Food, Fresh Air & Fun on the Farm

Recently, Cody and I, along with others, were extended an invitation to take a tour of the farm that we receive our weekly share of veggies from. Ever since we joined Creeksong Farm's CSA*, I have wanted to go for a visit and take pictures, but for whatever reason we were never able to work it out. Thankfully, they hosted an ‘open house’ for ALL of the members to enjoy. It ended up being a terrific opportunity to connect with where our food comes from, as well as with the other members!



It took place on a Sunday afternoon a few weekends ago and required a drive through the Ashe Country countryside—a place where I would love to settle down. Among the first to arrive, we were welcomed with warm smiles and friendly faces, along with a delicious spread of fingers foods and tasty beverages. The snacks were superb!! My favorite were the Dilly Beans....those things were delicious!!!



Soon after we settled in, other members began to arrive and joined in on the pow wow. Everyone quickly became better acquainted while waiting for the rest of the guests. Meanwhile, Jeff (The Chief), was preparing to lead the way to the first set of gardens where we saw zinnia’s, chard, broccoli, basil & a few other farm-fresh goodies that have made their way into my kitchen.



From there we got a nice look at the surrounding acres which consisted of rolling hills and plush pastures saturated with different shades of green. In total, they have 60 acres that they have been accumulating since 1979! What a spread, huh?!



With every ginger footstep I began to realize how much work has to be put into an operation such as this. Not that I didn’t know before, but seeing it from this angle offered a perspective I couldn’t have really appreciated otherwise. I am no farmer. In fact, I have a black thumb! But seeing what they accomplish with my own eyes makes me want to become better at it albeit on a smaller scale. I truly do appreciate all the hard work they have to do to ensure that we stay well fed. Clearly, it is not as easy as it may look--not that I ever thought it looked easy!



After seeing the first garden, the bunch made their way down the street in a parade-like fashion where we saw two more sizable plots. One was filled with golden squash, zucchini and corn while the other, requiring a bit of a climb, housed the infamous (green) onions, which we have grown to love :D.



Following the slope of the hillside put us in a great position to survey an overview of the homestead below where we spent a fair amount of time admiring the landscape before hiking back down through the hollow. For some, though, the fun was just beginning. The kiddies got to go on what seemed to be a thrilling tractor ride around the valley!



I, on the other hand, went back to the snack table to polish off, I mean sample, a teeny bit more yummy goodness before saying our last farewells. I can’t tell you how thrilled and relieved I was that the rain held off so that we could finally visit their little slice of heaven. I felt so at home out in the country. It was a fantastic way to spend the day!

*You may remember a guest post graciously crafted by Cody regarding the benefits of joining a CSA back in January. If you missed it or are not aware of what a CSA is, I strongly encourage you to revisit that post: Fresher Food for Less.

Ashe County Disc Golf Course

I've played with Cody and one of his friends before when we were visiting Atlanta.
That course was very different from the one in Ashe County.
The objective, for those who are not up to speed, is to launch a frisbee-like disc toward a goal.
See photo below of Cody hurling his disc, oh and, he wants to make sure that I tell you he didn't hit the tree that it appears to be headed toward.

What you see below is one of the baskets.
The sound of chains clank when you've managed to score.
Now, like 'real' golf, the holes or baskets still have a par that you shoot for.
The averages for most were par 3, which by the way, I didn't come close to maintaining!
Good thing no one in our group was interested in keeping score anyhow.




The valley that the course was nestled in was simply beautiful, and very serene.
Even with a tournament going on.
Of all the days we could have ventured to the disc-golf course.....they were having a competition!
They basically told us that we could play as long as we stayed out of the pros way.
We slipped in behind a group after they blew the air horn.




We weren't rushing, but we wanted to stay a hole or two in front of the group behind us.
We did really well with staying out of everyone's way, until we reached hole 9.
Number 8 took us up a hill, and into the woods where we were stopped by two groups waiting to throw.





When it was finally our turn to go, we walked over to the concrete pad and looked out
through the gap between the trees.......the basket was waaaaaaaaay down there!
I had no idea how the heck I was going to get my disc down there?!?!
It was 553 ft away, only a yellow blip amongst the green lawn.
The little sign cautions you to WATCH FOR PEDESTRIANS!
If you hit someone it's your fault + responsibility.
They have a sign, it's had to have happened at some point!





Here is a zoomed shot of the basket, it still looks far away!
We watched a group of guys that were competing take their turns.
Once they were done, we took our turn......
I'm only going to say we were no where near hitting a par 4!
If was definitely fun to try, I almost didn't, but they talked me into it.





We hiked down to the bottom to fetch our discs.
Throwing until we all reached the basket.
From the end it looked just as distant, if not further than what we remembered.




I'm glad we were coming down that path!

After getting stuck behind two groups at another hole, we decided to pack it up.
The area was very pretty, I think Cody will have no problem getting me back out there some time soon.




Just for fun, here's a photo of Charlie.
I didn't have time to select my settings, so this motion shot was taken.
It makes me laugh :o)


Ever play disc-golf?
What sorts of games do you play outdoors?