Rebuild Goldfinch Gardens' Community Farm Stand

Goldfinch Gardens is a two-acre, no-till farm where we grow a variety of vegetables located in Celo Community. We take our job of stewarding this piece of earth seriously. We spend a lot of energy on the care of our soil through the use of cover crops, compost, soil testing for our nutrient needs, and mulching.

Cedar and Ben started this farm in 2010, hoping that we might be able to make a living doing the thing we love, growing plants. We have evolved over the years from selling at Asheville markets and restaurants to where we are now, feeding our neighbors and friends through our online CSA and roadside stand. It is so gratifying to know that we are providing healthy food to our community.

This past fall, when Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina, our region was hit hard. We were amazed that our little farm by the river made it through with minimal damage to the growing areas. Due to bridge washouts and road failures, our valley was cut off from normal supplies for a number of days. During this time, we were able to harvest veggies to give away to our community and be a reassuring presence that our neighbors could count on.

Our community lost its sweet food co-op and craft shop where our farm stand was located. At this stand, our CSA customers would pick up their CSA orders, and we had three fridges stocked with vegetables for anyone to purchase. This stand, along with the co-op, served as a social hub where folks would gather and visit. While it has been a challenge selling our vegetables without the stand, we also mourn the loss of a location that can serve as a permanent social hub for food, friends, and small commerce in the heart of Celo.

It is time to rebuild our farm stand. I am hoping to make it nicer than what we had before by purchasing an enclosed shed that we can retrofit into an area with a walk-in cooler and an area with fridges filled with veggies for sale. We are going to move the location to the site of the former Celo Inn. This beautiful property was one of the hardest losses for our community, and I am hoping to bring new life to it. Beyond our own stand, we are hoping to develop this area into a space where other producers and possibly food trucks could set up. Beyond the building, we will need to purchase coolers and fridges and to grade and gravel the area for parking.

Please consider donating to help us make this vision of recovery come to life.