06/15/2026
We thank you for our 6 years together
June 15, 2020, I (farmer Alysia) arrived on Wolfpen Mountain and the land that stewards the Bird Fork spring-head. Without knowing anyone in this area, or ever having lived in Tennessee, I dove headfirst into connecting with the land beneath my feet. I found every map I could, referenced aerial photos, heard stories from neighbors of the folks who stewarded this land before me, and listened to the new to me place.
I was so excited to get my hands in the soil, to grow, that I started transplants while staying with my parents in Kentucky and moved them to Tennessee with me. The second day I was here, those squash went into the ground. This adventure has often felt like a fast moving train, and while I am conducting it, the track has a mind of it's own. Living with the seasons has grounded me, brought me to my knees, and severely humbled me. You may have plans, but often the land laughs and steers you in the direction you're meant to be in.
From the beginning we became Certified Naturally Grown because it has always reflected our ethics. The first couple of years at Bird Fork we grew so much produce. It was hard trying to survive on $2 kohlrabi, and while I started this endeavor with a remote "real job", every single time I sat down to work I would have a breakdown. So, I quit. I dove full force into farming to survive and it hasn't been easy, but gosh it's been beautiful. There wasn't a giant aha moment of, oh, we are going to be an Apothecary. None of this was born out of a desire for money. It was a desire to dive fully into my passions and share skills I had learned along the way from others (my grandmothers Ines and Deborah, April Graham, Leah Larabell, Sylvia de Marco, Rosemary Gladstar, Corin Purcell, Pascal Baudar, Stephen Brooks, 7Song, Sarah Wu, and so many more). At a certain point, the plants began communicating. They began guiding me further and further down the herbalism path. Whispering, please tell others we are here, we miss them.
While produce isn't our primary focus anymore, we do still provide bountiful veggies and fruits weekly to up to 4 farmer's markets a week, local restaurants, and Gaining Ground grocery. We also grow produce for our lacto-fermented pickled thangs, for science (hi Utopian Seed Savers!), for ourselves, and for our Fire Cider, Elderberry Syrup, and other farm-to-bottle products. We are such nerds about crafting things from scratch with what is growing right here on the farm. That means that all of our spices, minus salt, sugar and oils [we've been dreaming tho], is coming entirely from Bird Fork and the surrounding hollers. If we happen to source outside of the farm, it is from other local growers and foragers that we share ethics and have relationships with. Our goal is to help others to connect deeper to place and space, to seasonal shifts, and to themselves via our plant allies. At Bird Fork, we don't use plants. We work with them. And we want to guide you on how to work with them too.
To Celebrate :
Please enjoy 15% off our herbal goodies now until June 22nd! This discount is automatically placed on our packaged herbal goodies and does not apply to workshops/events, CSA memberships, or fresh herbs.
Flashback to our very first market set-up!
To Now:
Fresh & Dried Herbs Restocked!
Fresh Availability
-Calendula
-Catnip
-Comfrey Leaf or Root
-Milky Oat Tops
-Mullein Leaf
-Tulsi/Holy Basil
-Flowering Vulgare Oregano
-Wild Marjoram
Did you know you can still join our Herbal CSA?
Upcoming Workshops & Pop-Up Markets
Farm Updates:
We have so much more in the ground this year at this time than we ever have. The perennials are flourishing, purple potatoes and garlic are being dug, grain crops and zucchini being harvested, beds flipped, tomatoes ripening, honeybees gathering, daily flower harvests, transplants finishing, prairie transplants starting, and resting. It is always a lot to juggle, but we're here for it.
Click here for an update from Bird Fork Farm!
