Henderson County produces the most vegetable crops in Western North Carolina and is consistently ranked second or third in the state in vegetable production.
Farming is an important link to our county’s past and an essential part of our economy.
The Green River community is known for vegetable production. In the 20th century vegetables grown in Green River were shipped throughout the Southeast.
The Maybin family, Camp family and others were well-known for the quality of vegetable grown in the community.
The following are excerpts from articles written on Theron Maybin and agriculture in the community:
Theron Maybin was rolling up bales of pea-green, sweet-smelling hay when he stopped for an interview.
It was in a 40-acre field on a farm in Flat Rock. Maybin does a lot of custom farming on places in the south end of the county, those not far from his native Green River community.
He was the fifth generation of his family to work the land along Rock Creek. It’s a portion of 1,200 acres given ancestor Matthew Maybin for service in the Revolutionary War.
Because of this heritage, Theron Maybin says he has special feelings about preserving the natural resources and beauty of Henderson County.
Maybin said he decided as a teen-ager that farming was the career for him. He graduated from East Henderson High School and took some short courses in agriculture from N.C. State University. He then served two years in the Vietnam War as a helicopter mechanic.
Maybin says he is proud that he has worked a lifetime total of only 13 weeks on a company payroll. Money, he said, doesn’t compare to independence.
Maybin grows a full range of produce crops: Cabbage, beans, squash, cucumbers and sweet corn, plus keeps a beef herd and a few horses.
He is the father of five sons. His wife, Mary Lois, consistently wins awards at the N.C. Mountain State Fair and N.C. State Fair for her baking and canning skills, along with other entries.
More than 30 years have passed since he first made a trip to the North Carolina State Fair.
He started out helping the Agricultural Extension carry Henderson County apples to the State Fair.
Maybin also took his vegetables for competition.
When the competitions are over, he gives away most of the food.
But he doesn’t come home empty-handed. Over the years Maybin has returned with dozens of first-, second-, and third-place ribbons from the State Fair.
In fact, the competitions are a family affair for the Maybins. So is winning.
A few years ago, Maybin won first-place for his plate of five Idaho potatoes at the State Fair.
It was only one of the ribbons he brought home from Raleigh. His wife, Mary, brought home ribbons. His son, Tyrone Maybin, won first place for his three-tray commercial display of Red Pontiac potatoes.
Maybin’s daughter-in-law, Cindy Maybin, won first place for her strawberry sauce, first-place for her concord grape jelly, first-place for her muscadine grape jelly – the list goes on. It’s easy to see why Cindy Maybin also took home the Best of Show award for food preservation for her plum jelly.
Count the ribbons, and the family brought home more than 40, including 13 blue ribbons.
“That’s probably the record,” says Maybin, who serves on the Henderson County Soil and Water Conservation Board. “I know it’s the record number of blues.”
Maybin says he learned farming through hands-on experience and “common sense.” He started farming on his own in 1969.
Few Henderson County farmers enter the State Fair competitions. When asked why he does, Maybin said, “I’m proud of Henderson County and what grows in Henderson County.”
Maybin planned to have the entire family in for dinner one weekend.
Here’s a safe bet.
There was bound to be some good food.