Mary Carroll is married to Griffin, who is a math professor at AB-Tech. She has two sons, Xander and Gavin, who love eating vegetables and helping on the farm (most of the time!). Before farming, Mary Carroll was a high school science teacher and director of global education for 10 years. Before teaching, she received her undergraduate degree in Biology from UNC- Chapel Hill and her Master's in Teaching from UNC- Charlotte. She was excited to move to her family's land 7 years ago to start Red Scout Farm. As a child, Mary Carroll would come to visit family in Black Mountain and ride to and from the field in her grandfather's red International Scout pickup truck. The farm name is a nod to her grandfather, who inspired her to grow vegetables.
My wife, Pam and I, are the owners and operators of Woven Roots Farmstead. The land we farm has been in our family since the late 1800’s. My wife grew up in New Mexico and I was born and raised in WNC. We both work outside the farm. Pam is a registered nurse and I work for a communications company. We married in 2012 and began our life together on the land we now farm.
We began with a few laying hens and have grown it into a multi-species regenerative agriculture system. We produce pastured eggs, broiler chickens, turkeys, pork and beef. We use no antibiotics and no hormones. We only use non-GMO feed. Our livestock has an endless supply of pure mountain spring water, fresh grass, fresh air and warm sunshine everyday.
Ana and her husband, Clark moved to Western NC in 2010 from Asbury Park, NJ after selling their vegetarian restaurant, The Twisted Tree Cafe, with the aim of opening another restaurant in Asheville. After just a month of moving to Asheville they got their home kitchen certified and started baking and experimenting and attending local farmers markets. One of the first experiments was their first batch of crackers which took off immediately. Their house slowly became a cracker factory, with almost all of their furniture ending up in storage to make room for cracker production. After a few years of living in a home cracker factory, they moved into their own commercial production space in Swannanoa and started selling crackers all over the country. So instead of a restaurant they created Roots and Branches Crackers which they operated for 12 years until it was sold in 2022, after the birth of their two beautiful children. Ovenbird Kitchen is their newest business which will concentrate on selling Bread, Bagels and English Muffins at local Tailgate Markets and local shops. After over a decade of operating a nationally distributed cracker brand, Ovenbird Kitchen is a return to their love of small batch baking for their community.
Jacqueline Smith Market Manager
Jacqueline moved to Marion in 2022 with her husband, Jason, daughter, Hazel in search of a home surrounded by clean water and air, and cooler climates. She was born in Savannah, Georgia, raised all over the country, and spent most of her time in Arkansas where she co-owned a farm-to-table restaurant and founded a non-profit organization aimed at establishing ‘green spaces’ in the community. After a pandemic-related move to the Midwest, she is delighted to be among the trees, rocks, rivers, and diverse ecosystems that North Carolina offers. Her love for connection and community informs her work.
