Press release here:
The 2010 Family Farm Tour will open 37 outstanding farms in six Western North Carolina counties to the public on June 26 and 27, from 1:00p.m. to 6:00p.m. Destinations on the tour range from century farms cultivated by the same family for generations, to certified organic farms, to urban gardens. Whether you want to learn who grows your food or get ideas for producing your own, go on an outdoor family activity or taste our area’s finest foods, you can plan a tour to suit your interests.
Here’s how it works: Get a farm tour map and button. One button admits everyone in your car. Gather your friends, choose the farms you want to visit, and plan a route. You can visit as many farms as you like over the weekend, and there are more than enough choices to fill a schedule for Saturday and Sunday.
Come with a cooler and your appetite. A variety of vegetables, fruits, meats, cheeses, and preserves will be available to sample or for sale. Crafts and plants will be offered as well.
Tour traditional farms, as well as innovative, new farms that are diversifying agriculture in the area. Observe livestock, spinning, cheese making, and cooking demonstrations. Make your own pizza in a wood fired oven, pick blueberries and raspberries, and eat a meal on a farm. Learn about practices such as rotational grazing, cover cropping, biodynamic methods, and seed saving, and farms protected by conservations easements. See hops, medicinal plants, and Christmas trees, as well as food crops.
Visit www.familyfarmtour.org for details on each farm, suggested routes, and listings of farms selling food, and to purchase admission. Buttons cost $25 plus $2 shipping at www.familyfarmtour.org, or see the website for stores and restaurants selling buttons for $25. One button admits everyone in your car. You may also purchase buttons at farms on the day of the tour for $30. If you only wish to visit one farm, pay $10 on-site. Or, support the Family Farm Tour and get free admission by volunteering. Sign up to volunteer at www.familyfarmtour.org.