Mark your calendars for a day dedicated to the ‘tater!c Gather at Island Farm on Wednesday, June 14, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to be a part of all aspects of the harvest and cooking of a quintessential staple crop: the Irish potato!
Visitors will join historic interpreters to dig potatoes from the Farm’s gardens, and if gardening isn’t your bag – run to the cookhouse and enjoy kettle-fried potato chips made with freshly harvested Island Farm potatoes. In 1850, Adam Etheridge raised 200 bushels of corn, 50 bushels of field peas, 100 bushels of sweet potatoes and 20 bushels of Irish potatoes – all on 15 acres of his then-420-acre farm, which is now the current-day site of Island Farm.
“Tater Day” is part of Island Farm’s historic food series, which seeks to highlight local food traditions and culture across the year. Also part of this historic food series is the Farm’s annual “Garden to Hearth” event, held the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
Admission to this event is the regular cost to visit Island Farm: $10 for those aged 4 and older, and free for 0-3 year olds.
Island Farm is a living history site that engages with locals and visitors alike to share Outer Banks history, through the lens of a working, mid-19th century farm when just over 500 people lived on Roanoke Island. Island Farm is owned and operated by the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, Outer Banks Conservationists (OBC). OBC was founded in 1980 to protect natural, cultural and historic resources, through preservation and conservation of a sense of place, and through public education, interpretation, and outreach, and to instill these values in others for the benefit of future generations. To learn more, visit www.obcinc.org