Farmers markets are sold as a win-win: farmers earn more, customers get fresh local food, and communities keep money close to home. The reality is far less romantic.

Every third Sunday in July, the ritual begins. Ice cream shops roll out their "National Ice Cream Day specials." Social media floods with cone photos and #NationalIceCreamDay hashtags. Coworkers debate flavors. Parents load kids into cars for the ceremonial trip to Baskin-Robbins.

You’re not visiting a U-Pick farm for the experience. You’re working for free.

They hand you a basket and call it tradition. They romanticize it as “connecting with your food,” but let’s be honest: no one romanticized berry picking when it was migrant labor in the sun for $2.35 an hour. Now it’s just dressed up in gingham and nostalgia.

If you've ever walked away from a patch of beautiful land because there was a Black Walnut tree nearby, you're not alone. We recently had someone inquire about our Crop Collective who explained they don't have much room because they are surrounded by black walnut trees and so they have to use raised beds. We smiled because every single one of our gardens is under or adjacent to massive Black Walnut trees.

Every so often, someone hears the word rabbit and brings up something they read or saw online: "rabbit starvation." It’s usually said as a warning, or a reason not to eat rabbit meat at all.

Let’s clear this up once and for all: rabbit starvation is real—but it has nothing to do with eating rabbit as part of a normal diet. It’s a survival issue, not a food safety issue. And it definitely shouldn’t stop anyone from enjoying rabbit meat, especially when it’s locally raised, clean, and affordable like it is here at Carlton Hill Farm.

A growing crisis is sweeping across Appalachia: farmland is vanishing. A recent article from Appalachian Memories (“Farmland Disappearing in Appalachia as Subdivisions Take Over”) highlights the staggering loss of farmland in East Tennessee—over a million acres gone in just a few decades.

Egg shortages have become an unfortunate reality for many households, with prices soaring and grocery store shelves often empty. Whether it's due to supply chain disruptions, avian flu outbreaks, or rising production costs, chicken eggs are becoming harder to find at an affordable price. But there's good news—quail eggs offer a sustainable, nutritious, and readily available alternative.