Spotlight on Local Heroes!

Introducing our New Series: Spotlight on Local Heroes!

Welcome to the inaugural installment of our new blog series, where we dive into the vibrant tapestry of our community and shine a spotlight on its unsung heroes. Today, I had the privilege of sitting down with Ashley Scanlon, the new Manager of the Murphy NC Farmers Market.

First and foremost, I want to extend my gratitude to Ashley for graciously sharing her insights into this year's Farmers Market. As the newly appointed manager, Ashley brings a fresh perspective and boundless energy to the helm. I was eager to learn more about her journey to this pivotal role.

Ashley shared with me her two-year journey of training and preparation to take over the Farmers Market. It's a testament to her dedication that she seamlessly stepped into the position when circumstances demanded it, earlier than initially planned. With a blend of passion and pragmatism, Ashley is poised to steer the market towards new horizons.

In discussing her vision for the 2024 Market season, Ashley's enthusiasm is palpable. Her primary goal? To amplify the market's reach and vitality by enticing more farmers to participate and fostering a culture of agricultural education. It's about sowing the seeds for a sustainable future, cultivating not just produce but also a new generation of farmers.

Promoting the Farmers Market is a multifaceted endeavor, as Ashley explained. From leveraging social media platforms like Facebook to distributing eye-catching rack cards, the goal is clear: to cast a wide net and draw in both seasoned patrons and curious newcomers. And let's not forget the power of word-of-mouth, a grassroots force that continues to drive community engagement.

Addressing a concern that has surfaced in recent years, Ashley reassured me that while craft vendors indeed play a prominent role, the Farmers Market remains firmly rooted in its agricultural essence. Crafters complement the market experience, attracting a diverse audience whose purchases ultimately bolster the market's financial health.

Excitingly, Ashley divulged plans for a series of special events throughout the season, made possible through collaboration with the Cherokee Clay Food Alliance. These events promise to infuse the market with a festive atmosphere, further cementing its status as a vibrant community hub.

For prospective vendors wondering about commitment and logistics, Ashley provided clarity. While consistency is encouraged, flexibility is also acknowledged. Saturdays may be the market's mainstay, but options like the Brasstown Market offer midweek opportunities for those with weekday obligations.

And for those eager to join the market's ranks, Ashley outlined a straightforward application process. Whether through the convenience of Facebook or a personal interaction, aspiring vendors are welcomed with open arms.

Finally, Ashley left us with a poignant reminder of the market's mission: to provide a platform for farmers and growers of all scales to thrive and connect with their community. It's a labor of love, one that she and her team are deeply committed to nurturing.

As we say goodbye to Ashley, I'm left inspired by her dedication and vision for the Murphy NC Farmers Market. It's a reminder of the power of grassroots initiatives to sow the seeds of change and cultivate a more vibrant, interconnected community. Stay tuned for our next installment as we continue to spotlight the local heroes shaping our world for the better.

Starting a new year.

If you are anything like me, believing that it is 2024 already almost makes your head spin.

Where does time go? 2024 will mark our 3rd full calendar year here in North Carolina. We have made several changes to the property since we moved from Florida but the to-do list is still a long one.

We first repaired and added raised beds in the garden and added a couple of hoop houses.

Then we purchased and installed a Greenhouse. December of 2022 had a week of extremely cold temperatures in the low teens. So our first experience of these temperatures resulted in us losing everything we had in the green house.

We started to raise composting worms Eisenia Fetida (Red Wigglers) so that we could have vermicompost (Worm Poop) as a soil augmentation for our own gardens. we also made worm compost tea (not the kind of tea you would drink) as a foliar spray for our plants.

We are planning to sell Vermicompost and Worm Compost tea at the Murphy Farmers Market starting in April.

Our next addition was to add chickens. We purchased baby chicks and brooded them until they were old enough to go outside into the chicken coop and run that we built. However it was not quite predator proof and dogs belonging to one of our neighbors got into the run and killed all of the chickens. Our neighbor started keeping the dogs on their own property and kindly gave us a check to replace our flock. So we now have a second flock of 15 rhode island reds that are giving us nice brown eggs every day. Some of those eggs are even double yoke. We also raised a dozen Golden Cross hens to go into the freezer as meat birds.

Our newest adventure is into microgreens. We have had hydroponic grow towers since moving here and they produce many of our green leafy plants like romaine and head lettuce. we grow several of our herbs there as well. So we decided that we would add micro greens as another plant to augment our gardening. The Micro greens will also be something we hope to have available at the market.

Over the next 12 months I will keep you updated on the happenings here on our little piece of heaven. It is my plan to interview some people that are of interest to us and hopefully you as well.

Maggie and are members of the Cherokee/Clay Food Alliance. We are holding a community Meeting on Thursday January 18th at 6p.m.

We hope you can join us at the first general meeting of the Cherokee Clay Food Alliance in 2024.  We are excited to present several opportunities for local farmers and growers, and hope to make connections between buyers and growers of local produce in our area.  Plus, we will be serving dinner and creating community!  Make sure to RSVP and join us!

Here is an invitation to that meeting:

American Foxhound

Do you have a relative or close friend that owns an American Foxhound Dog? and you are always stumped what to get them for a gift?

Did you Know that the American Foxhound’s roots can be traced back to George Washington. Washington and his wife Martha were dog breeders and combined The French Hound, Slow Hound and regular hounds to create the American Foxhound.. Washington was an avid fox hunter and bred this dog for his own personal gain.

This is a rather docile, gental dog that usually gets along well with children and other animals. The American Foxhound is a very active breed with very high energy. With longer legs bred into them, they are a very fast dog. They require a lot of exercise and do best in habitats where they have room to run. If they live in a suburban area such as a neighborhood, they should have a fenced-in yard and be taken on multiple walks daily.

Here at Casa Canaan we have been crafting from untreated wood (poplar) and finished with a coating of food grade mineral oil so that they are safe for all family members. We have a catalog of more than 200 animal puzzles including the American Foxhound. We can make any of these into a free standing puzzle, a leash / key holder or desk clock.

The artist behind the designs is an Amish gentleman in Ohio.  He has been drawing these patterns for over 20 years  

Surprise volunteer plants in our garden!

We have lived on this property for almost 2 years. It has been our second crop year.

One surprise we have had is these crook neck squash. This is the second bumper crop of these squash. Our garden is a jungle of these vines, they are spread all across the garden. There must be 18 or 20 crooked neck squash growing. So here is our surprise, we never planted these. They are totally volunteer, do you have volunteer plants in your garden? The previous owner must have planted them and left some of the squash to spoil in place and the seeds must have wintered and germinated in the spring. The prior garden had a bunch of the small yellow tomatoes I mean hundreds of these yellow tomatoes. Now I must admit I might be a tiny bit rigid in my preferences but I think tomatoes are red. Sure yellow tomatoes and heirloom tomatoes are tasty but they just don’t fit my perception of a tomato. Again these plants must have been turned into the garden beds because they have popped up all over.

So Maggie and I harvested a bucket of yellow tomatoes yesterday and have given them away to our local food bank. Then we have pulled out the plants by the root. It has been amazing how long the roots are. I am going to place all of these plants in our burn barrel and get rid of the plants.

We have pulled out another raised bed full of these yellow tomatoes, we had to be careful pulling the roots because this is our asparagus bed and we didn’t want to disrupt the asparagus plants. This bed has given 5 ½ pounds of these little tomatoes, mostly green that we will feed to our chickens.

Use the comments to tell us your gardening story of a volunteer plant.

Canning Tomatoes

So you planted a vegetable garden this year. It included roma tomatoes. you watered and you weeded, you nurtured your plants. You removed all of the suckers and made sure your plants weren’t invaded with insects and disease.

Your hard work has resulted in red, ripe tomatoes. More fresh tomatoes than your family can possibly eat before the fruit spoils.

Now what?

Maggie and I went to our shelf of recipe books and pulled out my mother’s recipe book of handwritten recipes she used for years.

In there she had the recipe for (Chili Sauce) it is probably more accurately a sweet chutney. But Mom always called it Chili Sauce. Anway it is a favorite of both Maggie and I and some of our family.

So we started in the morning and began to cut up all of the ingredients, celery, onion, peach, pear, and of course tomatoes.

Into a large pot went everything plus vinegar, sugar and pickling spices (which Maggie had put into a cloth bag and sewed it up so as not to spill out into the pot). Two and a half hours of stirring so things didn’t stick and burn to the bottom of the pot it was ready to be put into sterilized jars. once it sat for 12 - 24 our Chili Sauce was ready to eat.

This year we were able can 12 pints and 12 half pint jars.