Piedmont Farm Tour-Day Two

I know everyone has been looking forward to this-the report from our second day of the farm tour!  We started off the second day of our farm tour with a little more experience under our belts.  We managed to get Ben down for an early short nap before our tour, so he at least thought he was well-rested.  Our first farm of the day was Spence's Farm.  This is the one that Evan was looking forward to most because the description gave the promise of riding horses.  This was the farm that was the most geared toward kids.

We headed in and our first stop was the chicken pen.  We got to walk right in and feed the chickens and turkeys.  Both boys were interested but a little fearful.  Evan was willing to hold a little chicken feed in his hand but changed his mind after the first chicken pecks.  I can see why because the chickens can be a little forceful when they're hungry.  After that we headed to the little room where the baby chicks were.  Ben couldn't quite figure out his gentle pets again, but Evan enjoyed holding one of the baby chicks.

Then they called everyone over for the horse rides.  This is when Evan started getting nervous.  We listened to a little talk about caring for the horses, and by the time the farmer had finished talking Evan was ready to run the other direction.  I had never been able to get him on a horse before so I was afraid that he was going to back out again.  However, we all walked over and met the horse.  Ben got on him first but immediately wanted off again.  After some more coaxing and petting "Dan" the horse's nose, Evan finally agreed to sit on the horse and actually go for a ride.  I walked next to him while the farmer led us around the track.  By the end of the ride Evan was smiling from ear to ear.  He was so proud of himself!

After our horse ride, the boys had a chance to play on their little playground.  Ben liked the slide while Evan preferred the rope swing.  We dragged Ben into the vegetable farm area so we could pick some veggies ourselves (Evan refused and stayed on the playground).  Ben wasn't too enthused, but I learned several things about how asparagus grows and and how to pick lettuce.

Our next stop was Chapel Hill Creamery which was just down the road.  They specialize in making cheese.  Ian and I were excited about this stop because we were looking forward to tasting some yummy cheese!  We arrived, saw some cows, and hopped on a hay wagon to get to the farm.  I was a bit on edge the whole time because there were electric fences for the cows everywhere within easy grabbing distance, but fortunately we managed to avoid them.  The boys watched the cows and enjoyed using the hand washing station, but I think the adults enjoyed this farm more because of all the delicious cheese and sausage samples.  The boys did actually try the cheese too, and I think they liked it.  We tried to go on a tour of the actual workings of the dairy but Ben decided he would rather stick his hands in every dirty corner of the milking parlor, so we gave up.  However, we headed home with two delicious kinds of cheese!  Yum!

It was a fabulous weekend and we've been enjoying our eats ever since.  We've had buffalo steaks and brats, fresh asparagus with hollandaise and a poached egg, salads with fresh lettuce, pasta salad with smoked farmer's cheese, and pasta with fresh cheese grated on top.  I think the boys learned a lot, and everyone had a great time!

(Horses at Spence's Farm)

(Benny's not so sure about all those chickens.)

(Evan and the chickens got along just fine as long as they weren't pecking him.)

(Who can resist baby chicks?)

(Cock-a-doodle-dooooo!)

(Evan proudly rides Dan.)

(Mooo!)