Farm Update

It's been a busy week on the farm.  We knew this first year was going to be a learning experience and we've already learned a lot.  I've been doing some research this week on no-till gardening and I am excited to conduct some experiments next year.

I don't know if you've noticed, but we have had a significant amount of rain this year.  At the beginning of the year, I had some mechanical issues with the tiller and we got behind on weed control.  Then the rains started and, you guessed it, we got behind on weed control.  And it has been so wet, we haven't been able to use the tiller.  In fact, there have been several days that we couldn't even step foot in the garden.  I'm hoping that the no-till experiment works and will help us in this area.

Yesterday, I picked some blackberries.  I'm not sure if it's due to the rain or something else, but the blackberries are pretty small.  We haven't had any luck selling them to produce stands, so we are just putting them in our own freezer.  If you would like some, send me an email and I'll see what I can do.

We also have lots of kale.  I'd never really heard of kale before about a year ago and I certainly had never eaten any, but I have to say that it is good.  I have used it in salad, as well as on sandwiches as a lettuce substitute.  And of course, Stephanie has cooked it like other greens and that's very good as well.  She sautés some garlic and onions in olive oil and then adds the kale.  Some people boil theirs first, but the way she cooks it, it has a little bit different texture that I like.  Again, let me know if you want any kale.  If you want to just try Stephanie's recipe, stop by any night around supper time. 

Our tomatoes are starting to turn, so stay tuned and I'll keep you posted.

-Don

Happy Fourth of July!

We, here at Davis Ridge Farm, hope you have the opportunity to spend time with your family today and celebrate our country and our freedom.  

In our family, everybody has a tractor.

Our family kicked the day off with a parade in Mountain Park.  Of course, even loading up was an adventure.  We had two tractors that required some coercion to get them cranked.  So instead of thirty minutes to load, it took an hour and a half.

We finally got to Mountain Park and enjoyed the parade.  The kids love that parade because it's a pretty long route and they feel like the big cheese when they get to ride on the road.

Again, we hope you have a Happy Fourth.  Please take a few minutes to reflect on what it means to be free.

Don

Welcome

Hi, welcome to Davis Ridge Farm.  We are a small farm in northwest North Carolina.  We grow mostly vegetables, but who knows what we'll get into in the future.

My name is Don and I am married to Stephanie.  We have been growing a garden for ourselves for years, but last year I decided to make some lifestyle changes primarily with my diet.  Our church adopted a health initiative called "The Daniel Plan" that was started by Saddleback Church in California.  

Through watching the videos and reading the material, I not only had to start facing the truth that I have some pretty serious food issues, but that most of the food I had been eating is not good.  Most of what we eat is processed in one way or another and all that "artificiality" brings with it some health consequences.  In one of the videos I watched, Dr. Daniel Amen said, "You should eat food grown on a plant, not made in a plant".  Because of where we live, we didn't feel like we had access to a lot of the organic, naturally-grown food that was suggested in the plan.

Then we started learning about the local food movement and how it was just gaining momentum in our area with the county farmer's markets and an organization called Pilot Mountain Pride.

With our love for growing a garden and our search for healthier food, it seemed only natural to expand in order to meet the growing need for local food in our area.

We are just getting started and have learned a ton already, but we hope that you will join us on our journey.  In this blog, we will share what we are learning, what is happening here on the farm, and what we have available and where you can get it.

We welcome your comments and don't forget to like our facebook page.