Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Farm Stays
115
Maverick Farms
Back to the Land
Valle Crucis, North Carolina
This small upland vegetable farm in the
Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina
began supplying produce to local restau-
rants in the mid-1970s, during the earliest
days of the back-to-the-land movement.
Several decades later, however, the oper-
ation faced encroaching real estate and
the same economic uncertainties as many
other small family farms—until the own-
er's daughters Hillary and Alice Brooke
Wilson came to the rescue in 2004. Enlist-
ing like-minded food fanatics Tom Phil-
potts, Sara Safransky, and Leo Gaev, they
dedicated their new enterprise to ideals
like “experimenting with human-scale
farming techniques,” “transforming food
and farming practices,” and “reclaiming
the pleasures of eating and sharing meals
in a culture overrun by industrial agricul-
ture and flavorless food.” Registering
themselves as a nonprofit educational
enterprise, they wanted a fresh brand to
suit their new lofty purpose and renamed
their cooperative Maverick Farms.
Maverick still sells vegetables to local
restaurants. But now they also run a local
CSA (community supported agriculture)
program; mentor young farmers; set up
camps to introduce teenagers to farming;
build a passive solar greenhouse; offer
occasional three-course organic farm din-
ners; and run a small bed-and-breakfast
operation from the three bedrooms of
their two-story, 125-year-old gray frame
farmhouse. Guests are welcome to lounge
on the wraparound porch or in hammocks
down by the creek, but they can also help
in the gardens or the orchard, weeding or
gathering eggs or harvesting herbs, fruit,
and vegetables. (You can use your farm
labor to pay for part of your room or
arrange other kinds of barter as well.) Pay-
ing guests help underwrite the farm's
activities, but they also allow the Maverick
mavericks to share their vision with curi-
ous visitors.
The farm dinners, served in the roomy
large-windowed dining room, are wonder-
ful events with live music, linen table-
cloths, and candlelight. Menus feature the
best organic ingredients, either from the
farm itself or from neighboring growers.
Some past dinners have had a Tuscan
theme, with rosemary focaccia and rabbit
pâté or butternut ravioli with sage-butter
sauce; a Mexican theme, including tacos
with braised chard and avocado salsa or
grilled steak with chili salsa; or a harvest-
time theme, featuring cider-glazed pork
roast with pear chutney or sweet potato
flan. If a farm dinner isn't scheduled during
your stay, the Maverick folks will happily
steer you toward some excellent local
restaurants that serve Maverick produce,
where you can experience the same inter-
woven web of food and farm.
410 Justus Rd., Valle Crucis (
&
828/
963-4656;
www.maverickfarm.com).
(
Asheville (95 miles/153km).
