Not all farmers get to their destinations in straight lines. Take John Handler as a good example. John grew up on farms in Maryland and southern Virginia but that didn’t mean he would stay with farming. Before returning to the soil, John worked as a pipe fitter, plumber, and eventually as a chimney sweep. He maintains that last occupation for slower times on the farm.
Along the way, he met another farmer and fell in love with her and with farming again. Sharon Weatherly grew up on the third generation Randolph County farm where she and John live and work today.
The farm is only seventeen acres but that’s big enough for Sharon and John to produce a lot of food. In addition to vegetables in season, John and his brother-in-law, Ron Woodroof, sell lamb, rabbit, chicken, and starter herbs and vegetables. Often, the chicken is fresh; i.e., hasn’t been frozen.
WeatherHand uses organic methods to produce their vegetables and plants. Sharon and John are good examples of small acreage farmers using back to basics farming to produce fresh local food.
In case you don’t know, chimney sweeps are considered lucky, according a British tradition that dates to at least the 18th century. John will be happy to convey his share of chimney sweep luck when you drop by WeatherHand’s Table 121 on Aisle E.
