JULY 30, 2009 ISSUE
High Country Farm Tour August 8 and 9
Good for Families, Farmers, Communities and the Environment
Interested in connecting the community to where its food comes from by introducing those who grow food to the community who cook and eat it, Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture (BRWIA) will sponsor this year’s High Country Farm Tour, planned for Saturday and Sunday, August 8 and 9, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. each day. The tour—which carries the slogan: “Good for you and your family, good for farmers and our communities, good for the environment”—takes place at participating farms throughout the High Country region.
BRWIA is a nonprofit organization of farmers, gardeners, businesses and individuals in the High Country committed to creating a food and farming system that celebrates producers and consumers of local food. BRWIA organized this year’s High County Farm Tour to celebrate the connection between community and farm.
Only two generations ago, most people grew up on farms and took part in food harvests on a regular basis. BRWIA believes it is time to re-establish the connection between consumers and farming and is looking forward to this year’s High Country Farm Tour as a community-building celebration linking those who grow and those who eat foods local to this region. This years’ tour promises to be a family-friendly event, both interesting and educational, and will provide ideas regarding not only connection of community and farm, but also about sustainable farming methods, healthy eating and the benefits of local food.
Tickets are available in the form of wristbands at a number of convenient locations. Wristbands cost $25 and allow a carload of visitors to visit any of the 16 participating farms. All proceeds from the tour go to Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture. Individual farms can be visited at a cost of $10 per farm.
For more information about the High Country Farm Tour and BRWIA, click to www.brwia.org.
For grower interviews and photos of the farms featured on the tour visit, click to www.highcountryfarmtour.blog.com.
Want To Go?
Date: Saturday and Sunday, August 8 and 9
Time: 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. each day
Location: Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany, Wilkes and Grayson counties
Cost: $25 per carload for all farms or $10 per farm
Local Wristband Vendors
-Ashe County Farmers’ Market, Backstreet in West Jefferson, Saturdays and Wednesdays from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
-Watauga County Farmers’ Market, Horn in the West in Boone, Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to noon, Wednesdays from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
-Bare Essentials Natural Market, 273 Boone Heights Drive, Boone, 828-262-5592
-Earth Fare, 178 West King Street, Boone, 828-263-8138
-Original Mast General Store in Valle Crucis, Highway 194, Valle Crucis, 828-963-6511
-Mast General Store in Downtown Boone, 630 West King Street, Boone, 828-262-0000
-Spin A Yarn, 207 Backstreet, West Jefferson, 336-846-7746
High Country Farm Tour Participating Farms
More than a dozen farms located all over the High County region, including farms in Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany, Wilkes and Grayson counties, are featured in the 2009 High Country Farm Tour.
Watauga County
-Apple Hill Farm, Apple Hill Road, Matney, 828-963-1662
-ASU Goodnight Family Sustainable Development Teaching and Research Farm, Dutch Creek Road, Valle Crucis, 828-262-7268
-Springhouse Farm, 433 Silverstone Road, Vilas, 828-297-2676
-Watauga River Farms, 2953 Highway 194, Valle Crucis, 828-297-3775/828-265-7279
Ashe County
-Big Horse Creek Farm, Old Apple Road, Lansing, 336-384-1134
-New River Winery, 163 Piney Creek Road Building B, Lansing, 336-384-1213
-Old Orchard Creek Farm, 410 Swansie Shepherd Road, Lansing, 336-384-2774
-Spin A Yarn, 207 Backstreet, West Jefferson, 336-846-7746
-Zydeco Moon Farm, 2220 Big Helton Road, Grassy Creek, 336-384-2546
Alleghany County
-Blue Ridge Farmers’ Market, 10436 Highway 21 South, Roaring Gap, 336-363-2583
-Crosscreek Farm, 2416 Nile Road, Sparta, 336-420-8064/336-363-2583
-Rocking S Farm, 567 Garvey Road, Piney Creek, 336-359-8324
Wilkes County
-Brushy Mountain Farm and Orchard, 7673 Highway 16 South, Moravian Falls, 336-838-8851
-Four Winds Berry Farm, 7493 Highway16 South, Moravian Falls
-Tumbling Shoals Farm, 841 Sand Ridge Road, Miller’s Creek, 336-452-2920
Grayson County
-River Ridge Land and Cattle Company, 3352 Battlefield Drive, Independence, Va., 276-768-9955
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