Winter 2009

On a recent winter day, Scott Paquin was surrounded by seed catalogs, choosing what he and partner Elizabeth Gibbs would grow in 2009 at Firefly Farm. Located on the South Toe River near Celo, NC, Firefly Farm produces a wide variety of organic, heirloom variety seasonal vegetables. In spite of the cold, Paquin is looking forward to spring: starting seedlings in their greenhouse in January, then setting them out in the fields in March, and hoping for the first harvest in April. 

Firefly Farm began selling this year’s shares in its CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program on the first day of 2009. Participants in Community Supported Agriculture programs pre-pay for a kind of subscription to a farm. Throughout the growing season, CSA members receive a share of the produce from their farm that week. They have a direct connection to their farm, and see how the harvest from it changes week by week over the course of the season. It seems Firefly Farm’s customers are already looking forward to spring as much as Paquin; he expects the shares to sell out soon. “Start planning in Fall. You’ve got to prioritize your food,” he says.

Those who don’t participate in a CSA can find Firefly Farm’s food at the Yancey County Farmers Market, Asheville City Market, and the French Broad Tailgate Market on Wednesdays. Their products also appear on area restaurant menus including Early Girl Eatery, Tomato Jam, and Tupelo Honey, and in grocers such as Greenlife Grocery.

In addition to a variety of vegetables, Firefly produces eggs, cut flowers, and herbs. This summer, 100 percent grass fed beef from the farm’s Devon cattle, a heritage breed, will be for sale for the first time. In the future, blueberries and fruit from their orchard will be available. Paquin’s favorite foods are Cherokee Purple tomatoes, Candy Roaster squash, and Cracoviensis, a romaine lettuce he hasn’t seen grown by any other farm in the area.

Paquin has been living in Yancey County for 17 years. He first came as a woodworker to the Penland School Crafts. But since childhood he had admired the work of his great-grandfather, a farmer, and over time, Paquin says growing food became the vocation that chose him. “In the way that I used to look at an oak and see what I could make from the wood, I now look at underutilized farm land and see what could be done with it.” Gibbs, who also helped to organize last year’s Mountain Farm and Garden Tour and teaches at the Organic Growers School, managed the Durham Farmers Market and worked at Whole Foods Market before coming to Yancey County.

Paquin encounters countless stories that say farming “leaves you financially and physically broken.” Finding ways to avoid this pattern, “I’m constantly looking for more efficient ways of doing things,“ he says. So far Paquin and Gibbs have been successful. “So much more education is needed,” Paquin says, “But people are increasingly willing to pay a fair price for their food.” That is, they’ll sometimes pay a slightly higher price at the time of purchase so that they don’t have to pay a far higher environmental, economic, and cultural price in the future. As Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP)--a Western North Carolina based nonprofit organization that supports Firefly Farm and family farms around the region--works to communicate,  local food is more than fresher and better tasting. Buying it is a way to sustain our rural heritage, protect the natural beauty of these mountains by preserving farmland, encourage sustainable agricultural practices, keep your money in the local economy, and connect with your community.

Come spring, Paquin encourages shoppers to visit tailgate markets and meet the area’s farmers, putting faces with their food. The public is also invited to the farm itself for a dinner. This summer, Firefly Farm will host a fine meal of foods grown on-site, served riverside with views of the orchard, pasture, crop fields, and two mountain ranges—a celebration of the land they’re proud to farm sustainably.