A private harvest membership
Opal Mae Farms is a small regenerative farm in Chesapeake serving a limited circle of members. Each week during the season, members receive produce picked at its peak — grown with no chemicals — and delivered fresh during the week.
Ask About Membershipor write to us at brad@opalmaefarms.com
About the farm →
Our story
Growing our own veggies has always been the norm for us. My grandmother had a large farm when I was younger, and even after she sold it she grew the best veggies from her very large garden here in Chesapeake. Her tomatoes were well known — local restaurants would routinely get a delivery of her veggies in exchange for food. My brother and I would try every year to grow a larger tomato than my grandmother, and every year we would fail.
Years later I started the gardening club at my sons' school, and watching kids light up when they pulled their first carrot out of the ground changed what I wanted to do with my life. Opal Mae Farms exists for two reasons: to grow healthy, chemical-free produce for our neighbors, and to pass along to the next generation the importance of growing your own food — and of taking care of the land that grows it.
Opal Mae Farms started as a small garden plot on a much larger regenerative livestock farm in Pungo. We learned a lot about farming those first two years — mainly what not to do, but more importantly how to grow veggies at scale with no chemicals.
Two years ago we purchased a house on three acres in the Hickory area of Chesapeake and moved the farm to the backyard. Last year we broke ground and started putting the pieces of the farm plan together. This year we expanded the farm plot, built the greenhouse, and set up the delivery service for a few select customers.
We plan to expand the delivery service to include more families and more delivery days. The roadside stand is in the planning process as we speak. And in the fall, we plan to clear the back acre to expand the produce farm and introduce chickens and other farm animals.
Alyssa grows the herbs, flowers, and botanicals — and makes the best pickles you will ever taste. Her background in supplement contract manufacturing means our custom farm products, like our lavender essential oil, are made with real care and precision.
Sammy and Sawyer, our two boys, are eager farm hands: driving the tractor, planting seedlings, and pulling weeds — with enthusiasm that varies depending on the chore.
And Brad? He's still trying to grow a tomato as big as his grandmother's.
Everything here is grown regeneratively: no chemicals, cover crops in the off-season, and compost feeding the soil. We pick only what's spoken for, at its peak — that's why it's fresher than anything in a store. And at the end of each week, leftover produce is delivered to the local food bank. Nothing we grow goes to waste.