I just realized that I did not post a photo of this years tea farm scare crow.  We make one every year to keep the crows out of the tea field and take it down with the first flush.  Its a fun tradition.

We are in the clean up the tea field time of year.  The rows of bushes are rather shabby looking with all the uneven growth that has happened since I stopped picking tea for the year in August.  Also last summer’s dead weeds are laying around in piles (waiting to be burned) making the usually pristine tea farm look ratty.  We will do heavy duty weed eating up and down the rows, then prune the rows either flat (pancake) or round top (cup cake).  You can see pruning’s around the feet of the scarecrow.  It will take me almost two months to prune it all and rake clean in anticipation of the coming spring flush.

We did a good amount of business the weeks before Christmas with regular customers stopping by for several packets of tea for Christmas presents.  Out of town guests like our labels with “Fairhope” across the front to send back home.  Yes it has been a brisk business this past month.

We are also doing our daily tours here on the farm.  Just before Christmas day the tours slowed down but now with the kids still at home and looking for something interesting to do, we get booked solid!  Guests are very complementary of our tours.  Besides getting a full class on how tea is grown and made, they enjoy the wholesome, quiet farm setting with lots of interesting plants and our flock of peacocks.

Remember you need to make an appointment for a tour (251) 209-3089 and tours are $20 (cash) per person and bring a little more to buy some teabags.  These tours are not a tea party but a nuts and bolts discussion on how tea is made.  We have dogs in case you are afraid of dogs and chickens running around.  Young children usually do not find tea culture very interesting.  With three people or less we ride through the field on a golf cart which requires no walking.  To get the day you would like to visit, it works well to call several days in advance for an appointment.  We only do one tour a day at 1:00 and are not set up to handle more that six people at a time.

Come see us, you’ll enjoy seeing the farm!

Donnie Barrett