Land Acknowledgment
We acknowledge our farm occupies stolen ancestral land of the East Cherokee (ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi). Native peoples have tended the soils and cultivated relationships with these intricate ecosystems long before colonizers invaded, and we are humbled and honored to grow and work this land. Find out more.
VEGETABLES
At Fiddler’s Green, we believe that healthy, nutrient-rich soil produces healthy, nutrient-rich vegetables. By using crop rotation, cover cropping, and organic alternatives to fertilizers and pesticides, we cultivate a rich soil alive with all the microbiology that grows over 30 varieties of healthy vegetables. Soil bacteria produce natural antibiotics that help plants resist disease. Fungi assist plants in absorbing water and nutrients and in turn, produce delicious and vibrant vegetables!
All seeds are sown with care by hand in our greenhouse or directly in the field. We select organic or non-GMO seeds and practice seed saving to build genetic diversity and climate resilience.
We are not a certified organic farm, but we only use wholesome and natural practices to grow our produce.
We NEVER use chemical pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, or fungicides.
BROILERS (MEAT CHICKENS)
You can find our fresh frozen birds locally at Madison Natural Foods in Marshall, in our farmstand starting around May or email us at fiddlersgreennc@gmail.com to schedule a pick-up.
Our broilers are raised on pasture and can roam free (with fencing to protect from predators of course). They are fed NON-GMO feed in addition to their pasture diet.
Almost all chicken sold in groceries and farmers markets (yes, even the organic pasture-raised ones) are the same breed of chicken - the "Cornish cross" (or a hybrid thereof). This chicken has been bred to be a fast-growing, huge-breasted chicken that spends its days sitting at its feed bin eating, barely able to move. They grow so fast that their legs can't keep up with their body's growth and they have trouble walking. For this reason, Fiddler's Green chooses to raise breeds that are slower growing, smaller, and breasted that actually desire and have the physical ability to roam and scratch and forage. The end product may have less breast meat per bird than its counterpart but the meat is rich and flavorful.
We process our birds on-farm! This ensures that the chickens are handled with the most respect and dignity we can offer. It also means that the end product is extremely high quality. This is because we do things that packing plants don’t - like letting the meat rest before packaging it, which allows the muscles to relax and become more tender while letting the flavors intensify.
LAYING HENS
LAYING HEN UPDATE!
in 2022 our eggs will no longer be available through our CSA or at the farmers market. We will have eggs available for purchase at our farm stand and supply will be limited and on a first come first serve basis! Please follow @fiddlersgreenfarmnc on Instagram for Farm Stand Updates.
Our hens are truly fat and happy ladies. We raise them from chicks, on pasture, and we also supplement their pasture diet with Non-GMO feed. We also choose to raise old-world and heritage breed chickens. This is because we believe that hybrid production breeds (ones that are bred to pump out eggs) live less like chickens and more like grain-eating machines. Heritage breeds may lay fewer eggs a week but they are more prone to scratching and pecking, giving their eggs a deep orange yolk and incredible taste.