CHAPEL HILL -- The Carolina Farm Stewardship Association and Weaver Street Market will host the 15th annual Piedmont Farm Tour Saturday and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. each day.
The tour features 40 examples of sustainable farming and gardening in farms and farming projects in Orange, Chatham, Durham, Person, Alamance and Caswell counties.
It is the largest sustainable farm tour in the nation.
Green thumbs will have the opportunity to pick up growing tips from farming experts.
Livestock is featured on may of the farms -- including ducks, piglets and lambs, many of which are available for children to pet.
Cost is $25 per car -- in advance, $30 at the farms on the day of the tour -- for access to all 40 farms or $10 per car per farm.
Visitors are encouraged to car pool.
Questions? Call CFSA at (919) 542-2402 or visit www.carolinafarmstewards.org. Purchase tickets at carolinafarmstewards.org or at all Weaver Street Market locations, the Durham Farmers Market, Harmony Farms in Raleigh and the Chatham Marketplace in Pittsboro, among other locations.
Tips for touring
- Bring a cooler since produce, eggs, cheese, meat, and other farm products will be sold at many of the farms.
- Start with the understanding that you will only be able to visit 3 to 4 farms a day . . . By the time you factor in driving and actually touring the farm, you'll need to budget about 1 hour to 1.5 hours for each farm.
- Stick to a region of the tour . . The tour is divided into three regions. You may want to pick three to four favorites in each region and focus on a single region each day.
- Many of the farms are on the tour each year, so you can see any you miss this weekend in the future
- Each year the Farm Tour will feature new farms along with many favorites from previous years.
- Take time to wash your hands and make sure that children wash their hands after petting an animal. You will also be asked to disinfect your shoes at farms with livestock to prevent the farm-to-farm transmission of germs that might stick to your shoes.
