Farm Tour - Whidbey Island Farms 2012 Special Supplement
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Transcript of Farm Tour - Whidbey Island Farms 2012 Special Supplement
Saturday, Sept. 15 & Sunday, Sept. 16 • 10 am to 4 pm
Whidbey Island
a supplement created by
Whidbey Island
Farm Tour Guide
Page 2 A special publication of The Whidbey Examiner • The Whidbey Island 2012 Farm Tour Guide
If home is where the heart is, then community is where you’ll � nd your soul. We can help you � nd your next neighborhood or introduce new neighbors to yours. Stop by our of� ce or visit Windermere.com to learn more.
Windermere Real Estate/Whidbey Island
Coupeville5 S. Main Street360/678-5858
Oak Harbor32785 SR 20, Suite 4360/675-5953
Freeland5531 Freeland Ave.360/331-6006
Langley223 Second St.360/221-8898
Where will you . . .Where will you . . .Where will you . . .Where will you . . .plant your ro� s?
Enjoy Walking Tours•Family Activities•
Pick Veggies•Pet Our Goats•
Meet Our Farmers•
EXPERIENCE
Hwy 525 & Wonn Rd. • 360-678-7700 • greenbankfarm.com
LB Constructionof Whidbey Island, Inc.
Barns • arenas • staBles • shops • GaraGesstoraGe spaces • special projects
(360) 678-5470Coupeville, Wa • www.lbconstructionofwhidbey.com
LIC#LBCONW19680W
Long recognized for its beauty and abundant recreational opportunities, Whidbey Island is also a Mecca for ag-
riculture.The Whidbey Island Farm Tour is a
great way to experience that part of island life by connecting with the farmers respon-sible for providing locally grown food, fiber and other products.
This year’s seventh annual Farm Tour will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat-urday and Sunday, Sept. 15 and 16 at 18 dif-ferent farms all over Whidbey Island. The event is free and participants can take in as many or as few farms as they like, enjoy-ing everything from horses, cows, alpacas, llamas, chickens, turkeys and ducks to herbs and produce such as lavender, strawberries, blueberries, apples, honey, wine grapes and wine.
“One of the reasons we started this was to provide an educational opportunity so the general public could get an understand-ing of the really good things happening on local farms,” said Karen Bishop, Whidbey Island Conservation District manager.
“All the farms are really diverse,” Bishop said. “We try to get a good mix of animal agriculture and crop agriculture.”
Bishop said the 18 farms participating in the tour this year are a good representation of best farming practices all over the island.
Over the course of the weekend, farms will be open to visitors for tours, demon-strations, children’s activities and hands-on experiences at some locations. The wide variety of farms means everyone should find something they enjoy.
Experience Whidbey Island’s deep agricultural roots
“We ask farms to come up with as many different activities as they feel comfortable with,” Bishop said.
“This year we have a lot more activities for people to engage in,” said Judy Feldman, director of Greenbank Farm. “We’re hav-ing an information scavenger hunt, where people will have to go to various spots on
the farm in order to collect their prize.”Feldman said having something tangible
for people to do draws bigger crowds to the farm. Greenbank Farm will also be having a u-pick radish extravaganza for families with children, just one example of what the participating farms put together for families and children to enjoy.
Activities aside, the event draws people not only from Whidbey Island, but region-ally as well. Organizers have made a push to draw off-islanders to Whidbey to promote local farms. Last year a large percentage of visitors were not from Whidbey Island.
“A lot of people are coming out of ur-ban areas and they’re just excited to have a chance to be on an active farm,” Bishop said.
“And there are a lot of local people who might buy their produce at farmers markets every week and this gives them the chance to get out to the farm and see where their food is coming from.”
“I think there’s more regional interest around farm food, healthy eating, knowing your farmer,” said Feldman. “I think that interest is cropping up in every county be-cause people see it as a healthy alternative.”
All the farms are open for the Farm Tour on Saturday, but some will be closed on Sunday. Bishop recommends those at-tending check the Farm Tour map and the website (whidbeyfarmtour.com) for any last minute updates or changes before they begin their tour.
While the Farm Tour is a family-friendly event all about experiencing what Whidbey Island farms have to offer, it’s also about community.
“We’re always about community, that’s the nature of Greenbank Farm,” Feldman said. “It’s nice to be able to cross-promote with other farms and talk with people about what each farm brings to our community to strengthen it.”
Examiner file photo
Wilbur Purdue of Prairie Bottom Farm grabs a handful of soil from his field in the midst of Ebey’s Prairie near Coupeville as he talks to visitors during last year’s Whidbey Island Farm Tour. His farm is on the tour again this year.
The Whidbey Island 2012 Farm Tour Guide • A special publication of The Whidbey Examiner Page 3
By Kathy ReedStaff Reporter
Just as the landscape on Whidbey Island changes with the seasons, so too has the face of farming changed over the course
of many seasons.There was a time on Whidbey Island
when sheep outnumbered cattle and wheat and potatoes were the cash crops.
The fertile soil and natural prairies on the northern half of the island and the tim-ber on the southern half, along with natu-ral harbors such as Penn Cove on Central Whidbey, were appealing to settlers in the mid 1800s, according to information from the Island County Historical Society.
The island’s main industry, however, was logging, and many of the first set-tlers worked in the forests and mills. Many cleared the land, making way for livestock and crops.
According to the historical society, there were more than 13 logging camps on South Whidbey alone.
By about 1900, most of the timber opera-tions had moved to Camano Island, leav-ing Whidbey Islanders free to develop their farms.
Wheat and potato farming gave way to egg and dairy production in the early 1900s. But our local farms could not compete with mainland production, although there are still several small dairy farms on Whidbey.
Wilbur and Karen Bishop of Ebey Road Farm operated a dairy farm in the heart of Ebey’s Prairie until 2007, when the sale of their cows marked the end of traditional dairy farming on Whidbey – at least for awhile.
Since then, several small micro-dairies have spring up, producing value-added products made from goat and sheep milk. And plans are in the works for a new dairy to open at the site of the shuttered Engle dairy farm just outside Coupeville.
“There are a number of dairy farms op-erating on the island,” said Karen Bishop, who is manager of the Whidbey Island Conservation District and a member of the Farm Tour planning committee. “Even though we still have larger farms, we’re see-ing smaller, one-to-five acre or one-to-ten acre farms sprouting up.”
Bishop said the farming community on Whidbey Island is more diverse than ever,
Enjoy Whidbey Island’s ever-evolving farms
so visitors participating in this year’s Farm Tour will see a wide variety of produce and products offered by island farms.
From cattle to carrots, apples to alpacas, grapes to goats, there will be no shortage of interesting agricultural operations to see.
Participating farms are happy to share what they do with visitors as well.
“It’s fun to be able to open our farm up for people to see what we do and for the ex-posure as well,” said Rita Comfort of Com-fort Farm and Vineyard, one of two wineries
on this year’s tour. The Whidbey Island Farm Tour is now
the island’s most prominent agri-tourism event of the year. Scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 15 and Sunday, Sept. 16, the event is also a good economic boost for the end of the growing season.
Individual farms had as many as 500 visi-tors in the two-day period last year, Bishop said. Some farms had sales of more than $3,500 in products and produce.
“I take pride that I can give people some-
Whidbey Island farming by the numbers:• Island County is home to 7,000 head of cattle, up from 4,000 in 2007• 1,200 acres of hay were harvested in 2010• 3,000 acres of other hay, such as one-cutting grass hay, harvested in 2010• 1,300 acres of barley harvested in Island County in 2010 (Second highest yield per acre in the state.)
– Compiled by USDA/National Agricultural Statistics Service, Wash. field office
thing I made by hand,” said Mary Donaty of Paradise Found Fiber Farm, one of sev-eral farms on the tour offering fiber from alpacas, llamas and goats.
The “eat local” movement is strong on Whidbey, as well.
“People are interested in eating locally grown, locally produced items and I think that’s the trend everywhere,” said Gretchen Schlomann of Fern Ridge Alpacas.
This year’s 18 farms are a perfect ex-ample of the change that’s taken place on Whidbey Island over the past 160 years.
“We’ve always seen an evolution in farm-ing on Whidbey Island, and this is just part of that evolution,” Bishop said.
Many farms on this year’s tour offer spe-cial activities for children. As always, the Whidbey Island Farm tour is free.
Enjoy all our local farms have to offer!
Examiner file photo
Despite the influx of organic farms, wineries, alpaca farms and specialty crops like lavender and other herbs, traditional farming – such as growing barley – remains a familiar sight on Ebey’s Prairie, in the heart of Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve.
Examiner file photo
Hogs are among the livestock raised at the Muzzall family farm, also known as 3 Sisters.
Your Farmers Marketfor the other six days a week!
skagitfoodcoop.com
Open daily in downtownMount Vernon
Your community natural market since 1973
360-336-9777
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Page 4 A special publication of The Whidbey Examiner • The Whidbey Island 2012 Farm Tour Guide
Eat Healthy, Eat Local!Eating fresh fruits and vegetables can contribute to lifelong health. That’s why Whidbey General supports the Whidbey Island Farm Tour. Preventive medicine is the best medicine.
101 North Main Street, Coupeville, WA 98239360-678-5151 www.whidbeygen.org
Alf Christianson, a subsidiary of Sakata America Holding, honors
Whidbey Island’s farming community and invites them to join us in celebrating
the 100th anniversary of Sakata.
Cabbage seed produced by Whidbey Island farmers
Burlington WA. • 360-336-9727
By Kathy ReedStaff Reporter
There’s a “growing” trend in Western Washington that has found its way to Whid-bey Island. While it isn’t the new Napa Val-ley, there are several vineyards on Whidbey and winemakers are producing excellent quality wines from local grapes.
“The soil is great for grapes,” said Greg Osenbach, who runs Whidbey Island Vine-yard and Winery with his wife, Elizabeth. “It drains well and we’re able to use varieties that ripen in a small amount of heat.”
The Langley winery is one of two vine-yards and wineries on this year’s Farm Tour.
The Osenbach’s vineyards feature two varieties originally from the Loire Valley in France and one German variety. That was about all that was available when they planted their vineyard in 1986, but that’s not the case now.
“Now there are lots of new varieties — obscure varieties no one’s ever heard of,” chuckled Osenbach. “We know a lot more about grape growing than when we started.”
In fact, growing grapes was not really considered a good bet when the Osenbachs came to Whidbey Island.
“We moved here with a winery in mind,” Osenbach said. “But the extension agent told us we should grow gooseberries.”
Whidbey Island Winery started its own wine production in 1991 and today produces more than 3,000 cases of wine each year. About a third of that is estate wine and the rest is produced from grapes grown in East-ern Washington. The Osenbachs produce
about 16 different varieties, which is “far more than we should,” Osenbach said with a laugh.
The winery’s best seller is Island White, made from estate grapes. They produce about 800 cases each year.
“I like the Island White but it’s all good,” said Sherry Birt, from Tulsa Okla., who was sampling the wines on a recent sunny sum-mer afternoon.
A tough crop“The easy part of the process is mak-
ing wines. The toughest part is growing the grapes,” said Carl Comfort, who owns Comforts of Whidbey Winery and Tasting Room with his wife, Rita. “It’s a ton of work to grow grapes.”
Comfort Farm and Vineyard is the other vineyard on this year’s tour. Carl and Rita have owned the property about six years.
They bought the 22-acre farm simply be-cause they loved it. The property came with four acres of wine grapes, which helped them grow into winemakers. They now pro-
Wineries welcome visitors for a taste of Whidbey
Kathy Reed photo
Leah Waaramaki, assistant wine maker at Whidbey Island winery, laughs as she pours a taste of wine for customers Letitia Letson from Miami, Okla. and Sherry Birt, from Tulsa, Okla.
See WINERIES, page 9
Kathy Reed photo
Greg Osenbach of Whidbey Island Winery looks at this year’s crop at his vineyard just outside Langley.
The Whidbey Island 2012 Farm Tour Guide • A special publication of The Whidbey Examiner Page 5
1) Hunters Moon Blueberry FarmJoe & Pennie Janousek935 Bunch Lane, Oak Harbor360-279-2804facebook.com/HuntersMoonBlueberryFarm
Hunters Moon Farm is a 10-acre, late-season, organic blueberry farm. The farm grows Legacy, Aurora and Elliott blueber-ries using sustainable agricultural practices, with respect and stewardship for the envi-ronment. The goal is to produce the finest tasting fruit and processed products. Items for sale at the farm will include: plants; pre-serves; syrup; scone, pancake, and muffin mixes; white chocolate blueberry bark; dark chocolate covered blueberries; blueberry taffy; fresh blueberries; blueberry honey; and unique blueberry teas.
Fresh-baked blueberry goods and sorbet can be purchased and eaten at the farm or taken to go. Guests can u-pick, get a tour of the farm, or learn about biochar, compost tea, organic weed control, and all things blueberry. Neighbor Farms will be invited to be on hand.
Directions: From Oak Harbor – travel north on Hwy. 20 and turn right onto Fak-kema. Turn right onto Taylor, turn left onto Silver Lake, turn left onto DeVries. At the bottom of the hill, turn right onto Bunch Lane. The farm is first house on the left.
2) Wildwood FarmHeather Carder2326 Happy Valley Road, Oak Harbor360-679-3474 • wildwoodfarm.com
Wildwood Farm is an 80-acre breeding, training, and educational facility focusing on the complete care and education of our horses and students. The farm will be show-casing and demonstrating saddle seat riding, dressage, and hunter/jumper. The facility has three riding arenas, a covered round pen and race track and 25 acres of wooded rid-ing trails. The farm produces prospects for the Sport Horse disciplines and the Arabian English Pleasure disciplines. Children can enjoy pony rides for $5 (fundraiser), along with hay-ride tours of the farm property.
Directions: From Hwy. 20 in Oak Har-bor, turn east on Whidbey Ave. Turn left onto Regatta and follow to a right on Cres-cent Harbor, which becomes Reservation Road after a sharp turn to the right. Farm entrance (Happy Valley Road) is on your left. Follow the drive up the hill and through the gates.
3) Hummingbird Farm Nursery & GardenLee & Lori Spear2319 Zylstra Road, Oak Harbor360-679-5044 • hummingbirdfarmnursery.com
This destination farm features display
gardens, a certified backyard wildlife sanc-tuary and garden gift shop which carries botanical products, re-tooled yard art and garden furnishings.
The specialty nursery offers farm-grown vegetable starts, fresh and dried flowers and herbs, small trees, vines, shrubs, and fresh-brewed compost tea. Also on hand are educational displays and demonstrations about bats, bees and birds; small-space, ver-tical, and edible gardening; theme gardens; rain gardens; Plant-A-Row for The Hungry; compost tea; worm bins and composting; home canning and beer brewing.
Enjoy live music, local food, a bocce ball
Where to go, what to doNo matter what you’re looking for, there’s probably a Whidbey Island farm that has it. Find a wide variety of products, local produce and fun activities for adults and children alike.
File photo
Fuzzy, friendly alpacas are among many inter-esting farm animals that can be seen on this year’s Whidbey Island Farm Tour.
See Farms, page 5
Helping farmers, ranchers, and rural residents thrive for more than 90 years.
Northwest Farm Credit Services
is proud to support theWhidbey Island Farm Tour.
800.548.2699 | farm-credit.com
Helping farmers, ranchers, and rural residents thrive for more than 90 years.
Northwest Farm Credit Services
is proud to support theWhidbey Island Farm Tour.
800.548.2699 | farm-credit.com
We OurLocal Farmers!
Gifts from the Heart Food Bank would like to thank our local farmers who donate thousands of pounds of
fresh, healthy, locally grown produce to the food bank each year.
Thank you!Gifts from the Heart Food Bank
P.O. Box 155Coupeville, WA 98239
360-678-8312giftsfromtheheartfoodbank.com
court, picnic areas and kids’ activities such as nature-themed puppet shows, puzzles and games. Craig and Joy Johnson will be on site to sign their nature photography books.
Directions: From Hwy. 20, turn west onto Swantown Road, then turn left on Fort Nu-gent Road. Go 2 miles west and watch for the blue barn at Zylstra Road.
4) 3 Sisters Family FarmsRon, Shelly, Jennifer, Jessica & Roshel Muzzall938 Scenic Heights Road, Oak Harbor360-914-7058 • 360-675-21363sistersfamilyfarms.com
Raising USDA inspected grass-fed beef for local retail and 3 Farmers Markets, the Three Sisters are the fifth generation to work this 800-acre farm. They raise all natural pork, free range eggs, hay, and seasonal pro-duce for their small retail store. They believe in sustainability and supporting local to its fullest on Whidbey Island.
Directions: From Hwy. 20, take Mon-roe Landing Road toward the water (right if northbound, left if southbound). Go to the end of Monroe Landing Road. Turn left onto Scenic Heights Road. Go up the hill one mile, and the farm will be on the left with parking in the pasture on the right.
Page 6 The Whidbey Examiner • Thursday, February 28, 2012 Page 7Thursday, February 28, 2012 • The Whidbey Examiner
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m-9
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, Fri-
Sat 6
am-1
0pm
. 32
070 H
wy.
20, O
ak H
arbo
r
BAYL
EAF
Your
loca
l spo
t for
artis
an ch
eese
s, � n
e foo
ds an
d win
es! A
n ex
celle
nt se
lectio
n of d
elicio
us de
li ite
ms a
nd fr
esh l
ocal
brea
ds.
10X
NW C
ovel
and
St., C
oupe
ville
360-
678-
6603
• ww
w.ba
ylea
f.us
CHRI
STO
PHER
’SFe
atur
ing
fresh
, cre
ative
Nor
thw
est c
uisin
e and
a va
riety
of
loca
l win
es. L
unch
: M-F
11:30
-2 p
m, S
at 12
-2:30
pm
. Di
nner
nig
htly
at 5
pm.
103 N
W C
ovel
and
St., C
oupe
ville
360-
678-
5480
• chr
istop
hers
onw
hidb
ey.co
m
CIA
ORu
stic I
talia
n cu
isine
. All l
ocal
ingr
edie
nts.
We s
uppo
rt lo
cal g
row
ers!
Open
11am
-8pm
dail
y. 70
1 N. M
ain St
. , 36
0-67
8 -0
800
THE
COV
E TH
AI C
UIS
INE
Auth
entic
Thai
food
in a
histo
ric Vi
ctor
ian h
ome.
11am
-9 p
m d
aily e
xcep
t Mon
day.
602 N
. Main
St., C
oupe
ville
KEY
STO
NE
CA
FÉAc
ross
from
the K
eysto
ne Fe
rry. F
ish &
chip
s, es
pres
so, s
oups
, sa
lads,
Casc
ade G
lacier
ice c
ream
, san
dwich
es an
d ch
owde
r.12
981 H
wy.
20, C
oupe
ville
KIM
’S C
AFÉ
Loca
ted
on C
oupe
ville’
s hist
oric
wha
rf. P
ho, s
tir-fr
y dish
es,
soup
s, bu
rger
s and
mor
e. Ea
t in
or ta
ke o
ut.
26th
Fron
t St.,
Coup
eville
MO
SQU
ITO
FLE
ET G
ALL
EYSp
ecial
izing
in ch
ili fe
atur
ing
3 Sist
ers g
rass
-fed
beef
, gum
bo,
sand
wich
es an
d qu
iche.
Ope
n fo
r bre
akfa
st an
d lu
nch.
12 N
W Fr
ont S
t., Co
upev
ille
TOBY
’SFr
esh
steam
ed m
usse
ls, se
afoo
d, g
reat
bur
gers,
clam
ch
owde
r dail
y. Op
en 7
days
a w
eek.
8 NW
Fron
t St.,
Coup
eville
WH
IDB
EY P
IES
CA
FÉAt
the G
reen
bank
Farm
, o� e
ring
hand
mad
e pies
, hea
rty
soup
s, qu
iche,
seas
onal
salad
s and
artis
an b
read
s. Op
en d
aily.
765 W
onn
Road
, Gre
enba
nk
NEI
L’S
CLO
VER
PAT
CHW
orkin
g ha
rd to
keep
eatin
g lo
cally
a� o
rdab
le.
Tr
y our
Whi
dbey
Islan
d pa
sture
-raise
d be
ef b
urge
r!14
485 H
wy.
525,
Bayv
iew
The
Whi
dbey
Isla
nd F
arm
Tour
Gui
de is
a sp
ecia
l sup
plem
ent t
o Th
e W
hidb
ey E
xam
iner
. O
n-Is
land
subs
crip
tions
are
$19
.50/
year
; o� -
Isla
nd, $
23/y
ear.
To su
bscr
ibe,
cal
l 360
-678
-806
0.Re
ad th
e W
hidb
ey Is
land
Far
m To
ur G
uide
onl
ine
at w
ww
.whi
dbey
exam
iner
.com
.
Exam
iner
Exam
iner
New
s fro
m th
e H
eart
of W
hidb
ey Is
land
The
Whid
bey
Exam
iner
The
Whid
bey
Exam
iner
1.
Hunt
ersm
oon
Bl
uebe
rries
2.
Wild
woo
d Fa
rm
4.
3 Si
ster
s Fam
ily Fa
rms
5.
Fros
en A
cres
Alp
acas
6.
Lave
nder
Win
dRe
mov
ed fr
om to
ur
7.
Prai
rie B
otto
m Fa
rm8.
Ro
sehi
p Fa
rm&
Gard
en
11. P
ronk
in’ P
astu
res
Alpa
ca R
anch
Coup
evill
e Fer
ryto
Por
t Tow
nsen
dCo
upev
ille F
erry
ciao
Satu
rday
& Su
nday
, Se
ptem
ber 1
5 & 16
10 am
to 4
pmw
hidb
eyfa
rmto
ur.co
m
20
20
20
20
2052
5
525
525
20
SWANTO
WN R
D.
FOR
T N
UG
EN
T R
D.
WEST BEACH RD.
WEST BEACH RD.
ZYLSTRA RD.
HA
STI
E L
AK
E
RD
.
ZYLSTRA RD.
MONROE LANDING RD.
ARN
OLD
RD
.
LIB
BE
Y R
D.
PEN
NC
OVE
RD
.
SCENIC
HEIGHTS RD.
WEST BEACH RD.
CRO
SBY
RD.
HELLER RD.
GOLF COURSE RD.
AU
LT F
IELD
RD
.
CR
OS
BY
RD
.
OAK HARBOR RD.
GOLDIE RD.
WHI
DBEY
AVE
.
REGATTA DR.
PIO
NEE
R
WY.MIDWAY BLVD.
CR
ES
EN
T H
AR
BO
R
RD
.
RESERVATION RD.
POLN
ELL
RD
.
STRAWBERRY PT. RD.
SIL
VE
R L
AK
E R
D.
DE
VRIE
S R
D.
DE VRIES RD.
GREEN RD.
TRO
XE
LL R
D.
JONE
S RD
.
JON
ES
RD
.
FRO
STAD
RD
.
TAYLOR RD.
SLE
EP
ER
RD
.
FAK
KE
MA
RD
.
TAYLOR RD.
MAD
RO
NA
WY.
MAIN ST.
COUP
EVIL
LE
PAR
KER
RD
.
EBEY RD.
TER
RY
RD
.
ENGLE RD.
HIL
L R
D.
ENGLE RD.
FORT CASEY RD.
PATM
ORE
RD.PA
TMO
RE
RD
.
WA
NA
MA
KE
R R
D.
KEYSTONE HILL RD.
MO
RR
IS R
D.
HARRINGTONRD.
WEL
CH
ERRD. R
AC
E R
D.
RACE RD. HOUS
TON
RD.
GRATEFUL ACRE PL.
NORTH BLUFF RD.
SMUGGLER'S COVE RD.
LAG
OO
N P
T. R
D.
BA
KK
E N
RD
.
DAY RD.
CHRI
S TI
ANSO
N RD
.
SMUGGLER'S COVE RD.
RES
ORT RD.
CLAS
SIC
RD. H
ONE
YMOON BAY RD.
TOM
CHUC
K LN
.
BU
SH
P
T. R
D.
MUTINY BAY RD.
MUTINY B
AY R
D.FI
SH R
D.
EAST HARBOR R
D.
EAST HARBOR RD.
EAST HARBOR RD.SARATOGA RD.
BR
AIN
ER
S R
D.
AMBLE RD.
SARATOGA R
D.
LANG
LEY
FREE
LAND
GRE
ENBA
NK
OAK
HARB
OR
GO
SS
LA
KE
RD
.
LONE LAKE RD.
AN
DR
EA
SO
N R
D. BAYVIEW RD.
BRO
OKS
HIL
L RD
.
COLES RD.
MAXWELTON RD.
BAYV
IEW
LANGLEY RD.SURFACE RD.
MAXWELTON RD.
BAYVIEW RD.
LAN
CA
STE
R R
D.
MIL
LMA
N R
D.
USELESS BAY AVE.
DOUBLE BLU
FFRD.
BO
BG
ALBR
EATH RD.
WILKINSON RD.
EW
ING
RD
.
EWING RD.
SILLS RD.
FRE
NC
H R
D.
CULTUS BAY RD.
CAM
PBEL
L RD
.
DEER
LAK
E RD
.
HOLST RD.
HUMPHREY RD.
BAILEY RD.
SWED
E HI
LL R
D.
CLIN
TON
MO
RTLA
ND D
R.
SPRI
NGW
A TE
R LN
.
DA
RS
T R
D.
DO
W R
D.
LUCY LN.
SCATCHET HEAD RD.
CA
SE
RD
.
HA
PP
YVA
LLE
Y R
D.
SHORE MEA DOWS RD.
THO
MP
SO
N R
D.
CRAWFORD RD.
PLA
NTA
TIO
N D
R.
DE GRAFF RD.
1
23
4
5
78
9
12
1314
1516
17
18
REGATTA DR.
CR
ES
EN
T H
AR
BO
R
RD
.
OA
K H
AR
BO
RPU
BLI
C M
KT
CO
UPE
VILL
EFA
RM
ERS
MK
T
GRE
ENBA
NK
GR
EEN
BA
NK
FA
RM
FAR
MER
S M
KT
1011
WO
NN
RD
.
FISH
RD
.
FREE
LAND
FREE
LAND
FREE
LAND
FREE
LAND
FREE
LAND
FREE
LAND
MIL
LMA
N R
D.
MIL
LMA
N R
D.
S. W
HID
BEY
TIL
THFA
RM
ERS
MK
T_
_
6_
_
_EAST H
ARBOR RD.
AN
DR
EA
SO
N R
D.
THO
MP
SO
N R
D.
__
BAY
VIEW
FAR
MER
S M
KT
EAST HARBOR RD. EAST HARBOR RD. EAST HARBOR RD.
GO
SS
LA
KE
RD
.
EAST HARBOR RD.
GO
SS
LA
KE
RD
.G
OS
S L
AK
E R
D.
GO
SS
LA
KE
RD
.
EAST HARBOR RD.
GO
SS
LA
KE
RD
.G
OS
S L
AK
E R
D.
BR
AIN
ER
S R
D
AMBLE RD.
GO
SS
LA
KE
RD
.
LONE LAKE RD.
N BAYAYA
BR
AIN
ER
S R
D.
LONE LAKE RD.
HO
NE
YMOON
EAST HARBOR RD.
AMBLE RD.
LONE LAKE RD.
Y R
CLAS
SIC
RD.
TOM
CHUC
K LN
.
LONE LAKE RD.
BR
AIN
ER
S R
D
GO
SS
LA
KE
RD
.
BR
AIN
ER
S R
DB
RA
INE
RS
RD
GO
SS
LA
KE
RD
.
EAST HARBOR R
D.BR
AIN
ER
S R
D
AMBLE RD.
BR
AIN
ER
S R
D
AMBLE RD.
YMOOYMOON BN B
11
12
13
14
15
16
18
op
en b
oth
days
open
Sat
urda
y on
ly17
14
14. C
omfo
rt Fa
rm &
Vin
eyar
d(S
atur
day
Onl
y)
17. Q
uail’s
Run
Farm
(Sat
urda
y O
nly)
18. G
lend
ale
Sh
ephe
rd
15. P
arad
ise F
ound
Fi
ber F
arm
13. W
hidb
ey Is
land
Vi
neya
rd &
Win
ery
12. S
onsh
ine
Farm
16. F
ern
Ridg
e Al
paca
s
“Rile
y,” a
n or
igin
al pa
intin
g by
Whi
dbey
artis
t Sta
cey N
eum
iller, i
s the
20
12 W
hidb
ey Is
land
Farm
Tour
mas
cot.
Avail
able
as a
note
card
or p
rint.
Go to
stac
eyne
umille
r.com
.
9.
Paci
� c R
im In
stitu
tefo
r Env
ironm
enta
l St
ewar
dshi
p
Wel
com
e to
the
seve
nth
annu
alW
hidb
ey Is
land
Farm
Tour
!Th
e 18
farm
s sel
ecte
d fo
r thi
s tw
o-da
y ev
ent
will
pro
vide
you
with
a g
limps
e of
the
varie
ty o
f ag
ricul
tura
l end
eavo
rs o
n W
hidb
ey Is
land
.
Enjo
y th
e ch
ance
to v
isit
with
the
farm
ers,
purc
hase
loca
lly g
row
n fo
od, �
ber
and
oth
er
prod
ucts
and
soak
up
the
rura
l cha
ract
er o
f our
is
land
hom
e.
The
tour
is fr
ee a
nd y
ou c
an st
art a
nyw
here
and
take
in
as m
any
farm
s as y
ou’d
like
. Ple
ase
note
that
som
e fa
rms
o� e
r act
iviti
es a
t spe
ci� c
tim
es, a
nd so
me
are
open
for
one
day
only
.
Ther
e is
trul
y so
met
hing
for e
very
one,
from
tast
ing
loca
lly
mad
e ch
eese
, jam
and
pro
duce
to w
atch
ing
yarn
bei
ng
spun
to k
nit a
soft
alp
aca
scar
f.
3.
Hum
min
gbird
Farm
Nu
rser
y &
Gard
ens
10. G
reen
bank
Farm
& A
g Tr
aini
ng C
ente
r
Page 6 The Whidbey Examiner • Thursday, February 28, 2012 Page 7Thursday, February 28, 2012 • The Whidbey Examiner
THE
PITA
PIT
“Fre
sh Th
inkin
g, H
ealth
y Eat
ing”
light
and
tast
y pita
s stu
� ed
with
your
choi
ce o
f ingr
edie
nts.
Ever
ythi
ng m
ade t
o or
der,
also
serv
ing
salad
s, so
ups a
nd al
l the
extra
s to
mak
e a m
eal.
3265
0 Hw
y. 20
#B10
4, Oa
k Har
bor
360-
675-
5111
FLYE
RS R
ESTA
URA
NT
& BR
EWER
YSt
eak,
burg
ers,
seaf
ood,
pas
ta, p
ub fa
re. A
lway
s fre
sh.
Alw
ays l
ocal.
Feat
urin
g fre
sh, lo
cal p
rodu
ce.
3229
5 Hw
y. 20
, Oak
Har
bor
360-
675-
5858
SWEE
T RI
CE T
HA
I CU
ISIN
ESe
rvin
g au
then
tic Th
ai cu
isine
. Ope
n 7 d
ays a
wee
k.Ha
ppy H
our 4
:30-6
:30 p
m.
885 S
E Pio
neer
Way
, Oak
Har
bor 3
60-6
79-8
268
ISLA
ND
CA
FÉW
e’re t
he p
lace f
or fa
mily
din
ing
- Bre
akfa
st, Lu
nch
and
Dinn
er. F
resh
, del
iciou
s and
a� o
rdab
le. H
ours
Sun-
Thur
s 6a
m-9
:30pm
, Fri-
Sat 6
am-1
0pm
. 32
070 H
wy.
20, O
ak H
arbo
r 360
-279
-283
8
BAYL
EAF
Your
loca
l spo
t for
artis
an ch
eese
s, � n
e foo
ds an
d win
es! A
n ex
celle
nt se
lectio
n of d
elicio
us de
li ite
ms a
nd fr
esh l
ocal
brea
ds.
10X
NW C
ovel
and
St., C
oupe
ville
360-
678-
6603
• ww
w.ba
ylea
f.us
CHRI
STO
PHER
’SFe
atur
ing
fresh
, cre
ative
Nor
thw
est c
uisin
e and
a va
riety
of
loca
l win
es. L
unch
: M-F
11:30
-2 p
m, S
at 12
-2:30
pm
. Di
nner
nig
htly
at 5
pm.
103 N
W C
ovel
and
St., C
oupe
ville
360-
678-
5480
• chr
istop
hers
onw
hidb
ey.co
m
CIA
ORu
stic I
talia
n cu
isine
. All l
ocal
ingr
edie
nts.
We s
uppo
rt lo
cal g
row
ers!
Open
11am
-8pm
dail
y. 70
1 N. M
ain St
. , Co
upev
ille36
0-67
8 -0
800
THE
COV
E TH
AI C
UIS
INE
Auth
entic
Thai
food
in a
histo
ric Vi
ctor
ian h
ome.
11am
-9 p
m d
aily e
xcep
t Mon
day.
602 N
. Main
St., C
oupe
ville
360
-678
-696
3
KEY
STO
NE
CA
FÉAc
ross
from
the K
eysto
ne Fe
rry. F
ish &
chip
s, es
pres
so, s
oups
, sa
lads,
Casc
ade G
lacier
ice c
ream
, san
dwich
es an
d ch
owde
r.12
981 H
wy.
20, C
oupe
ville
360
-678
-539
6
KIM
’S C
AFÉ
Loca
ted
on C
oupe
ville’
s hist
oric
wha
rf. P
ho, s
tir-fr
y dish
es,
soup
s, bu
rger
s and
mor
e. Ea
t in
or ta
ke o
ut.
26th
Fron
t St.,
Coup
eville
360
-678
-492
4
MO
SQU
ITO
FLE
ET G
ALL
EYSp
ecial
izing
in ch
ili fe
atur
ing
3 Sist
ers g
rass
-fed
beef
, gum
bo,
sand
wich
es an
d qu
iche.
Ope
n fo
r bre
akfa
st an
d lu
nch.
12 N
W Fr
ont S
t., Co
upev
ille 3
60-6
78-2
900
TOBY
’SFr
esh
steam
ed m
usse
ls, se
afoo
d, g
reat
bur
gers,
clam
ch
owde
r dail
y. Op
en 7
days
a w
eek.
8 NW
Fron
t St.,
Coup
eville
360
-678
-422
2
WH
IDB
EY P
IES
CA
FÉAt
the G
reen
bank
Farm
, o� e
ring
hand
mad
e pies
, hea
rty
soup
s, qu
iche,
seas
onal
salad
s and
artis
an b
read
s. Op
en d
aily.
765 W
onn
Road
, Gre
enba
nk36
0-67
8-12
88
NEI
L’S
CLO
VER
PAT
CHW
orkin
g ha
rd to
keep
eatin
g lo
cally
a� o
rdab
le.
Tr
y our
Whi
dbey
Islan
d pa
sture
-raise
d be
ef b
urge
r!14
485 H
wy.
525,
Bayv
iew
(just
outsi
de La
ngley
) 360
-321
-412
0
RE
ST
AU
RA
NT
GU
IDE
Satu
rday
& Su
nday
, Se
ptem
ber 1
5 & 16
10 am
to 4
pmw
hidb
eyfa
rmto
ur.co
m
The
Whi
dbey
Isla
nd F
arm
Tour
Gui
de is
a sp
ecia
l sup
plem
ent t
o Th
e W
hidb
ey E
xam
iner
. O
n-Is
land
subs
crip
tions
are
$19
.50/
year
; o� -
Isla
nd, $
23/y
ear.
To su
bscr
ibe,
cal
l 360
-678
-806
0.Re
ad th
e W
hidb
ey Is
land
Far
m To
ur G
uide
onl
ine
at w
ww
.whi
dbey
exam
iner
.com
.
Exam
iner
New
s fro
m th
e H
eart
of W
hidb
ey Is
land
The
Whid
bey
1.
Hunt
ersm
oon
Bl
uebe
rries
2.
Wild
woo
d Fa
rm
4.
3 Si
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s Fam
ily Fa
rms
5.
Fros
en A
cres
Alp
acas
6.
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Win
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mov
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om to
ur
7.
Prai
rie B
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m Fa
rm8.
Ro
sehi
p Fa
rm&
Gard
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11. P
ronk
in’ P
astu
res
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ca R
anch
To M
ount
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non,
Bu
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5
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ton
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, I-5
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serv
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salad
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l the
extra
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bor
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burg
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seaf
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pas
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3229
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SWEE
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wee
k.Ha
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our 4
:30-6
:30 p
m.
885 S
E Pio
neer
Way
, Oak
Har
bor
ISLA
ND
CA
FÉW
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or fa
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Dinn
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resh
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iciou
s and
a� o
rdab
le. H
ours
Sun-
Thur
s 6a
m-9
:30pm
, Fri-
Sat 6
am-1
0pm
. 32
070 H
wy.
20, O
ak H
arbo
r
BAYL
EAF
Your
loca
l spo
t for
artis
an ch
eese
s, � n
e foo
ds an
d win
es! A
n ex
celle
nt se
lectio
n of d
elicio
us de
li ite
ms a
nd fr
esh l
ocal
brea
ds.
10X
NW C
ovel
and
St., C
oupe
ville
360-
678-
6603
• ww
w.ba
ylea
f.us
CHRI
STO
PHER
’SFe
atur
ing
fresh
, cre
ative
Nor
thw
est c
uisin
e and
a va
riety
of
loca
l win
es. L
unch
: M-F
11:30
-2 p
m, S
at 12
-2:30
pm
. Di
nner
nig
htly
at 5
pm.
103 N
W C
ovel
and
St., C
oupe
ville
360-
678-
5480
• chr
istop
hers
onw
hidb
ey.co
m
CIA
ORu
stic I
talia
n cu
isine
. All l
ocal
ingr
edie
nts.
We s
uppo
rt lo
cal g
row
ers!
Open
11am
-8pm
dail
y. 70
1 N. M
ain St
. , 36
0-67
8 -0
800
THE
COV
E TH
AI C
UIS
INE
Auth
entic
Thai
food
in a
histo
ric Vi
ctor
ian h
ome.
11am
-9 p
m d
aily e
xcep
t Mon
day.
602 N
. Main
St., C
oupe
ville
KEY
STO
NE
CA
FÉAc
ross
from
the K
eysto
ne Fe
rry. F
ish &
chip
s, es
pres
so, s
oups
, sa
lads,
Casc
ade G
lacier
ice c
ream
, san
dwich
es an
d ch
owde
r.12
981 H
wy.
20, C
oupe
ville
KIM
’S C
AFÉ
Loca
ted
on C
oupe
ville’
s hist
oric
wha
rf. P
ho, s
tir-fr
y dish
es,
soup
s, bu
rger
s and
mor
e. Ea
t in
or ta
ke o
ut.
26th
Fron
t St.,
Coup
eville
MO
SQU
ITO
FLE
ET G
ALL
EYSp
ecial
izing
in ch
ili fe
atur
ing
3 Sist
ers g
rass
-fed
beef
, gum
bo,
sand
wich
es an
d qu
iche.
Ope
n fo
r bre
akfa
st an
d lu
nch.
12 N
W Fr
ont S
t., Co
upev
ille
TOBY
’SFr
esh
steam
ed m
usse
ls, se
afoo
d, g
reat
bur
gers,
clam
ch
owde
r dail
y. Op
en 7
days
a w
eek.
8 NW
Fron
t St.,
Coup
eville
WH
IDB
EY P
IES
CA
FÉAt
the G
reen
bank
Farm
, o� e
ring
hand
mad
e pies
, hea
rty
soup
s, qu
iche,
seas
onal
salad
s and
artis
an b
read
s. Op
en d
aily.
765 W
onn
Road
, Gre
enba
nk
NEI
L’S
CLO
VER
PAT
CHW
orkin
g ha
rd to
keep
eatin
g lo
cally
a� o
rdab
le.
Tr
y our
Whi
dbey
Islan
d pa
sture
-raise
d be
ef b
urge
r!14
485 H
wy.
525,
Bayv
iew
The
Whi
dbey
Isla
nd F
arm
Tour
Gui
de is
a sp
ecia
l sup
plem
ent t
o Th
e W
hidb
ey E
xam
iner
. O
n-Is
land
subs
crip
tions
are
$19
.50/
year
; o� -
Isla
nd, $
23/y
ear.
To su
bscr
ibe,
cal
l 360
-678
-806
0.Re
ad th
e W
hidb
ey Is
land
Far
m To
ur G
uide
onl
ine
at w
ww
.whi
dbey
exam
iner
.com
.
Exam
iner
Exam
iner
New
s fro
m th
e H
eart
of W
hidb
ey Is
land
The
Whid
bey
Exam
iner
The
Whid
bey
Exam
iner
1.
Hunt
ersm
oon
Bl
uebe
rries
2.
Wild
woo
d Fa
rm
4.
3 Si
ster
s Fam
ily Fa
rms
5.
Fros
en A
cres
Alp
acas
6.
Lave
nder
Win
dRe
mov
ed fr
om to
ur
7.
Prai
rie B
otto
m Fa
rm8.
Ro
sehi
p Fa
rm&
Gard
en
11. P
ronk
in’ P
astu
res
Alpa
ca R
anch
Coup
evill
e Fer
ryto
Por
t Tow
nsen
dCo
upev
ille F
erry
ciao
Satu
rday
& Su
nday
, Se
ptem
ber 1
5 & 16
10 am
to 4
pmw
hidb
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rmto
ur.co
m
20
20
20
20
2052
5
525
525
20
SWANTO
WN R
D.
FOR
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EN
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D.
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WEST BEACH RD.
ZYLSTRA RD.
HA
STI
E L
AK
E
RD
.
ZYLSTRA RD.
MONROE LANDING RD.
ARN
OLD
RD
.
LIB
BE
Y R
D.
PEN
NC
OVE
RD
.
SCENIC
HEIGHTS RD.
WEST BEACH RD.
CRO
SBY
RD.
HELLER RD.
GOLF COURSE RD.
AU
LT F
IELD
RD
.
CR
OS
BY
RD
.
OAK HARBOR RD.
GOLDIE RD.
WHI
DBEY
AVE
.
REGATTA DR.
PIO
NEE
R
WY.MIDWAY BLVD.
CR
ES
EN
T H
AR
BO
R
RD
.
RESERVATION RD.
POLN
ELL
RD
.
STRAWBERRY PT. RD.
SIL
VE
R L
AK
E R
D.
DE
VRIE
S R
D.
DE VRIES RD.
GREEN RD.
TRO
XE
LL R
D.
JONE
S RD
.
JON
ES
RD
.
FRO
STAD
RD
.
TAYLOR RD.
SLE
EP
ER
RD
.
FAK
KE
MA
RD
.
TAYLOR RD.
MAD
RO
NA
WY.
MAIN ST.
COUP
EVIL
LE
PAR
KER
RD
.
EBEY RD.
TER
RY
RD
.
ENGLE RD.
HIL
L R
D.
ENGLE RD.
FORT CASEY RD.
PATM
ORE
RD.PA
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RE
RD
.
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BA
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TOM
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MUTINY BAY RD.
MUTINY B
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EAST HARBOR R
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EAST HARBOR RD.
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RD
.
LONE LAKE RD.
AN
DR
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D. BAYVIEW RD.
BRO
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L RD
.
COLES RD.
MAXWELTON RD.
BAYV
IEW
LANGLEY RD.SURFACE RD.
MAXWELTON RD.
BAYVIEW RD.
LAN
CA
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D.
MIL
LMA
N R
D.
USELESS BAY AVE.
DOUBLE BLU
FFRD.
BO
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WILKINSON RD.
EW
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RD
.
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SILLS RD.
FRE
NC
H R
D.
CULTUS BAY RD.
CAM
PBEL
L RD
.
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LAK
E RD
.
HOLST RD.
HUMPHREY RD.
BAILEY RD.
SWED
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D.
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R.
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.
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SCATCHET HEAD RD.
CA
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RD
.
HA
PP
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D.
SHORE MEA DOWS RD.
THO
MP
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EAST HARBOR RD. EAST HARBOR RD. EAST HARBOR RD.
GO
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LA
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RD
.
EAST HARBOR RD.
GO
SS
LA
KE
RD
.G
OS
S L
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D.
GO
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LA
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RD
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EAST HARBOR RD.
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RD
.G
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S L
AK
E R
D.
BR
AIN
ER
S R
D
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GO
SS
LA
KE
RD
.
LONE LAKE RD.
N BAYAYA
BR
AIN
ER
S R
D.
LONE LAKE RD.
HO
NE
YMOON
EAST HARBOR RD.
AMBLE RD.
LONE LAKE RD.
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CLAS
SIC
RD.
TOM
CHUC
K LN
.
LONE LAKE RD.
BR
AIN
ER
S R
D
GO
SS
LA
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RD
.
BR
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DB
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RD
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11
12
13
14
15
16
18
op
en b
oth
days
open
Sat
urda
y on
ly17
14
14. C
omfo
rt Fa
rm &
Vin
eyar
d(S
atur
day
Onl
y)
17. Q
uail’s
Run
Farm
(Sat
urda
y O
nly)
18. G
lend
ale
Sh
ephe
rd
15. P
arad
ise F
ound
Fi
ber F
arm
13. W
hidb
ey Is
land
Vi
neya
rd &
Win
ery
12. S
onsh
ine
Farm
16. F
ern
Ridg
e Al
paca
s
“Rile
y,” a
n or
igin
al pa
intin
g by
Whi
dbey
artis
t Sta
cey N
eum
iller, i
s the
20
12 W
hidb
ey Is
land
Farm
Tour
mas
cot.
Avail
able
as a
note
card
or p
rint.
Go to
stac
eyne
umille
r.com
.
9.
Paci
� c R
im In
stitu
tefo
r Env
ironm
enta
l St
ewar
dshi
p
Wel
com
e to
the
seve
nth
annu
alW
hidb
ey Is
land
Farm
Tour
!Th
e 18
farm
s sel
ecte
d fo
r thi
s tw
o-da
y ev
ent
will
pro
vide
you
with
a g
limps
e of
the
varie
ty o
f ag
ricul
tura
l end
eavo
rs o
n W
hidb
ey Is
land
.
Enjo
y th
e ch
ance
to v
isit
with
the
farm
ers,
purc
hase
loca
lly g
row
n fo
od, �
ber
and
oth
er
prod
ucts
and
soak
up
the
rura
l cha
ract
er o
f our
is
land
hom
e.
The
tour
is fr
ee a
nd y
ou c
an st
art a
nyw
here
and
take
in
as m
any
farm
s as y
ou’d
like
. Ple
ase
note
that
som
e fa
rms
o� e
r act
iviti
es a
t spe
ci� c
tim
es, a
nd so
me
are
open
for
one
day
only
.
Ther
e is
trul
y so
met
hing
for e
very
one,
from
tast
ing
loca
lly
mad
e ch
eese
, jam
and
pro
duce
to w
atch
ing
yarn
bei
ng
spun
to k
nit a
soft
alp
aca
scar
f.
3.
Hum
min
gbird
Farm
Nu
rser
y &
Gard
ens
10. G
reen
bank
Farm
& A
g Tr
aini
ng C
ente
r
Page 8 A special publication of The Whidbey Examiner • The Whidbey Island 2012 Farm Tour Guide
We LoveWhidbey Farms.
Thank you forsupporting our farm!
Visit our new shop in downtown Coupeville, open all year.
www.lavenderwind.com | 15 Coveland St., Coupeville | 360.544-4132
Free, non-regulatory technical assistance for all Whidbey Island landowners!
The Whidbey Is land Conservation Distr ict
• Farm & Forest Planning• Water Quality Improvements• Rain Garden Consultation • Engineering Services• Workshops and Tours
360-678-4708 • 888-678-4922 • www.whidbeycd.org
By Kathy ReedStaff Reporter
There is a growing interest in a differ-ent kind of farming on Whidbey Island: Fiber.Several of the locations on this year’s
Farm Tour are fiber farms. The owners raise or rescue llamas, alpacas and goats and then shear them, converting the fleece and fiber from the animals into yarns, felted fabrics and hand-crafted items such as clothing and art.
At Paradise Found Fiber Farm near Clinton, owners Mary and Lou Donaty started raising llamas more than 26 years ago and have been on Whidbey Island for 13 years. They’ve added Pygora goats and alpacas to the mix since they moved here.
Mary is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to llamas and alpacas and is happy to share some of that history with visitors.
“I guess I’m a teacher at heart,” she said. “I like to educate people and help them un-derstand and appreciate what’s involved and the beauty of it.”
While many feel there’s been a resur-gence of interest in farms of all kinds there has also been a steady growth in the popu-larity of fiber and yarns. Whidbey Island has a large community of people interested in the fiber arts.
“There are a tremendous amount of fiber artists on the island. It’s amazing the beauti-ful things people are making,” said Gretch-en Schlomann of Fern Ridge Alpacas in Clinton, which she owns with her husband, Hal. “People are tired of everything coming from China.”
Alpaca fleece in particular has become very popular, although the fleece from lla-mas and goats is lovely as well. Many choose to concentrate on alpacas because they are relatively easy to raise.
“The animals are gentle, easy to care for and great with kids,” Schlomann said.
“They’re mild-mannered and calm,” agreed LeeAnna Jorgenson, from Pronkin’ Pastures in Greenbank. “They’re just peace-ful by nature. It’s easy to come out and sit with them and read a book.”
Obviously the animals are a great draw for the Farm Tour. But each of the farms has a retail shop as well, where the owners dis-play their wares.
Each boasts yarns in a beautiful array of natural colors and some that have been dyed. Feather-soft and luxurious, it’s easy to understand how it could be more popular than sheep’s wool.
Fiber farms merge agriculture with arts and crafts
Kathy Reed photo
Loki, a two-week old alpaca, gets to know Christoph Schuster in one of the pastures at Fern Ridge Alpacas near Clinton. Alpacas are very curious animals that are popular for their fleece.
“The fleece is finer and the scale is dif-ferent than a sheep’s,” Jorgenson said. “The scales are finer, so it feels smoother. There are a lot of people who are sensitive to wool but not to alpaca fleece.”
What also appeals to people is that they know exactly which animal a particular yarn comes from. Most of the farms will process each “blanket” individually, to keep track.
“No two animals give the same thing,” Donaty said. “I have customers who ask for roving or yarn from a particular animal.”
Some of the farms keep their fleece pure and don’t alter it, while others experiment by blending the fleece with other fibers, such as silk, bamboo or angora.
“I try to be creative with my blends so I have something that’s truly unique and different,” Jorgenson said. “I’m constantly trying to learn. I’m interested in trying new things.”
While harvesting the fleece is the main-stay of fiber farmers, they say taking the process from beginning to end is what is ul-timately the most satisfying.
“There’s a lot of satisfaction in creating something people can wear,” said Schlo-mann. “People really appreciate these things and learning them anew.”
“It’s a labor of love,” Donaty said. “I al-ways hope to break even. To make a profit at this would be lovely.”
Kathy Reed photo
LeeAnna Jorgenson sifts through the fleece from one of her alpacas at Pronkin’ Pastures Alpaca Farm in Greenbank. Jorgenson removes any pieces of grass or other material that may have been on the animal when it was shorn. The fleece is also sorted for color and length before it is sent to a mini mill to be processed.
The Whidbey Island 2012 Farm Tour Guide • A special publication of The Whidbey Examiner Page 9
TIRES • WHEELS • BATTERIES • ALIGNMENT • SHOCKS • BRAKES
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North, Central and South, we’ve got it covered every week.
RECORDSOUTH WHIDBEY
duce about 500 cases of wine each year. The Comforts sell four estate whites
through their tasting room and the wine shop at Greenbank Farm.
They also produce two red wines in Woodinville with grapes they purchase in Eastern Washington that are their Samari-tan series. The Comforts donate $1,000 from every barrel of the Samaritan wines to local charities.
Even with great soil, Whidbey’s vine-yards are at the mercy of Mother Nature. The past two years have been tough, but growers are hopeful this year.
“The last two years we didn’t really have much of what you could call summer,” Os-enbach said. “It’s rather rude of Mother Na-ture to give us two back-to-back bad years.
“But this year looks better,” he contin-ued. “We’re still behind historical averages, but it’s looking pretty good.”
“I think it’s going to be a good crop, al-though it might be a little late,” agreed Rita Comfort.
“You can’t rush the grapes, or you’ll pay the price in the quality of the wine,” Osen-bach said.
But there are still dangers if the crop rip-ens late.
“The later it hangs into the fall, the more you have to worry about fruit rot, etc.,” Os-enbach said. “And the longer the fruit hangs on the vines, the more the birds try to eat them.”
Anyone who thinks owning a vineyard is a seasonal occupation would be mistaken, local growers say.
“The only way to grow grapes is through
hard work,” Rita Comfort said with a grin.Rita tends the vineyard and Carl makes
the wine.“It’s very time consuming to care for
the vines. We start pruning in February and spend six weeks doing it in cold, rainy weather.”
“It’s tough to convey how much work it really is,” agreed Osenbach. “Managing the growth of the vine takes constant work.”
Both vineyards use volunteers from the community when harvest time rolls around.
“People appreciate being able to get in-volved,” Osenbach said.
Kathy Reed photo
Carl Comfort chats with Oak Harbor resident John Decker in the tasting room of Comforts of Whidbey Winery in Langley.
Wineries: Summertime warmth; from page 4
“With 16 tons of grapes to pick, you need a lot of help,” Rita said. “But I try to provide homemade goodies and make it a special event.”
Osenbach said his favorite part of the process is the “crush,” or extracting the juice from the grapes to turn into wine.
“We work as hard as we can for as long as we can,” he said. “It’s both exhilarating and exhausting.”
The hours may be long and the work may be hard, but those who grow grapes on Whidbey love what they do.
“Growing grapes and producing wine is why we got into this,” Osenbach said. “It’s satisfying to be involved in something that’s tied to the seasons of the year. To see all the changes up close – there’s a deep satisfaction in that.”
“It’s wonderful to be able to offer a prod-uct we produce all on our own,” Rita said. “It’s time intensive but it’s a good life.”
Kathy Reed photo
Light shines through bottles of Rosato at Whidbey Island Winery.
Page 10 A special publication of The Whidbey Examiner • The Whidbey Island 2012 Farm Tour Guide
We love your pets almost as much as you do!
Mon - Sat9 am ~ 6 pm
Sunday10 am ~ 5 pm
A Full Service Farm & Garden CenterSR 525 at Bayview Road
[email protected] (360) 321-6789
Bloom Where You’re Planted!
Excellent Selection of • Raw & Frozen Pet Food
U.S. Sourced & U.S. Made• Dry & Wet Cat & Dog Food
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Master Gardeners, 4-H Youth Development, Beach Watchers,
Shore Stewards, Waste Wise Volunteers, Livestock Advisors,
Admiralty Head Lighthouse Docents, Weather Network,
Land Stewardship, Climate Stewards
& Agriculture Sustainability
For more information call 360.240.5558 or visit county.wsu.edu/island
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Helping You Put Knowledge to Work . . .
5) Frosen Acres AlpacasSusan Frosolone – 1340 Penn Cove Road, Oak Harbor360-969-5714 • frosenacresalpacas.com
Visit this family-run alpaca farm and learn how easy these soft, gentle animals are to care for. Feed the alpacas, chickens, ducks, and peacocks. Try your hand at wet felting, needle felting, or lavender wand-making. Demonstrations will include fiber processing, manure magic, and intensive gardening. Alpaca yarns, rovings, hats, gloves, scarves, socks, baby sets, needle felt-ing kits, soaps, and gifts will be for sale in our farm store. Relax and enjoy the views of Coupeville and Penn Cove.
Directions: From Hwy. 20, take Mon-roe Landing Road toward the water (right if northbound, left if southbound). Right onto Penn Cove Road, turn right at the orca mailbox.
6) Lavender Wind Shop & KitchenNOTE: THIS DESTINATION HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THIS YEAR’S FARM TOUR BECAUSE THE SITE IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION.Sarah Richards15 N.W. Coveland St., Coupeville360-678-0919 • lavenderwind.com
Preparing food from a farm requires sev-eral steps. At Lavender Wind’s manufactur-ing kitchen, you’ll see what some farms do to prepare their fresh produce. The facility will be used to dry herbs, fruits, and vegeta-bles, and combine various ingredients into dry mixes and preserved products.
Learn how farms use kitchens like these to make truly local food, and why it costs
include “thrashing” of Rockwell and other drying beans, garlic planting, pumpkin scabbing, a tour of the garden and an op-portunity to feed the chickens and geese.
Directions: At the Coupeville traffic light on Hwy. 20, turn right onto S. Main Street if heading south or left if heading north. Go approximately 1.15 miles. S. Main Street will become Engle Road. The farm is located on the left side of the road at the gray barn.
8) Rosehip Farm and GardenLinda Bartlett & Valerie Reuther338 Fort Casey Road, Coupeville360-678-3577 • localharvest.org, [email protected]
Rosehip is a small-scale, diversified farm producing organically grown fruits and veg-etables for sale through a CSA program, at the Coupeville Farmers Market and a pro-duce stand at the farm.
The farm produces over 60 vegetable va-rieties with an emphasis on heirloom variet-ies, many of which end up on the menu at lo-cal restaurants. Rosehip has a small orchard with apples, pears, plums, peaches and apri-cots and also grows cut flowers and nursery plants suitable for local growing conditions.
During the Farm Tour, visitors can buy seasonal produce, plants and flowers as well as chicken and duck eggs from free-range, organically fed fowl. Activities will include guided and self-guided tours and displays of hand tools used on the farm.
Directions: Heading south on Hwy. 20, turn south onto Terry Road, then left onto Fort Casey Road. The farm is one mile down on the right.
9) Pacific Rim Institute for Environmental StewardshipHolly Kress, Resource Development Officer180 Parker Road, Coupeville360-678-5586 • pacificriminstitute.org
The mission of Pacific Rim Institute is to promote the sustainability of Earth’s natu-ral and human systems by transforming the awareness, thinking and actions of individu-als and communities.
To highlight the importance of preserv-ing and restoring native ecosystems, the facility is restoring an unplowed remnant of Pacific lowland prairie on its 175-acre site. This five-acre fragment is one of the largest remaining remnants of indigenous grass-lands that once covered thousands of acres in north Puget Sound.
Activities during Farm Tour include Whidbey Raptor Day, with local falcon-ers sharing their birds of prey with visitors. Self-guided and naturalist-guided tours will be available both Saturday and Sunday, and native prairie plants will be available for purchase.
Directions: From Hwy. 20 southeast of Couepville, turn north on Parker Road. Turn right into the parking lot at the Au Sable Institute sign.
10) Greenbank FarmJudy Feldman, Executive DirectorSebastian Aguilar, Training Director – 765 Wonn Road, Greenbank360-678-7171 • greenbankfarm.org
Owned by the Port of Coupeville, Green-bank Farm hosts activities around agricul-ture, recreation, local commerce and envi-ronmental stewardship. Offering P-patches,
See Farms, page 11
Farms: From page 5 more to produce locally made shelf-stable foods. Lavender Wind produces jams, teas, dried herbs, baking mixes and baked goods.
Directions: At the traffic light on Hwy. 20, turn north on Main Street in Coupeville. Continue for .6 miles, then turn left onto NW Coveland. The shop is on the left at the corner of Coveland and Alexander streets.
7) Prairie Bottom FarmWilbur & Julieanna Purdue293 Engle Road, Coupeville360-632-5762 • prairiebottomfarm.com
Prairie Bottom Farm is a small, family-run, market garden in the heart of Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve. The Purdues’ produce is free from pesticides and herbicides and is available at local farmers markets, through their CSA program, and at local restaurants. During the Farm Tour, the farm store will sell seasonal produce, storage garlic, potatoes, beans, squash, pie and eggs. Demonstrations and activities will
File photo
Rockwell beans grown on historic farmland in the midst of Ebey’s Prairie are a highlight at Prairie Bottom Farm.
File photo
Harvest brodiaea, a native cluster lily, is among the many wildflowers making a come-back at Pacific Rim Institute for Environmen-tal Stewardship near Coupeville.
File photo
Fresh, locally grown produce can be found at many farms on this year’s Farm Tour.
The Whidbey Island 2012 Farm Tour Guide • A special publication of The Whidbey Examiner Page 11
HYDRAULIC HOSE REPAIR675-5946
Get TheGoodStuff
Get TheGoodStuff
MON-FRI 7AM-7PMSATURDAY 8-5 MACHINE SHOP
Support Local AgricultureLook for this Brand • Become a Member at WhidbeyIslandGrown.com
Local Farmers = Local FoodLook for the name you can trust.
market gardens, a solar energy project, walking trails, galleries, food and wine the farm is also home to Whidbey Island’s Agri-culture Training Center, teaching new farm-ers sustainable, organic farming and small business administration.
The farm produces vegetables and pro-duce, seed crop, cover crop. Vegetables and other produce can be purchased during the Farm Tour. Students lead guided tours.
Directions: From Hwy. 525, turn at Wonn Road. The training center is at the end of the parking area near the Jim Davis House (Building E).
11) Pronkin’ Pastures Alpaca RanchLeeAnna & Ron Jorgenson2582 North Bluff Road, Greenbank360-678-0481 • pronkinpastures.com
Pronkin’ Pastures is home to 28 hua-caya alpacas, two suri alpacas and a rescue llama. The alpacas are breeding, fiber and hobby stock.
Learn why alpacas are considered earth-friendly and an ideal small farm animal. See how alpaca fiber is harvested, sorted, and processed and how manure is composted and used in the garden. The farm store has alpaca products such as raw fiber and roving for handspinners, commercially processed and handspun yarns, and alpaca-related clothing, felt, accessories, finished goods and gifts.
The farm offers self-guided tours, educa-tional displays, spinning and fiber process-ing demonstrations and great photo oppor-tunities as well as a fiber-related activity for kids and adults.
Directions: From Hwy. 525, turn onto Wonn Road. Turn left onto North Bluff Road and drive about a mile to a left on the gravel easement road just before the Pronkin’ Pastures sign.
12) Sonshine FarmPamela Uhlig – 5662 Crawford Road, Langley360-321-5772 • [email protected]
Sonshine Farm raises Kiko meat goats and award-winning alpacas. The guided tour features Kiko goats, Oberhasli dairy goats, friendly farm dogs, free-range chick-ens, the Square Foot garden and lots of alpaca kisses. 4H members will have a bake sale and demonstrate carding and spinning of alpaca fleece.
Visit the farm store for alpaca products such as duvets, scarves, fingerless gloves, hats, socks, hand-spun and dyed yarn – and place an order for locally raised, grass-fed goat meat.
Farms: From page 10
Directions: From Hwy. 525, turn east onto Crawford Road about one mile south of the stoplight at Bayview Road. Turn left at the first driveway on Crawford Road.
13) Whidbey Island Vineyard and WineryGregory & Elizabeth Osenbach5237 Langley Road, Langley360-221-2040 • whidbeyislandwinery.com
Whidbey Island Vineyard and Winery has been growing wine grapes and pro-ducing wines since 1986. The Puget Sound Appellation has proven to be a unique and viable climate for many grape varieties both red and white. Harvest season is under way and the farm will probably be in the thick of “crush.” Take a guided tour of the vineyard, see winemaking in progress, and taste and purchase wine.
Directions: From Hwy. 525, turn east onto Langley Road. The vineyard and win-ery is about two miles up on the right.
14) Comfort Farm and Vineyard(Saturday only)Carl & Rita Comfort4361 Witter Road, Langley360-969-2961 • comfortsofwhidbey.com
This 22-acre, family-run farm grows four acres of wine grapes, which are harvested and turned into 100 percent estate white wines. This year the farm has a new raised-bed garden as well as chickens, cows, bees and llamas. Products available for purchase include wine, honey, farm-fresh eggs, pro-duce, and futures in beef. The picnic area is open, so bring lunch and enjoy the view of Possession Sound.
Directions: From Hwy. 525, go one mile
east on Surface Road. Turn left on Bob Gal-breath Road (becomes Wilkinson Road) and drive 1.5 miles. Turn right onto View Road and follow the sign .25 miles to farm entrance.
15) Paradise Found Fiber FarmMary Donaty4081 Springwater Lane, Clinton360-579-1906 • paradisefoundfiber.com
Located on Whidbey for more than 13 years, Paradise Found has been raising lla-mas for 26 years. The alpacas are mostly rescues and the Pygora goats are loving and have wonderful fiber. Paradise Found is not a breeding farm, and all of their animals will retire there. The farm is open to the public every weekend year ‘round. On weekdays it’s best to call ahead.
The farm’s Fiber Shack offers hundreds of handcrafted items made from the fibers of the farm’s animals. On Saturday, the farm hosts the annual Whidbey Island Fabulous Fall Fiber Sale, including up to 20 farms and fiber artists. Many will also be at this loca-tion on Sunday as well.
Directions: From Hwy. 525, turn south on Cultus Bay Road. Go 2.7 miles and turn left onto Springwater, then third driveway on the left.
16) Fern Ridge AlpacasGretchen & Hal Schlomann7343 Holst Road, Clinton206-778-9619 • fernridgealpacas.com
The farm’s herd of 19 curious alpacas and friendly guard llamas is ready to wel-come you to Fern Ridge, where alpacas are raised for fiber harvest and breeding stock.
Visitors will enjoy a self-guided tour, scavenger hunt for the kids, informational displays and a chance to pet and feed treats to the alpacas, including two new babies. Fi-ber artists will demonstrate their techniques throughout the weekend.
The farm will highlight its new vermic-ulture program that uses worms to turn alpaca manure into a nutrient-rich soil amendment. The farm store offers alpaca yarn, roving, clothing, rugs, blankets and duvets, products from local fiber artists, felted items, gifts and worm castings for your garden.
Directions: From Hwy. 525, turn south onto Deer Lake Road and follow about two miles, where it merges with Holst Road. Continue straight on Holst about 1 mile, to 7343 Holst Road.
17) Quail’s Run Farm (Saturday only)Loren & Patty Imes3460 French Road, Clinton360-579-2503 • facebook.com/Quailsrunfarm
Quail’s Run Farm grows vegetables for market and raises grass-fed beef cattle on a historic farm in the lower Maxwelton Valley. In its 10th year of growing a wide range of heirloom and open-pollinated vegetables for local markets and restaurants, the Imeses carry on the family’s heritage in farming.
Visit the fields, greenhouse, cows, chick-ens, ducks and honeybees. You’ll find activi-ties for kids, an abundance of sustainably grown vegetables for sale – and delicious Whidbey Island Ice Cream.
Directions: From Hwy. 525, turn south onto Cultus Bay Road. Travel 2.4 miles and turn right onto French Road. Go another 1.4 miles to the driveway on the left.
18) Glendale ShepherdStan, Lynn and Erik Swanson7616 Glendale Heights Road, Clinton360-579-1955 • glendaleshepherd.com
Located on the lovely eastern coastline of Whidbey Island, this is a family-owned Grade A sheep-dairy farm committed to sustainable agriculture practices and the production of handmade sheep-milk cheeses and grass-fed lamb.
Learn the process for producing rustic wheels of Island Brebis cheese. The lambs are pasture-raised and have a very good life with the best care and attention. When they reach market weight, they are humanely harvested and sold locally.
With forest, pasture, ponds, meadows and a spectacular view of Possession Sound, you’ll enjoy exploring the diversity of high quality habitat for livestock and wildlife the farm provides.
Directions: From Hwy. 525, turn south onto Cultus Bay Road. Go 3.5 miles, turn left onto Glendale Road and continue for 1.5 miles. Turn right onto Roseberry for approximately 300 feet. Turn left and go through the Swanson Tree Farm gate. Stay to the right for .75 mile to the farm.
Kathy Reed photo
Grapes grow juicy and fat on the vines at Whid-bey Island Winery in Langley, one of two win-eries on this year’s Farm Tour.
Contributed photo
Glendale Shepherd Farm raises Island Brebis sheep both for dairy and meat production.
Page 12 A special publication of The Whidbey Examiner • The Whidbey Island 2012 Farm Tour Guide
Live the Island dream…
FRONT STREET REALTYCall or drop by my office next to the Coupeville Wharf
22 NW Front St., Suite B • Coupeville, WA 98239360-678-6100 • 206-387-1924 • www.janetburchfield.com
Janet’s unique blending of diligence, diplomacy and persistence made all the difference in our successful purchase transaction. Thanks for making it happen! - Jim & Catherine
Thanks, Janet, for helping us find our little “Rain Shadow Farm”. Life is good! - Harry & Terry
10-2 Saturdays thru Oct. 138th & Alexander, behind the Coupeville LibraryWe accept FMNP coupons
Follow the Farms to
the Market!HarvestFest at the Market
Saturday, Oct. 13 11 a.m.-1p.m.• Wild and Wacky Harvest Relay Races •
(a fundraiser for Gifts From the Heart food bank!)• Whidbey Island Giant Pumpkin contest weigh-in •
And much, much more!
We’ve got it all!Local corn, fall berries, grass-fed beef, salad greens, honey, pumpkins, fresh-made lunches, handmade kettle corn, local chocolates, fresh-baked bread and fruit pies, fresh & smoked Alaska salmon, gift cards, watercolor prints, handmade jewelry, garden benches, plants, planters – plus a place to hang out, and so much more!
Buy Local • Eat Local • Be Local
For Whidbey Island farmers, finding ways to make their agricultural prod-ucts stand out is an important aspect of
building a market for what they sell.That’s where the Whidbey Island Grown
brand comes in.Whidbey Island Grown was established
in 2009 by local farmers and supporters of local agriculture as a way to increase aware-ness of local farm products.
Whidbey farmers who sign up for the program pay a fee in exchange for the use of the brand on their produce and value-added farm product, and money raised through the program goes back into promoting the Whidbey Island Grown brand.
The grassroots effort to organize and launch the program was organized and funded by the Northwest Agriculture Busi-ness Center.
As a consumer, when you see the brand, you know that it was either grown on Whid-bey or, if it’s a processed product, a large portion of the ingredients come from Whid-bey. But there is more to the brand than meets the eye.
Vicky Brown is Whidbey Island’s only producer of goat cheese. She makes her cheeses from milk produced by her herd at Little Brown Farm near Freeland.
One reason she appreciates the Whidbey Island Grown brand is that it helps con-nect her with other local farmers who have a similar philosophy about farming and who maintain similar high standards with their products.
Brown has been able to reach her goal of using local products in her cheeses by con-
Whidbey Island Grown brand supports local farms
necting with other Whidbey Island Grown brand participants such as Willowood Farm and Lavender Wind Farm, which supply herbs used in her cheeses.
Even the hay for her goats comes from
a member of the Whidbey Island Grown brand, Ebey Road Farm of Coupeville.
Brown said she likes how the brand sup-ports and connects Whidbey farmers.
“I need them to be successful and do well
so they will keep farming and provide us the products we need to be successful,” she said. “We are all pieces of that puzzle.”
Sarah Richards of Lavender Wind Farm near Coupeville also values the Whidbey Is-land Grown community.
“We depend on Whidbey Island farm-ers for so much, not only to supplement our business, but also to feed us, too,” Richards said.
“The brand is important to our farm be-cause it shows we are all part of the farming community, working together to make and grow food and farm products that you can depend on,” she said.
“I also buy Whidbey Island Grown pro-duce and I’d like all the Whidbey produce I buy to be part of this brand.”
Agricultural areas are an important part of what makes Whidbey Island such a spe-cial place. To preserve these areas the Island needs an economically vibrant farm com-munity.
To join the effort to promote local prod-ucts and help preserve the rural character of the Island, look for the brand label, become a member and follow Whidbey Island Grown on Facebook and Twitter.
“Whidbey Island Grown helps to nurture the relationships that keep our community alive and well, and the program provides marketing assistance, resources and other tangible benefits,” Richards said.
“But for me and my farm, it’s the Whid-bey Island Grown relationships I value most.
Examiner file photo
Sebastian Aguilar of the Agriculture Training Center operates a tractor in a field at the land-mark Greenbank Farm. The training center, which educates future farmers, is a member of the Whidbey Island Grown brand.
