Jewish Christmas tree grower in NC enjoys growing, nurturing Fraser firs
With just a few days to go before Thanksgiving, many North Carolina residents have already started looking for the perfect Christmas trees.
The Tar Heel state is the second biggest producer of Christmas trees in the U.S., harvesting 4 million trees for this season.
In the mountains of Watauga County, an unlikely grower of evergreens resides.
Chuck Lieberman wears a felt hat, grows a bristly beard and has a folksy manner. He is good with a chainsaw and handy with heavy lifting.
"I would say I have a mystical bond with this farm," he said. "The Christmas trees are extraordinarily beautiful. I love to just see them."
His background is unorthodox: He's from Miami, Jewish and also grows oranges on his property in a greenhouse called The Orangery.
At the Swinging Bridge farm in Deep Gap, sit 18 acres of Fraser firs. He said he used to grow thousands of evergreens before deciding to sell them wholesale.
The farm will be open through Wednesday, but closed from Thanksgiving through the first week of December. Lieberman says his farm is small and just can't handle the rush of post-Thanksgiving crowds.
Lieberman earned his master's degree in agriculture from the University of Florida before moving to North Carolina in 1979 when his wife landed a teaching job at Appalachian State.
When asked if people are surprised to learn he's Jewish, he says, "I would say they're non-plussed."
So, although he has given many Christmas trees to others, he has never been on the receiving end.
"Never, never, never," he said.
So, how to reconcile his vocation with his profession of faith?
"That question has arisen in several contexts," he said. "For instance, can Jewish jewelers sell crosses? Yes, they can. They just can't have it around their neck. They're not really in conflict."
His wife, Eleanor, who is also Jewish, says the land's natural beauty dictates crops.
"It's either gonna be trees or tobacco," she said.
The mountains in western North Carolina are decorated with Christmas trees, largely because they're the darling cash crop in the area.
Chuck Lieberman has a humor column that is published in the Watauga Democrat.
He also founded the North Carolina Jewish Christmas Tree Growers Association.
"And then I anointed myself the president of that association," he said through laughter. "There's a certain notoriety."
And at a most wonderful time of year, this Miami-born mountain man is happy to play a part in bringing joy to the world.
