Farm life has its own seasonal timetable -- daily milking, feeding animals, tending the garden,
creating meals and the occasional excitement of a calf
who insists you drop everything to watch her enter the world.
Our farm is a balm for the soul. Follow the honeybee's path, milk the cow, collect still-warm
eggs from gossiping hens, create wonderfully fresh meals from our biodynamic garden.
We teach skills to help you be more sustainable at home. Learn to care for bees and chickens
(even in the city), make a raised bed garden and compost, preserve fresh food, make simple cheeses,
bake a pie. We have class time each day and also weave in time to relax in the hammock with a good book
or swim in the river at the end of a hot day.
Want to learn something not on our list? Just ask and we will try to weave it into your day.
When you leave, we want you to be happy, relaxed, enthusiastic and a whole lot
smarter than when you arrived.
SKILLS YOU CAN LEARN
GARDENS -- How to plant a garden
The benefits of weeds!
Making raised bed gardens for your backyard
Biodynamic compost for better food nutrition
Kitchen scraps, worms and a backyard worm bin
Producing backyard food year round
FOOD -- Make delicious organic meals
Fermented foods, yogurt and kefirs
Cider from grapes, apples and pears
Make your own condiments
Kitchen cosmetics
Creative cookery: What can we do with that?
BEES -- Backyard organic beekeeping
Native northwest bees (over 200 species, see many on our farm)
What's going on with bees these days: Make your yard bee-friendly
CHICKENS -- Chickens and fresh eggs
Make a coop for your city chickens
WILDING --Native plants and edible wild plants
Local wildlife: bobcats, owls, mink, possum, deer and oh so many more
How to keep a balanced relationship with your local plants and animals
HISTORICAL -- We have plenty of history here like the old Swedish Dancing Barn
that is our hay barn and is on the Washington Historic Barn Register, the oldest one-room
schoolhouse in Washington and our tiny two room church (a five minute walk),
and many other interesting sites within a short drive.
RECREATION -- Hammock riding
A lovely waterfall close by
Swimming lake, hiking trails
RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS -- If you're interested, we'll even fill you in on a few secrets of happy marriage.
Some classes are seasonal but there's always something to do year-round.
If you want to make a chicken coop or raised bed to bring home, materials cost a bit extra.
COST and DAILY CALENDAR
The cost is the same whether you commute home each evening or stay at our farmhouse.
We're used to having company and are happy to share our
farm with people who appreciate this kind of learning. Staying over lets you feel
the full rhythm of the farm from dawn to dusk.
$125 -- One day
$350 -- Three days
$825 -- Seven days
Other numbers of days are easy to do, just talk with us.
Here's what a typical day looks like.
Rise and shine -- Make breakfast (fresh eggs!)
Class starts when we finish milking, usually about 9-ish.
9 to noon -- Here's what we'll do on Chicken Day.
Let the hens out of the coop! You have no idea how exciting this is until you do it. We'll introduce you to all the different
breeds we have, talk about how hens and roosters interact, chicken nutrition, free range vs. all the other ways to keep hens,
show you our coop and smaller versions that are good for city hens.
We will give you a good grounding in the basics of keeping chickens, natural and holistic healthcare,
the benefits of chicken poop in your garden, predator-proofing, taming backyard hens, hatching chicks
and oh so much more. We'll also talk about turkeys (we raise turkeys every other year). Turkeys are
adorable and, as you've no doubt heard, dumber than a box of rocks. But SWEET personalities, really!
Break for lunch -- Help us whip up something from the garden.
Afternoon -- Your choice: Help us with a farm project we're working on (these change daily)
or use the time to write, read, paint, swim in the river or wander off on your own.
Dinner-- Family style! We all pitch in to cook and clean up together.
After dinner -- Help us with evening chores (putting the animals to bed) or
take personal time. We usually hang out on the outdoor patio in the evening and talk. A pleasant wind-down.
Each day is different with a focus on the many aspects of our farm, sustainability and the very important task
of keeping a sense of humor when things go different than you imagined. You'll hear about our many "learning
experiences and the importance of keeping a sense of humor when things turn out different than you imagined.
We gear each week to cover everyone's interests. If you don't see something on our "skills you can learn" list,
ask us anyway. If we know enough about it, we're glad to share our knowledge. We have many farming friends and
are happy to setup tours to other sustainable farms, too.
Pie Making Day!
WHAT FOLKS SAY ABOUT US
"Thank you for sharing your knowledge and kindness and providing an environment that allows better balance."
-- Karen Miller, NH
"Thank you for opening your home and hearts. I am awestruck with your generosity, sharing your land, your food,
your animals, spreading laughter and joy."
-- Lynn Wolf, CO
"This place is truly a haven. Thank you for creating it. How can this not have an effect on the planet? I am a better
person because of the my time here."
-- Lea Moonnsong, ME
"This was an experience I could not have imagined. It was all that was promised but I was nurtured in so many other
ways - the food, much kindness and compassion, the willing animals, generosity of the land, and a place where confidence,
knowledge and an internal life can grow. I needed this! It is a starting point to new possibilties."
-- Susan Laurino, CA
CALL and RESERVE
Your Farm Time
We'd love to speak with you.
Our phone is 360-687-8384.
Kids and Dogs
We already have plenty of animals so we don't allow pets to visit the farm. When we did in the past,
normally well behaved dogs caught scents they must have remembered from their ancient past and suddenly took up
chicken or cow chasing and wreaked havoc. Alas, we decided to side with our animals and ensure they're kept safe.
Our classes are geared to adults so we prefer kids who are high school age. We don't have enough people to keep younger kids reined in
and it's not cool for them run around the farm without supervision. Some day in the future we hope to offer family time but
for now, the farm is for grownups. If you have kids and would like to have a farm stay, let us know. We'll put you on
our family list and let you know when we offer stays for families. It's an idea we like, we just have to figure out how to do it well
and we're open to suggestions.
