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Springhouse Farm in Vilas 
Photos and illustrations by Pat Johns ©2010 - present
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Amy Fiedler Johnston of Springhouse Farm in western Watauga County is one of the farmers at the market each week selling the fresh, just-picked, in-season produce from her 8-acre farm. She started her farm just 2 years ago and has become an integral part of the local food provider network in our area. She sells her produce and honey at the Watauga County Farmers' Market, at the new farm stand at the entrance to her farm, through the High Country Sustainable Agriculture Project (CSA) and she is working directly with local restaurants to provide fresh ingredients for their menus. 
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A local farmer such as Amy must dedicate considerable time developing dependable customers for the food they grow. But they know that their time is best spent on the farm planning, planting, tilling, growing, weeding and harvesting. This is why the local farm stand is a great alternative for her. She can work in her fields while her food sells itself at the honor-system stand. 
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Her farm stand was funded by WNC AgOptions, a grant program that uses tobacco funds to expand agriculture. According to their website (see link below): "Amy is building a permanent produce stand on her farm, where she has had great success with direct sales due to the heavy traffic on her road. A permanent produce stand, in place of tents and break-down tables, helps create a professional image for the farm. "Amy hosts several farm tours, a lucrative outlet for on-farm sales. She is also creating brochures and T-shirts with her logo, improving signage and creating a website. Amy incorporates ecologically sustainable farming methods into her system." 
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Helping Amy on the farm are her 2 children and a number of interns. She works with Appalachian State to provide internships for students studying sustainable agriculture. She offers farm tours (pre-arranged, preferably, see phone number below) and believes in educating her customers about her farming practices.
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Johnston also raises bees for their honey, beeswax and, of course, for the pollination of crops. She is the current president of the Watauga County Beekeepers Association and offers on site classes to those interested in this process. |
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Buying fruits, vegetables, eggs, cheese, meat, honey and much more from local farms like Springhouse Farm used to be the way of life in this country. We lost our way from this fresh food when tempted by agribusiness and fast food franchises to give up growing and cooking our meals. This is put best by Kentucky essayist, novelist and farmer Wendell Berry who influenced writers such as Barbara Kingsolver and Michael Pollan: "I begin with the proposition that eating is an agricultural act. Eating ends the annual drama of the food economy that begins with planting and birth. . ." "The idea of the family farm . . is conformable in every way to the idea of good farming - that is, farming that does not destroy either farmland or farm people. . . Land that is in human use must be lovingly used; it requires intimate knowledge, attention and care."~ Wendell Berry "Bringing It to The Table: On Farming and Food"; Counterpoint Press 2009 If you stop by the Springhouse Farm stand you will see land that is indeed "lovingly used". And if you stop by the Watauga County Farmers' Market you will meet more farmers doing the same and offering us the best choices of food imaginable. Why would you buy your food anywhere else? Springhouse Farm |
Some interesting links related to this story . . .
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