Fog Likely Farm

Annlynn Ward brings us colorful nature photography of the High Country region of Upper East Tennessee, Western North Carolina and Southwest Virginia. She photographs the best of mountain landscapes, lake scenes, waterfalls, old barns and farms, featuring seasonal changes. Matted photos, handmade barnwood framed photos, and notecards can be found at her market booth.

For more information, visit Annlynn's Website.

Shady Grove Gardens & Nursery was started in 1986 to supply quality perennials for our landscaping needs. Through the years Susan developed the nursery using sustainable methods, before that was a buzzword. Plants are grown outside or in our un-heated greenhouse; organic, hands-on growing methods are used throughout the farm and nursery. Our selection includes new and hard to find varieties along with a few tough favorites. We are especially proud to say do not use any systemic pesticides or fungicides. "To us sustainable means protecting birds and bees too." See our website for more details about our organic and sustainable methods. We have great healthy perennials, bigger than mail order, better than chain stores.

We offer the highest quality, large, blooming size plants, all organically grown (non-certified). We've paid special attention to varieties that are well suited to the conditions of the High Country. Our selections reflect our passion for native plants and cut flowers. The nursery is located 10 miles west of Boone, NC. Summer hours are Fridays 9-6. Our phone number is (828) 297-4098, send mail about your gardening concerns, or visit our website at
Shady-Grove-Gardens.com
Shady-Grove-Gardens.blogspot.com

Cut Flowers are our speciality. We can supply flowers for weddings, churches and special occasions. Just contact us for special orders or lists of seasonal availability. Our selection changes daily, so visit our display at the market each week for something different.

Join our Fresh Flower CSA (Subscription).
This is the 2nd summer Shady Grove Gardens & Nursery will be offering a subscription to their best fresh flower bouquets. Bouquets are delivered in our buckets to be transported home. The Wednesday afternoon Watauga County Farmers’ Market in Boone is our drop-off site.

This is everyones chance to get fresh locally grown flowers without pesticides and without getting up early on Saturday morning. Members will get $25’s worth of flowers for 10, 15 or 20 weeks. The late season bouquets will include orange and red winterberry holly for the holidays. 

These seasonal flowers will be different each week as they are all grown outdoors in Ashe and Watauga counties. Since 1986 Shady Grove Gardens has produced perennials and cut flowers without using any inorganic pesticides or herbicides. 
Subscription members will be invited to join Susan Wright and Brent Cochran for a fun farm tour, to see where their flowers are grown and learn a little more about flower farming.

To get more information or sign up for the weekly bouquets contact Susan at 828-297-4098 or sggarden@skybest.com.

Vegetable and Flower transplants

WINTER VEGATABLE CSA-FOR OCTOBER OR NOVEMBER PICKUP Want fresh local vegetables after the summer season? Shares will weigh approximately 60 lbs., and include apples, large yellow storage onions, yellow and red potatoes, 4-5 types of winter squash, red cabbage and garlic. In addition pumpkins will be in the October package. Favorite recipes for soups, delicious casseroles and pies will be included. The cost is $90 a share.

The vegetables and fruit offer will store for at least 2 months most will store even longer.
Boxes of winter storage vegetables shares will available for pickup at the last Watauga County Farmers Market October 31st and just in time for Thanksgiving November, 21, 2009. Signup for this CSA will end June 1, 2009.

Planning a wedding? Why not have it on our Farm? Contact us about our facilities at The Peak.

Iva Lee Hayes has been with the Watauga County Farmers' Market since it's beginning. She helped organize the market in 1973 and saw it open the following year. At that time the market was located at Boondocks Plaza near Hampton's Body shop. Ten or twelve other vendors participated, but of them, only Iva Lee and her daughter Sissy Moore are still members of the Farmers' Market.

Iva Lee sells all kinds of jams, jellies, as well as local honey, but is most well known for her homemade kraut. She also specializes in freshly baked pumpkin cake.The first week of the market, she brought three pumpkin cakes which were immediately purchased by one of the other vendors. She started baking more, and many Saturdays would sell 40 or 50 individual cakes, some customers buying enough to freeze some for the long winter months ahead. In the last ten years, she has decreased her supply somewhat. Loyal customers know to come early to avoid disappointment.

Also at Iva Lee's booth are many handmade crafts, such as dolls, baby quilts and wall hangings. She also brings plants from her garden, especially hens and chicks.

Sandi Henry has been making baskets for 22 years. Her sister taught her how to make her first basket and she later studied books to learn additional techniques. She has been selling baskets at Watauga County Farmers' Market for twelve years, and is an art teacher at Appalachian Christian School.

Sandi makes her baskets from hand dyed reed and often uses grapevine to make free form handles. One of her most popular baskets is a biscuit basket that is used for serving bread at the table.

Sandi added decorative mosaic items to her inventory about five years ago. She applies hand made tiles or broken pottery to chairs, tables, vases and planters.

Sandy also offers perennial plants and bouquets from her garden.

Sandi welcomes special orders, call her at (828) 264-5549 or send an e-mail.

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Kim and Judy Miller consider their craft work to be a hobby, not a job. This is good news for shoppers; since profits are not a priority for the Millers their prices are always much lower than similar items found elsewhere. The artwork and skill they demonstrate is genuinely big-ticket, delivered from the pure joy of creation.

Kim turns the wood for his walking sticks, and carves the decorations by hand.

Judy turns inspirational sayings into art through her needlework.

Woven rattan stars in various sizes really brighten a mantle at holiday time, and friendly wildlife families wait to brighten your day.

Kim's handmade clocks are miniatures of classic designs, the perfect size for just about anywhere.

Mother Nature's Art

Bobbie Rudisill started making arrangements of pressed flowers to give as gifts for her children and grandchildren. She enjoyed pressing and framing her floral art so much that she kept on. Bobbie has had a great time this year veing a market vendor, it has been a joy for her to meet so many nice people.

Bobbie uses wildflowers or garden flowers from her own yard in her flower pictures, some are quite familiar while others are pretty unknowns. Some of her favorite subject are mountain laurel and yarrow, and especially Queen Anne's lace which form everlasting summer snowflakes. Sometimes the flower inspires the type of frame she will use for the piece, and sometimes a nice frame will inspire the type of flower to be used. All of Bobbie's pictures can be hung on a wall and the smaller frames have easels for placing on a table. Bobbie chooses creative papers or fabric for mounting that will compliment the form of the flower. The flowers will keep their colors indefinately as long as they are not hung in direct sun.

Bobbie uses a flower press or a heavy book and layers of newspapers to dry her flowers. Delicate flowers are protected with a tissue while drying. Most flowers will be ready for mounting after drying for four to six weeks.

Rachael Salmon has combined her love of hiking and camping with photography in a wonderful way. Her practise of hiking wherever she can find a trail provides her with views of spectacular scenery most of us will only see through her camers lens. Rachael shares her art by turning her prints into all-occasion greeting cards, complete with envelopes for mailing. She has senic shots from all around the High Country including Linville River, Linville Falls and Price Lake. She also has spectacular shots from her recent trip to Hawaii. In addition to grand vistas, Rachael also focuses on local wildflowers, garden flowers, and wild animals. Rachael's skill at photography is entirely self taught; her interest in taking photos was encouraged by the gift of a nice camera from her mom.

Rachael also offers organic lentil heating pads known as "warm fuzzies". They have double stiched cotton covers with reinforced corners and are very fragrant with the scent of eucalyptus or lavendar. They can be heated in the microwave for about a minute for soothing enjoyment, or relief from aches and pains. She also has tie dyed scarves, decorated with the special, hard to find dyes that give the richest dark colors. You will also find hand beaded jewelry made from crystal and semi-precious stones.

Gentleman; Folk toy, Bird House and Feeder Maker; Planter Box and Rustic Furniture Crafter

My folk craft making career began reluctantly. My dad, Frank Ward, put me to work as his gopher by age four or so. By my early teens, I had learned to use his small drill press and disc sander. Unfortunately, I had not learned to use them all that well and lost some skin and fingernail growth. My dad told me "In woodworking, if you start the day with ten fingers and have them still attached at supper time, you're doing just fine".

My dad had his first heart attack during this time, and I had to take on more of the load in keeping our craft orders filled on time. By the time my dad passed on in 1993, I had a good handle on the business and a love of creating folk crafts.

At this point in my life I had to make a difficult choice: keep producing folk crafts or join the rat race commuting to and from work. I've never liked rats, so I began looking for new markets to sell my wares. My friends recommended the Watauga County Farmers' Market.

Since becoming a member of the Farmers' Market many years ago, I've met people from around the corner and around the world. I've thoroughly enjoyed selling my wooden folk toys, bird houses and feeders, planters and rustic furniture, and anything else my creativity can hammer into place. Never have I found a more friendly place from which to buy, sell, or just catch up with friends. I hope to be a part of Watauga County Farmers' Market for years to come.

To find out more about my folk toys and crafts call Hillbilly Joe's Crafty Stuff at (828) 297- 4782<!--