Support Local Farms
I dashed to Chapel Hill to meet a friend for the farm tour Sunday afternoon. Even though we just made it to three farms, I learned an incredible amount about where my food comes from by talking directly to the farmers.
Chapel Hill Creamery – our first stop.
We walked down a dusty road past pastures of dry cows (not lactating), milking cows and young Jersey calves. They even had a few two week old calves, which were adorable. Groups were led through the small milking facility and we peeked into the cheesemaking room. I didn’t realize the variety of cheeses they made. Whole Foods only sells a small selection, but the Carrboro farmer’s market sells them all—Mozzarella, raw milk cheese, camembert, farmer’s cheese, hickory grove, feta. They even sell fresh yogurt, which is perfect for making strawberry ice cream this time of year. At the end of the tour, they had cheeses and fruit smoothies for sale. I bought the feta and ate it on everything until it ran out later that week.
A small family owned farm located down the road from the creamery. Known as ‘Farmer John’ at the Carrboro farmer’s market, John was a delight to listen to as we walked through his strawberry fields around the pig pen and greenhouse to his shitake mushroom forest. Shitake mushrooms are his bread and butter. He showed us how he drills holes into logs and pumps them full of mycellium and sawdust, plugging them with wax. He has hundreds of the stacks of logs in shaded areas behind his house. John sA couple on the tour were subscribers to his CSA and love it. They said his mushrooms are amazing, but you must get to the market early because they sell out fast. Hopefully I can get my hands on some this season.
A husband and wife team with a few other employees run this farm. They grow a large variety of vegetables, flowers, herbs and their own eggs. The most beautiful chickens roam their yard and vegetable plots to help fertilize, control weeds and eat bugs. These hens lay some of the best eggs I’ve ever tasted. They recently used pigs to turn a bad patch of land into a rich nutritious bed for planting more vegetables. Cover crops are also used to protect the vegetables from wind damage or pests while keeping the soil rich. She showed us how they use an old washing machine as a giant salad spinner when washing greens to take to the market. I left with a carton of eggs and a head of red leaf lettuce picked just that morning.
Both Eco and Perrywinkle farms are not certified organic. Perrywinkle Farms was years ago, but both farms have decided not to pay the $900 yearly fee (they say it keeps increasing). Both farmers said they would rather educate their consumers about their organic practices instead of slapping an organic sticker on it. It was apparent after visiting all three farms that they each deeply care about the process. They want something better than the industrial process so they’ve taken matters into their own hands. And they aren’t looking back.
Don’t miss the next farm tour!
My favorite summer sandwich is Chapel Hill Creamery’s Pheta and sliced fresh peaches with good olive oil on ciabatta.