Bed & Breakfast & Farming

Image credit: Getty Images, Ed Freeman/Flickr

Though it was a common practice up until the 1950’s, farm stays slowly lost favor in a world of interstates, motels and drive-throughs that transformed the family vacation to a study in modern convenience. But as issues surrounding where and how our food is raised increasingly become important considerations in our lives, city-dwellers and suburbanites alike are beginning to warm to the concept of agritourism once more.

The concept appeals to consumers because it allows them to “rough it” in relative comfort, while experiencing life on a farm at their leisure, in a choose your own chore kind of way. And for small farmers, who often struggle to reap profits from their land alone, it presents an opportunity to subsidize their income and add some free, albeit unskilled labor to their operations for a few days. The packages and rates vary from farm to farm, but typically include meals that come straight from the field to the plate and fresh produce to take home, while more hands-on features like actual farming (many places do charge for this privilege), tours and classes, cost extra.

Rural Bounty and  Feather Down Farms are two resources that list places to stay and visit across the US.

[via NY Times]