WE BOUGHT THE FARM!
After nine seasons of farming, pharmacy we’ve finally purchased the farm!! The land is familiar as it is the property we’ve been farming for the last five years. We will be moving in soon to the house on the property which was built in 1902. It is surrounded by beautiful mature landscaping, sildenafil koi ponds and heated greenhouses. We are looking forward to experimenting with new possibilities and can’t believe we’ll be able to walk out our back door to get to work! It is an extremely special property. With the help of the Beginning Farmer/Rancher program through the USDA, ed the Washington State Housing Finance Commission Beginning Farmer/Rancher program, and support from our customers, we are able to call it home!
Here is a little tour of our new place.
Congratulation is in order for Seattle chef Tom Douglas who was recently named Outstanding Restaurateur 2012 by the James Beard Foundation. We’ve been serving his restaurants since 2003 and are proud to be working with his excellent team of chefs, his wife Jackie, his partner Eric Tanaka, and all of the wonderful people that keep their business thriving. His restaurants are each unique and carefully crafted. Check out www.tomdouglas.com
Market season is just around the corner and we are busily preparing! We will be attending the Olympia Farmers Market starting the second week of June as well as our local market the Community Farmers Market at Chehalis and NEW this year the Community Farmers Market at Centralia.
We are looking forward the Movie Night, the fundraiser which Melissa helped spearhead a
few years ago. The market will be screening INGREDIENTS on May 31st at the Historic Fox Theatre in Centralia. More information can be found at http://communityfarmersmarket.net
We won’t be offering our traditional CSA program this year, but will try CSA BUCKS as a different option. CSA BUCKS is an alternative to the traditional CSA. Our CSA BUCKS combine the benefits of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share with the flexibility and convenience of shopping for produce at one of our three market locations. Unlike traditional CSAs where you receive a pre-packaged box that must be picked up on a specific day and time, CSA BUCKS provide you with a credit option to be used at one of the markets we attend. For more information, click here http://www.newaukumvalleyfarm.com/csa-bucks
What a Year!
We had all intentions of keeping up with our blog page last season, buy cialis but in reality we became side-tracked with the busy demands of farm life among other things. We have a number of resolutions to meet in 2012. One of which is to blog more and keep you all informed on farm happenings.
Some exciting things have happened since our last post. In September, pills after 9 years together, Josh and I tied the knot. We felt it was time to throw a big party. Some longtime friends hosted our celebration at their lovely historic home on the Skookumchuck River in Centralia. We had an amazing local meal which was farm sourced by yours truly and cooked by local chefs. We roasted a locally grown pig and grilled fresh Quinault River salmon. We also enjoyed locally baked breads from Market Street bakery topped with cheeses from Black Sheep Creamery. We decorated the tables with flowers thanks to Janet at J Foss Garden Flowers. It was a day we will always cherish and were so happy to have our friends and family surrounding us. So many people contributed their talents which made it even more brilliant.
We had a prolific fall harvest. The mild weather allowed us to sell greens that are typically not available in late fall. The late harvest also allowed us to start serving some additional restaurants. We are excited to be serving Blue Acre Seafood, The Coterie Room, The Pink Door and Taste. Josh is still delivering to Seattle restaurants and Olympia Food Co-ops once a week. It keeps things interesting digging in the mud this time of year.
We have big plans for Newaukum Valley Farm in 2012. We have decided to begin the application to become certified organic. We have always used sustainable growing practices, but a stamp of approval certainly won’t hurt. The application process is lengthy and expensive, but we are hoping to have the farm certified by late spring.
Josh has been doing a little recreating on the local rivers fishing for steelhead and salmon. We’ve been enjoying the fruits of his labor the last few weeks. Fish tacos and homemade fish and chips are common winter meals! I’ve been busy promoting independent films this winter through my company and working with the local farmers market as a board member. Josh is starting to sift through his catalogs to prepare for his seed buying extravaganza. It is hard to believe that seed starting will begin next month!
That’s it for now. Here’s to 2012! May it bring joy, love and good eating to you all!