Late July Farm Life
June Farm Life
Hello Warm Valley Farm Friends!
Happy Summer Solstice!!!
The 2024 Season is officially underway. We opened the farmstand, Barn Swallow Vintage, The Summerhouse featuring The Bubblery on May 15th!
In the last blog post, I hinted at upcoming collaborations with Warm Valley Farm.
We have some big, BIG news to share, our sweet friend Shawna Villalvazo of The Bubblery, is opening a brand new location in Orcas Village, just above the water, next to the new parking at the Landing, it’s also right across the road from the Orcas Hotel, at 8314 Orcas Road, Orcas WA 98280. As there are several participants, we are opening as The Boardwalk Collective. We will be opening on June 29th at 11:30AM!
Boardwalk Collective
Shawna will be offering her delicious local artisan soaps and skincare. We are collaborating with her to provide more of the alchemy offered in both the Summerhouse and Barn Swallow Vintage in a new location. We will be open on Warm Valley Farm Wednesday through Friday, and at the new shop at the Landing Friday through Sunday.
The Bubblery
Gillian Jones of Orcas Island Tarot, is joining Shawna in the new shop too! She will be offering her insightful readings, lovely crystals and hand-crafted esoteric offerings.
Gillian’s treasures
Warm Valley Farm is also collaborating with Kimberly Wilder of Botanical Bar PNW. She is offering a glorious flower CSA from her flowers, and ours, being both grown on the farm and in her garden. They are so gorgeous, we’ve had some available for the last few weeks. If you are interested in signing up for weekly flowers, you can reach her for more details and pricing here:
Botanical Bar PNW
Warm Valley Farm’s veggies are slowly growing and stretching out their roots in Westfield as the soil temperatures rise and the sweet rain plumps up the soil. I am so grateful for our steady crew of local friends and neighbors that meet two evenings a week and work the field into an abundance of riches.
So far we have planted potatoes, peas, beans, salad and braising greens, onions, beets, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, corn, watermelon, winter and summer squash, a row of culinary herbs, and lots of flowers! All are springing up to greet the sun. They are close to harvest… and they will be stunningly delicious as they come to their fullness.
We are open at Warm Valley Farm:
Wednesday 3-7PM
Thursday 12-5PM
Friday 12-5PM
The Boardwalk Collective opening is Saturday, June 29th at 11:30AM! Our normal weekly hours will be:
Friday: 11:30AM - 5:30PM
Saturday: 11:30AM - 5:30PM
Sunday: 11:30AM - 5:30PM
We have so many newly discovered finds and curated storied goods. Shawna has been making alchemy with deeply inspired products, and delicious new scents. Gillian has been busy creating magic with her beautiful offerings.
The event area is coming along, haying will happen next week, and we are as buy as all the pollinators that make their home on Warm Valley Farm.
We can’t wait to see you in both locations!
Annie & Joel
The Rose Dragon event area, Mid June 2024. Plan your 2025 events!
Arriving swallows swoop and turn
Swimming in the summer sky
It’s a swan dive into the season
It’s a like a bee hive ready to swarm
All the energy building
The leaves are unfurling
It’s time to dance in the green tinged Spring
A McIntyre ~ Warm Valley Farm June 15, 2019
Warm Valley Farm LLC, 7483 Orcas Road, Orcas, WA 98280, USA
Late April Farm Life
Hello Farm Friends!
Somehow, we find ourselves at the end of April, with SO much time since the last time I caught you all up. Holy moly, It has been an eventful winter! I was going to go into ALL the details, but I thought it might be better to just reach out, and catch you all up in a flash. I can honestly say it's been a wild Winter ride.
Spring on the farm
Here is the quick catch-you-all-up quick-ish list!
Highlights:
Joel is recovering well from his hip replacement surgery
Maggie (our dog) has fully recovered from her accident
We had a successful Winter Faire event. Thank you to all who attended and supported!
We have a fantastic new crew, Jolie & Adelaide
Joel and his cousin Dan got a new sailboat. There is a picture at the end of the post.
Many improvements have been made to the Farm!
More Highlights:
Veggies seeds are started, onions and peas planted, tomatoes and peppers up-potted and ready to plant. We will have plant starts available soon!
We are working on a "Joy List" with our Farm Team advisors to rethink our farm business.
We are working with Cloud 9 Events and their new sister organization Salish Sea Hospitality. They will handle bookings and life celebrations events you might want to enjoy on the farm.
Our ducks & chickens are producing a lot more eggs!
Lambs, lambs, and more lambs (twenty of them so far.) Plus two more yearling ewes to go, and our upcoming flock reduction. Oh, the shearing is done!
The Pigalaters arrived from Horsedrawn Farm on Lopez Island, 4 Mangalitsa/Berkshire cross piglets.
May 15th Season Opening & Wednesdays in Warm Valley. Who wants to join us?
It's always difficult to include the hard stuff, but we have also encountered some challenges this winter, including Joel’s hip recovery, my 7-week illness in late December, followed by our first encounter with COVID-19 (mild, but yucky). The chimney issue was finally resolved, but at a reduced height. We are still working on our Farm Fridge fund. A commercial-grade glass-fronted refrigerator and freezer for the farmstand. We would be so incredibly grateful for your help! Then there is the blessing and challenge of receiving a Cost-share fencing grant from the Conservation District, (we are super lucky to receive it. Thanks Walt! But now we have to find the time to put it up!) And the newer contemplation our aging and farming, and limitations of time and energy…
We are currently looking for more volunteer participants for our OCPA crew, and more interns to learn to grow together. We are in the midst of re-imagining future farming seasons, and how we can share the bounty of the farm with our Island community. We can put you in touch with our OCPA site Manager, Bruce!
OCPA crew learning about tomato pruning from OCPA Anchor Farmer Caitlin Leck.
As we race towards our opening date, our Seasonal Farmer’s Market - Wednesdays in Warm Valley starts on May 15th from 3-7pm weekly. We have returning vendors: Gillian with "Orcas Island Tarot," Sarah Flickinger's "Room of Hues" stained glass, and Shawna with "The Bubblery" in The Summerhouse! We have several possible new vendors too! Stay tuned for that announcement.
If you’d like to join us as a vendor with us this season. Please reach out ASAP, here's the link for more info
Join us at the market!
In more immediate news:
Yesterday, I got two calls from two strangers, and a text from Eric Lum of Lum Farm, reporting that we had a lamb out on the road. I grabbed a bucket of alfalfa pellets and ran up the back of Westfield to our forest road, thinking if I could entice the ewes to the top of the pasture, the lamb would be easier to catch. As I arrived on the scene, I saw several vehicles with kind people who had all pulled over to help. Thank you to the people whose names I didn't get, both callers, and the folks at Frog Marine who all helped catch our errant lamb, Fiona. (The gap under the gate has been fixed!) This community continually amazes me with your kindness!
Unrelated but true, we are reducing our flock: Just in case you're looking for a starter flock, we have proven two-year-old ewes with their beautiful lambs for sale. If you need efficient lawnmowers, wool growers, or lamb for your freezer, we have some sheep for sale. Last Fall we borrowed Bob and Maria Nutt's Corriedale ram Frank, for his last hurrah. He was a big guy with wonderful wool. Our sheep stock is all originally from the Coffelt flock, so they are a mixed bunch of wonderful ladies. The lambs have a lot of Frank’s traits and are super adorable. Contact me for more info!
There is more exciting upcoming news we look forward to sharing in our next blog post. Hint: More collaborations with Warm Valley Farm!
Thank you all again for supporting local agriculture and Warm Valley Farm especially. We look forward to sharing laughter, conversations, delicious veggies, eggs, fruit, pork, and lamb this season. As well as beautiful consignment pieces, new stock in the shops, and more magic from The Bubblery in our Summerhouse.
Sending you all sweet Spring greetings. We're so lucky to live amongst you all on Orcas Island.
Annie & Joel
Dan and Joel’s new boat snugged into Milk & Honey Cove
Late November Farm Life
Here’s what I will be covering:
Our 2nd Annual Winter Faire!!! + one extra Saturday!
Gratitude and more gratitude
Farm Perspective pondering
Events +The Orcas Farm Tour
OCPA
Farm Housing Gift
Joel’s hip replacement
Farm Helper Magic
Maggie’s accident recovery
Thanksgiving
I try to be more timely with our monthly blog post, but these past many weeks have been incredibly full. Aptly, our underlying theme for this month is gratitude. It’s hard to list the beauty of the interconnectedness and all the gifts this community has bestowed upon us.
We will be open for our Winter Faire Market December 1-3rd and the following Saturday for shopping Saturday December 9th from 11am-3pm!
Since it’s right on the horizon for NEXT WEEKEND, I’ll start with our Winter Faire Pop-Up Market:
We are hosting our second annual Warm Valley Winter Faire December 1st-3rd from 11am - 3pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We are sharing the weekend festivities with Warm Valley Orchard across the road, and Lum Farm up Crow Valley.
All of us will have local handcrafted beautiful holiday gifts available. We hope you make the full circuit and visit all three farms. Warm Valley Farm and Warm Valley Orchard share the dates and hours. Lum Farm is Saturday, December 2nd, from 11am-5pm only, for their Wooly Pop-Up. Oh, and their Christmas trees have arrived! The Solstice Mercantile is also happening next weekend as well as several other fun events.
We will have our first-ever Raffle with three baskets of stellar gifts and goodies, tickets will be on sale during the Winter Faire Market for 3 for $5. If you can’t attend, but would like to purchase tickets, please email us! The winners will be chosen on Saturday, December 9th at 3pm. You could win a Mangalitsa/Berkshire holiday pork roast, a super soft scarf, delicious skincare from the Bubblery, A tarot reading, a beautiful locally made holiday wreath, gift boxes, and more! All raffle proceeds will go towards several Warm Valley Farm needs: Farm interns, Farm refrigeration, and Event space upgrades.
We are offering:
Wreath-Making Pop-Up - we provide help and inspiration + materials to create your own wreath or swag with farm-fresh greenery and charming ornaments.
Green gifts - forced Paperwhites and Hyacinth. Succulent, Cyclamen, Dusty Miller and Oregano planter gardens.
The Summerhouse soft winter scarves and yummy clothing. Jewelry from Audrey Daniels and me PLUS The Bubblery artisan skin care.
Tarot and crystals with Gillian from Do Your Shadow Work
Baked ginger goodies from Susie Frank, + warm chai
A roving visit from The Green Man
Music by Arthur Boyelf
Gifts and storied goods in Barn Swallow Vintage
Local Art and more
Okay, rolling all the way back to October 29th ~ We met with a group of local event coordinators for a tour of the farm and event areas! We are working hard towards hosting weddings and events in 2024.
We had a fantastic time being on the Orcas Farm Tour! Thank you so much for visiting us and supporting local island agriculture, as well as small local businesses. We loved having The Farm to Ferry Food Truck, Boat House Cider, The Bubblery, Do Your Shadow Work, Arthur Boyelf’s beautiful music, and AnSister here for the event. Supporting the community and other islander’s businesses is part of what we love to do. It was such a pleasure to have had them with us.
Fall flowers from the farm
There was a lot of new interest in OCPA during the farm tour, and we have some new participants lined up for the upcoming 2024 season. Our OCPA (Orcas Community Participatory Agriculture) team was astounding this year. We had many new faces this season that are now dear friends. We grew delectable veggies, shared wonderful meals, and grew deeper community roots together.
All 5 participating OCPA farm sites have room for new members. If you are interested in checking this program out, you can find more info here: https://www.orcascommunityag.org. Build community and friendships, grow beautiful veggies, and be part of the food sovereignty solution.
Farm Tour friends
One of our OCPA potlucks
Next, we had an amazing surprise offer from a super generous and gracious private donor. They are helping us with a year's housing arrangement for farm help. It was a brilliant and generous surprise gift, and we are beyond grateful. It has and will be put to good use!
Then we met with some amazing people who are helping us to look at our farm business from a different perspective. We are contemplating how the farm can be of more service to the community. It was an amazing conversation to start, and we look forward to more, especially now that things are settling down (cross your fingers here).
Joel and I just before his surgery
We’ve had some things happen that could be perceived as bad luck, but really it’s been almost miraculous unfolding. During this time, I also had a health scare that was resolved… for the moment.
Maggie, our beautiful shepherd got hit by a car on November 8th in a terrible accident. Today, she and I are sitting in front of the wood stove. She is healing up so well, and we are so lucky to have her with us. Many, many prayers went up on her behalf. I am so grateful to Milly Vetterlein and Jeanne Spreen for all their care, monitoring, and generosity, as well as my dear friend Misty Stone for her insights, and the incredible staff at each of the 4 veterinarian offices we visited. No skin grafts were needed after all. Maggie has one possible surgery this Tuesday, and will continue to have her cone on, but is stronger, happier, waggier, and healing more and more each day. If you want to read the saga, I will include what I wrote in our local rant and rave page on Facebook:
Maggie looking and feeling MUCH better
“Rave: November 9th
A rave to the folks who stopped and helped my dog after she got hit by a car yesterday near our farm on Orcas. Joel and I were returning on the ferry from his post-op hip appointment when we got the news that she’d been struck and was in bad shape. Rave to the perfect strangers and beloved community members, which are the same in this instance. Rave to the sheriff’s deputy, who flashed his lights to get her to the local vet, and to Michele and Sherri, who took the time to be with her and get her that help she so desperately needed. Rave to Dr. D for getting her stabilized so that she could be transported to the pet emergency center in Mount Vernon. Rave to Washington State Ferry staff, at the main office, on the boat, and ashore on Orcas. Everyone coordinated so that I was able to re-board the boat immediately with priority as well as Michele, who had Maggie in the back of her car and got her to the ER as fast as possible. Rave to the ferry Captain who came to visit Maggie along the way, and all the loving support Maggie and I have received.
I have no idea who hit her, I imagine it was a traumatic experience for them as well. She is very damaged, but holding on, and I am ever hopeful that I’ll have my beautiful girl home with me again. It was a series of events that led her to the road, and a complete accident, and no one’s fault.
I am so grateful to call Orcas our home. I’m so grateful for the friendships and for the community that we live in, and for the stewardship of Warm Valley Farm. I just wanted to say thank you publicly.
I truly appreciate the support and care of our community. We are so lucky to live amongst you all on Orcas.”
Warm Valley Farm pork butt roast with a mustard, rosemary, garlic crust,
Thanksgiving was super sweet this year. We have SO much to be thankful for. Thursday morning, we spoke with my mom, my step-mom Nancy, my brother Tom, and Joel’s step-mom Janie. I prepared one of our Pork Roasts with a mustard, rosemary, garlic crust, and some homemade cranberry sauce to add to the table. We were invited to our dear friends Peter and Noris’ house and had our first non-emergency outing in WAY too long. It was such a pleasure to share in the bounty that all the guests provided. The conversations were fantastic, and the spirit was gentle and lovely. Thank you!
So, you can see, we’ve been super busy and full of gratitude. Thank you for being part of our farm friend family. We hope to see you at The Winter Faire! May your holidays be merry and bright
Late August Farm Life
I wish I could adequately describe the scent rising up from our seed/grow room. This time of year is full of dehydrators whirring away. The delicious smell is tickling my nose with its complex perfume of sweet and tangy plums and peaches, laying in gorgeous layers, gently drying in anticipation of our future need for a taste of the summer sun, come mid-winter.
Here’s the latest news for August: The summer has sped along like the newly proposed bullet train from Vancouver to Portland. Our OCPA crew worked hard and with a lot of kindness in the high heat of the late afternoon, weeding, watering, and harvesting the goodness in Westfield. The bounty is mighty this year and a lot of wonderful produce, fruit, and flowers are ready or ripening. The farmstand will be full of goodness this afternoon!
OCPA Crew learning about tomato pruning
The Wednesday and Friday weekly vendors markets are going really well. We truly appreciate the local support! We are seeing a lot of our island friends, new islanders, and more visitors than we have in the past. We think it's due to having joined the Orcas Chamber of Commerce and the San Juan Island Visitors Bureau this year.
The sheep are happy in the field, we had two of our duck hens go broody and have hatched some adorable ducklings. We are hoping that our egg production will get back into normal range soon. We have pork and lamb available. Great news, we have been made provisional members of IGFC (Island Grown Farmers Cooperative), so we can count on select slaughter dates for our livestock. Next year we plan on having pigs again. If you are interested in a larger meat order, please let us know so we can accommodate your needs.
We just hosted a regenerative agriculture farm tour for the San Juan Ag Guild. It was small but wonderful. We are super excited about gearing up the upcoming big Orcas Farm Tour for three days September 29, 30 & October 1st. We will have a big harvest celebration with apple and pear pressing demonstrations, market garden tours, PLUS our wonderful vendors, artists, makers, a Fall plant pop-up, and a Maker’s Guild event on Saturday. It’s going to be a blast!
We have new larger items available in our Summerhouse, lovely antique shaker furniture, some wonderful design items, handmade quilts, antique dolls from a client's collections, a child's ice cream table and chairs, and a carousel horse. Plus new treasures in Barn Swallow Vintage. Our consignment partnerships are a wonderful addition. If you have items you want to sell through us, please reach out!
The event area has grown! Joel and I got some used culvert from our friends at Island Excavation and filled in the trench between the meadow and the south greenhouse. It’s so exciting to see the change. We will now be able to host larger events. We are also in the process of smoothing out the space in front of The Summerhouse and Hearth area to plant grasses and beds this fall. By next Spring we will be ready to host weddings, life events, classes and music.
We know it’s WAY early, but we are already in the planning stages of our second annual Winter Faire pop-up. We will hold it November 30th - December 3rd. If you want to join us as a maker, artist, or food vendor, please get in touch with Annie. The theme this year is a Vintage Village Winter Celebration.
It feels awkward to ask, but here we go! We are looking for some help in a few areas: We started a new fridge and freezer campaign last month for a glass-fronted refrigerator and freezer for the farmstand. We’ve had one super generous donation (thank you!!!), but require more donations to meet our goal. Our poor farm freezer froze its little door shut today. The sweet old thing is ready to retire. If you have $5 to spare or $500, we’d appreciate your help to get an efficient set that you’ll be able to see into, before you choose delectable delights from our farm. You can help HERE:
New Fridge & freezer campaign
We also need help with website and marketing upgrades. We need to add Ecommerce to our site be able to sell all year long, and interface with Squarespace and Square. We need to add a bookable calendar for events and classes, plus add custom signs to The Summerhouse, and driveway. I’ve reached out to a few local companies and have not heard back . Who do you know that can assist us?
Thanks for reading this far! We so appreciate you and your support of Warm Valley Farm,
All the best to you and yours,
Annie & Joel
July Farm Life
Farm Musings and Updates:
Hello Friends of the farm! We find ourselves with one foot in Summer and the other somehow striding quickly off towards Fall. There is so much happening this season, and it all speeds by so fast! The turning of wet soil and tiny seeds into huge zucchini in the farmstand, and dust rising on the driveway is kinda miraculous.
Our lambs are now weened and independent, and happily grazing with the flock in East Field. There’s now more eating grass, than frolicking and capering in their springy-legged gang. The ducks are laying lots of wonderful eggs and having a lot to say. There is a great deal happening in the orchards (we are thankfully past the worst of the killer tent caterpillar invasion), the market garden and cut flower beds are growing fast, and the fruit set is excellent this year.
Our Westfield garden is just starting to push towards the vast harvests of August and September, when all is ripe, and we are scrambling to keep up with harvesting, processing, selling, and preserving all the local bounty. Think juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, tender sweet broccoli and and cauliflower, snap peas, fennel root, juicy watermelons, string beans and potatoes, and much more!
Our Incredible OCPA Team alongside our wonderful intern Ash, and best volunteer ever, Chloe (both total treasures) have all kept us afloat and growing through a few health scares this season. Joel and I are recovering, but the support we’ve had is deeply appreciated, and we feel incredibly lucky. We are taking care of ourselves on all levels.
The first batch of our beloved Barn Swallows has fledged and flown their nests, and their intrepid parents are preparing for their second brood. Our friend Eric Lum, from Lum Farm, is making his way towards us, one hay field at a time, He'll be here soon to cut and bail our hay. It’s always one of the high marks of summer. I am not quite sure how we will get it all put up this year as we are a bit gimpy, but I trust it will get done with some extra hired help. If you are local and want to help us buck hay, please let us know!
Haying in July
Shop Local:
If you haven’t already heard, Barn Swallow Vintage is accepting select vintage items, garden art, and home good consignment items. They need to fit the style and character of the items we carry in the shop. If you have some treasures you think would be a great fit, let me know and we can set up an intake. If you are unsure, then come visit and check out the shop and we can talk about it. We are open Wednesday - Saturday.
Our Wednesday Markets are starting to pop! Gillian Jones and her highly-rated oracle and tarot readings are fantastic. Shawna Villalvazo of The Bubblery has her handcrafted artisan soaps + skincare here most Wednesdays. We are actively talking with several more artists, makers, and food purveyors that we hope will join us soon!
Warm Valley Farm & Barn Swallow Vintage are open 4 (four) days a week
Wednesday 3 PM - 7 PM - Vendor Market Day
Thursday 11 AM - 4 PM - Farmstand + Shop
Friday 11 AM - 4 PM - Farmstand + Shop
Saturday 11 AM - 4 PM - Farmstand + Shop
New farm sign by our friend Ninni!
In other good news, we may soon get to be members of the IGFC co-op, and will find out mid-July. Island Grown Food Cooperative is the USDA mobile slaughter unit that comes to the islands. We’ve been on the waitlist for many years. If we become members, then we will be able to be more confident in the ability to have regular slaughter dates, and will be able to raise pork again for the farmstand, stores, and local chefs.
We don’t want to risk what happened last year, which was a lot of fretting, and then a crazy long trip to Eastern Washington, just before the snow flew. It was stressful and expensive, and we were lucky to have had an option, but every time we put veggies in the compost, I think of them and miss that intrinsic part of the cycle on the farm.
Farmstand deliciousness
Up-Coming Events:
Our first Farm-to-Table Dinner in our new event space with Matia this summer, will be Saturday August 26th. Tickets are still available. It is in support of The San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA) featuring the artist Zev Robinson and his wonderful exhibit, The Art and Politics of Eating. It will be scrumptious! Get your tickets here: https://www.sjima.org/event-details/farm-to-table-dinner-orcas-island-at-warm-valley-farm-with-zev-robinson
We are participation in the The San Juan County Orcas Farm Tour September 29th, 30th and October 1st. We will host other vendors and makers as well as OCPA, and maybe even ice cold treats served up by someone everyone on Orcas loves. More details soon!
New Ways to Support the Farm
Donation Button on our website homepage: We are gratefully accepting donations for our:
Farmstand Fridge / Freezer - Fund:
Really needed: A commercial-grade glass-fronted fridge, and freezer for the farmstand. We would be so incredibly grateful for your help! You can find the donation button on our Website’s homepage.
One of the driving forces for this change is that our old residential farm fridge is dying. We’ve traditionally kept our veggies out on the display table, but our summers are getting hotter, and the just-picked-freshness of our vegetables and flowers starts to slip very quickly.
We have a rich life, but not a financially big one! So, we thought we’d ask our community of friends, neighbors, visitors, and benefactors for some help.
We looked into it and think the IKON one-section reach-in freezer, and the IKON one-door upright bottom mount reach-in refrigerator are good choices They are about $2,000 each, (or less if we can get them on sale). We believe that appliances that have environmentally superior refrigerant and are more energy-efficient, and have a warranty are the way to go.
Your help will support this local farm to feed our community, have less food waste, crisper vegetables, and fresher flowers, and you’ll be able to see our meat selection without having open the door, and paw through it.
Farmstand Fridge
Annie’s July Poems
Sailing Day on San Francisco Bay
Jib sheets dance to the
Eternal tug of war of summer
As coastal cool and valley heat battle
The pitch and pull
And it rises and lulls
Playing out in fat stacked fog banks
Then dissipating in fast disappearing acts
Us riding heeled and high
Then calm and smooth
The dance of elements
Caught up in sail and sheet
And salty smiles as we retreat
Homeward bound
~ July 2014
Independence
I’m sitting at a Cafe in Amorgos Greece with tears in my eyes
I’m watching swallows fledge. It moves something deep in me
A miracle of flight
And also what’s expected
Both the end of dependence and the beginning of a new life
~ July 7, 2019
Early & Late May: FARM LIFE
April and early May sped by like our little lambs, skipping and frolicking in the green, green grass of Spring. Our little guy, Bhaltair has grown up! He was still getting a Hattie snack occasionally, but has weaned off the milk replacement and spends his days in the field with his gang of sweet woolly friends, sleeping, grazing, and cavorting with them all. He still lets Maggie our red German Shepard, kiss him whenever she gets the chance.
The pears and apple trees have bloomed and the fruit is setting nicely (although the tent caterpillars are really bad this year), and our bewitching Rose Dragon is just opening her many-petaled eyes to survey the newly planted Hearth Event area. Warm Valley is alive with birdsong, and flowers and I am in awe of the beauty around us and full of gratitude for this place we call home.
Apple blossoms on Warm Valley Farm
Our first Spring Faire and Mother’s Day Pop-up was a fantastic success! Very special thanks to Lisa Seehof of Archipelago Botanicals for partnering with the farm for the event, and for all the beautiful plant selections and ceramic pot yumminess , she provided, as well as her amazing support of the farm.
Huge thanks to Cindy Morgan from Nest for her incredible flower display on the old Hearth chimney, also to Gillian Jones and her tarot readings. She got rave reviews! And to Kiel Sloper with his forged metal art and garden pieces, they were fantastic. The biggest thanks of all go to our wonderful customers and friends who joined us on the farm for Spring celebration.
FYI we plan to do quarterly pop-up events. We are plotting the next one for this Summer. Stay tuned for dates and participants!
The chimney adorned - Floristry art by Cindy Morgan of Nest
Summerhouse with Lisa Seehof’s plants, pots and gifts
Mother’s Day Pop-up with Archipelago Botanicals plants & pots
Wednesdays in Warm Valley
Our new hyper-local farmer’s market 3pm - 7pm, has quietly started up and is slowly gaining traction. This Wednesday we will have three vendors:
Gillian Jones Tarot readings (Everyone that has had a session with Gillian has raved about it.)
Emily is back with her delicious Babypower Micro-greens ~so scrumptious!
And new to us this week is Shannon with Tangled Orchard Epicure - serving up pies and deliciousness on the farm.
Farmstand and Shop
Warm Valley Farm is just starting to harvest veggies fresh for the season from our fields. In the farmstand we have organic free range duck eggs, farm-grown grass fed lamb, and succulent Mangalitsa/Berkshire pork, and our own veggie and flower starts.
Barn Swallow Vintage is open 4 days a week with storied gifts and wonderful treasures. We are accepting unique vintage home and kitchen goods, art and antique furniture for consignment. Call or stop in and ask Annie for more information.
Hours:
We are now open 3PM - 7PM on Wednesdays
AND our regular weekly farmstand and Barn Swallow Vintage hours are: 11AM - 4PM Thursday ~ Saturday.
We are considering adding Sunday to our schedule… Let us know your thoughts on that. We look forward to seeing you here on the farm. Thank you for supporting our farm & local small businesses on Orcas!
The Hearth Event Space:
We will be hosting our very first farm-to-table dinner with Chef Avery of Matia on Saturday August 26th. Tickets are available through The San Juan Islands Museum of Art. This is in support of artist Zev Robinson who has an exhibition THE ART AND POLITICS OF EATING ~ June 8 - September 11, 2023
Learn more: https://www.sjima.org/exhibitions/the-art-and-politics-of-eating
Bookings: Please inquire dates will be available soon.
Summerhouse Events and Classes:
We are gathering ideas and just starting to schedule classes. More to be announced soon! Here is a sampling of our class ideas:
Seeding, planting and harvest
Cooking class - Harvest and make your meal, with a local chef
Floral arraigning
Succulent pots and plantings
Altar making
Wreath making
Decoupage
Artist Misty Stone art class + sessions
Understanding Knot tying
Seed Saving
Foraging
Mind/body/sprit classes with teachers
Summer Farm Camp for adults - 4-5 day immersive classes on the farm
OCPA (Orcas Community Participatory Agriculture) is wonderful to host again this year. Bruce and Roxanne are excellent site managers. We have an incredible and dedicated crew, and our intern Ash is a total treasure, so is our volunteer Chloe, who is helping with Annie with the shop. We are SO lucky to have them ALL.
Annie’s Spring poetry musings:
Evening:
Evening spreads her sultry skirts
They swirl and flutter down
Like swallows coming home to roost
Spangles rise above the dark horizon line
And sparkle against her velvet skin
Like jewels winking in the dusk
As alluring as the scent of lilacs
Opening like tiny stars
Tendrils of intoxication drift in the breeze
Silken darkness spreads across my tongue like wine
Drowning in the fading light
Gradients of blue
As Sapphire turns to midnight almost too soon
Then evening tilts her head and invites the night
And I drift off transported lost between the two
Awash in flowered scent and stars and the soft breath of you
Nightsong
These soft evenings we hear…
The night song of the frogs
They seem to sing of joyous couplings and moon-filled nights
Their chorus intermittently raises and falls
As clouds obscure the moonshine
Deep in the dark
The Barred Owls say “Who Cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?”
Their haunting call drifts on the night air between the mossy stands of trees
Then they silently glide above
the open valley spaces, hunting for their tiny warm scampering meals
And in the predawn light, the Robins sing up the sun
And the Flickers, those f-ing Flickers
Drum an earsplitting staccato on our metal roof
Shouting I’m here, this is mine, IT IS SPRING
Until one of us leaves our warm bed, to sharply clap them away
Heart & Soil
MID MARCH: FARM LIFE
LAMBING SEASON
Our ewes started lambing Wednesday, March 8th, with a big surprise! Marilyn had triplets. As our friend Mandy at Lum Farm said, “sheep can only really count to two”. Unfortunately, the little guy was not among those Marilyn counted, and is our very first bottle lamb. We named him Bhaltair (BAA-LTehR is a Scottish name which means Strong Fighter) AKA The Milk Pirate. He has had many adventures.
After finding him alone and hypothermic in the paddock, I called my sheep mentor Amy Lum, of Lum Farm. She came to our rescue, I took him to their farm and she helped me get the little guy back on track. After his long, warm soak in a sous vide bath of 102º to get his body temperature back up, he is doing great. Considering we’ve had sheep since 2019, we’ve been really lucky. The little guy is a gem.
As of this moment, half our ewes have had their babies and the rest of our VERY very pregnant girls are awaiting their lambs. All the fuzzy babies are incredibly adorable!
Oh, and sleep deprivation during our lambing season is definitely a thing! Joel and I are a bit groggy. I can only imagine what it’s like to have a larger flock than us, and I deeply empathize.
HELLO, SPRING!
The Spring Vernal Equinox is today, Monday, March 20, 2023!
What does that mean? Orcas Community Participatory Agriculture is about to start up for the season! If you’ve been sitting on the fence contemplating joining OCPA, do it! Here’s a little-known fact, your first month can be a trial period! If you need more info, you can talk to Caitlin, Laurie, or Patrick, the anchor farmers of OCPA, or with one of our seasoned participants and hear about their experience. To find out more, please check out their website and indicate your interest. We would LOVE more participants on the farm this season. Warm Valley Farm’s crew starts on April 1st, 9:00 am-12:00 pm. It’s sure to be a beautiful season
MOTHER’S DAY EVENT: May 10 - 13
We are super excited to be collaborating with Lisa Seehof for this event, we also plan to host some wonderful artists, from May 10th to the 13th. Join us for wonderful one-of-a-kind gifts, cut flowers, plants, plant starts for your mama, oh, and an extra dose of joy. We look forward to seeing you! More information coming in our next update.
WEDNESDAYS IN WARM VALLEY
The farmers market at Warm Valley Farm will run on Wednesdays from May 10th through October 4th from 3:00 pm-7:00 pm. We plan to start with a total of six to eight local vendors. We want to start with a smaller footprint and see how it grows.
If you or someone you know is interested in being a vendor, please let us know and we will send out an application. (The fee structure will help us cover the cost of the additional liability insurance, utilities, gravel for parking, and management time, and a portion will go towards the musician(s). we are especially looking for a baker, a fish or shellfish monger, plus more veggies, a few makers and artists, and a revolving slot for musicians every week.
BARN SWALLOW VINTAGE
We are now taking on a choice selection of consignment items (housewares, garden decorations, jewelry, and a few special clothing items). If you’ve stopped in for a visit, you know the vibe - vintage, quirky, wonderful, beautiful things. A place you can find the perfect one-of-a-kind Orcas Island keepsake, a wedding gift, cut flowers, and art. You can learn about the consignment process on our website.
OUR NEW BUILDING AND NURSERY
We are super fortunate to be gifted a “new to us” old building for the farm from generous local donors (thank you SO much). We just got the go-ahead from the Land Bank to move it to our place. AND, we could sure use your help!
The gifted building is a well-built shell with a lot of potential. The back side of the building needs to be sided, the eves and fascia board need replacing on the high side. We need to add a few operating windows, build an attached pergola, add some wider stairs, or a ramp, and the interior needs to be finished out with flooring, walls, and lights. If you’d like to contribute your labor and expertise or donate to the farm infrastructure cause, please let us know! We plan to hold fun classes, and events, and sell nursery products, tools, and plants. It will be wonderful to have an insulated, dry/warm addition to the farm.
HEARTH EVENT AREA
Slowly but surely we are prepping the Hearth for events! Joel has been working on a new fence that will keep the deer out, so we can landscape the area. Plant Oregon, which belongs to Joel’s cousin Dan, gifted us with a bunch of beautiful native plant stock. The space will be ready for some events this summer! We are hosting a farm-to-table dinner in collaboration with the San Juan Art Museum in August. More on that soon!
On the north side of the chimney, we will be building a cob pizza oven with our friend Learner in May. If you want to be part of the crew, let us know! We are also looking for some help to fortify the chimney with angle iron and strapping.
WEBSITE UPGRADE
We are updating our website! These improvements will help us sell directly from our site, add a calendar of upcoming events, and you’ll be able to book classes and experiences on Warm Valley Farm. There will be an area for Barn Swallow Vintage consignment, additional Wednesday’s Farmers Market details, as well as all the other info you’ve come to know. Please contact us if you’d like to teach or present a class with us this season. Happy Spring to all!
All the best, Annie & Joel
EARLY FEBRUARY: FARM LIFE
“We lean towards it
Imperceptibly the moments
Gathering under us
Length and breadth slowly stretching
Until we notice the light
The gentle spread
That vernal pull
Oh spring “
-poem by Annie McIntyre
Hello!
It’s been a while since we wrote. I thought I’d reach out and catch you up on our “Winter” season. It’s been sweet and quiet on Warm Valley Farm. We’ve had the time to make a few needed updates and some infrastructure changes, and we are also busy dreaming us and hatching new ideas for the upcoming season. Lambing starts in about a month for us. The ducks have been free ranging and doing slug patrol and we are gearing up for seeding, and new starts!
First off: Orcas Community Participatory Agriculture - OCPA is just about to start up. Did you attended the Orcas Farm Tour last October? Did you hear about OCPA and were intrigued with the idea of joining? Now is the time to consider it seriously!
This local program beautifully interlaces building a connected community, upping participants skill set and knowledge, adding food sovereignty to the community, along with a lot of delicious fun! We had such a wonderful OCPA crew last year, and we along with several other local farms will be increasing the size of our OCPA crews this season. To find out more please check out their site and indicate your interest. We would LOVE more participants this season.
BIG NEWS
We are super excited to announce two new enterprises: the first is a small but mighty Plant Nursery at Warm Valley Farm! We plan to open this Spring. We will have our farm-grown organic vegetable and flower starts, as well as our own flower and herb seeds. We’ve been busy contacting the region’s best plant producers to be able to carry a select variety of annuals, and perennial plants and trees. Our goal is to carry a small but wonderful selection of both farm grown and locally imported plant and tree stock, seasonal goods, decorative pots, and a selection of our favorite hand tools, plus organic soil amendments for a one-stop-shop.
If there are nursery items that you’ve been craving, please let us know, it’s possible that we can carry them! AND, please stay tuned for some upcoming how-to classes that we will post on our event calendar.
Secondly: We will be hosting a Wednesday afternoon/evening hyper-local Farmers Market at Warm Valley Farm, featuring food producers, growers, and makers from this end of Orcas Island to create a well rounded one-stop-shop this season. The market will run Wednesdays May 3rd though October 4th from 3-7pm, with a total six to eight local vendors, to start. We are currently reaching out to possible vendors, stay tuned for the list!
BARN SWALLOW VINTAGE
Located within our farmstand. We would love to consider consigning your select unique home-goods, decor, garden items, and other consignment treasures. If you have something you feel fits the vibe and size of our shop, please let me know and we can set up a meeting in April to view your items.
UPGRADES
The farmstand has some new used windows, a gate, and a sliding barn door for the pack-shed. We are in the midst of trying to add a donated building, from generous donors in Westsound, to the area near the Hearth. We are looking for help to get it here… Anybody with a low boy trailer, or? We hope it will become a wonderful addition in the near future. We are also upgrading and plugging away on landscaping our Event Area for weddings and life celebrations, and farm to table dinners.
AT THE FARMSTAND : AVAILABLE NOW
Succulent Mangalitsa / Berkshire cross pork in many cuts
Pastured organic duck eggs
Winter squash
Potatoes
Onions
We are in the process of interviewing our farm interns for the 2023 Season. We were SO incredibly lucky last year to have Miche and Joel. We miss them so much, and wish them well in Texas this season. If you know of perfect candidates for us, please send them our way.
We continue to be happy and honored to be part of the incredible community of Orcas Island.
WINTER SUN ORANGE SHORTBREAD COOKIES
This is what happened when I was craving oranges (and sweets) this winter… soooo yummy!
Orange shortbread cookies are made with homemade dehydrated unsweetened orange slices, fresh orange zest, and a bit of orange juice. They are a bit of sunshine in the midst of winter and a perfect holiday cookie!
This year we bought organic oranges and tangerines. I thinly sliced and dehydrated them for our holiday wreaths and Winter Faire Event. The farmhouse smelled divine. I got curious and tasted the finished product, and they are super delicious! Especially the middle part. So, craving an orange-y cookie, I combined this with a shortbread recipe and threw in some other ingredients to round out the flavor. We use all organic ingredients, especially dairy items. If you don’t have the time or inclination to dehydrate orange slices, you can purchase them here
Yield: 3 Dozen cookies. Prep Time: 1.5 hour
Cook Time: 10 minutes + minutes. Dehydration time: 6-9 hours
Total Time: 10 hours 10 + minutes
Ingredients
1 cup organic butter (2 sticks), softened
¾ cups granulated organic datura sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed orange juice (after you’ve zested the peel)
2 cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
Zest from 1 orange (zest before you juice)
6 - 8 slices of dehydrated orange slices without the peel, chopped fine
½ cup chopped pecans
optional: add ½ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
Dehydrated Oranges: You will need a dehydrator, an air fryer or oven. We use an Excalibur dehydrator. Thinly slice 5 oranges with a sharp knife or mandoline slicer into ⅛” round slices. Place the slices in single layers on the your dehydrator racks. Dehydrate the orange slices at 135F for about 6 - 9 hours. Depending on the size of your dehydrator or air fryer and your time, you can make more for your holiday decorations!
In the bowl of a food processor combine the chopped dehydrated orange slices, and the nuts, mix until finely chopped
Add sugar so that it’s coated in the orange and nut crumble.
Add softened butter. Cream together for at least 3 minutes until smooth.
Add the vanilla extract and orange juice, mix until just combined.
Add flour, salt, zest, almonds, and cranberries if using. Mix until the dough is crumbly and mixed. Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl.
Test the dough, it should stick together in a ball. If it is too crumbly, add 1 teaspoon of extra juice and mix. If it’s not crumbly enough add up to 1/4 cup more flour and or sugar combined until you reach the desired texture. You should only need 1-2 teaspoons liquid (if at all) to reach the desired consistency.
Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper. Press the dough into a round log about 12" long and 3" in diameter. Fold up the sides of the parchment paper and roll until smooth round log is formed. Chill for at least 20 minutes.
Once chilled, remove the dough and slice into ¼" - ½" thick rounds (depending on how thick you like your cookies). You will end up with about 3 dozen cookies.
Place the unbaked cookies on baking sheets leaving about ½" space between cookies and if it’s warm and the dough is slumping, chill for an additional 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325F.
Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 10-14 minutes (depending on cookie thickness), and are a light golden brown.
Cool on sheet before eating! If you move them to a cooling rack they will break. You can then transfer the rest to an airtight container. Enjoy!