1st Annual Sandhillls Farm Tour

Do you like buying local? Do you enjoy visiting farms? If so be sure to take your family on the 2011 Sandhills Farm Tour! Local farms in Montgomery, Moore and Richmond counties are hosting their first annual farm tour Saturday July 23rd from 3-7 PM. This is a perfect family outing where you can tour the farms, sample great locally grown food, and have a day of excitement!

Each farm has a specialty whether it is with local food or providing outdoor sports. Some of the farms will have cooking demonstrations and family fun activities. If you are interested in attending tickets are only $10.00 per car before July 22nd! Tickets can be purchased from Montgomery Cooperative Extension office or you can purchase tickets at the farm site the day of for $15.00 per car (giving you access to all farms). 

The list of participating

farms:

Clayton Orchard 

289 Research Farm Rd. 

Candor, NC 27229 

Dewitt’s Game Farm & Dewitt’s Outdoor Sports 

443 Jimmy Carriker Rd 

Ellerbe, NC 28338 

Hilltop Angus Farm 

1708 Pee Dee Rd. 

Mt. Gilead, NC 27306

Hope Farms 

117 NC Hwy 731 E 

Mt. Gilead, NC 27306 

Shadow Hill Farm & Kennel 

1723 Belford Church Rd. 

Jackson Springs, NC 27281 

Triple L Farms 

2205 Derby Rd. 

Ellerbe, NC 28338 

Vang Farms 

189 Beaman Rd. 

Troy, NC 27371

For more info or to purchase tickets come by the: 

NC Cooperative Extension 

203 W. Main Street, Troy NC 27371 

(910) 576-6011

Come see us!

speechless sunday

Notice how she always has one ear on me all the time?  She's listening, even though I'm not saying anything.  

a rug of many colors

Molly Alexi of the NC Cooperative Extension holds my pink basket liner rag rug~would be cute in a baby girls room, yes?

Blueberries & Cream (near) and Sunflower (far).  

I love the different hues of blues together.

They make great conversation pieces....I make them and put them on the table at the Farmers' Market, offered up for sale.  I try to take photographs of them before they go to new homes....

Imagine, something plain and boring and folded up on a shelf - turned into something colorful, useful and beautiful.

And they're comfortable to stand on - like comfort food for the feet.

I'm grateful to my Mom for teaching me how to make them.

Handmade by me, Farmhousewife, especially for you, with love.

Thoughtful Tuesday

As I sat on a picnic bench 20 feet away from these gentleman farmers I couldn't help but stare.

I know it's not polite, but they were all so interesting looking, and not at all aware of me and my camera.

I suppose they made me think of my "Papa" - my great grandfather and his son, my Grandpa, and how my time with them was precious.  If only they could see me now.  They'd be proud.

Wednesday morning - the good old boys get together and shoot the breeze; an old timey conversation and some coffee.

Not much of that goes on anymore - we've all become busier, faster, "go-go-go" and for that alone I suppose it is why I sat still and absorbed them.  They were content to just sit and talk.  Not one had to "go to a meeting," or "get to work," or rush home to watch the news.  

speechless sunday

More fun than a basket of......squash?

So it's that time of year again; the farmers' markets in the area are in full swing bringing to the people the local goods that we all want without it having traveled 1793 miles to get to us.

There are two farmers that live close to us raising a fair variety of produce - namely cabbage, zucchini, yellow squash, potatoes, and candy onions.  I've been bringing a small amount of it to market with me as people have been asking for produce, and well, we want to please the people.  The farmers have been so busy irrigating and cultivating they've not had time to actually come to the market, so we help them out and by doing so, help you out by providing locally grown, fresh and wholesome produce.

Last week was busy - three markets, in-laws visiting from CO, AR and NJ and trying to fit in there somewhere was six hours of a Math class and a few hours worth of an English class.

That's us by the way, in the photograph above, the humans of Hope Farms;  we're just like everyone else.  We have dreams, trials, good days, bad days and in between all of that, we're working hard to make sure that what we do is better than just "good enough" and that what we bring to market is of the highest quality, produced with integrity and pride.  And best of all;  it is LOCAL.

In other news, we learned today that we are now officially Piedmont Grown Certified, which means:

"The Piedmont Grown logo is displayed with farm products grown, raised, or made in the North Carolina Piedmont. When you see the Piedmont Grown logo, you know you’re buying fresher foods that support local farms, strengthen the local economy, preserve rural culture, and protect the natural beauty of the Piedmont Region."

So now when you see this logo - think local, think fresh and think:  Hope Farms.

p.s. come see us at the Montgomery County Farmers' Markets 

Town of Star - Tuesdays 2:30pm - 6pm 454 S Main St @ "the pink  house"

Town of Troy - Thursdays 3pm - 6pm 417 N Main St @ the CashPoints ATM parking lot

speechless sunday

Simply Eggs