Driving along Pearces Road in Zebulon, North Carolina, near the Zebulon Country Club you’ll come across Baker Road and Baker Family Vineyard. In fact, before you see the vineyard, you’ll likely see their Pick-Your-Own signs along the road.
Baker Family Vineyard is a certified organic, Muscadine grape vineyard owned and run by the Baker family. Founder Thomas Yates Baker III — known by everyone as T.Y. — runs the vineyard’s day-to-day operations with help from his wife, Gwen, and their children.
The farm is open to the public this time of year — September, October — for Pick-Your-Own. For October 1-2, 2016, Saturday and Sunday picking is available, 10am-6pm. Weekday picking is also available until October 8, and may be confirmed by calling the vineyard at 919.414.3811.
In addition to picking grapes, visitors will find organic grape jelly under the brand name Moccasin Creek, plus juice and already-picked grapes (muscadines).
T.Y. Baker and his family don’t just grow the grapes and sell their harvest and products. They also provide part of their harvest for community food pantries. Each year, Inter-Faith Food Shuttle (IFFS) is invited to come and glean the vineyard, providing thousands of pounds of grapes to local families in need. Providing this organic fruit for food-insecure families is a rare and generous offering; much better than the processed foods these families usually receive to sustain them.
In fact, IFFS gleaners will be at work this weekend, and you may bump into them while you stop by to pick your own!
According to the vineyard website:
We grow Muscadine grapes, the most popular varietal being Scuppernong. We are one of the few certified organic Muscadine vineyards in NC, and are also a ‘Century Farm’. The ‘Century Farm’ designation is given to farms in NC that have been run by the same family for over 100 years.
Baker Family Vineyard is located at 9409 Baker Road, Zebulon NC.
For more information, visit their website or Facebook page. Or, stop by and get Scuppernongs for your family to enjoy!
