My parents (Amy and Michael DeWitt) bought this land in 2001. It began as 23 acres of hay field and a used trailer house they got for next to nothing. Water was hauled from families’ houses before we had a well or water of our own. They had 2 children, my little brother Elyas and myself (Zoe). They broke their backs to build everything that stands here today, this is the continuation of their legacy:

This dream of mine started back in 2019. We were barely scraping by, I worked for my family construction company that struggled through the government shutdown, and my husband (Alex) worked as a welder. Unfortunately, our family business did not survive. My parents had to start over at new jobs, and so did we. That was when my husband and I decided to enlist in the United States Marine Corps, like my father before us.

We went to boot camp together, we got stationed together and bought our first house in North Carolina together. Life was looking better but something was still missing. My mom got sick and couldn’t work, and my husband’s mom passed unexpectedly. We began to miss our families and being too far away to take care of them began to eat at us. So we decided to do something about it when we got back. But in 2022, just before the end of our enlistment, I got cancer.

During my recovery from surgeries and tests, I had plenty of time to think of home and of my health. Cleaner eating became my saving grace. I missed the little farmette and my mother’s cooking. Even when times were tight, my parents always had a garden, some chickens, and eggs. Growing organic and homesteading was a necessity before it was cool. We never went hungry, and not only that, everything we ate was free of dyes and chemicals. My parents always shared their breads and jams, canned vegetables and eggs, with anyone in need. I knew I wanted to continue that.

When we moved back, my husband and I began our journey to create not just a farm, but a community, that offered services that weren’t locally offered. Family farms were dying, the economy was crashing. There was no sustainable way to keep farming on a smaller scale. The art was being lost, and along with it, the love. So we set out to find a way to save not only our farm but the farms around us. We wanted to find a way to produce a larger product, with less space, water, and most of all… affordably. All while making sure, no love would be lost.

We settled on aquaponics. An efficient way to grow crops year round, and surprisingly uses less water long term. The bonus was FISH. Not only that, but the system design was handicap friendly. With grow tables higher up so that you don’t have to weed, water, or bend down. It brought a future to our farm and to our family.

We named it Elderberry Ridge Farm for a few reasons. For one, my mother always said, that if we did nothing with the land, the elderberries would take over. They naturally loved our little farm, they were easy to grow and sustainable. Secondly, they’re a superfood with an insane list of health benefits. They were everything I wanted this farm to be, easy, sustainable, versatile, and great for health. So we strive to live up to our namesake, all while supporting our local community, and sharing the wealth (AND HEALTH) wherever possible.

Written by Zoe Meinhardt