Deep Roots CPS Farm

10/18/2026

Come see us on the farm today Sunday October 18, 2026. We will be here until 3pm.❤️

Get your fresh produce and you seasonal drinks.

10/17/2026

Happy 7th Anniversary, Deep Roots CPS Farm Family!! 🎉🌱

“When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion” - African Proverb

Yes, this month marks seven years that we’ve been engaged in collective action to prove that family farms, urban farms, and Black farms can exist and show up for the people!

Together, we’ve accomplished so much. We’re grateful for the community that has embraced our vision and continues to support the work we do. We consider it a blessing!

Here’s what’s coming out of our fields this week! 👇

🥬 Arugula, kale, lettuce mix, greens salad mix, mustard greens, tatsoi, mizuna, wasabina mustard greens, spinach, and sweet potato greens
- Beets (red and golden), radishes, eggplant, okra, yellow squash, garlic, black garlic, and sweet potatoes
- Winter squash: butternut, honey nut, autumn frost, and delicata
- Chicken and duck eggs
🌿 Fresh herbs: basil, chives, cilantro, parsley, lemon balm, hibiscus, rosemary, marjoram, tarragon, mint, and thyme
🍄 Gourmet mushrooms: Black Pearl and Blue Oyster, plus dried shiitake
- Our signature drinks: Ginger Mint Lemonade and Hibiscus Sorrel Harmony

Come celebrate seven years with us this weekend.

📍 Saturday 10/17 at the Uptown Farmers Market, 300 South Davidson Street, 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM
📍 Sunday farm stand on the farm (2401 Primm Road Charlotte, NC), 12PM to 3:00PM

Seven years. Still growing. Still rooted in the people.

10/17/2026

“Some lessons aren't taught. They're lived.”

Farmer Alvamir always wows the youth who tour the farm when he interacts with our male goat, "Chief". Yes, his name is Chief. & it is so fitting.

10/17/2026

“When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion” — African Proverb

This Week’s Lesson: True sustainability isn't about how much we can carry on our own grit, but about how deeply we root ourselves in community.

October marks seven years of Deep Roots CPS Farm.

We've never made much of an effort to celebrate our farm anniversary. Most years, October arrives with a small sigh of relief after making it through the sprint of the summer growing season. There's usually too much work still needing our attention to spend much time celebrating.

But this year feels different.

Maybe it has something to do with the number seven. It's always been my favorite number. It also holds so much significance in our lives. There are also seven of us in the Jzar family, Wisdom and me and our five children. Seven is a divine number, a number of wholeness and completion. Across many traditions, it carries meaning tied to renewal. Our people have held that understanding for a long time.

We see seven reflected in Kwanzaa, which takes its name from the Swahili phrase for first fruits of the harvest and is rooted in African first-fruits celebrations. Everything about it comes in sevens. Seven days, seven principles, seven symbols, seven candles, and a seventh letter intentionally added to the word so the name itself would hold the number. A harvest celebration is organized around seven, where the community gathers at the close of the growing season to give thanks and name the values it intends to live by.

Our seventh year arrives in October, in the middle of our own harvest. Maybe there's something to that. No, not maybe. We know that there is something to that. We bear witness to what Deep Roots is now and what it is becoming and we are celebrating!

When we started Deep Roots in 2019, we didn’t inherit farmland or an established business. Everything we built came through hard work, determination, and figuring things out as we went. Ours is the kind of story people love, starting with little and building through grit. It’s an inspiring narrative, but grit is only part of the truth.

What if, instead of just praising individual struggle, we celebrated the collective?

Deep Roots exists because of the community that embraced our vision: the neighbors who show up every Saturday morning at our farm stand, the local chefs who bring our harvest to their tables, the church groups who organize visits, and the educators who bring young people to the land. In the past month alone, we’ve welcomed over 200 people to gather, learn, and taste food grown fresh right here in the city.

This month, Wisdom and I also learned that we've been nominated again for Farmer(s) of the Year by Unpretentious Palate (https://unpretentiouspalate.com/unpretentious-palates-people-of-the-year-2026-finalists/) , an honor we received in 2023. We're grateful that our work continues to be recognized, especially by people in our community who understand the importance of local agriculture. We’re grateful for the recognition, but even more grateful for what it represents, which for us is a growing appreciation for our vision.

My sister asked me recently if I ever imagined Deep Roots would become what it is today. I had to honestly answer no. We had a vision, but I couldn’t have predicted what this farm would mean to our community, or how much love would be exchanged along the way.

As Wisdom and I talked about our seventh anniversary, he said something that sums up what this is. He said, "It's a blessing."

We've witnessed the blessings that have come from this work. We've increased substantially in the amount of food we grow and in our knowledge of farming. We've expanded our reach in the community. We've also gained so much through the people we've come to know through our work. We've developed relationships with some truly beautiful people, and there has been so much love exchanged along the way.

I'm not sure we could have imagined any of that seven years ago. Not to this degree.

I also think about our five children and what this means for them. Hopefully they receive the inheritance of having a understanding of what it takes to build and sustain something and a different starting point for their own future.

So this year, rather than simply breathing a quiet sigh of relief and seeing this anniversary pass by, we are choosing to celebrate. We are acknowledging what has occurred over the past seven years. We are thankful for all that Deep Roots has become, and especially for you, the community that helps sustain it.

Thank you for being part of these seven year! Celebrate your connection to this important work and know that there is so much more to come.

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~ This Week's Harvest ~
Get your share of our fall harvest.

Fresh produce: Arugula, kale, lettuce mix, greens salad mix, mustard greens, bok choy, chard, sweet potato greens, tatsoi, eggplant, squash, zucchini, okra, garlic, young fresh ginger root, hot peppers, black garlic, green onions, radishes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash including butternut squash, honey nut squash, autumn frost squash, and delicata.
Eggs: chicken and duck eggs.
Fruit: muscadine grapes and a small offering of NC apples,
Fresh herbs: Basil, chives, lemon balm, hibiscus, lemon grass, rosemary, marjoram, tarragon, mint, young fresh ginger, and thyme.
Gourmet mushrooms: Oyster, Trumpet, Black Pearl, and Lion’s Mane. Dehydrated Shiitake Mushrooms
Our Signature Drinks: Ginger Mint Lemonade and Hibiscus Sorrel Harmony.

Shop our farm stand at the Uptown Farmers Market every Saturday through December to get your share of the harvest.

Where: 300 South Davidson Street, Charlotte, NC 28202
Time: 8:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

Can't make it to the market, order online for pickup: shop.deeprootscpsfarm.com.

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Give the Gift of Fresh, Local Food!

Looking for a meaningful gift for a friend, family member, teacher, or coworker? Give them a Deep Roots CPS Farm digital gift card!

Our gift cards allow recipients to choose from the fresh, locally grown food and farm products we offer. It's also a great way to introduce someone to Deep Roots while supporting local agriculture.

With the holidays approaching, consider sharing the gift of good food with someone you appreciate. Business owners, this is also a thoughtful way to thank your employees for their hard work.

Purchase your digital gift card today! (https://app.squareup.com/gift/J8FDA080BM1FW/order)

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Inheritance Farm to Table Dinner in 2 weeks
& The horses are coming.

On Sunday, November 1, we're gathering at our Monroe farm for Inheritance, A Deep Roots Farm to Table Experience.

Six chefs will each prepare a dish inspired by something they've inherited. It might be a recipe, a cooking technique, or the influence of a person or place that shaped how they cook today. The menu will feature what's growing in our late fall fields. We'll gather on our Monroe farm for this for a family-style dinner, passing platters around the table as each chef shares the story behind their dish.

And we have some exciting news!

The Charlotte Cowboys (https://www.charlottecowboys.org/) will be joining us for the afternoon, offering lead-line horse rides for our guests. Bring the family and come early to enjoy the experience before dinner. We're looking forward to a wonderful afternoon on the farm!

Seats are limited and tickets are going! We also have a few sponsorship opportunities available for businesses and individuals who would like to support this experience.

Guests will arrive at 2:30 PM for a reception and dinner begins at 3:15 PM. Tickets are $175 for one guest and $335 for a couple. Visit our website to reserve your seat today or to learn more. deeprootscpsfarm.com (https://shop.deeprootscpsfarm.com/dinners-workshops-and-events?fbclid=IwY2xjawUFs1JwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMUROYThqc29sY3VUdFZNaXdzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe-Q80LyBZcVRfrMMFSCUNbNDBJkR-ejppqe7NAo0HpcIES3HWZnekuy9wLYQ_aem_ST6dL2WWERzY-0HehI5FXA)

BEFORE YOU LEAVE
As we celebrate seven years of Deep Roots, we want to thank you for being part of our journey. Whether you've purchased produce, visited the farm, shared our work with someone, or simply offered a word of encouragement, you've contributed to what Deep Roots has become.

We have many to thank and hope you know how much we appreciate being in community with you.

We hope you'll continue to support local farmers and encourage others to do the same. Get to know the people growing your food. Visit a farm. Bring your children. There is so much to learn and experience when we reconnect with the land and those who care for it.

This anniversary has reminded us how much is possible when a community comes together. We're grateful for these seven years and hopeful about what comes next.

Wishing you a very Happy Anniversary,
Cherie, Wisdom and The Deep Roots CPS Farm Family

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To learn more about our farm and our programs go to our website here:
deeprootscpsfarm.com (http://www.deeprootscpsfarm.com)

Follow along on Instagram and Facebook:

Click here for an update from Deep Roots CPS Farm!

10/14/2026

Your next farmers market trip needs a little Deep Roots!

Shop local and carry a little farm pride with our market tote bag. From fresh greens to your favorite market finds, make it part of your weekend tradition.

Grab yours here: https://square.link/u/JrP7qx8e

Deeply Rooted in Community. 💚

Deep Roots CPS Farm is a family run regenerative urban farm operating in Charlotte NC. We sell our produce weekly on Saturday Mornings at the Uptown Farmers Market located at 300 South Davidson Street from 8am - 12:30pm. Visit our website to learn more. deeprootscpsfarm.com

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10/13/2026

We grow mushrooms on the farm, and most of them are cultivated in a controlled environment so we can better plan for harvest.

The mushrooms growing outdoors follow Mother Nature’s schedule. We had a flush come in over the weekend, and the rain soaked them. We’re drying them now and may dehydrate them to preserve the harvest.

10/10/2026

Nope, the rain didn’t stop us!
We are incredibly thankful for all who came out to shop our farmstand today. ❤️

10/10/2026

"Blessed are those who plant seeds in the faith that others might enjoy the forest.”
Rev. Jesse Jackson

You do not plant a seed to get ginger. You plant a piece of a rhizome that somebody grew before you, and you bury part of the last harvest to get the next one. Nothing about it starts over. It only continues. This is life.

Last month we celebrated our Queen Mother’s 80th birthday. We give thanks for her and for the inheritance we all carry because of her radiant and life giving spirit. Eighty years of planting. Eighty years of nourishing. Everything we are doing in our family and on the land grew from what she planted a long time ago. She planted in faith. We are standing in the forest.

That is what we are harvesting this season. Not just ginger, but the fruits of her harvest. Let us honor her life and all those that came before us by never abandoning this work! IAMWE

~ This week's harvest ~
Arugula, kale, greens salad mix, mustard greens, bok choy, chard, tatsoi, eggplant, squash, zucchini, okra, garlic, young fresh ginger root, hot peppers, black garlic, green onions, radishes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash including butternut squash, honey nut squash, autumn frost squash, and delicata. chicken and duck eggs. muscadine grapes and a small offering of NC apples,
Fresh herbs: Basil, chives, lemon balm, hibiscus, lemon grass, rosemary, marjoram, tarragon, mint, young fresh ginger, and thyme.
Gourmet mushrooms: Chestnut, Oyster, Trumpet, Black Pearl, and Lion’s Mane.
Our Signature Drinks: Ginger Mint Lemonade and Hibiscus Sorrel Harmony.

🌿 Saturday, Uptown Farmers Market, 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 300 South Davidson Street
🌿 Sunday self serve farm stand, 12:00 to 3:00, 2401 Primm Road, Charlotte

10/09/2026

“Blessed are those who plant seeds in the faith that others might enjoy the forest." — Rev. Jessie Jackson

This Week’s Lesson: What we plant today is an inheritance for tomorrow.

Ginger is not a root. Nope. It is a rhizome, meaning an underground stem of a flowering plant. A rhizome grows sideways and sends up new shoots, which is why we plant pieces of ginger rather than seeds. Flavor-wise, ginger is in a class of its own, but it has some interesting relatives. Turmeric and galangal belong to the same plant family.

This week, we are harvesting ginger that has been growing on our farm since January. Yep, nine months of care before the harvest.

Most people think of ginger as a spice, and it certainly is one in the culinary world. But for our family, it is so much more. It is one of those special plants we grow, eat, and enjoy year-round. Now, we believe that all food is medicine, but some foods, like ginger, are among the most frequently used medicinal foods we keep in rotation in our kitchen. In fact, we use it in almost everything. It goes into the pot when making curry. It goes into the blender when the children are making smoothies. It goes into tea when somebody is fighting something off, and into the Ginger-Mint Lemonade we sell throughout the year.

There are foods you cook with, and there are foods that change the whole dish. Ginger is the second kind. This rhizome spice earns that distinction.

The heat you taste in fresh ginger comes largely from a natural compound called gingerol. It is also one of the compounds scientists have studied for its potential health benefits. Ginger has been used for centuries across cultures to ease nausea, support digestion, and bring comfort during illness. Modern research supports some of these traditional uses, particularly for certain kinds of nausea, and continues to explore its anti-inflammatory properties. In our home, ginger is ground with turmeric, mixed with coconut milk, cinnamon, black pepper, and other spices, and gulped down by everyone as soon as cold and flu season arrives. Ginger delights, comforts, and in some cases simply wakes up your senses.

But as I was thinking about all the ways we use ginger in our home, it occurred to me that almost none of it started with me.

Years ago, while attending a Kwanzaa celebration at the Kemetic Life Center, we were served the most delicious coconut curry lentil soup prepared by a sister there. It was perfectly rich, with deliciously spicy ginger. It was so good that we asked for the recipe, and she graciously shared it with us. We prepared it at home maybe the very next week, and it has been a staple in our kitchen ever since. It is in rotation during the fall and winter months. The dish is hearty, warming, and full of flavor. And it is one of those dishes where the leftovers taste even better the next day.

That one recipe has fed our family for years, all because someone was willing to share it. Many of the ways we prepare ginger came to us through someone else. That is how foodways move through community. A sister shares her special banana pudding that we all wait for during special events. A brother finds solace in grilling on the weekends and shares his dry rub and smoked chicken recipe. All this knowledge moves hand to hand, from a kitchen you were welcomed into to a kitchen of your own.

Speaking of sharing knowledge, Wisdom and I attended the Care Ring Hobnob this week. Care Ring is a Charlotte nonprofit that has provided health care to people who are uninsured or underinsured since 1955. During the event, the CEO, Tchernavia Montgomery, said something that I had to write down. She said that today she is planting a seed for a tree whose shade she will never sit beneath. Powerful.

This is also the work we engage in every day. That is also the story of our ginger, because you do not plant a seed. You plant a piece of a rhizome that somebody grew before you. You bury part of the last harvest to get the next one. Nothing about it starts over. It only continues. Yes, the ginger you purchase from us is a continuation of a legacy. The first rhizome was planted many years ago. An inheritance.

Just like all the valuable things in our lives. Somebody planted something before us. Somebody shared what they knew. And now we have something to carry forward.

That is the work we are doing as first-generation farmers, but more importantly, as a family who cares deeply about the people in our community. Growing food, preserving knowledge, sharing what we have, and making room for what comes next. We are grateful for this opportunity and hopeful that we are also leaving an inheritance for future generations. Not singularly, but in community with you and others.

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~ This Week's Harvest ~
Our market table is full this week.

Fresh produce: Arugula, kale, greens salad mix, mustard greens, bok choy, chard, tatsoi, eggplant, squash, zucchini, okra, garlic, young fresh ginger root, hot peppers, black garlic, green onions, radishes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash including butternut squash, honey nut squash, autumn frost squash, and delicata.
Eggs: chicken and duck eggs.
Fruit: muscadine grapes and a small offering of NC apples,
Fresh herbs: Basil, chives, lemon balm, hibiscus, lemon grass, rosemary, marjoram, tarragon, mint, young fresh ginger, and thyme.
Gourmet mushrooms: Chestnut, Oyster, Trumpet, Black Pearl, and Lion’s Mane.
Our Signature Drinks: Ginger Mint Lemonade and Hibiscus Sorrel Harmony.

Shop our farm stand at the Uptown Farmers Market every Saturday to get your share of the harvest.

Where: 300 South Davidson Street, Charlotte, NC 28202
Time: 8:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

Can't make it to the market, order online for pickup: shop.deeprootscpsfarm.com.

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CSA Members: Pickup Is This Saturday
Fall share pickup is this Saturday. Remember to bring your bag. If you cannot make it, send a buddy to pick up for you.

Farm pickup: anytime from 8:00 a.m. to noon at 2401 Primm Road, for members who elected to pick up at the farm.

Farmers market pickup: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Uptown Farmers Market, 300 South Davidson Street, with free parking.

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Our Story on PBS Charlotte

If you have not seen it yet, take a few minutes this weekend and watch it. PBS Charlotte’s Carolina Impact shared a story about the work happening through Deep Roots CPS Farm.

The segment follows several parts of our work, beginning at the Gaston County Schools farm in Lowell, where we grow fresh produce just steps away from the district’s central kitchen. It also highlights our work in Charlotte, including the fresh produce we provide to seniors and the ways we use farming to help people reconnect with food, land, and agricultural knowledge.

We are grateful to Heather Burgiss and PBS Charlotte and the Carolina Impact (https://www.pbs.org/show/carolina-impact/) team for spending time with us, listening to the story behind the work, and helping share it with the larger community.

🎥 **Watch the full story here:** (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDHHYbNbFkw&t=561s)
Watch our story on PBS Charlotte's Carolina Impact.

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INHERITANCE: A Farm-to-Table Experience, 11/1
25 seats remaining. Get your tickets today!

IThis is our fall farm to table dinner, and we named it Inheritance for the same reason this whole letter keeps circling back to that word. Everything on that table came from somebody who planted first.

The evening brings six chefs and a mixologist to our farm, cooking with what we grow here. You will eat where the food was raised, at one long table, with people from across this community.

Next week we will introduce you to the chefs. If you already know you want to be there, reserve your seat now. The event starts at 2:30PM on our Monroe farm.

Seats are limited, and this dinner will sell out. Reserve your tickets today. We also have opportunities for sponsorships and partner support. Visit our website to reserve your seat today or to learn more.

deeprootscpsfarm.com (https://shop.deeprootscpsfarm.com/dinners-workshops-and-events?fbclid=IwY2xjawUFs1JwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMUROYThqc29sY3VUdFZNaXdzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe-Q80LyBZcVRfrMMFSCUNbNDBJkR-ejppqe7NAo0HpcIES3HWZnekuy9wLYQ_aem_ST6dL2WWERzY-0HehI5FXA)

BEFORE YOU LEAVE
Passing It On Is a Practice.

Somebody gave us that soup recipe. Somebody gave us the first piece of ginger. Somebody showed us how to do a thing we now do every season without thinking about it. None of that came with an invoice. It came because a person decided that what they knew was worth handing to somebody else.

So that is the ask this week. Pass something on. Anything. A smile. A special note. Donate those old summer clothes or an old coat . A recipe, or even share the good news about all that is going on with us and the happenings at the Uptown Farmers Market. This is the type of inheritance we all need right now. Both tangible and intangible.

We have been out in the community this week and many people are struggling. But faithfully speaking, if we all plant a seed or share something with another person, it adds up.

Come get your share of the harvest.
We have fresh ginger right now and we expect to have it for about two more weeks. Buy more than you need. Grate some into your tea tonight, and put the rest in the freezer whole so you have it in January when you want it most. Ask us how we use it. We will tell you, and then it is yours to pass on too.

Come see us this weekend. We are at the Uptown Farmers Market on Saturday from 8:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at 300 South Davidson Street, with free parking. Our self serve farm stand is open Sunday from 12:00 to 3:00 at 2401 Primm Road if Saturday morning is not your time.

In peace and continued wellness,
Cherie, Wisdom and The Deep Roots CPS Farm Family

———

To learn more about our farm and our programs go to our website here:
deeprootscpsfarm.com (http://www.deeprootscpsfarm.com)

Follow along on Instagram and Facebook:

Click here for an update from Deep Roots CPS Farm!

10/09/2026

Family - Our next Farm to Table Dinner will be held on November 1, 2026. Inheritance

Join us on the farm for Inheritance, a Deep Roots farm to table exp...