Celebrate Mom with Fresh Air, Good Food, and Farm Hospitality
Celebrate Mom with Fresh Air, Good Food, and Farm Hospitality
Dig Deeper Blog
Hidden away in the Blue Ridge Mountains: East Fork Farm, Marshall, North Carolina
Scottie Jones
4 min read
Taking on a farm as a second career always seems like a good idea from afar, especially if the farm is in North Carolina and you are in New York. Well, maybe that isn’t quite fair. John and Mina Piraino were looking for a slower, more sustainable lifestyle as empty nesters, and the thought of working outside appealed to John, a mechanical engineer by training. Two of their children already lived in Greenville SC, and it felt like everyone in the family was moving south. 
Starting a new life as farmers
But, how does one go about finding a farm if you don’t inherit it? The Internet is a pretty good place to start. While the Pirainos first thought to look for land in Pennsylvania or Virginia, it was pricey, and nothing really called to them. Then, in 2017, East Fork Farm, in Marshall, North Carolina, just north of Asheville, came on the market. It was a turn-key operation (if farms are ever really turn-key), set up with both livestock production and farm stay lodging. They could do this. John and Mina bought the farm in July 2017 and moved in January of 2018 to start their new life as farmers. 
East Fork Farm is a 40-acre property with 20 acres in pasture. It is highly scenic, set in the middle of the Blue Ridge mountains in western North Carolina, close to the Tennessee border. The Pirainos raise Angus cross cattle, Katahdin sheep, Red Ranger meat birds, egg layers (for egg production), trout (in their trout pond) and sometimes hogs. They also have a grist mill, driven by a waterwheel, for making corn meal. Where it is allowed, they butcher on site; for the larger animals a USDA facility is used. This way, product is sold directly through the on-farm store, online, and at the Asheville Tailgate (seasonal) Market. 
Guests can enjoy a farm stay
In 2019 the Pirainos added an apprenticeship program for those interested in learning the ins and outs of farming, but not everyone wants to spend an entire growing season as day labor on a farm. The alternative to apprenticeships? Guests can enjoy a farm stay with the Pirainos, lending a hand or just watching from a distance. Of course, you can also just take in the scenery, go for a hike, or soak in the Japanese Ofuru soaking tub provided with your accommodations. 
There are three options for overnight lodging: Meadow Branch cottage, a quaint cedar shake cottage built by the former owners in 2009; East Fork cottage, a former barn refurbished from top to bottom as a rental unit in 2010, and the Millhouse, tucked on the second floor of the fully functioning grist mill. All lodgings were handcrafted and detailed with care, are decorated with farm antiques, and come with a breakfast of complimentary fresh eggs, stone ground cornmeal and jelly from the farm. What’s not to love? 
When asked what kind of comments they get from guests, John laughed. While often the beauty and scenery are mentioned, the two very friendly Great Pyrenees dogs, used to protect the livestock, are the favorites. We might have thought the soaking tubs, but then there is nothing like hanging out with large, fluffy white dogs while the sheep and cattle graze peacefully in the fields around you and the wind makes a song in the trees. 
Check out East Fork Farm and find yourself in the middle of the natural world, not such a bad place to be these days! 
** East Fork Farm changed hands in 2021. The new owners moved from California to North Carolina after a wonderful stay. They have never looked back. Please meet Grace and Jack. hello@eastforkfarm.net **
Related Articles
Why We Are Heading to Scotland This June (And Why You Might Want to Join Us)
This June, we’re packing our bags and heading to Aberdeen, Scotland for something pretty special.
Where Hospitality Comes Naturally
Across the country, farms are welcoming guests in growing numbers, from short visits to longer stays, offering a close look at everyday farm life. It’s an invitation to see where food comes from and to experience farm life. Those who have chosen to do this have done so thoughtfully. There is no performance or theme, but instead a form of welcoming, a chance to share the land and introduce the families who care for it. From the outside, visiting a working farm can feel a little unexpected. The farmer has laden the breakfast table with jams they made and eggs fresh from the chicken coop. You step outside your door to pick fresh fruit from the orchard, or maybe you’re invited to try your hand at milking a dairy cow or holding a bottle of warm milk for a calf. The lights are on for your late arrival, and a friendly note on the table welcomes you to the farm. This is a visit to a family’s home in the countryside. At Farmstay, we work with farms and ranches across the country that welcome guests in many different ways. Some are just beginning their hospitality journey. Others have been opening their gates for decades, shaping hospitality through lived experience rather than any single formula. This is a small glimpse of the many farms that do this kind of hosting especially well (the first three farms on our list were early U.S. pioneers in farm hospitality, welcoming guests as far back as the 1950s).