By Kay Whatley
Eastern North Carolina is home to farms of all types. Depending on the season, they provide fresh produce, meats, and more — just about everything you need for your table, whether you’re feeding a few or setting a holiday meal for many.
Check out this sampling of local farm near Five County Stadium*, and follow these North Carolina producers on social media to ensure you know what’s available from season to season.
Lakeview Pecans (Bailey NC)
The Lakeview Pecans orchard in Bailey NC provides pecans in the Fall.
Ben Byrd and his wife own the property, which started as a family pecan hobby farm three decades ago. Now they offer freshly harvested, shelled and ready-for-cooking pecans. They also provide pecan trees (which are sold out more than a year in advance).
Pecans may be available from September through November, depending on nature and weather conditions.
See more on the orchard’s website at lakeviewpecans.com, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BenByrdPecanMan.
Oak Ridge Farms (Zebulon NC)
Oak Ridge Farms near Pilot in Zebulon NC offers pasture-raised pork and chicken, with turkeys available in November.
(Our family enjoyed one of their “Thanksgiving” turkeys and it was delicious and the perfect size.)
The best way to know what is available is to follow the farm on Facebook at www.facebook.com/oakridgefarms2 where updates are frequently posted. When you pick up your meat order at the farm, you might just catch a glimpse of the farm’s pet emu, a large bird that thinks it’s one of the hogs.
Note that this farm uses sustainable practices.
Wrenn’s Farm (Zebulon NC)
This family farm is located at 5078 Brantley Road, Zebulon NC (Nash County) with an on-farm store and pick-your-own in some months.
Farm offerings range from early tomatoes and summer vegetables to strawberries and raspberries, okra, pumpkins, and winter squash.
(Their cushaw squash in the fall are nicely sized and picked young; delicious roasted and served hot or baked into pies. And if you haven’t tried roasted baby white pumpkins, you’re missing out.)
See more about Wrenn’s and what’s in season at www.facebook.com/wrennsfarm.
Note that the next generation of Wrenn’s began updating the farm in 2018, with plans for more new things in 2019.
Vollmer Farm (Bunn NC)
Pick strawberries and check out their farm market with tomatoes, asparagus, and more in the summer, plus pick other berries or enjoy homemade ice cream at their farm stand. They’ll re-open in the Spring.
To see everything that this family-farm has to offer, including outdoor movie nights and an on-farm playground for all ages, check out their website at www.vollmerfarm.com.
Follow Farm updates on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thevollmerfarm, and Twitter at twitter.com/vollmerfarm.
Note that the family farm is opening a pay-what-you-can restaurant in the near future.
Granny Pearl’s Farm (Zebulon NC)
In Spring/Summer, pick berries. In late summer, pick concord grapes. This farm is located at 7209 Mitchell Mill Road, Zebulon NC. Scuppernongs and Muscadines may be available too.
Granny Pearl’s Farm’s Facebook page is www.facebook.com/Granny-Pearls-Farm-486862704728056. Follow for updates to know what berries or grapes are available.
*This is a small cross-section of local farms. The Grey Area News covers farm happenings in the area, and there will be more farm articles to come in the new year.
