Know Your Farms Tour

Microfarm is built on the idea that much of what we consume can be raised even on the most pint-sized residential properties. It’s fun and rewarding for the urban homesteader to cleverly position raised beds to capture every second of sunlight that filters through giant oak trees or spills over the neighbor’s garage. It takes some getting used the first few times new organic gardeners walk right past the spinach and arugula in the produce isle. Backyard coops are popular, and while there’s certainly no limit to the ingenuity and creativity that can be invested in an urban chicken coop, there is a limit on the number of chickens that a city dweller can own.  A couple of dwarf goats might fly under the radar in a larger suburban lot, but a herd of alpacas over in Eastover might raise some eyebrows.

Simply put, even if we do have the space, most of us don’t have the time and energy to raise everything we consume in our backyard. Some things are better left to farmers. Sure it’s easy to yield all the mesclun mix you could ever want from a 4’x6’ raised bed in your backyard, but it’ll be hard to match those giant onions, cabbages, and Brussels sprouts grown on an area farm. You’ll have plenty of volunteers to harvest organic eggs from the backyard coop for the family’s Sunday breakfast, but few takers on butchering birds for Sunday dinner.

It’s our area farms that raise much of the meat, grain and produce that we consume, and on Sept. 27^th and 28^th 2014, you’ll have a chance to see first-hand how they create these products that we enjoy every day.

For anyone who wants to see working farms up close, The Charlotte area Know Your Farms Tour is the perfect  way to visit with 11 local farmers in their element, and see how everything from sorghum to sheep to strawberries is produced.  This will be the tour’s seventh event, and they’ve refined an enriching experience that gives participants a special opportunity to connect with people and places that produce the items they consume every day. Participating farms offer family friendly activities ranging from hay rides, live bluegrass, and cooking demos. Most have products for sale and food & drink offerings, and some will even allow kids to pet the animals. knowyourfarmstour.com