Choose-and-cut season begins on Thanksgiving

Most people don't have the patience to be a farmer. You spend a year breaking your back and crossing your fingers for good weather, hoping to reap your reward by harvest.Choose-and-cut Christmas tree farms bring it to a whole new level. Imagine investing in a crop that only becomes sellable after six years.That is exactly what Wintergreen Farm owner Simon Smith did. In 1994, he bought 28 acres of land and began planting a thousand trees a year."The first choose-and-cut we did was 2000; so this is actually our 25th anniversary," Vonnie Smith, co-owner and Simon's wife, said.Wintergreen Farm is one of two choose-and-cuts in Mountain City opening on Thanksgiving Day. The other is Doe Valley Farms. The two share a lot of similarities, and a lot of differences.Wintergreen FarmWhen customers arrive at Wintergreen, the first thing they'll notice is the beautiful view of nearby mountain ranges.Families will be handed a ticket and a 10-foot-tall pole to measure the height of trees. Then, they are allowed to free roam the farm."Some people will pick [a tree] as soon as they get out of the car, and then some people will be here two and a half hours," Vonnie said.Once a family decides on a tree, they attach their ticket to it and return to basecamp — a small barn with rocking chairs and Christmas music — and wait for workers to retrieve it.Due to liability concerns, families are not allowed to cut down trees themselves, Vonnie said.The cut trees are placed on a special machine that shakes off any loose needles."It makes a much cleaner product to go into your house," Vonnie said. "The kids love it; it makes the tree look like it's dancing."Once the tree is bailed, workers measure its height. Wintergreen charges $10 for every foot, unless the tree is taller than seven feet, at which point the price begins to rise.Wintergreen accepts cash and checks, but not cards."Are prices are very reasonable…especially when compared to North Carolina farms," Vonnie said.Wintergreen Farm has around 20,000 trees, she said. Simon still plants and tends to them by himself, only contracting help for the holiday harvest and extenuating circumstances.The farm sells 2,000 to 2,500 trees a year. Up to 500 of those are sold during choose-and-cut, and the rest are wholesaled, Vonnie said.The farm sells wreaths too, but Vonnie said they sell out quickly after Thanksgiving. She suggests ordering one ahead of time.Recurring customers are a highlight of the job, Vonnie said."We've seen families go from just married to pregnant to children to now their children are in college or beyond; have children of their own even," Vonnie said. "So that's been an amazing thing to watch."Wintergreen Farm opens on Thursday, Nov. 27 and remains open every day until Sunday, Dec. 21. Its hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located at 223 Waddell Rd., Mountain City.Doe Valley FarmsDoe Valley Farms is a smaller operation than Wintergreen Farm, with good reason.In 2019, the former owner agreed to sell all 12,000 of his trees to a wholesaler, current owner Dennis Dittino said. Around the same time, Dittino discovered the farm."I always wanted to have a farm where...I could bring veterans over [and] give time to calm down, to relax and see what a working farm is."Dittino said walking the farm calmed down his "PTSD to a level that hadn't been that low in years." He bought the farm and convinced the wholesaler to leave 300 trees of adequate height for a choose-and-cut.The farm now has around 4,000 trees to pick from. Dittino said they cost $12 per foot but come with an invaluable experience.Families are provided with an UTV to explore the farm with. Along the way, they can stop to pet the farm's goats and horses.Customers can cut their own trees or ask for assistance. If they do the former, they're given a selection of saws to choose from."From the modern electric chainsaw to the old chainsaws, to a two-man saw to a rope saw — just about any kind of saw you can think of, we let them use," Dittino said.While the tree is being bailed, customers can partake in complimentary hot chocolate and create a wreath they can buy.Dittino said the Christmas Tree farm industry is "worth its weight in gold because of the memories that it brings."The most meaningful memory for him happened during the farm's second year, when a father and his three kids came to the farm.According to Dittino, two of the kids were lively but the third was restrained. The father told Dittino the child mysteriously stopped speaking years ago.Dittino let the family go explore the farm, but he couldn't stop think about the encounter. Eventually, he relocated them and did a magic trick for the kids; the silent boy responded by speaking."He grabbed me by my thumb, and we walked around the farm, and he talked the entire time," Dittino said. "His dad couldn't believe it. His brothers were wondering what happened to their brothers…that was my Christmas miracle."Doe Valley Farms will be open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 27. After that, the farm will be open every day until around Dec. 23, from 11 a.m. to sundown, located at 313 Stagecoach Loop, Mountain City.