Woodland and Field-Grown Herbs for Value-Added Culinary, Medicinal, and Body Care Products

Alysia Leon, archaeologist-turned-farmer, established Bird Fork Farm in 2020, to connect deeper with the land and share that connection with others. Bird Fork Farm is a “Certified Naturally Grown” small seed-to-bottle apothecary herb farm, located in beautiful Dunlap, TN. BFF connects folks with wild, edible and medicinal plants through their diverse array of culinary and value-added products. These include a wide variety of culinary, medicinal, and body care products – all made from ingredients that are certified naturally grown and/or ethically foraged on the farm. Products are sold through their "Herbal Farmacy" CSA, website, farmers’ markets, and wholesale around town. Product offerings are as diverse as Thai Fire Cider, Elderberry Syrup, all-natural insect repellents, soaps, scrubs, dry shampoos, and hair rinses.

BFF utilizes sustainable practices for more intensive management on a few acres, while allowing the remaining 50+ acres to remain in a more natural state, stewarded with ethical foraging and population management practices for the wild edible and medicinal plants that grow there. The tour will look at both intensive and extensively managed areas, including their market garden and orchard, a woodland trail through native medicinal herbs growing under the forest canopy, and even a walk through a prairie restoration site (recently burned with prescribed fire) and a mature persimmon grove. Hands-on activities and a peek inside the value-added operation will be included throughout the tour. Don’t miss what is sure to be an engaging day!

Products will be available for purchase on-site. This tour is supported in partnership with the Southeast Tennessee Young Farmers Coalition. Thanks to them, childcare during the tour is available, upon request!

*Please note that this event location is on central time.

This event is Free, but registration is required. (This tour has a limited capacity, so please be considerate; only register if you definitely intend to attend.)

Contact the host of Medicinal Herbs and Forest Farming, at Bird Fork Farm in Dunlap, TN