From our first planting in the spring of 2020 to the current operation, our farm continues to grow and progress with our vision. Along with continuing and expanding our production of high-quality local farm products, we have some exciting projects currently in the works to welcome guests to the farm in the near future. In the meantime, this blog space is another way for us to share our farm and our journey.
You never know what interesting wildlife visitors you’ll find around our farm. We routinely survey our fields for pests, beneficial insects and other wildlife. Yesterday evening, I had the good fortune of coming across this beautiful caterpillar in one of the raspberry rows. I took a picture because it looked so interesting, and so I could identify it later. Turns out this was a very special visitor: a “paddle caterpillar”. Apparently it is extremely rare to see these caterpillars out in the wild, so much so that according to various insect field guides, entomologists and other insect enthusiasts consider the paddle caterpillar a “holy grail” sighting that they spend their whole careers hoping to see! The particular caterpillar I saw is likely finishing its feeding phase and will soon find a spot to spin a cocoon where it will live during the winter months before emerging as a “funerary dagger moth” next spring or summer. A pretty cool find on a random Sunday at the farm!
Southern Jackson County, WV offers excellent and convenient options for road cycling just a short 20 minute drive from the capital city of Charleston. Middle Fork Road, where our farm is located, is a start/finish point for some popular scenic cycling routes, including the Kenna Loop and the Jim Ridge Loop which feature a variety of climbs, rolling ridges, fun descents and twisting picturesque back roads (https://wvtourism.com/cycling-the-capital-city/). The City of Charleston is the current host of the USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships, which has brought new cyclists to the area and increased local interest in road cycling. The sight of bright colored jerseys flying past our farm is increasingly common. We love seeing cyclists out enjoying the roads in our area, and we’ll be hosting events and amenities at the farm that are geared towards supporting the local cycling community. Interested in cycling with a group? Check out the Mountain State Wheelers, a cycling club in WV that offers group rides for cyclists of all ability levels.
We’ve probably provided some neighborhood entertainment over the years with our many iterations of mobile chicken coops. We started with a stationary coop, but were inspired learning about farms who raise their chickens on pasture in a way that coordinates with the whole farm operation. Mobilizing a chicken coop allows flexibility to rotate areas of pasture and follow the best conditions with the changing seasons. It also helps in severe weather or flooding to be able to quickly move them to higher ground. Or when there is too much predator pressure (raccoons!) we can move them to an area where we can keep a closer eye on them. Using portable electric poultry netting for security, our chickens can have plenty of room to forage, dust bathe and live their best chicken life. We now have multiple mobile coops that move about the farm, with new design modifications every few years.
The chickens’ favorite time of year, I’m pretty sure, is raspberry season. Damaged or overripe berries that don’t go to market, go to the chickens. I keep forgetting to get a video of it, but the sight of the chickens sprinting over excitedly when I’m headed back from the raspberry field…you just can’t be in a bad mood watching sprinting chickens. The chickens reward us with beautiful and delicious eggs, manure/litter to use as fertilizer, and keeping down weeds and insects in the areas we set them up. It’s great how each part of the farm can benefit another part.
If you stop for a moment to observe the fields at Terra Romance Farm during the growing season, you’ll notice they are always full of activity. The farm is home to a vast and diverse array of native bees, wasps, moths and butterfly species that are an important part of the natural ecosystem. We intentionally manage the farmland to attract and support these incredible creatures by providing sources of food and habitat throughout the seasons. In turn, they benefit the farm by improving our crop pollination (resulting in a higher quality of fruit), and in many cases they even provide a source of natural pest control. Bee populations have been declining worldwide, and many large farms rent commercially-raised European honeybees (an invasive species which competes with native bees) to get enough crop pollination. Small farms like ours help protect and strengthen populations of native WV bees (and other pollinators) by providing optimal conditions for them to thrive, including pollinator-friendly crops, low/no-till soil preparation, avoiding chemical pesticides, and an abundance of nearby mature forest, meadows and water resources. Supporting local small farms means supporting local ecosystems!
We have a new sign that will welcome visitors at the farm entrance- love how it turned out!
Raspberries were the first crop we planted at the farm, and they’ve always been a favorite summer treat. It’s amazing the difference in flavor between locally-grown, fresh-picked berries and those that are mass-produced and shipped from thousands of miles away. Our raspberries are a balance of sweet, tart, complex…a sophisticated and sentimental flavor profile that is the epitome of SUMMER.
Our raspberry crop has two different harvest seasons. In early summer, we harvest fruit from the woody raspberry canes (floricanes) that have over-wintered. These early-season berries are packed with a delicious authentic raspberry flavor that’s hard to find in conventional store-bought berries. These berries make INCREDIBLE syrups and sauces– we love using them on top of waffles and for flavoring summer drinks.
In the late summer, our newly-grown canes (primocanes) also produce a crop of fruit, with extra large and deliciously sweet berries, especially great to use as locally-sourced dessert-toppers or for creating a gorgeous charcuterie board. We’ll feature some of our favorite raspberry recipes and ideas in future blog and social posts, and we love hearing how people have used our farm products in their own culinary creations.
We’ll have a number of blog posts about this topic, but here’s an introduction to the old farmhouse at Terra Romance Farm. Property records say the house was built in 1945 (though it may be older) and it was part of a historic family homestead. There are places where you can just feel the energy and history and how beloved it was, and I can tell you without a doubt, this is one of them. Of course, like many old farmhouses out in the country, this one was in need of…A LOT of work…structural, environmental, exterior and interior work. But we couldn’t let go of the idea of giving this historic building a new life, while also taking care to restore and keep its history intact. This building is going to become a special feature of Terra Romance Farm for our farm guests to experience this beautiful property—stay tuned for announcements!
Below are a few pictures and we will have future posts showcasing more details of the restoration.
Our farm name “Terra Romance” simply describes the geographic place (Romance, WV), but I’ve always liked how it works on another level: “Terra” (land), and “Romance” (a love story). In this busy, fast-paced world we far too often lose that sense of place and emotional connection to land that is such a fundamental part of the human experience. Spending time in nature is a proven wellness-enhancer, not just because of fresh air, wholesome food, and physical movement. There is something about connecting with nature through all of our senses that is undeniably good for the soul. Small farms truly embody the deep connection and relationship between people and land– taking care of one other, helping each other fulfill potential, finding wonder and awe in the everyday. You could even call it a love story.
These beautiful summer raspberries make for extra-special desserts, brunch dishes, and refreshing drinks! We’ll continue to offer sales through Turnrow Appalachian Marketplace weekly online farmer’s market throughout the season. We also hope to get to a live farmer’s market soon. Our plans for this weekend were unfortunately changed by Mother Nature (severe hailstorm hit our region this past Wednesday), but we will try for another time! Check our Facebook page for more updates.
