Farm tours are

almost ripe for

summer picking
By Scott Nicholson
nicholson@wataugademocrat.com

The annual High Country Farm Tour is one of the highlights of the agricultural growing season, and this year the stops cover a variety of specialty, organic and commercial operations.

The farm tour is hosted this year by Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture and takes place the weekend of Aug. 2 and 3, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Buttons will be sold in advance for $20 at selected locations, or sold at the participating farms for $25 during the event. Single-farm visits are $10 per car, per farm. Participants should wear confortable shoes and bring coolers in case they want to purchase produce, eggs, cheese, meat and other items. The tour is held rain or shine.

Watauga County stops include:

Appalachian State University's research farm,
Valle Crucis
Agroecology, organic production and research are the focus of the Goodnight Family Sustainable Development Program at ASU. The goal of the farm is to teach, research, and demonstrate small-scale, low-external-output farming practices for the sustainable production of safe, nutritious fruits and vegetables. The 2.5-acre reconstructed wetland has 20 species of native wetland birds and attracts a variety of wildlife that help with pest control. The ongoing research projects include alley cropping, no-till vegetable production, a hybrid passive solar greenhouse and non-chemical pest and disease control. Garlic and seasonal vegetables will be on sale.

Maverick Farms, Valle Crucis
Maverick Farms is a non-profit collaborative farm dedicated to education and the preservation of family farming as a community resource to reconnect local food networks. The collaborative farms include approximately three acres of specialty and heirloom vegetables and herbs, including beets, radishes, beans, peas, carrots, corn, tomatoes and squash. The farm sells at the Watauga County Farmers Market and to restaurants; they have a small Community Supported Agriculture program and offer an agritourism guesthouse.

Watauga River Farms, Valle Crucis
Charles Church is in his eighth season of organic vegetable production and has been a farmer for 55 years. He currently has 20 acres in organic vegetables and produces over 1,000 pounds of organic broccoli per week, in addition to organic tomatoes, potatoes, onions, garlic, lettuce and peppers. Production also includes 9 acres of tobacco, 60 acres of hay, hogs and cattle. Produce will be on sale during the tour.

Leola Community Garden, Boone
This community garden was deeded to the town of Boone, then sold to Walmart as green space, and is leased by the Leola Street Community Garden, an organization made up of garden-plot renters, volunteers and donors. The former parking lot has been converted into a series of productive beds and plots, a butterfly garden and a perennial herb patch. The guidelines for participating in the garden can be found at www.leolastreetgarden.org.

Moretz Mountain Orchard, Big Hill Road
This third-generation, high-density apple orchard usually produces over 90 varieties of apples, as well as small plantings of apricot, cherry, chesnuts, grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, sea berries, pawpaws and rare trees such as Paulownia and Gingko bilboa. Much of the orchard offers a view of the New River valley. Guided tours will be given on Sunday at 2 and 4 p.m. and self-guided tours are available any time on Aug. 2 or 3.

Other farm tour stops include Apple Hill Farm in the Matney community of Avery County; Rose Mountain Farm, Big Horse Creek Farm, Old Orchard Creek Farm, Honeysuckle Farm, Zydeco Moon Farm, Owl Feather Organic Farm and Vineyard, Rocking S Farm and The Berry Patch Farm in Ashe County; and Tumbling Shoals Farm in Wilkes County.

For more information on the High Country Farm Tour, call BRWIA program coordinator Angie Pate at (828) 406-2533.