By Alex Lampert
Metro Atlanta Tour de Farm 2015, a 49-mile bike ride, campout, and exploration of local farmers and food will take place October 24 and 25. The first day will take in 38 miles with breaks at four idyllic stops. Lunch is included, dinner is provided, and a campout together follows that evening. After breakfast on day two, the tour will ride 11 miles back to where it began.
Tour de Farm starts and ends at Decimal Place Farm in Conley, Georgia. Mary Rigdon has lived and worked on the historic 40 acres of farmland in Conley since October 1995. She raises Saanen goats (a white or cream-colored breed named for the Saanen Valley in Switzerland) and produces cheeses. From here, the group rides east to meet up with the PATH on the South River Trail and head toward Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve for a foraging walk around the 2,600-acre preserve in Dekalb County. This will likely include spotting late muscadines and early native persimmons. Lunch at Arabia will be prepared by Candler Park Market Deli.
After lunch, the ride continues east onto two farms run by young farmers using innovative methods. Grant Wallace Farm raises vegetables, chickens and pigs just south of Conyers. From Grant Wallace, the tour moves on to Mayflor Farm in Stockbridge. Chris Edwards, the farm’s manager, has studied ethno-botany in Ghana and currently raises vegetables alongside bees, cows, chickens, and fruit trees.
Dinner and camping for the evening will be at Mayflor Farms. The Wrecking Bar Brewpub will provide dinner featuring smoked chicken and pork with plenty of vegetarian friendly sides: baked beans, salad, roasted vegetables and cornbread. There will be lots of pie for dessert and a keg of hefeweizen (wheat beer) to accompany a bonfire before the tour camps for the evening. In the morning, the group will wake up to breakfast prepared by Chef Philip Meeker of Bright Seed before riding back to Decimal Place Farm.
Tour de Farm is a fully supported ride. Attendees are expected to have their own bikes and camping gear for the trip and are required to wear a helmet. Tour personnel will carry all camping gear, have bicycle techs on hand, and support riders for the duration of the trip. The tour will ride at a leisurely to moderate pace, but it is not recommended for beginners. All guests are required to register for this event in advance. Please see our website for tickets and more details at www.cfmtourdefarm.bpt.me.
About Community Farmers Markets:
The mission of Community Farmers Markets (CFM) is to develop a local food infrastructure for long-term sustainability and meaningful community impact. The purpose is to root, grow, and preserve a diverse local food culture by maintaining an authentic space for all people to share community, fair food, and healthy lifestyles while providing a sustainable living for producers who steward the earth. CFM operates the East Atlanta Village, Grant Park, Decatur, and Westside Farmers Markets as well as educational outreach programs and events.
Please see the Tour de Farm 2015 website for a map of the route and site descriptions at www.farmatl.org/blog/event/tour-de-farm-2015/?instance_id=2035, or see the Facebook event at www.facebook.com/events/1707779559442930. Please contact alex@cfmatl.org with any inquiries.
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