Partnerships and Progress

Above: Our advertisement in the latest issue of Garden & Gun available on newsstands now!

Have you heard about our partnership with Garden & Gun magazine? This is only the beginning!

 

We're excited about this partnership and the opportunity to tell our story in picture and print. From farm life to wholesome community to five-star farm-to-table dinners, our unique setting and homesite opportunities will be highlighted in full color and high resolution! Garden & Gun will also partner with The Farm at Okefenokee and our culinary partner, Congaree and Penn, to produce and highlight an exciting series of seasonal dinners prepared by acclaimed chefs.

 

Look for the current issue of Garden & Gun to see our gorgeous ad and stay tuned to hear about all the excitement this partnership offers.

Join Us for Dinner!

The moment is finally here! Many people have requested to experience our farm-to-table lifestyle, if only for an evening. Now, you can tour The Farm at Okefenokee and see what all the braying is about then relax in the Community Clubhouse while chefs prepare unforgettable fare. 

 

Our culinary partner, Congaree & Penn, enjoys five-star reviews as “hands-down, the best restaurant in Jacksonville.” Once a month, their highly talented chefs bring their knives and knowledge to “Dinners at Okefenokee: A Farm-to-Table Adventure.” Join us for an oyster roast then enjoy seasonal menus such as Meishan pork belly, prepared over an open fire, served beside spring greens and root vegetables. Or bite into freshly harvested heirloom tomatoes grown under the summer sun. Each meal comes complete with wine pairings and dessert for a multi-course experience.

 

Tickets for the March 29th dinner are on sale now! Stay tuned to secure reservations for April 26th and May 17th.

 

Each dinner will serve a maximum of 60 people. Visit our website to find the next dinner event and reserve your spot for the meal of a lifetime! 

Stay Tuned …

Coming soon: An exciting newsletter detailing new opportunities for cabin ownership in The Orchard!

Welcome 2025!

What a year it's been! The past 12 months have brought change and triumph at The Farm at Okefenokee.

Left: On a misty morning, zinnias grow in the Standing Gardens before a finished cabin. Middle: Team member Dixie examines garden beans for pests. Right: A group photo during the November event with Robert Breedlove.

We Love You Berry Much

If you've toured The Farm at Okefenokee, you've seen acres of blackberries, blueberries, and muscadine grapes. April and May are exciting production months, as these plants produce pounds of sweet fruit.

 

Blue and purple produce offer anthocyanins, phytochemicals that protect the fruit from sun and insect damage but also protect our bodies from cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and inflammation. One cup (8 ounces) of blueberries offers 25% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin C, and the same amount of blackberries offers 50%! Black and purple muscadines also offer anthocyanins, and all colors of muscadines contain significantly more fiber than European grapes offer.

 

Nicole Pramik, a valuable team member with years of experience working at The Farm at Okefenokee, manages the berry fields. With additional focus on these three crops, she analyzes soil samples, amends the beds with compost and organic fertilizer, and watches for important timelines such as new spring growth, bud break, and blossom fall.

 

In addition to monitoring the growing environments, she utilizes cover crops to protect the soil and installs wildflowers that attract beneficial insects. Fungi work underground to decompose organic matter and share nutrients among plants, their work manifested by bright orange fruiting bodies sprouting above the soil.

 

We can't wait to be overrun with berries so we can teach our cabin owners to preserve the fruit to enjoy all year!

That's Just Nuts

Do you pronounce it PEE-can or puh-KAHN? No matter how you say it, pecans are very “Georgia.” 

 

Often called a “superfood,” pecans offer vitamins A, E, and multiple B vitamins such as folate, niacin, and thiamine. They also contain calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc. One ounce (about 19 halves) offers 2.6 grams of protein, 3.9 grams of carbohydrates, and 2.7 grams of dietary fiber alongside with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Studies show that eating pecans can help support heart health, manage diabetes, relieve arthritis, and prevent multiple diseases due to high levels of antioxidants.

 

Also, “pecan stain” isn't just a color. Pecan drupes stain hands and clothing a dark brown, the same way that walnut drupes do. Many artists extract the stain to make natural dyes and paints.

 

When 600 pecan trees land at The Farm, it's “all hands on deck” to plant them properly in the soil. The team gathered to use an augur to dig holes. Then, they trimmed roots to fit the holes, positioned grafted saplings inside, and backfilled dirt to a few inches below the grafting scar. The next day, rains fell and watered the 600 saplings, welcoming them to a lifetime of growth and production. Our pecan varieties include ‘Kanza,’ ‘Cape Fear,’ ‘Lakota,’ and ‘Zinner.’

 

Growing pecan trees from seed means up to 20 years before the tree produces any pecans and 5-10 more years before the tree is in full production. Most farmers use grafted stock because seeds contain so many genetics that it's difficult to know exactly what genes end up in the tree—and 20 years is a long time to wait and find out if the nuts are any good! Grafting scions (budding twigs) onto rootstock means everything above the graft is the EXACT same variety and genetics as the parent tree. Grafting the tree yourself reduces years-to-production to 4-6. Planting bare-root saplings, as we have done, reduces the timeline even more. We should see pecans within a few years, with full production in about 10 years. This is why many farmers say, “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is right now.”

 

As we wait for these trees to produce nuts for our residents, we enjoy pecans from the three heirloom trees planted 80 years ago by previous occupants of this land.

Letters from Our Founders

How does Meishan pork differ from commodity pork? In a previous newsletter, we detailed how pasture-raised pork has higher levels of vitamin D and the dark red meat of our Meishan pigs indicates higher levels of iron. But how do you cook Meishan pork? Overall, prepare it the same way you would prepare commodity pork. But Co-Founder Jeff Meyer prefers some extra preparation for a meal well worth your time!

 

For pork steaks, chops, and tenderloin, I always do a simple brine and soak the meat for 24 hours.
 

 

 

— Jeff Meyer

We want to hear from you. Comment and share your thoughts. Follow us on Instagram, X, and Facebook.