photos from a trip through the southeast

Ireland Farms
Alpine, Alabama
December 2021

The folks at Ireland Farms were kind enough to let my friend Brittney Portes and I camp out there for a couple of nights. I'm more accustomed to the growing season of the Northeast, so it was amazing to see a farm in full operation, both in greenhouses and outside, in December. One morning, we shadowed the crew as they harvested for the market and restaurant clients in Birmingham, Alabama. We also stopped at the market in Birmingham Saturday morning to see them sell their produce AND we got lunch at The Essential, which is one of the restaurants that regularly orders from the farm.

Ireland Farms is co-owned by Scott Ireland and Hollin Williams. We also got a chance to meet Leah Middlebrook, who works on the crew. They definitely take a fun and laid-back approach to farming. When Brittney and I helped Leah harvest chives, she brought out a big speaker to play music while we worked.

If you are on mobile, click on one of the photos to see them in an expanded view.

Little Harvest Farm
Powder Springs, Georgia
December, 2021

One of the highlights of my southeastern roadtrip was a visit to Little Harvest Farm, located right outside of Atlanta. Jenna and Delroy Dennisur were celebrating the one-year mark of when they moved from their house in Atlanta to this beautiful homestead, where they are raising their family among a gorgeous garden and goats, chickens, ducks, and donkeys.

They started their garden in a spot that the previous owner had used as a horse ring. Over the past year, Delroy has built a chicken coop, and a yurt and outdoor bathroom/shower for people staying through Air BnB or the WWOOFing program. In the summer, they hosted a farm-to-table dinner on the property. Brittney and I helped out with some garden tasks one morning, and watched a goat milking demonstration led by Jenna. I'm excited to see how their homestead continues to grow!

Quarter Spring Farm
Liberty, Tennessee
December, 2021

Our morning at Quarter Spring Farm was absolutely gorgeous and borderline surreal. Brittney and I arrived just in time to see JB and Heather Bradley let their herd of 24 goats out of the pen behind the barn. Together, we all walked up a steep path through the woods to green, Sound-of-Music-esque fields on top of the hill. There, Heather and JB released the sheep out of the fenced-in area where they had spent the night. The goats quickly disappeared farther up into the woods, where they would roam among the property's 64 acres for the rest of the day. Each goat has a name, and Heather -- who takes care of the goats like they're her babies -- can recognize each goat by the sound of its bleat.

The couple moved out to the property from Nashville seven years ago. Their main product is goat milk soap, which they make in a small shop next to their home. JB takes charge of going to farmers markets, but since the markets -- which are all about an hour drive away -- take up so much time, they are pushing online advertising to get more online sales.