Fresh, summer bounty in the form of laden blueberry bushes stands ready for eager visitors at Ithíca Acres Creamery. Stephanie Carter, Co-owner and manager of the creamery, says the crop is good this year.
The Blueberry Festival and Square Dance on July 12 is a first for the Creamery, and it promises attendees more than fresh fruit and the chance to dance in the style of age-old traditions. Carter says it’s about family-friendly fun.
In addition to berry picking and square dancing, there will be live music, food trucks, the farm store selling ice cream and sharing cheese samples, goats to pet, and a rumored pie-eating contest. It’s a chance to learn about farming and food sources, enjoy a summer evening outside, and spend time with friends and family.
The evening will start with live music from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., with a gooseneck trailer serving as the stage for the evening. During that time, visitors will be shuttled back and forth to the blueberry fields, picking to their heart’s content. Dancing is from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Carter says anyone can square dance, even if they’re completely new, as long as they can follow the caller’s instructions.
In between picking berries, dancing, and eating, visitors can soak up everything that Ithíca Acres Creamery has become over the years — perhaps learning something about food sources, agriculture, or the many animals that roam the surrounding pasture.
Carter says Ithíca Acres Creamery is unique because it’s a “farmstead creamery.” That means they create goats milk products with milk from the goats they’ve raised. Producing their own dairy supply, from birthing goat kids on the farm to milking goats, means more work, but more reward.
“A lot of manufacturing facilities source from other dairies — so they get their dairy from a farm down the road or something like that. We don’t, and that’s the cool thing about being a farmstead creamery,” she said.
The Creamery hasn’t always been part of operations at the farm. Carter explained that she grew up on the farm with her family, where operations included farming poultry for Perdue, raising cattle, growing hay, and eventually planting the now mature blueberry bushes.
Carter moved away from the farm to attend Appalachian State University, where she studied marketing. When she returned, she and her family started reimagining what else the farm could become.
She began market research, hoping to find the perfect fit. After culling through a variety of options, raising goats and making goat’s milk products checked the boxes. There was a demand, but very few young people pursuing the industry, Carter noted. For her, that was another reason to take the plunge and continue growing an operation where they could educate visitors about farming and food production. Now the farm is all it was before, and more.
“We advocate for the farming community. So few people understand where their food comes from,” she explained. “We love knowing that we can talk to the customer and say ‘this pound of ground beef came from a steer right out in the pasture.’”
Much of Ithíca Acres' operations centers around education. Carter says they host farm days and regular tour groups. Tour groups range from private, public, and homeschool groups to friends looking for a unique girls' night out. They also conduct education for multiple branches of the U.S. Military, a service Carter says they always provide on a volunteer basis.
Though she knows many of the people she educates won’t be in the area for long, she hopes there’s an enduring impact.
“They may be military and PCSing, but maybe they will go support other local farmers at their next duty point, or there may be children growing up who will know blueberries come from a farmer,” she said.
These educational events provide visitors with the chance not only to connect with food sources, but to sample and experience the benefits of ingredients like fresh goat’s milk.
“We’re not food scientists, so we can’t claim anything like that, but customers consistently say how good [these products] are for internal and external health,” Carter said.
The current farm store special is their seasonal Blueberry Lemon Goat’s Milk Cheese — a treat that may win over the unlikeliest of converts. Carter says the blueberries, while not organic, are grown using organic practices. Other ingredients, whether in their food or non-food products that they can’t grow on the farm, are often sourced nearby, if possible.
“We try to use local sources for our products if we can,” Carter shared.
With music and dancing provided, Carter says the only thing visitors need to bring to the Blueberry Festival and Square Dance is the $15 per-car entrance fee--excluding blueberry purchases--lawn chairs and blankets.
The creamery’s invitation to the community is, “Come by the farm!” and “Welcome to the family!”
(Photos courtesy of Ithica Acres Creamery)
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