Cold Beer on a Friday Night

Only one word can describe North Carolina: Beautiful!

As soon as we left Athens the roads started to wind more and each time we topped a hill our truck became an ascending roller coaster. Driving through Glenville it’s easy to see there’s not really a whole lot to the town, but we were headed much higher. Our final elevation is 4200 feet at a house nestled on top of the Big Ridge Mountain.

When we got to Glenville, we stopped by the soup kitchen in town, where Donna, our farm host, orchestrates a community dinner every Thursday night. She was in the middle of serving so we quickly introduced ourselves, grabbed our dinners to go, and headed to the house. At the house we met the other wwoofers who were staying there as well, and Donnas’ dogs Calvin and Sadie. After moving some things into our bedroom we got a quick tour of the garden. The farming area consists of about half an acre of various vegetables, spaced by dirt walking rows, with each plant hilled up around the base. From the latticed green beans growing in the back, to the many squashes and lanes of lettuce and kale, this garden really has everything.

 

Just past the garden the gravel road winds around the corner up to a small hill that is quite a steep climb, but so worth it. The hill seems to be nestled in the valley of several mountain ranges, creating a 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains. We’ve decided we’re going to make it a point to try and visit this hill everyday.

Friday we spent much of the day harvesting for market. Pretty much anything that was ready to harvest was picked and separated into various sized bags and baskets. We cleaned coolers, clipped sunflower greens, and spent the evening in a circle of rocking chairs surrounding a huge bucket of onions to be cleaned and bundled, all while sipping some local beer. Nothing like good brew and good company to bring in the weekend.

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Saturday morning we were up early packing tables, signs, and of course vegetables into the car and we were off to Highlands for our first farmers market. Once set up, we got to answer questions about different funny shaped foods, give prices, and chat with the locals. Much to our expectations, we loved working at the market.

Now we welcomed Sunday, our first real day off. We have been wanting to explore, but we decided to head into town first to find some internet access. Buck’s Café, located at the only intersection of Cashiers, was the perfect place to cozy up in a corner to get a few things done in the internet world. Buck’s had great coffee and eclectic atmosphere, but before long we were ready to be back in the great outdoors. We went to Whiteside Mountain, which, we were told, was a nice hike with great overlooks. Straddling the continental divide, Whiteside has various lookout points positioned on the east and west side overlooking the two major watersheds of the eastern United States. Both sources of water start out as small streams, but eventually these waters flow into the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Ocean.

 

 

Ready to start our farm week,

Ryan & Tonya