In the Cherokee creation story, a buzzard creates the mountains and valleys with each flap of his wings. It’s these very same mountains and buzzards that envelop Tamarya Sims (they/them) with a sense of peace and protection as they farm this tribal land in Western North Carolina. Tamarya is a Black environmentalist, farmer, herbalist, educator, and beekeeper. I had the pleasure of interviewing them recently about their experiences residing and working in rural Appalachia.
Britney: Can you tell me where the name Soulfull Simone Farm came from?
Tamarya: Simone is my middle name and is sentimental to me, and Soulfull is intentionally spelled incorrectly. I added two Ls to the end because I wanted people to ask me why. The reason is I want people to come to my farm and leave with their souls feeling fed. So, in the same way your stomach is full when you’re done eating, I want your soul to be full when you leave my farm.
How did you become interested in farming and beekeeping? Who or what are your influences?
In my last year of college at the University of North Carolina, Asheville, I realized I wanted to learn more about edible plants and wanted to intern on a farm to see if it was something that I actually wanted to do long-term. Unfortunately, I didn’t get an internship, but the executive director saw how dedicated and determined I was. They ultimately found enough money to hire me to work once a week, and that was my first time getting into farming.
On top of that, I took entomology in college
