slideshow

Our friends, Chris and Ronald Davis, came to choose and  cut their tree on Saturday. Chris is an amazing photographer, and she made this slideshow. We hope you enjoy it!

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Launching New Ad Campaign

All work and no play is a bad thing.....right?   But there's lots of work to be done. What's a kayak fisherman to do?  I told Sandy that we need to do more advertising and I would be willing to brave the cold to promote our Christmas trees. It's a tough job but somebody's got to do it. It was tough finding a tree small enough to fit in a kayak so maybe I should start shaping some small tabletop trees (I'll call them kayak trees on the NCKFA site). If I don't see too many folks on the New River while I'm fishing/floating along I'll anchor up near the US 21 bridge and get some valuable highway exposure :)

Farm Animals

Shadow and Thumper, the pygmy goats, are stealing the show while folks mill around in the barn after cutting the right tree. We're not so sure the chickens approve of this because they often stare at the goats cackling their disapproval. The rabbits seem fascinated by the goats and the calves couldn't care less.

After cutting their tree, folks really enjoy warming up in the barn by having a cup of hot chocolate or cider and a cookie and petting or feeding the animals. ( we provide antibacterial hand wipes if you get that process in the wrong order! )

Honey Bear's Campfire

Everyone here at the Christmas Tree Farm is busy getting ready for the Choose and Cut season which begins a few days before Thanksgiving, on November 22. Sandy has been melting beeswax and pouring the hot wax into the candle molds. Our candles are made from lightly filtered beeswax from my own bee hives. Beeswax produces no soot, and burns brighter than other types of candles. Tea lights and votive candles are lined up ready for the Christmas decorating season. Lightly scented, these candles will add to any decoration and will give off a cinnamon and balsam aroma.

The honey bears use the candles as a campfire, but you'll want to put them on the mantle or table.

Hats and Scarves

Overnight lows are now getting into the twenties. We are chunking copious amounts of firewood into the waterstove. The beehives are sealed up for the winter with entrance reducers to keep the mice out.  We're not letting any of the honey bears out without hats and scarves. :)
It's quite a chore to outfit all the bears but they'll be ready for the choose and cut season which starts in a few weeks (November 22nd).

Fall Colors

We're past the halfway point in October and the mountains are ablaze with color. The hickory trees are especially bright, adorned in yellow. Night time temps are in the mid thirties and there's a touch of frost along the river. Fall ushers in a most beautiful time of the year. The final quarter of the year begins with beautiful colors and concludes with the sights, sounds and smells of Thanksgiving and Christmas. October thru December is a wonderful time to be in the mountains. All the fraser firs have been sheared and the buds for next years growth look great. 2010 was a fantastic year for growing Christmas trees and we have 1000 ready to go. Our choose and cut season will begin on November 22 and will conclude on December 20. Sandy and I welcome you to come on up the mountain and choose your tree. While you're here, make time to enjoy a cup of coffee or cider and a christmas cookie with us. It's on the house and it's our way of saying thanks. On Saturdays, you can sip that drink by the campfire and roast a marshmallow. Once you're here, relax, cuz choosing the right tree is meant to be memorable and fun.

Honey Bees

 I began helping my father keep bees  around 1970, but that mostly consisted of running to get various things he might need while he had a hive open. My early career included not making too much noise while running away from the hive swatting bees that got in my hair.  As I ran, I was muttering that I would never willingly choose to be involved in such a hobby.

I began keeping my own bees in 1980. I love beekeeping. It is the most peaceful hobby I have. I love helping others get started in beekeeping. I love showing folks the inner workings of a hive. From 3rd grade homeschoolers to the 2000 NCAA 142 lb wrestling champion, I always keep an extra bee suit on hand for a curious student.

So why am I talking about honey bees on a blog about a Christmas tree farm?  Its true, we're going to sell some honey in our store but it goes beyond that. I've been wondering recently if honey bees are similar to the canary in the mine. If the canary died, the miners knew something in the air was dangerous and they should get out. Have you noticed how few honey bees you see these days? Collapsing Colony Disorder has destroyed thousands and thousands of beehives and nobody could really tell why the bees were dying. Bees are being studied like never before and there seem to be a few smoking guns at the scene of the crime. Virus and bacteria are known culprits but one cause of the weakened condition of bees is prolonged exposure to various pesticides (meant to kill insects). A weak honeybee, just like a human, is vulnerable to bacteria and viruses.

We made a choice many years ago not to use any chemical treatments on our bees and not to use any pesticides on our Christmas trees. Many of our customers appreciate this. All of our bees do.

The Red Barn

This hot summer has been given over to construction on the barn, and gearing up for the tree season. Ceaser, the black rabbit, and Henny Penny, chief of the chickens, are ready for the petting zoo. Our good friend, Mark Patterson, came up to paint the barn, and of course, we found time for fishing, too. Once the barn was trimmed in white, in began to look like your grandfather's old country barn. Sandy's chickens are inspecting their new residence and seem pleased with their new digs. I took the tractor out to begin splitting logs and gather firewood for the winter. "Choose and Cut" season will be here before we know it and we still have much more to do.

Weather conditions have been great in 2010 for growing heathy fraser fir Christmas trees. We are so excited as we anticipate your visits to our farm as you walk the rows of trees and pick the perfect tree for your home. Well, off to the tree field; so much more remains to be done!

Ceaser

Our chickens

Mark catches a trout in the Little River while waiting for the 1st coat of paint to dry.