Down On the Farm

"Oh please, don't stick your hand up the cows nose!" I pleaded in my head as I reached out to grab Phinn's arm as he met Chloe the cow.

On Labor Day, we participated in "Meet Yer Eats" farm tour sponsored by the Charlottesville City Market. Although it was overcast and rainy at times, we managed to squeeze in some fun!

Our first stop was Vintage Virginia Apples/Albemarle CiderWorks.

Both of my boys - Virginia Grown!

Here we did a cider tasting. I am not a huge cider fan, but it was interesting to taste the differences between the various samples. Plus we got a mini history lesson on cider. They are huge fans of TJ (Thomas Jefferson, duh!) there and try to grow various varieties that he had at Monticello (which is just down the road). 

Phinn and I standing outside the beautiful tasting room.

We also listened to a mini lecture by a woman who according to our cider tasting guide is a history professor, wealthy stock investor, and an apple enthusiast. We were able to sample some of the more obscure varieties of apples they grow there such as Winesaps and Golden Russets.

CiderWorks has a great patio with some pretty views. They host various events out there including live music.

Another great thing about Vintage Apples is that they are dedicated to finding the most richly flavored apples (and other fruits) that will grown well in our climate and our soil so that they can use minimal sprays and chemicals. 

Next we went to Innisfree Village. It is a beautiful farm with a very unique mission. It is a residential community for adults with intellectual disabilities. As a community with some assistance from caregivers, they manage a herb and vegetable gardens, a woodshop, a weavery, a bakery, and some farm animals (chicken, sheep, and cows). 

It was cloudy and kind of rainy when we got there, but even that could not take away from its beauty. Those are the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in the background.

We got to tour the farm and meet many of the adults who live there. They even sell their products and have partnerships with some local businesses. I was hoping to find a sweet treat in their bakery but it was closed by the time we arrived.

Phinn did get to meet some farm animals including Chloe the Cow...

Phinn loves to grab noses and Chloe's was no exception! I am just glad we caught it in time, otherwise we would have had a pretty gross situation!

After our farming adventure, I think we were all pretty tired.

We hope to participate in the farm tour next year and hopefully visit a few more farms as well. Have I mentioned how much I love that Charlottesville has so many activities to offer families ;)