Back to Blackberry Farm

We finished our three city road trip with the last nights at Blackberry Farm.  My last visit was in May of last year, so it was interesting to see the changes on the farm during the fall season.  For sure the flyfishing was better- fish seemed to be bigger and tougher to catch!

While the guys fly fished, Jill and I just enjoyed the land. Truly preserved as a natural farm, no fancy gardens  or manicured plant beds are found here.  Blackberry Farm is a contradiction of some sort- gardens that look like the one's your grandmother tended, growing vegetables to feed the family and then canning or preserving some for the winter. But then you show up for dinner in "the Barn" and are served the most sophisticated meal of your life- hands down! 

Shabby and sweet  little gardener's barn where the vegetable gardens are tended!

 

 

 vegetable and flower gardens

 

 



micro lettuces being grown for the restaurants



 Gorgeous barn where dinner is served.

 

Entrance foyer to the Barn.

 

Cocktail area and where cooking classes are taught by the Blackberry chefs.

Love these sconces on the old tall doors - used as wall panels in the room.

 

Jill and I took an awesome cooking class from Chef Sully - here he is making a gnocchi from

 Pate a Choux dough in home made chicken stock!  After making the gnocchi, he used the remainder of the dough to make gougeres. 

Plating our salads of baby kale, orange segments, radishes, and toasted walnuts.

 

Love this idea on the patio of the main house where lunch and breakfast are served.

 

All of the arrangements at Blackberry are naturally found on the property.

 

 

Private home sites are now being made available for purchase at Blackberry Farm.

 

I am loving the garage doors on these new homes- they open out just like a real door!

 

 

 

Mr. RTH picking out flies for the day of fishing.

 

The Italian Truffle dogs that Blackberry breeds and sells.



 Tom the dad- getting ready to retire soon!

 

 

Turkeys on the farm

Sheep on the farm

 

 

 

black pigs on the farm

 

A chilled melon soup for lunch at the Main House- had a little kick to it!

 



 BLT salad with caramelized Benton's bacon

 

A charcuterie platter with the meats, jams, pickles  and cheeses that are made on the farm.

 

 

 

Just so pretty in the Smokies!

 And so hard to leave Blackberry Farm! 



Ashville, North Carolina- A Foody Town

Continuing on from Greenville, South Carolina, we spent the next few nights in Ashville, North Carolina.  Not as well planned and manicured as Greenville, the town was not what I expected.  From an outsiders point of view, it seemed fragmented, fun, a bit hipster and then there was the food scene- oh my.  I will definitely need to go back to Ashville to understand it's layout and many offerings! It is in the perfect location for us- lots of flying fishing for Mr. RTH and lot's of antiquing and foodie things for me! So it's definitely on our short list for retirement possibilities!  One of the highlights of our stay in Ashville was the Grand Bohemian Hotel!  A mixture of "the hunter meets the aristocrat" décor, it was a delightful place to stay!

When you arrive, you drive through a drapery opening into a motor court that's decorated with deer heads; chandeliers  and has loud classical music piped in to fill the air!

The outside of the building was beautiful too- with the orange berries growing on the walls.

 

You enter into stone walls illuminated with chandeliers and artwork.

 

The lobby is furnished in a mixture of velvet damasks, and leather with wood and stone.

 

 

 

Beautiful ceiling details!

 



 

 Orange velvet drapery leading into the powder room. Notice all the antlers hanging from the ceiling!

 

 

 

Twig chandeliers in the dining room.



Comfy velvet and suede  banquets for dining!

The dining  room ceiling was backlit in red.

 

As Ashville is quite the foody town, there were many top rated restaurants to choose from! However, being  somewhat  tired the first evening, we chose to dine at the Grand Bohemian's Red Stag Grill! That was one of the best meals on our entire trip! The chef is amazing and sources local ingredients for the restaurant's  meal.  We started with a charcuterie platter that was the perfect size for the 4 of us!  It had a silky chicken liver pate smeared on a slate tile with then bread crisps tucked into the mousse. Cured meats and a delicious local creamy brie were on the platter as well!  But the real star was the mustard that was served with the appetizer, a locally made mustard called Lusty Monk Mustard. It was awesome and the restaurant was able to sell us 2 jars to take home!

 

 

The meal at the Grand Bohemian was a real treat- comfortable seating, great ambiance and delicious food.  We highly recommend it when in Ashville!

Breakfast was divine too- especially the bacon pancakes!  Applewood bacon tucked  in orange scented pancakes- how wonderful they were!

 

 

 

Another highlight of our stay in Ashville was the farmer's market.  It was huge- large buildings full of locally made jellies, jams and  pickles, cheeses, cured meats, honey and baked goods. Plus the largest package of pure Amish butter that I have ever seen!  Wish I could have gotten that home!

All kinds of gourds and pumpkins were for sale outside!

 

 

 I will have to go back to explore this city a little more!  I have a feeling there's a lot more to this city besides the Biltmore!   But after a couple of nights, we are off the Blackberry Farm for the final segment of our trip!  That's one great thing about Ashville- you can easily drive to a lot of great places from it's location!