Malaki, an alpaca, grazes at Red Clay Farm in Bradley County. (Contributed photo)Signal Mountain Farmers Market vendor Red Clay Farm is the only farm in the area to offer organic, locally milled grain products at local farmers markets, according to Ron Shaffer, who owns and runs the farm along with wife Cynthia and son Seth.
The farm, about a mile from Red Clay State Park in Bradley County, was established five years ago and has been certified organic for the past four. Originally from Kansas, Ron Shaffer came to the area to attend Southern Adventist University. Seth Shaffer, who received his master's in sustainable food systems from Green Mountain College in Vermont, is now the farm manager at SAU.
Ron Shaffer said they use a Tyrolean stone mill from Austria - built with pine rather than the metal used for mills found in the U.S. - for their milled products, including cornmeal; grits; wheat, spelt, millet, oat, rye and pumpernickel flours; cream of wheat; oat porridge; and wheat and oat brans.
Grits are the farm's top-selling milled product, both with farmers market shoppers and restaurants such as 2 Sons which recently opened on M.L. King Boulevard. The Bitter Alibi and FIVE have also used the farm's grits, as has St. John's Restaurant, which also uses cornmeal and rye, pumpernickel and wheat flours from Red Clay, Ron Shaffer said. Bread and Butter Bakery in Red Bank uses the wheat flour as well, he said.
Red Clay sources its grain from a certified organic farm north of Nashville. Ron Shaffer said it's the only place one can get the type of corn Red Clay uses, as the 86-year-old farmer developed the genetically modified organism-free strain himself. While there are other farmers market vendors in the area offering milled products, he said only Red Clay uses organic corn to make its cornmeal and grits, which is significant since 90 percent of corn today contains GMOs.
Next month, he plans to bring a roller flaker and whole grains to the market so he can hand-crank grains for customers on-site.
In addition to milled products, the farm sells seasonal produce and fiber yarns. Half of the 23.5-acre farm is used as a fiber farm for raising sheep, llamas, alpacas and angora and cashmere goats.
No dye is used on the farm's yarns, yet the variety of animals on the farm allows Red Clay to offer a wide range of natural colors. In a few weeks, Shaffer said they'll be adding between four to eight more alpacas to the mix.
Find Red Clay's booth at the Signal Mountain Farmers Market, held at 1210 Taft Highway Thursdays from 4-6 p.m.; at the Chattanooga Market, 1829 Carter St., Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and the Lookout Farmers Market in East Brainerd, held at 8645 E. Brainerd Road Tuesdays from 4-7 p.m.
Contact Red Clay Farm at 596-1145 or rshaffer1959@gmail.com.