Hello farm friends!

This weather is glorious, and my collection of heirloom daffodils are LOVING the warm and sunny days – I’ll have little spring bouquets available at Renfrow’s all week long.

Renfrow’s is getting a massive load of tomato plants delivered before we open again on Wednesday, with so many of everyone’s favorites – Cherokee Purple, Sweet 100 Cherry, Better Boy, Celebrity, Rutgers, Black Krim, Big Boy, Big Beef, Brandywine, German Johnson, Goliath, and more.

We are going to plant a couple dozen early tomatoes at the farm on Tuesday. And I’ll let you in on a little secret… the farm to-do list never ends, and since it looks like nighttime temperatures will not be lower than 37 degrees for the next 15 days on the weather forecast, we have decided not to put up the wall-o-waters, at least not yet! They’re time-consuming on such a large scale, and tomatoes will survive as long as it doesn’t frost or freeze on them.

Last week was full of excitement at the farm. We were approached by a California-based company, Outstanding in the Field, that travels around the US and the world recruiting top chefs to host fancy local foods-based dinners at an area farm. They’re coming to the Charlotte area for the very first time in October and they asked us to be the host farm for Chef Clark Barlowe of Heirloom Restaurant!  I about fell over in shock and am beyond flattered for our farm to have been presented with such an exciting opportunity! Details about the dinner is on OITF’s website here. There are also a few other events on this year’s calendar that we will be sharing with y’all in the coming weeks!

Have y’all ever wondered why the hardware store is closed on Tuesdays? Did you know that it is a full workday for us? Most of us are up at the farm, but Mark and Dennis are hard at work in the store’s shop, doing a variety of tasks that require uninterrupted focus. From sharpening non-serrated kitchen knives, garden tools, chainsaw blades, and lawnmower blades to repairing hand tools and replacing handles, Dennis tunes up and helps increase the longevity of your belongings.  Mark repairs and builds dozens of window screens and screen doors. We are continually diversifying the business and offering these services is a convenient way for our customers to increase longevity in their household goods. If you ever need any sharpening, tool repair, or window screen repair services, please bring your items in before we close on Saturday and they will be ready the following Wednesday morning.

************
Meet the “Renfrow Family”

I’m Ruth Harris – Pressly’s aunt.  I started working at Renfrow Farm in June 2014.

I was born and raised in the Matthews area.  When my husband, Brett and I married, we settled on my family’s property to raise our 4 children.  My time at Renfrow Hardware started in 1991.  Owner, David Blackley, is my brother and I worked full time until our first child, Virginia, was born.  I continued part-time until our second child, Philip came along.  My primary job was the greenhouse and the seed counter and I loved it. I grew up with a garden and have a passion for eating what we grow, so it was a natural fit to work around plants and seeds.  In 1999, we were blessed and totally surprised when our twin boys, Mark and John were born.  Juggling 4 kids and Renfrows were too much so I took “some time off”.  Even during my “break” I continued to have a small garden but shuttling kids and volunteering at their schools occupied most of my time.  However, during this time I became even more passionate about the benefits of growing your own food, eating in season, and sharing my knowledge with other busy parents.

Fast forward to 2014 with our youngest kids now driving, I could get back to what I truly love – working in the garden, harvesting beautiful flowers and produce, and helping build a community of future backyard farmers.  I am excited to work with Pressly in this exciting new venture called Renfrow Farms and growing it to be a key partner in Matthews and surrounding communities!
-Ruth

*******

Next week I’ll introduce Gaspar, who completes our farm’s vegetable-tending trio.

Have a wonderfully warm and beautiful week,
                                                    ~Pressly Williams  & the farm crew

Renfrow Farms Market 
is closed for winter.
Our first wave of early spring veggies are expected to be ready in mid-late April, with produce box availability starting up around that time.
****

Seasonal allergies got you down? Our farm’s pure, raw honey is available year-round at Renfrow Hardware.