It’s time to get up close and personal with your neighborhood farms.
Tickets are on sale now for the 2016 San Juan County Farm Tours. The dates for the tours are: Sept. 24 and 25 on San Juan Island; Oct. 2 on Orcas Island; and Oct. 8 and 9 on Lopez Island. The event provides an opportunity for the community to visit farms, meet the farmers, taste locally grown foods, learn new skills and understand more about agriculture in San Juan County.
San Juan Island
The tour will include the chance to view heritage breeds of goats and sheep, walk through an edible food forest, and taste locally-grown, heritage wheat baked into pastries. You can taste different varieties of garlic, learn about cultivating herbs, distilling essential oils and taste a variety of apples.
“It’s supporting the community and is a way to get the public more aware to what we’re doing on the farm,” said Elaine Kendall of Sweet Earth Farm. She said the tour allows visitors a glimpse into the effort needed to maintain a regenerative farm and an appreciation for how many different types of apples are grown in the county.
On Saturday evening, the San Juan Preservation Trust, the San Juan County Land Bank and other organizations will gather at Red Mill Farm, a 700-acre farm owned by the trust, for a tour and conversation about the challenges and opportunities of farmland conservation in the islands. Local chef Gretchen Allison will prepare a meal comprised of local foods for the event and Kari’s Island Elixirs will provide beverages.
Orcas Island
Following a farm brunch at The Kitchen in Eastsound, a shuttle will bus visitors to more than a dozen unique farms. At the end of the day, Orcas Farm will host a soiree, with live local music, DJ Teacher’s Pet, a free farmers potluck and the Lion’s Club Beer Garden, sponsored by Island Hoppin’ Brewery.
The tour will take visitors to farms like the 90-acre OrcasSong farm, which is home to 45 acres of forest, 35 acres of pasture and a five acre garden.
“We’re kind of a special place here,” said Erik Blender, land manager at OrcasSong Farm, which will offer ciders, live music and fresh fruit and vegetables. “We’ve only been in development for a year and a half so a lot has taken place.”
Lopez Island
During the Lopez Island tour, visitors will have the opportunity to learn about greenhouse-grown salad, shellfish farming, and how draft horses are being used for modern vegetable and grain cultivation.
Samples of delicious Lopez-grown produce and products including oysters, wood fired pastries and pizza will be available. Visitors will have the chance to watch a border collie herd sheep, visit a licensed goat dairy and much more.
The tour begins on Saturday with a breakfast made with food from the Lopez Island Farm Education program. On Sunday, feast on fresh baked, local grain, wood-fired pastries at Barn Owl Bread at Midnights Farm.
End the day on Saturday evening with a Lopez-grown dinner at the Grange, and pie contest.
For more information about the farm tours, and to buy tickets, visit: http://SJCFarmTours.eventbrite.com.
Look for Savor the San Juans special section in next week’s paper for more information on the tours.
