2016 Year in Review ~ Root Bottom Farm's Fifth Season

A huge heart felt THANK YOU to everyone that makes this farm life a dream come true. Hope to see y'all in 2017.

2016 was our fifth season at Root Bottom Farm and was our biggest season yet. 

We sold at two weekly farmers markets

Had a 25 member CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) that fed 25 families for 20 weeks

We held three fantastic farm to table dinners

And hosted our inaugural bike to farm to table event, Pedal to Plate. The cycle tour was 33 challenging miles, over 2,600 ft of climbing, 5 farm tours and a farm to table dinner at Root Bottom Farm.

100% Local buffet for our hungry bikers.

We grew over 250 varieties of flowers and started our Bouquet-a-Week Club that lasted for 16 weeks.

We stepped up our berry game this year and harvested, sold and froze hundreds of pounds of berries. I won Jam Fest in Asheville and received two blue ribbons at our local fair for my low sugar jam. Next year we will offer our Blackberry, Strawberry, Blackberry/Strawberry and Blackberry/Raspberry/Strawberry (Bears) Jams starting in late summer.

This was also a summer of huge renovations. 

We updated the guest house with new furniture, paint and flooring

We finished the back deck and insulated the tiny house

We updated our cabin's electricity from the 50s, opened up our living room ceiling and added a sleeping loft

And we had a 12'x30' deck built off the back of our 100 year old cabin (13.5'x38')

The South was on fire this summer and we had fires all around us both in the spring and the fall. Luckily, they were never too close to our property, but we had many days where it was difficult to go outside.

Jasper the dog (who loves everyone as soon as they show up) and Mazzy the cat joined the clan this season.

And Baby Decker will arrive in the spring.

Our friends, Kris and Paul, lived in our guest house this summer until they closed on their house down the road. Kris was a huge asset to the farm team.

And our friends, Danielle and Mark helped Morgan finish out the fall and stayed through the winter on the property. They are starting their own farm this spring.

Overall, it was a busy, bountiful year. It is hard to believe that we are heading into our sixth season!

 

Maybe next year we will finally grow a blue ribbon giant pumpkin

 

 

The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses. ~Hanna Rion

Thanks for all the love and support. See you next year!

It was such a pleasure to sink one's hands into the warm earth, to feel at one's fingertips the possibilities of the new season. ~Kate Morton, The Forgotten Garden

Will Bike For Food ~ Madison County Farmers to host 1st annual Pedal to Plate farm to table bicycle event

1st annual Pedal to Plate farm to table bicycle event

Farms include East Fork Farm, Wendy Town Farms, Double Tree Farm, Root Bottom Farm, Just Ripe Farm & Farmer's Hands

Will Bike for Food. Join Madison County farmers for the 1st Annual Pedal to Plate bike to table event in Madison County. The cycle tour offers 33 challenging miles, over 2,600 ft of climbing, 6 farm tours and a farm to table dinner at Root Bottom Farm.

Madison County, NC Sunday, September 18, 2016. Tickets are $75 and includes dinner, farm tours, swag bag and refreshments. Visit our store or click here to buy tickets. Spots are limited.

Bike riders start and stop at Root Bottom Farm in Marshall and travel a set 35 mile loop (approximately a three hour bike ride without stops) encompassing six Madison County Farms. East Fork Farm, Farmers Hands, Wendy Town Farms, Just Ripe Farm, Double Tree Farm and Root Bottom Farm will participate in this inaugural event. There will be signs and volunteers along the route to help riders.

Participating farms will host a farm tour (or self guided tour) and a farm stand for sales and samples. All farmers and riders return to Root Bottom Farm for a 100% local meal created by Asheville chef Dava Melton with Blessed to Cook. The buffet style farm dinner is included in the ticket price.

Part of the proceeds from the event will benefit Woodson Branch Nature School, a new K-6 farm and art school opening Fall 2016 in Marshall.

Not a biker? Root Bottom Farm also has three farm to table dinners this summer with their newly renovated tobacco barn as the backdrop. 2016 dates are July 9, August 6 and September 3 at 6:00 PM. The Farmer's Hands also offers Farm to Table dinners this summer featuring the culinary skills of professional chef turned homesteader, Sebastiaan Zijp. Visit www.thefarmershands.com for more information and dates.

Check out http://www.rootbottomfarm.com/pedaltoplate/ for tickets and more information.

Double Tree Farm

East Fork Farm

East Fork Farm

East Fork Farm

East Fork Farm Mill

"The Farmer's Hands to Table" Supper Club

"The Farmer's Hands to Table" Supper Club

Just Ripe Farm

Just Ripe Farm

Just Ripe Farm

Root Bottom Farm

Root Bottom Farm

Root Bottom Farm

Wendy Town Farms

Wendy Town Farms

Dinner at Root Bottom Farm

Dinner at Root Bottom Farm

Looking forward to seeing you in September!

Pass the Potatoes ~ Root Bottom Farm's Summer Dinner Series

This article was written last summer for Food Life Magazine about our Summer Farm to Table Dinner Series. It is one of our favorite articles about the farm to date. Enjoy.
http://www.foodlifemag.com/pass-the-potatoes/

Won't you join us around the table this season? July 9 // Aug 6 // Sept 3

Pass the Potatoes

by Josh O'Conner | photography by Sarah Jones Decker & Siobhan Egan

Root Bottom Farm, located in Marshall, NC, is the epitome of phrases like “less is more” and “small is beautiful.”

LOCATED ON A NARROW ISLAND of property hemmed in by a creek on one side and a road on the other, the farm unfolds in a subtle manner, revealing a cornucopia of carefully arranged crops which will produce delicate flavors, textures, and colors throughout the year.

 

Owners Sarah and Morgan Decker have worked to create a selection of crops, which could satiate the palates of even the most discerning eater while also satisfying the conscience of the most concerned environmentalist. Root Bottom Farm’s crops are essentially separated into two sections on the property, with one side being oriented toward perennial crops and the other side being oriented toward annual crops – with healthy scatterings of beautifully landscaped areas and flowers to be sold for cut flowers and floral arrangements. As Sarah puts it, “With the amount of space that we’re working with, we grow a large variety of crops.”

Everything is organically grown using “no spray” techniques. The farm functions as a labor of love with Sarah, Morgan, and one full-time intern providing the bulk of the work necessary to sustain day-to-day operations and to engage the more long-term goal of transforming the property from a former hoarder’s haven into a functioning farm. The couple can recount a number of stories about reclaiming the farm from its past – noting that the property previously had outbuildings filled to the ceiling with junk and four vacant mobile homes, one of which was completely filled with Christmas memorabilia.

 

In reviewing Root Bottom Farm’s crops and products, Morgan speaks highly of the role that microgreens have played in establishing the farm, “Microgreens have made us a little different, and that’s what made us unique and attractive to managers of markets.” Additionally, he says that microgreens provide the basis for multiple restaurant accounts. Sarah frames it saying, “Microgreens put us on the map.” The farm has also begun offering some value-added products including pesto and a garlic butter aptly named “Dragon’s Breath.

In addition to sales at farmers markets and restaurants, Root Bottom Farm operates what Morgan terms to be an “ESA” (or E-mail Supported Agriculture) program as opposed to the more traditional CSA box. The ESA set up acts as another market opportunity for the farm, one that allows them to capture the seasonal population changes of the local region. Customers who subscribe to the weekly e-mail blast get a notification letting them know what is available on the farm; the customers in turn select what they would like and it is delivered later in the week at a designated pickup point. ESA offers Root Bottom Farm’s customers the ability to interactively make choices that cater to their produce needs, while also allowing them the flexibility to work around vacations and variations in their weekly schedules.

The ESA concept is not the only thing that sets Root Bottom Farm apart. Over the course of the summer, Root Bottom Farm will be hosting three farm-to-table dinners on the property. The meal will feature 100% local Madison County cuisine – vegetables from Root Bottom Farm, meats from Dry Ridge Farm and breads from Smoke Signals Bakery. Vegetarian and gluten free options will also grace a table filled with farm products harvested the day of the meal. Chef Dava Melton of Blessed 2 Cook will tie all of the ingredients together into a family-style meal. The events will also include a tour of the farm and entertainment following the meal. Dinners will be held rain or shine.

The intent behind the dinners is to form a relationship with the farm’s customers and to create an opportunity for communal gathering. The proceeds garnered from ticket sales for the dinner will raise the capital necessary for Root Bottom Farm to construct a root cellar, because as Sarah puts it, “A farm focused on root crops should have a root cellar”. But the dinner is more than an attempt at crowdsourcing capital; it is a chance to present the farms products in a different venue, to highlight the local community and the products that it offers. Sarah adds, “The money is going toward our root cellar, but people are going to remember coming together for these dinners and passing the food around.”

Root Bottom Farm Summer Internship 2016

The Farm:

Root Bottom Farm is owned and loved by Sarah & Morgan Decker. Our farm is located in Madison County, about 30 minutes from Asheville, and 10 minutes from the towns of Mars Hill and Marshall. We grow just above 2,000 ft in the Blue Ridge Mountains on 5 acres of bottom land. We never spray. Never will. We are dedicated to growing great organic food the old fashioned way. By hand, with love and without chemicals.

 

Why intern on our farm?

We want to train future farmers. We believe in a local, chemical free food supply and want to share our skills with someone who wants those things in their life and their communities. We love diversity. In addition to our large microgreen and annual vegetable operation, we also have many established perennial crops. We currently grow strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, grapes, herbs, asparagus and 54 fruit trees. We have a large garlic crop that we hang in our renovated tobacco barn. We have two high tunnels on the property which are used for starting all of our plants from seed and for tomato and cucumber production. We have multiple outlets for selling our produce including restaurants, farmers markets, a CSA, three farm to table dinners, and a local food distribution company.

 

Position Description: Full Time Position 

6 months

4 days a week (35 hrs a week, Tues-Friday) April 15 – October 15

Housing, Veggies, Fruit & Farm Products Included

We are seeking a motivated, physically fit intern interested in learning all aspects of a small organic farm operation this summer. Skills the intern will learn include propagation, planting, weeding, harvesting, greenhouse management, and microgreen operations. This internship is designed as a learning experience for someone who is serious about growing food organically on a small scale using mostly human powered methods. Recycling and composting is mandatory. This 6 month internship is from mid April till mid October. Housing and a share of produce is offered in return for 4 full days of work per week (Tues-Friday). Watering duties when the farmer is out of town is expected. This is not a paid internship.

 

Housing:

Intern has a private residence with parking spot. It is a fully furnished small studio apartment (250 square feet) that includes a cold water faucet, a kitchenette, bed, shelving, composting toilet, and a propane heated outdoor shower. Bathroom is shared with farm guests. Utilities and internet is included. A laundry mat is located 10 minutes away in Marshall.

 

Position Description: Part Time Position

4 months, 2 days a week (Tues &Thurs) May 15 – September 15

Veggies, Fruit & Farm Products Included

Part time intern works two days a week helping with various farm tasks. We are looking for someone who wants to work hard, have fun and learn our operation.

To apply: Send your resume with references to Morgan Decker // rootbottom at gmail.com