Each garden has adorned their plots with things like wicker chairs, benches, umbrellas, little fake birds nestled in the bean posts, decorative plates, windmills, and other artistic items that give each plot a unique personality.

Next we were on to Sylvan Falls Mill which I can’t believe I haven’t visited since 2009. It was a long overdue visit and you won’t find a more beautiful grist mill in the Southeast….especially that grinds all organic grains and bakes them right on the site into delicious scones, breads, cakes, sticky buns, and more. The sound of water and the water wheel, and the white corn or flour that has floated onto each crevice of the mill room is just beautiful to behold. They also have an electric car charging station. It’s a sustainability mecca.

Next we headed to Chattooga Belle just over the border in SC. This may be the most stunning VISTA I’ve ever seen on a farm in our area. Blue Ridge mountains as far as you can see in both directions with fruit trees and vines all around you and grass fed beef just off in the distance. The look and feel of the place was spectacular, and the wine tasting was terrific.

Even though the day was over by then we still headed over to Gibson Farms to hang out with Leland. That was a great way to end the weekend as we all plopped down on the grass and talked about how far the local food movement has come in an incredibly short period of time.

The Local Food Movement is going to continue to grow and personally there’s nothing else on this bright blue/green ball of a planet that I’m more excited about. I’m even more excited about how it’s growing in our little region. Because of events like this our local farmers and our region as a whole is making a name for itself as an emerging Local Food System that is making a difference.

Huge thanks to all the farms that participated in this grand event (I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did) and for everyone who attended or talked it up. We’ll have a really amazing video for you soon, so even if you missed the event, you’ll have something that’ll make you want to attend next year.

If you weren’t able to make the event but you’d really like to support the farmers and the FARMERS network you can still purchase a really cool FARM TOUR t-shirt. All proceeds go towards helping the Network purchase a group insurance policy that will allow them to sell to the School System. I’ll try and post the shirts as an item on Locally Grown or you can just ask for them at Market on Wednesday.

And of course the best way to support and celebrate this local food movement throughout the year is to BUY LOCAL and ……..

EAT WELL,
Justin in Habersham
and
Chuck in Rabun