By Gina Malone
McConnell Farms, Inc., in Hendersonville, has seen a lot history, having been established in the 1940s by Reid and Claire McConnell as a tobacco and beef cattle farm. Both the McConnells had experience growing tobacco. The farm subsequently grew to include dairy cattle. Land was added through the years and the farm changed with the times, with tobacco eventually making way for other row crops. In the 1960s, the McConnells sold the dairy cattle and planted apple trees. Their son Danny earned a degree from North Carolina State University in small fruit and vegetable production in the mid-1980s, and, today, runs the farm along with his family.
McConnell has added greenhouses and a range of crops to the 100-acre farm, including one in particular that is not plentiful in WNC. “Always looking for the next hot crop to grow, I planted my first fig plants in 2010,” McConnell says. He harvested his first crop of figs in 2011, and currently has 5,000 fig plants on the farm. Last year his farm hosted the inaugural McConnell Farms Fig Festival. This year’s event will take place Saturday, September 10, and Sunday, September 11, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
Figs traditionally do not fare well in the Southern Appalachian climate, McConnell says, but he has found varieties that do grow well on his farm. He currently grows 69 varieties of the ancient, fleshy fruit that grew originally in Asia and was spread throughout the Mediterranean region by Greeks and Romans. Spanish Franciscan missionaries are credited with bringing figs to southern California in the 1500s.
“Figs are one of those crops that you either love or hate,” McConnell says. “For every customer we have that doesn’t like figs, we will have 10 that love them. I think it has to do with the earthy flavor and the texture of the inside.” What many may not realize, McConnell adds, is that figs, considered a fruit, are technically an inverted flower. “The fig blooms inside its pod connected to the fig plant,” McConnell says.
Not all of the varieties growing on the farm are producing yet. In the last two years, he added a number of varieties as a research project to determine which will survive area winters and still flourish.
Besides figs, McConnell also grows strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, asparagus, rhubarb, Indian corn, pumpkins and ornamental gourds. He sells vegetables and apples wholesale, but also offers retail sales on the farm. “With the success of the retail venture came the need to again diversify,” says McConnell, “this time adding fruit and vegetable cider production, slow-churned ice cream made right on the farm utilizing products grown on the farm and the addition of baked goods—cider donuts, hand pies and whole fruit pies.”
During the festival, a number of fig delicacies will be available: preserves, donuts, whole pies, fried pies and three flavors of fig ice cream, including bourbon maple fig. Freshly picked fruit will also be available, of course. “It takes a trained eye to know when a fig is at its peak and ready for picking,” McConnell says. “We do the work for you; all you have to do is enjoy the figs.” In addition, guests can tour the farm and hear McConnell talk about “the world of figs.”
As any traditional family farm, McConnell Farms has thrived through the years with the help of succeeding generations. “We all have our special skills and it takes all of us to keep the farm running,” McConnell says. “My wife says ‘If you stand still long enough, we’ll put you to work.’” With all of the innovation and diversification, however, McConnell doesn’t forget the past. “My late father taught me the basics, I learned the technical skills at NCSU and 40 years of experience is teaching me the rest,” he says. “I learn something new almost every day.”
McConnell Farms is located at 177 Old Dana Road, Hendersonville. The farm store is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To learn more, call 828.692.2819, or visit McConnellFarms.net or AppalachianGrown.org.
