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Photo by Kaylee Cook/Staff The farm was first opened in the 1970s by Pelham Thomas, a former math professor at Western Carolina University.
July is national blueberry month, and a Cullowhee based farm allows visitors the opportunity to pick their own berries while enjoying the peaceful landscape.
Thomas Berry Farm is a ‘pick-your-own’ blueberry farm located at 78 Medallion Dr. in Cullowhee along the Tuckasegee River. The two-acre farm boasts more than 400 blueberry bushes, all of the rabbiteye variety. The farm is open every day from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. and charges $4 per pound of berries.
“I think it is more of a summer activity related thing for families, you know, or just individuals,” owner Cindy Anthony said. “I see just women or even men coming out here alone, and honestly, it’s really peaceful just to walk between the bushes and pick berries. I think just being out here by the river is a quiet, peaceful location.”
The farm was first opened in the 1970s by Pelham Thomas, a former math professor at Western Carolina University. Thomas, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 98, was a World War II marine veteran who started out as a county agricultural agent before earning his Ph.D in mathematics. Thomas retired from teaching to open his fruit farm, which started out at a strawberry farm before he switched to blueberries.
“He started out with strawberries, and they were more maintenance so he chose to move from strawberries to blueberries,” Anthony said. “Thomas Berry Farm started out with strawberries and blueberries. He was from the Alabama area originally and so he had a history with agriculture in blueberries. Another thing that’s kind of interesting about this one is that a lot of times, we can’t be here. It was the same way when Pelham ran it. So, when we’re not here, it’s all on the honor system. So, you just get a basket and pick and weigh your berries, and you just put your payment in the cash box. And most people who come here regularly over the years know how that works.”
Blueberries are an extremely healthy food that are rich in nutrients such as Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Additionally, blueberries are full of antioxidants that assist in managing high cholesterol and they have also been shown to help lower blood pressure and improve insulin sensitivity in people with type two diabetes.
Eating locally grown blueberries also provides the added benefit of knowing exactly where the berries came from and the types of farming practices that were used. It also provides people with the opportunity to get outside and be active.
“I just think it’s a great activity that people can come and do,” Anthony said. “It doesn’t take a lot of time out of your day. It’s a fun way to spend, you know, a morning or afternoon or an evening, and I just enjoy meeting the people that do come out here.”
While the farm was not originally started as an “organic” farm, it has adopted so-called “low spray” and other techniques to keep usage of pesticides and other chemicals at a minimum.
“They were not sprayed at all this year with anything at all,” Anthony said. “And anything we do is before berries are put on and, you know, that would just be like fertilizing. And if they did need any treatment for fungus or anything, it would be well before there were any berries, and there would never be anything sprayed after that point. And we try to pull weeds by hand.”
More information on Thomas Berry Farm can be found online at facebook.com/Thomas-Berry-Farm-106527288758102. Individuals can also contact Cindy Anthony by phone at 828-200-1656 or by email at cindyannoka@icloud.com.
- By Kaylee Cook