Wholesome food at the end of the road
-
Frank and Suzy Wright take a rare break from work to have a farm photo taken with a couple of their little porkers. -
Shelby Schraw, left, and Kristie Roland await customers to the Mountain Valley Farm Store at 2021 Homer Wright Road in eastern Gilmer County. -
Suzy Wright, along with her husband Frank, own and operate Wright Family Farmstead with its store that includes jams and jellies, honey, barbecue sauces, crackers, ground coffee and more. But their main product is beef, pork, lamb and dairy products raised and made without any growth hormones, preservatives or artificial additives.
It’s one of the best-kept secrets in Gilmer County, perhaps because of its out-of-the-way location where you have to be going there to get there. Or maybe it’s due to the postal address of Talking Rock, though you have to go down Clear Creek Road to reach it.
Either way, Mountain Valley Farm Store on Homer Wright Road has proven to be a go-to destination in the last 15 years, and it’s easy to see why. Just check out the positives on an in-store flyer:
﹣ No hormones
﹣ No antibiotics
﹣ No steroids
﹣ No pesticides
﹣ No chemical fertilizer
In other words, all natural and additive-free. And then there’s the view driving in of a bucolic mountain valley with cattle grazing on green rolling foothills. When Frank and Suzy Wright first put out a shingle to market their meats in 2007, they sold out of a simple lean-to. Still, word got around.
“We knew we needed an actual store when people began bringing lawn chairs to wait in line and started asking about a bathroom,” said Suzy who added they didn’t think it fair to the owners of a country store several miles away to suggest going there. So Suzy’s garden space became the farm store site.
“The beef and the pork we raise ourselves, and lamb also – that’s our main product,” she noted. “We also sell raw milk from our cows. Those are the products from our store. Over the years, people started asking about crackers and cheese, and this and that, so we added more. We started out in a lean-to – a converted feed room – and ran out of space so fast. I had a couple of freezers and was making change out of a Ziploc (bag), and people were lining up so fast for the meat and a few goodies.”
Now, in what little spare time they have, the couple travels the mountains of southern Appalachia to “try and find new things” customers might like.
“We have items that are not available locally so much that are really good products,” Suzy said. “We have things from Georgia and elsewhere, and have our own private label now and are excited about that. We have special things that you can’t get anywhere else that are handmade.”
They do not market produce in the summer, but guide customers to BJ Reece Orchards and R & A Orchards on nearby Highway 52 for their fresh fruits and vegetables. Suzy Wright called phasing out their dairy operation a few years ago “a heartbreaking decision.”
“But we kept some Jerseys (cows) for raw milk, made fresh every day,” she said, pointing out the “heavy cream line” in a gallon of refrigerated milk. Several gallons had people’s names on them so they could pick them up after work.
“The milk has a long waiting list (and) we do limit how many reservations we can take a day … it’s a real popular product,” added Suzy. “And we raise Holstein steers, which are the black-and-white ones. People come from Atlanta and all over, a lot of local folks too … it’s really fun and a great place to bring your kids and grandkids. It’s beautiful in the springtime with the redbuds blooming (outside the store).”
Other products include handmade pasta sauce, pickles, BBQ sauces, ice cream, creamery butter, handmade cheese, pastured chicken eggs, soft goat and creamy cow cheese, grits, cornmeal and polenta (a type of cornmeal).
Facebook comments:
“In my ongoing quest for local produce, farm-raised meat and poultry, I’ve been exploring local offerings weekly. It was a pleasure to visit the Mountain Valley Farm Store in Ellijay and come away with everything on my list and more! Tomorrow I’ll be cooking up their dry-aged beef. A visit with the resident goats also raised my spirits.”
“What a special place! Mountain Valley Farm Store got my baby goat fix, the babies loved being scratched! Bunnies, cows, sheep and goats all surround the farm store so you can visit them. Got a big grass-fed, grass-finished rib eye steak for my birthday and some delicious locally made cheese!! If you haven’t been it is a must.”
“The fourth and final stop this weekend was at Mountain Valley Farm Store in Ellijay. This one is a little off the beaten path but it’s well worth the short drive. There we were able to go out and see their farm animals and then go in and see a great selection of meats, cheeses, homemade candles and other things. We bought some roasted garlic pepper cheese that we’re actually eating as I write this. It’s delicious!”
By the numbers
Mountain Valley Farm Store
2021 Homer Wright Road
Talking Rock GA 30175
706-889-1426
Website: grassfedgeorgia.com
Email: suzyw@ellijay.com
Facebook: Mountain Valley Farm Store
Instagram: @mountainvalley.farm
Hours: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. every day
(Closed on Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day)