The "restoration"
of an old farm
Restoration Acres is located on a 30 acre parcel of land in rural Edgecombe County, North Carolina. Among the fields, woods and ponds on the property are spaces of natural beauty and tranquility. Honey bees, butterflies, birds and woodland animals can be seen, heard and experienced in their natural habitat. It is truly an amazing place and it is for this reason that the focus of this farm is to be a place not only to grow products that have healing properties, but to be a place where restoration happens through the experience of nature.
LAND. The farmland at Restoration Acres (RA) has been used as pastureland and for crop production, but much of it has been left overgrown for many years. Therefore, the land has to be tamed and repurposed for the goals of RA. Our crops will require irrigation, amended soil, and composting unique to the plants we are growing. We are anticipating several years of preparation before our first harvest. So if you come visit us today, you will see a farm in its infancy and under development.
PLANTS & TREES. Most of our plants and trees are very young and won't be available for harvest for a few years. Because we believe in being good stewards of resources, we have chosen to start most of our plants ourselves rather than buying them from a nursery or wholesaler. Our nursery is bursting with baby bushes that we have grown from seed or propagation. These plant starts will soon be mature enough for planting in 2024.
HONEY BEES. We have been building our apiary over the past several years and we are gearing up for an expansion that will allow us to produce even more honey, wax candles, and other value-added products from the honey and wax produced by our bees. We also will be expanding our ability to produce more bee packages and queen bees for local beekeepers to encourage the health of the bee population in our area. This project also includes pollination services for local farmers. We expect to be hosting beekeeping workshops as well. We are also considering other alternative wellness activities such as beehive air inhalation which is a form of apitherapy.
Additional services that we are considering for the farm are: therapeutic horticulture activities, psychotherapy, and forest therapy (Shinrin-yoku or "forest bathing"). In addition, we plan to offer vocational training and mentorship for persons who were formerly incarcerated (see the tab on R3 Ministries).
All these products and services from our farm have healing properties and were selected intentionally to promote relaxation and good health.
Volunteers Needed and Appreciated
There are many ways that you can join us in this endeavor to bring healing through nature. Let us know if you are interested in volunteering on work days, helping financially or just praying for our ministry.
