Agritourism Draws Food Fans to Farms, Wineries
Published Feb 29, 2008
Fuji apples are among the pickings at Mercier Orchards.
Consumers ponder: Why buy fruit from South America?
You’re standing at the supermarket with a bag of apples from Peru in your hand, having just dropped Chilean asparagus in your basket. You’re not feeling, well, comfortable. Wouldn’t it be nice if you knew the farmer who grows your food?
Thanks to agritourism, you can find fruit, vegetables, baked goods, wine and other food items produced within a short drive of home.
“More and more people are not in touch with where their food comes from,” says Tim Mercier, whose family farm has been growing and selling produce in the North Georgia mountains near Blue Ridge since 1943. “People like to come to the farm and see where their food is grown. They feel comfortable with us.”
Like many others, the Merciers’ farm was once primarily wholesale. But the demands of keeping a family farm afloat dictated diversification. Today, Mercier Orchards grows 200 acres of fruit, and it also operates a farm market, a bakery, a juice operation that sells all over Georgia, a deli and a seasonal pick-your-own produce service.
In Tennessee, the state Department of Tourist Development has made it easier for people to buy locally produced foods by publishing an informational brochure titled “Out to the Farm: A Farm Trail Tour of Southeast Tennessee.”
For wine lovers, a regional road trip can include tastings at wineries including Georgia Winery near Ringgold; Crane Creek Vineyards near Young Harris, Ga.; and Tennessee’s Monteagle Winery, Ocoee Winery near Cleveland and Savannah Oaks Winery near Delano.
Story by Laura Hill
Photo by Wes Aldridge
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