The farm is owned and operated by Susie and Patrick Buchko. The land has been in Susie’s family, she is a descendant of the Snidow family, since before the American Revolution. It was once a much larger tract of land and was a traditional homestead growing its own food and raising livestock. The Snidow family also ran a ferry service for many years crossing the New River near the site of the present boat ramp.
Why blueberries?
We’ve asked ourselves this many times when we were out here in the middle of January pruning. The simple and honest answer is we had a ball picking at other farms when our children were younger. It was always a competition to see who could pick the most, or who got the largest berry. Unfortunately, our son usually lost because he spent most of his time eating the berries. We had a ball as a family and were able to get loads of delicious fruit.
So that got the wheels turning about what we could do with the family farm. We talked with a few growers and vendors of plants. It sounded easy. Blueberries would be our path to fame and riches. So, in 2015 we started our first plants which are likely the ones you are picking from on your visit. We expected to be swimming in fruit every year after that. Well, we weren’t swimming that year, or the year after, or the year after, or the year after. However, we kept planting and learning. Finally, through the combination of many things (plant maturity, pruning, irrigation, etc.) had a breakout year in 2022.
The log structure in the middle of our blueberry patch was Homer Snidow’s granary. He was the last Snidow to live on and run the land as a working farm. The structure has an interesting past and family lore says parts of it may well be from the 1700’s. What we can say for sure is that the granary has been moved at least twice. The granary Susie knew as a child was located near the barn. It had been assembled from two buildings closer to the river that were moved then combined when the railroad came through the property in 1900. There are dates and signatures on the floor joists for the second floor that can still be seen. The second move, to its present location, occurred in 2021. The structure while still in decent shape was starting to deteriorate. We talked with several people about restoring the granary, but things never worked out. Then we were put in touch with Alex Webb from Webb Joinery and Construction. He came out looked and agreed to work on it. It was like it was meant to happen then and there. He was local, experienced, and willing. Things moved quickly and we were able to get it disassembled, repaired, and stacked quickly. Thanks to Alex Webb, Jessie Webb, Duncan Buchko, and Larry Snidow.
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