Open Spigot Farm

The Randall Beans family is excited to announce the opening of its Open Spigot Farm in Miller’s Cove, Tennessee. The farm will allow us to grow organic heirloom beans that are otherwise unavailable.

 

Old Watering Hole

Nestled deep in the heart of East Tennessee, in the foothills of the Great Smokey Mountains, Miller’s Cove is rich in history and agriculture. Our land has been farmed for over 150 years.

As long as anyone can remember, a water spigot on the land has provided water to travelers and neighbors (and their livestock) passing through the cove. We want those travelers and neighbors to still feel welcome; hence the name “Open Spigot Farm.”

 

Head Farmers

As a family owned business, we’re committed to the long lasting family traditions of our farmers and the authenticity of our products. We firmly believe you, our customers, deserve the highest quality products grown and handled by people who care about their craft.

This is why we’re overjoyed to have such a passionate and knowledgeable farm manager in Brad Bowers. A descendant of the original farm owners, Brad has been farming since he was a young boy. Brad has spent the past few years working for the county government, but when he learned we were buying the land and reviving the farm, he immediately contacted us. Two days later, Brad left his desk job and began working the land on Open Spigot Farm. Just last week, Brad put the first of our bean seeds into the ground.

We are also thrilled to benefit from the sage advice of John Coykendall, head farmer at the nearby Blackberry Farm. John is an absolute local treasure, and is extremely knowledgeable about growing techniques and the preservation of heirloom bean seeds.

He has made it his life’s mission to explore the Appalachian farm country and collect bean seeds once thought extinct or incredibly rare in North America. It was John who convinced us that Miller’s Cove was the ideal spot for our farm. John knows every inch of the cove, and he assures us that Open Spigot Farm sits on some of the most fertile soil in the area. “Most of the soil in the area is high in clay, but by ‘a quirk of Nature’,” says John, “there is a vein of sandy loam that runs right through our farm, and sandy loam is ideal for growing beans.”

We can’t wait to plant some of the great bean varietals that John has preserved: Snow on the Mountain, Shelly, Dragon’s Tongue, Turkey Craw, and Wash-Day beans, just to name a few.

 

Farm Progress

We hope you’re as excited to hear about the new Randall Beans family farm as we are to work on it and share the news with you! Here are a few pictures of the current progress and the beginning of our planting process:

             

 

We have a lot more work to do, but it is happy work. We look forward to the day when we can invite you to visit and see the land from which Randall Beans come.