Because my Friday evenings are more exciting than yours, I decided to spend one going for a run around the farm. Several weeks had passed without an up-close-and-personal view of the fields at Southern Valley, and since the weather and my inexplicable lack of motivation had kept me from getting in my routine run, I decided to kill two birds with one stone. Now normal folks may just drive around with their windows rolled down to see what’s growing; but me—well I felt the need to run through the middle of it all. And since I’m usually looking for any and every excuse to stop and catch my breath, Read More
Wanda Hamilton-Tyler, or as she is often referred to around Southern Valley – Ma, Mama, or Aunt Wanda – is no stranger to all aspects of farm life. Born and raised right outside of Norman Park, Georgia, just minutes from where she still lives at the age of 72, she is the fifth of six children. Wanda grew up on a farm, like most everyone else in this part of the county, where everyone in the family helped out with the labor. Her family grew row crops and vegetables, which is how she ended up in the field picking cotton with a sack as early as age six.
After graduating Read More
Organic. Sustainable. Local. Natural.
These words fill up my Facebook newsfeed on a daily basis. Perhaps they fill up yours as well. Articles, opinions, scientific claims, research, advertisements, bashing, fear mongering – all aimed at steering the general public one direction or another when it comes to the food they buy, and ultimately the food they consume.
Still being the newbie here, I wasn’t fully aware of the ins and outs of our production practices at the farm in Georgia. After a lengthy conversation with a few individuals in the company who are instrumental in the day to day production, food safety, and environmental stewardship of the farm, I was reassured to find things Read More
There has recently been a minor uproar in the news regarding the labor standards in Mexico and as many would concur, perhaps rightly so. Some of the stories I read reported deplorable living conditions and a blatant disrespect of labor laws, not to mention a disregard for standard human decency. In response to these stories, one blogger went so far as to point out that she would no longer be buying anything at the grocery store that had Mexico listed as its Country of Origin. She advocated that others do the same.
I get it. I really do. Many of the stories I read of Mexican labor standards were repulsive Read More
We are so glad you asked.
The average, ole, run-of-the-mill cucumber grows on a vine that creeps along the ground, growing wherever it wants. Here at Southern Valley, we grow the new and improved cucumber…and we do that by growing it up a stake with trellis netting. It looks a little something like this:
Like all of our produce, our cucumbers are started from seed in our greenhouses and then transplanted by hand into the soil. Once the cucumbers have reached an appropriate height, the vines are then taught to climb up and through the net. This involves intensive training Read More
It’s #FunFactFriday and here are some fun facts about Eggplants!
1. Eggplant is part of the nightshade family, along with tomatoes and potatoes, and all edible members of that family are actually fruits.
2. Tobacco is also a member of the nightshade family and eggplant, like tobacco, contains some nicotine (although in a much smaller amount). Eggplant has the highest level of nicotine of any vegetable, but you would still have to eat 20-40 pounds of eggplant to equal the amount of nicotine you would get from one cigarette.
3. It is called “eggplant” in three countries, the US, Australia, and Canada, because the first varieties of eggplants in those countries were Read More
Allow me to introduce you to Southern Valley…as I know them.
I grew up hearing about Southern Valley and the Hamilton family long before I ever got the chance to experience them. I lived amongst the agriculture community in small town South Georgia so it was inevitable that I would get word of this family way out in Norman Park that had a unique farming operation. However, I finished college and came back home before I was ever formally introduced to them.
My first interaction with the Hamilton family was with the wife of Southern Valley’s owner, Mrs. Pam. Mrs. Pam was renowned for coming to the local canning plant each Read More