Foxfire Holler Journal:

Hey yall : ) Whew ... all I can say about this summer, this year... is "Wow.. What a ride!!!" It surely does seem like things are moving at the speed of light for the business and the farm this year, so I thought I would just take a moment and catch y'all up on stuff.  

You may have heard that we are closing the store on Backstreet. Quite honestly, I am feeling more and more tugged in 3 directions.. family, shop and farm, since our lease is running out, this seems like as good a time as any to streamline things just a tad!  

Here is the plan: We plan to leave an outlet in town so that you can run in and grab yarns, needles, tools and such. This will be located within Mountain Home Utopia ( where Skyland Books used to be on Jefferson Ave) We will have some classes there as well as our sit and knits and such. None of that will change : ) I know many of you have been concerned about losing the sense of community that makes Spin A Yarn a special place.. I believe we can keep that! I know that yall are what makes us special and so long as we don't lose you.. we won't lose community!  

I reckon y'all have probably noticed that pavement is not my natural habitat... I tend to be nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs in town..And quite frankly, I want to be farming! So, the second part of our plan is to move a branch of the store to the farm .. now now, I hear y'all gasping .. but truly it's just 4 miles from the redlight in town to Foxfire Holler... now that's not so bad, is it ? At first we will be located in a building next to the house, then hopefully by next summer we will have the homeplace renovated and ready to house the business. Since I will be spending more hours farming, we can raise more products, and hopefully market to a wider audience. You will also be able to call me with an order for meats and other produce and I will deliver it to your home! We will be doing produce deliveries in the area, as well as having the products available here just like always. I am also discussing an outlet for our products out at The Barn on 221 in Fleetwood. We are very excited about that, so stay tuned!  

Part three of our plan is Agritourism,and education.. We are going to be holding workshops ( 1 day, 3 day, 1 week.. weaving, spinning, living off the land...the sky's the limit here) This winter we are going to erect some small, primitive cabins that will house folks who want to come and stay and take classes... I love letting folks come out and see the animals, it's such a nice feeling to see a child hold a chick for the first time... to plant a seed.. to learn where their food comes from! Hopefully next season we will be hosting open house days on the farm a couple times a month, complete with activities and learning experiences for kids of any age!  

This year we are trying our hand at raising free range chickens and turkeys for market. So far it's going really well ! We harvested several yesterday in a trial run, and were extremely pleased with the results!  

Another new addition are our hogs... Tamworths are an old, heirloom breed that are wonderfully awesome to raise! Blossom and Bubba are producing beautiful offspring... we are well pleased !  

In a couple other bits of news ... The High Country Farm Tour is coming up ! this is a yearly event put on by Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, and is an awesome chance for you to tour many of the farms that you visit at the Ashe and Watauga Farmers markets every week! And this year.. tada ! Guess who's on the tour ? Foxfire Holler is ! We are very excited ( and nervous) about doing this, but I had a moment of insanity and applied .. and they accepted ...and now I am sure it is going to be a totally awesome weekend .. Saturday and Sunday from 2-6 both days...I am as yet unsure of what you will see at other farms, but we will have hands on fiber activities, and lots of demonstrators. Tickets and info will be available in the shop... I think last y

• July 31, beginning around 10 AM Fiber Day at the Ashe County Farmers Market 
• August 5-6 Ashe County Fiddlers Convention at Ashe Park 
• August 6-7 2-6 PM High Country Farm Tour 
• August 21 Grand Moving Celebration and Yarn Tasting Spin A Yarn at Mtn Home Utopia on Jefferson Avenue

^top  Detail   < Previous - Current^ - Next >  Posted: 07/23/10 ID: 1279937453 Category: Business # 7

20% off Yarn Books and Meats!

Hey Yall,  

In celebration of the 4th of July and in need of clearing out some old stuff so we can get new stuff... we have decided to have a major sale! Starting Thursday, July 1, all books, commercial yarns (this excludes yarns on consignment.. Janes handspun, etc) and meats will be 20% off ! If you buy over $250 it's 25% off ... Come see us , and Happy Independence Day!! Nancy

^top  Detail   < Previous - Current^ - Next >  Posted: 06/30/10 ID: 1277947914 Category: Unclassified # 8

Yay! Shearing day is here !

It's my favorite day of the whole year : ) Shearing day! Brian Grimm called last night and said he could come on Saturday the 19th... Sorry for the short notice, but it's all I've got ...Brian is bringing 2 extra shearers with him, and hopes to be able to move on to the next farm right after dinnertime ( thats about 1 pm ) The message he left with Mama last night said "bright and early" So I am figuring on being in full swing by 8 am , dinner about 12 or so .  

Over the years, shearing has evolved into a community event... with music, potluck visiting an all kinds of good folks to visit with... We have things for the younguns to do, and lots of folks demonstrating their fiber art. And for the adult folks, just sitting and watching or walking the farm, or helping the shearing crew ... meet our pastured sow, Blossom, and her babies, the chicks and turkeys in brooders and chicken tractors.. GeeGee's (Pollie's ) garden..Our brand new fruit orchard too ! Help with shearing and moving sheep is always appreciated, but not neccessary to attend, All you need to bring is a dish to share and your smiling faces ,musical instuments if you are willing to jam a little, fiber stuff if you are willing to sit around and demonstrate a little...  

I know many of you have offered sincerely to help out with Shearing Day.. and this year Lori and Chrissy both have to work, I will be down at the shearing shed all morning .. Mama isn't well and could truly use help in the kichen, cooking and organizing the food for dinner.. So if anyone is willing to help GeeGee out, would you just give me a call and let me know ?  

If it rains, we will have to reschedule of course, and I won't have any way of contacting people to let them know... So if you could call or check the website before you head out that would be great ! The number is 336-384-9463.  

Oh .. one other thing ... If you have a chair that you could bring that would be great, as I am a little short of outdoor seating : ) Please come join us for a totally awesome day! Love to all , Nancy and the critters at Foxfire Holler.

• Our address is 3524 NC Hwy 88 West, Warrensville. We are 4 miles from both redlights ( Jefferson and West Jefferson)  
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• Coming from WJ, Come straight thru the last light in town, like you are heading to Lansing..Travel about 3 1/2 or 4 miles north on 194 , pass Dollar Carhartt on your right and Jay and Franks Auto Sales on your left .. we are the next driveway to the right ( if you get to Ernie Carpenter Construction, turn around cause you've gone too far! ) Follow the gravel driveway up to the house .. it's about a half mile or so. 
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• Coming from Lansing or Creston .. Go through the Devil's Stair's and pass Oak Grove Baptist church on your right, just past Ernie Carpenters construction,and in the straight stretch there is an old house and outbuildings on the left that are being dismantled ... turn up behind the old barn at the mailbox and come straight on up the hill til you see the house. It's about a half mile or so.

^top  Detail   < Previous - Current^ - Next >  Posted: 06/12/10 ID: 1276363822 Category: Farm Life # 9

Happy May yall ! I was reminded yesterday that I haven't been doing a very good job of updating the website lately! My apologies to everyone ... It's been a busy spring and my forgetterer works so much better than my rememberer! Not to mention my procrastination gene is really tough to conquer in the spring when my mind is on gardening and lambs and baby chicks ; )  

Foxfire Holler has been a productive place this spring! Some of you may know that my husband Larry passed away year before last, and last year was spent trying to put one foot in front of the other and and even doing that well ... but spring seems to have brought new life into my soul... New lambs.. working in the dirt... building gardens and trying to get grass to grow around the house, cleaning up construction mess and just enjoying the sunshine outside has been a welcome change for us here on the farm!  

The store made it thru the winter, thanks to all of you ! Economically, and weather wise too, it was a rough one ! But yall hung in there with us, put up with sparse inventory, and some days a Nancy that wasn't at the top of her game.. and for that I love you bunches and bunches and thissss much !  

OkeeDoke .. enough of the mushy stuff ! We are back to our regular hours ( 10-5 Monday - Saturday) Jill wants to do a sock darning class this spring... Any interest? Of course weaving, spinning and knitting classes are available at ANY time, just drop in or call. Going to make a trip over to Miss Babs next week and stock up on her yummy yarns!  

I am looking for a couple sow hogs ...If anyone has a couple to sell I would be interested in looking at them... Also, we are doing something new this spring, Monday's mail truck will bring 150 Cornish x Rock chicks that will be pasture raised to process for sale. I have raised a lot of chickens in my time, but never a meat breed for production! wish me luck ! AJ is busy building chicken tractors, automatic watering systems, and putting up with a flaky mama! We are so blessed to have such awesome children!  

We will be putting in the wind turbine ( a Bergey 5K ) this summer, and hope to have a windmill raisin party ... Also I haven't heard back from my shearer but I hope that we will be having a shearing day event again this year too ! We have put in 2 acres of corn for feed for winter, so that means a corn shuckin party too ... Stay tuned for dates... 

Christy went and got herself a real job... So I will be in the store everyday for the foreseeable future. Please stop in and visit a spell when you're in town : ) Nancy

^top  Detail   < Previous - Current^ - Next >  Posted: 05/13/10 ID: 1273752189 Category: Unclassified # 10

Aracauna, Buff Orpington and Rhode Island Red

Hey yall : )  

Just a quick note from the farm... I have some Aracauna (the blue egg layers) and Rhode Island Red chicks for sale. $2.50 each .. or a bakers dozen, 13 for $30. I will be home all day today and tomorrow, so call me if you want to come by and pick some up! My home number is 336-384-9463. These are great meat birds and excellent layers. I have just a few Buff Orpingtons left for $3.50 each, they are a week and a half old. Thanks, Nancy

^top  Detail   < Previous - Current^ - Next >  Posted: 03/21/10 ID: 1269199312 Category: Farm Life # 11