The farm area at Biltmore Estate
A wonderful opportunity to visit the "farm" across the French Broad River that's part of the Biltmore Estate, in Asheville, NC, but not open to the public, found me so impressed with the views and stewardship of the forest, too.
It was a Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Program (ASAP) excursion. They've been doing wonderful work for 20-25+ years, I think, and I'm glad to be a supporter.
We love visiting Biltmore as passholders -- it's a beautiful place, especially in the gardens and trails along the French Broad. But it was a special treat to see the agricultural side of the Estate.
Our ASAP visit took us on a big loop through that side of the property (Biltmore is still privately owned and managed), with the VP of Agriculture for 35 years as our guide.
Yes, the canola to frying oil to biodiesel story is nice, and the heritage Berkshire hogs are great, as well as the Angus cows and special tough South African self-shedding sheep (the breed name escapes me at the moment) -- and the stories of how the original vineyard was established (the root stock is American hybrid native grapes, which are apparently now standard.
The grapes are Chardonnay, Cabernet Savignon, and another Cabernet variety, which they're apparently now needing to change out, as production drops for those red grapes. (It's not easy to grow good wine grapes in North Carolina!) What Biltmore has done is partner with numerous grape-growers in California, as well as winemakers, to produce what's now, quite nice wine. Our favorites have been the California ones (not the NC ones, sorry to say).
But the standout for me were the wonderful views. We didn't have too many stops with photo opportunities, but this one at the vineyard stood out.
It was a Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Program (ASAP) excursion. They've been doing wonderful work for 20-25+ years, I think, and I'm glad to be a supporter.
We love visiting Biltmore as passholders -- it's a beautiful place, especially in the gardens and trails along the French Broad. But it was a special treat to see the agricultural side of the Estate.
Our ASAP visit took us on a big loop through that side of the property (Biltmore is still privately owned and managed), with the VP of Agriculture for 35 years as our guide.
Yes, the canola to frying oil to biodiesel story is nice, and the heritage Berkshire hogs are great, as well as the Angus cows and special tough South African self-shedding sheep (the breed name escapes me at the moment) -- and the stories of how the original vineyard was established (the root stock is American hybrid native grapes, which are apparently now standard.
The grapes are Chardonnay, Cabernet Savignon, and another Cabernet variety, which they're apparently now needing to change out, as production drops for those red grapes. (It's not easy to grow good wine grapes in North Carolina!) What Biltmore has done is partner with numerous grape-growers in California, as well as winemakers, to produce what's now, quite nice wine. Our favorites have been the California ones (not the NC ones, sorry to say).
But the standout for me were the wonderful views. We didn't have too many stops with photo opportunities, but this one at the vineyard stood out.
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| Biltmore vineyard view |
Lisa, what a beautiful view. We love the Biltmore 'back' tours, but this one that is not available to the public sounds amazing. The skies were so beautiful today. What an opportunity to see some amazing views!
ReplyDeleteIt definitely was a privilege to see the behind -the-scenes view —amazing!
DeleteA beautiful part of the country. I guess that's why the Biltmore's created their estate there. One day I will have to see it. In the meantime - self-shearing sheep, seriously?
ReplyDeleteWell, they're actually grown for their meat; apparently the point is not to have to shear them! I'd never heard of them before, either -- they're Dorpers. Here's a bit more about them: https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/2011/01/09/dorper-sheep-truths-and-myths/
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