About Local Food

Qualla Berry Farm is part of a loose community of growers and marketers throughout western NC who are seeking to provide locally grown food to people who live and visit  the mountains. We are helping to develop ways to keep our rural land in agricultural production. We are listed in the Local Food Guide produced by the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project. For more about U-Pick farms, tailgate markets, and community supported agriculture growers, see their website: www.buyappalachian.org

WELCOME TO QUALLA BERRY FARM

Happy Late Summer and Good Health to All in 2020!

 New photos posted to our gallery as of Aug 30 2020!

Our overwintered and spring-planted ginger and turmeric have been growing very well--and the turmeric has even bloomed! We're looking forward to an abundant harvest this fall. If you're on our mailing list you'll get updates. This year's order form will be posted sometime after Sept 15, and we will be harvesting and filling orders starting in October.

The Outdoor Turmeric  beds, Aug 30 2020

Overwintered Indira Turmeric blooming, Aug 2020--Stunning!

BKK Turmeric planted in the garden, Aug 2020

Thanks to everyone who ordered fresh rhizomes last year. It was great to see the interest in the "other" turmeric varieties: Black, Indira Yellow, White Mango, and BKK.

 

This will be a different year on our farm--the coronavirus changes things. We've been enjoying our time sequestered on the farm and have gotten a lot of work done. We have enjoyed watching for our turmeric overwintered in the ground as it has resprouted. The turmeric proves to be incredibly tough and comes back strongly after staying covered under hay all winter. We also experimented with leaving some ginger in the ground, but...not so much. It is much less cold hardy and likes to be inside and warm all winter. But we planted out second year mother rhizomes of Yellow Hawaiian, Khing Yai, Bubba Blue, and Madonna gingers we kept in the warm shop building along with Peruvian Yellow seed rhizomes purchased this spring from our supplier in Hawaii, who had a rough season with ginger last year due to hot weather. So our Fresh Ginger supply will be somewhat limited this fall but we'll be loaded with five kinds of Fresh Turmeric starting in October. And..we have figured out how to do shipping affordably. Our order form will be up and running on this website in September so stay in touch!

 

It's still our hope that we can teach folks about Growing and Using Turmeric and Ginger again this year.  Perhaps in person, but maybe remotely! As the situation evolves, and as it gets safer to travel and gather in groups, we will keep you posted about possible classes later this season. Maybe we can do Zoom calls...its a year of pivot and innovation is required. We will email updates. Thanks to everyone who came to our 2019 spring classes on Growing and Using Turmeric and Ginger! We had a lot of fun doing them. And to all of you who support your local farmers and their wild hopes and dreams of a sustainable, kind, healthy world with good food for all, thank you thank you thank you. 

Fresh Hawaiian Red Turmeric