Eat like you mean it

farm, forage, and Plants

When we acquired the property, it was not initially functioning as a farm. Although the land possessed natural beauty, it had suffered from poor management practices since the 1960s. We began with home renovations and small-scale gardening, driven by the goal of creating a sustainable homestead and growing our own food. Over time, our gardens expanded and became more productive. With the growth of our business, we transitioned to production farming to supply farmers markets and restaurants. All soil and terraces have been constructed manually, employing ancient techniques and ecological knowledge. Agriculture on steep mountain terrain presents significant challenges and can be detrimental to the environment. We have successfully transformed these steep slopes into level areas with nutrient-rich soil that was absent prior to our farming activities. Collaborating with the Wedge and Burial breweries in Asheville, we repurpose their spent beer grains by diverting them from the waste stream and converting them into high-quality compost for organic soils. Restoring the land is a valuable endeavor, and developing fertile soils on our property serves as a legacy we are proud to pass on to future generations.

teaching foraging
harvesting carrots
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high tunnel in winter

We use organic and regenerative farming techniques, avoiding petroleum products and harsh chemicals. This keeps our soil healthy and pollinators safe from chemical stress. Using natural nutrients and plant material, we produce flavorful, nutrient-dense foods efficiently. Our low-till and no-till methods reduce erosion and preserve soil integrity. We farm mostly by hand to prevent soil compaction and maintain our system, finding a deep connection to our mission in the process. Our farm is uniquely surrounded by mature forests, which we are also working to restore on our land. Diverse forests create a healthy farm ecosystem, leveraging natural processes and native species for pollination and pest control. Instead of controlling the environment, we mimic it. This allows for foraging, as Sara, a trained botanist, finds food in the wild for our family and customers. We let wild foods grow at the edges of our farm, offering nutrient-rich forage and reducing wildlife impact on our crops.

harvesting lettuce at Sustainabillies
1_sarah outside garden rustic mountain background
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greenhouse dome

Permaculture and regenerative farming involve strategic planning to enhance soils and the local environment. We use solar hot water, water catchment, and PV solar panels for our home and shop. Our cold storage is built into the hillside to save energy. The 1940s home has been remodeled for sustainability. With six greenhouses, including a geodesic dome, we grow food year-round and enjoy beautiful spaces even in winter.

Plant Starts

Find us at:
Haywood Historic Farmer Market, Waynesville, NC
Asheville City Market
Whole Bloomin Thing; Waynesville, NC
Herbfest; Asheville, NC
Growing in the Mountains; Asheville NC
Riverview Farm and Garden Feed Store; Canton, NC

2025 Plant List

CSA produce
CSA boxes
summer CSA box garlic rhubarb carrot butter lettuce portobello oregano romaine

CUCUMBERS & EGGPLANTS

Cucumbers- We will have various varieties including pickling and sweet munching cukes

Cucumber, Mexican Sour Gherkin - small cuke the size of a grape. Sweet and tangy ready to pop in your mouth or a salad, makes super cute pickles, prolific plant

Eggplant, Early Black - quick producer, smaller dark purple eggplant

Eggplant, Ping Tung - Long and skinny Asian style, light purple with white flesh

Eggplant, Rosa Bianca - round striped with mild flesh, baseball to softball sized

eggplants and passion flowers

FLOWERS

Calendula- beautiful orange flowers with medicinal value, hardy annual

French Marigold- classic marigolds used as cut flowers and pollinator plants, we will have several different varieties on the truck from small to large flowered.

Mexican Marigold- drought tolerant marigold with tiny flowers, great for containers and incredible flavor for teas and baking. One of our favoritets!

Nasturtium-classic heirloom garden flower, every part is edible and spicy, excellent for pollinators. Many different colors. 

 

Sunflowers– beautiful open flowers of several varieties. We primarily grow smaller, dwarf varieties so they will behave well in the garden. We also make sure to choose varieties with pollen and nectar so they are good for pollinators.

Various native plants are available for purchase at our farm and booth. We save seeds and propagate from our gardens. Who knows what goodies may be waiting for you. 

custom blacksmithing decoration
sunflower

Herbs

Basil- various types

Chamomile- tea herb heralded for its soothing flavor

Lemon Grass- Classic Asian herb great for teas or cooking.

Rosemary-superb cooking herb

Thyme- small leaved perennial with a big flavor

Tulsi- Ayurvedic herb, makes amazing tea, minty sweet and spicy flavor, our favorite herb, annual

chickweed

SWEET PEPPERS

California Wonder- Red Bell pepper. Classic sweet bell full of flavor

Carolina Wonder-A sweet, red bell bred to grow well in NC.

Corno di toro - Long red horn pepper, daydream of spice, classic roasting pepper of Spain

Felicity-No heat jalapeno. Super productive and flavorful

Golden CA Wonder - blocky sweet golden bell

Habanada and Roulette- Amazing heatless habaneros. All the flavor without the face melting.

Jimmy Nardello- Our sweetest pepper, long, skinny, red

King of the North - Smaller blocky red bells, productive in cooler weather

Mini Red Bell - tiny sweet red container peppers, great for kids

bell peppers from Sustainabillies

Pepperocini – a little spicy, classic pickling pepper from Italy

Poblano– a little spicy, classic pepper from Mexico, used for stuffing and roasting

Purple Beauty – blocky sweet purple bell

Sheepnose – thick walled pimento style pepper, super sweet, smaller but makes up for it

Shishito pepper– amazing for roasting and cooking, very productive

Sweet Banana – classic tangy sweet pepper, long, yellow-orange color

colorful vegetables

HOT PEPPERS

Cayenne – classic medium heat long pepper, great for drying pickling

Fish – African heirloom of Jamaican Jerk fame, medium hot, variegated plant and pepper

Habanero – super hot, orange color. Look out.

Peter Cayenne – peter shaped peppers, get your neighbors peeking in your garden, cayenne heat

Serrano – hot and flavorful, great for sauces and chili, heat without melting your face, flavorful

Sugar rush– medium to mild heat, sweet flavor, amazing for relishes and pepper jellies

Tam– a mild jalapeno, great for a little heat, but still friendly

SUMMER and winter squashes- including, but not limited to

Autumn Frost- small winter squash with amazing flavor and very productive

Black Beauty– classic dark green zucchini, very productive

Crookneck – classic yellow squash, pick early for soft skin, very flavorful

Straightneck – classic yellow squash, smooth skin

Patty Pan – small dish-shaped squash, very productive

Butternut– classic small squash, rich dark orange flesh, productive

Burpee’s butter bush– small plant and squash but still productive, great for containers and tight spaces

Candyroaster-classic NC Cherokee squash, pumpkin-shaped, rich orange flesh, sweet

Kabocha– Japanese heirlooms, deep orange flesh and super flavorful, we have both Shokichi and Tetsukabuto (best keeping squash).

North Georgia Candyroaster-long candyroaster, usually around 6-8 lbs. good climber

Pennsylvania Dutch Crookneck-like a butternut on steroids, long neck with lost of flesh

Thai Kang Kob– my hands down favorite squash, dark green pumpkin with mottling, rich orange flesh, similar to butternut in flavor but sweeter, good keeper, we still have one on the counter. 

gourds

TOMATOES

Ananas Noir – acid tomato for salsa and canning, amazing rainbow colors

Atomic Grape– large grape with beautiful rainbow stripes, classic flavor

Black Brandywine– sweet, classic large slicer for sandwiches and fresh eating

Blueberries– productive purple cherries, sweet and tangy, hardy, large plants

Cherokee Purple-classic heirloom, sweet, productive, purple slicers, a favorite

Dr. Wyche-yellow sandwich slicer, big tomatoes, low acid, sweet, productive

Gypsy– pink slicer, good with cold temps, low acid sweet

Gold Medal- low acid, yellow and red slicer, an obvious winner hance the name

Matt’s Wild Cherry– very small sweet cherries, great for kiddos, sweet! 

Minibel– tiny plant for pots, small red cherries, cute and beautiful for a porch 

Dustin of Sustainabillies with tomatoes

Mortgage Lifter– classic red slicer, big tomato flavor, WV heirloom, great mountain tomato

Mountain Magic-HYBRID, blight resistant, very productive sauce tomatoes

Mountain Merit-HYBRID, blight resistant, very productive, sandwich slicer

Peron– Very hardy small red sandwich tomato. Good disease resistance. 

Pineapple – Rainbow sandwich slicer, tangy, good for canning and salsa

Purple Russian/Ukranian Purple – amazing purple sauce tomato

Roma – classic red sauce tomato, 2-3 inches long

fresh harvested tomato in dirty hand

Striped Roman-amazing sauce tomato with flame stripes, incredibly productive

Suddith Brandywine – large, sweet, low-acid, slicer, pink, large plants

Sungold– HYBRID, A super sweet, yellow, cherry 

Sweet Pea Currant– tiny sweet little morsels, we dare you to not eat them all 

Tommy Toe – classic round cherry, great for salads

Trifele Black – 3-4 inch purple with red shoulders, pear shaped, thick and juicy

Yellow Gooseberry – yellow cherry, large and productive, hardy plants, sweet and tangy flavor

Yellow Pear– old-timey, 1 inch yellow pears, sweet, flavorful, smaller plants (semideterminant)

produce in Sustainabillies summer CSA box

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