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With new homes and business popping up throughout the area, it’s sometimes difficult to see that the agricultural roots of Frederick County are extensive and strong. On Saturday, Frederick County Homesteaders will give you the chance to poke around all things farming and homesteading at the Frederick County Summer Farm Crawl.
The event starts at Solenberger’s True Value Hardware at 832 Berryville Ave in Winchester at 9 a.m. Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., ticket holders can visit a dozen Frederick County farms. Each locale will welcome farm-curious folks, showcase their products and urge you to live the “country life” for a bit, connect with others and have some good, clean fun while getting a little dirty — depending on how muddy it is.
You can talk with the farmers, apiarists and other experts while perusing their homegrown offerings like blueberries, beef, honey and a variety of products that grow under the Northern Shenandoah Valley sun. Some farms will also be taking reservations for their CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture Groups).
Samantha Armel is the founder of Frederick County Homesteaders. She says “each farm is different and each one has a different offering. “That’s what we enjoy — showing the community the variety of local products and what is right under our nose.”
This is the second time Frederick County Homesteaders has offered a crawl. The first one was last September. “We had no idea what to expect last year, no idea it would be the hit that it was.” Armel says that about 300 people came to the first one, and they are on track to host about 500 on Saturday.
The crawl is self-guided. Participants get to choose which farms to visit and when. Organizers say to allow 10-30 minutes driving time between farms. The time you spend at each location is up to you. So, if you go, check out a map and plan accordingly to make sure you get where you want to go.
Similar to the way the crawl is self-guided by participants, Armel says it is important to event organizers to step back and allow the farms to be as creative as they want to be while interacting with visitors. “It’s their farm,” Armel says, “their operation, their story. They need to tell it. We want to make sure we are cheering each other on.”
Ticket costs are as follows: $15 per individual, $25 a couple, $30 for two adults and a child and $5 for each additional child. The ticket price includes a wrist-band that gives you access to the farms, as well as “Lunch on the Lawn” at Simple Gifts Farmstead at 100 Simple Gifts Lane.
Michael and Rhonda Donadieu own and operate Simple Gifts Farmstead. Rhonda says farm crawlers will enjoy a full meal at “Lunch on the Lawn.” The locally-sourced menu includes “pulled pork BBQ sandwiches made with meat from Gore’s Meat, smoked by Caleb Fahnestock of Back2Basics and pulled by the Frederick County Homesteaders Advisory Board.” There will be baked beans, slaw and locally-sourced green salads as sides.
The Donadieus hope visitors explore Simple Gifts Farmstead before or after lunch. You can visit with their “Three Little Piggies,” their Hereford cow family, two roosters, hens and chicks, their Golden Doodle farm dog, Umi, and the farm cats. Simple Gifts Farmstead offers seasonally available pick what you like/pay what you want flowers. If crawlers have room for dessert after lunch, a number of baked goods and ice cream will be for sale to benefit Faith Builders World Changers.
Of course there will be more fresh fruit, vegetables and baked goods to peruse and purchase and more animals to see at other homesteads and farms down the proverbial country road.
One of the farms that is welcoming crawlers for the first time is Geraghty’s Micro Farm at 1659 Apple Pie Ridge Road. Josh and Dayna Geraghty encourage guests to come explore their place and will offer tours every hour on the hour. Farm crawlers at the Geraghty Farm can see pigs, laying hens, meat chickens and more. Dayna says they will have ample fresh produce, dairy products and baked goods available for purchase Saturday that are either from the Geraghty Micro Farm or from local sources.
Geraghty Micro Farms decided to participate in the crawl to empower and educate others, according to Dayna. “We’re here to show people you don’t need to have this big, extravagant farm in order to accomplish your goals. We also want to give the individuals that don’t have a desire to live this lifestyle the sense of security that they are supporting a local farmer who takes pride in the way they raise their animals,” she says.
If you’re a fruit fan, TNT Acres is a blueberry lover’s paradise. Nicole and Trae Tinsman, owners of TNT Acres, tend to more than 450 Highbush blueberry bushes on their property at 640 Back Mountain Road. Nicole says the berries range in flavor from sweet to tart. They vary in size as well. That means whether you are looking for berries for snacks or berries for pies, it’s likely you will find your match at TNT Acres.
Like the Geraghty Micro Farm, this is TNT Acres first time participating in the farm crawl. Nicole says she is excited. “We didn’t think twice about participating because this is such a great way to build community with farmers in the Frederick County area,” she says. “We feel we have a niche with a pick your own blueberry farm and want to share the deliciousness with as many people in the community as we can.” Visitors to TNT will be able to pick their own berries or purchase ready picked pints.
In total, there are 12 unique farms you can visit during the crawl. And, according to Armel, there is a wider world of Frederick County farms beyond Saturday’s crawl for people to investigate later. Each ticket also comes with a new Frederick County Shop Local Guide that includes about local farms, a map and a directory. Armel says the directory can help you “identify farms that are just down the road from you.” She adds that there are more local farms with products like produce and eggs than people tend to realize. Spreading the word about local farms at Saturday’s crawl is important to Armel.
“I hope that our community can connect with local farmers again and that friendships and relationships can be fostered. I hope to remind the community that we are a community and that we are here for each other,” Armel says.
Armel explains that she started Frederick County Homesteaders in response to what she witnessed in 2020 when “we had the upheaval and people were struggling. I knew that it was a huge blessing to be able to purchase local and it was surprisingly economical. It has helped us in certain situations and it can help others. When eggs were difficult to purchase and I saw friends struggling, it helped to be able to show them there was someone right down the road selling eggs,” Armel says, explaining the practical side of things.
On a more personal note, she states, “I don’t like hearing about problems and not being able to contribute to a solution. I love homesteading. I love agriculture. I love Frederick County and people’s desire to help one another here.”
If you can’t make it to Saturday’s Frederick County Farm Crawl (or you go and decide you’re a superfan), you’ll have another chance to wend your way from farm to farm in just a few months on Sept. 23 for the fall crawl.
For more information about Frederick County Homesteaders and the 2023 Farm Crawls call 540-664-5104, e-mail [email protected] or visit the website frederickcountyhomesteaders.com/events.
