Sun Days on Orcas | Farm happenings

|||  SUN DAYS ON ORCAS by EDEE KULPER |||

Summer days are on the horizon, and when the rain truncates the springy brightness, it’s fun to hear about the ideas people have brewing.

Warm Valley Farm has plans for a new Wednesday afternoon farmers’ market from 3-7 p.m. from May 10 through October 4.

“Our intent is to complement the Eastsound Market and give other local food producers, growers, and makers another place to share their wares. If you know anyone who would be a fit, please have them respond to us by April 15,” says Warm Valley Farm’s Annie McIntyre (warmvalleyfarms@gmail.com).

Annie plans to start small with six to eight local vendors, and hopes to host a well-rounded one-stop shop this season. If you are a grower or maker, think about taking part in the Wednesdays in Warm Valley Farmers’ Market.

Also, if you would like to be part of a Mother’s Day event, Annie is looking for makers, artists, and vendors for May 10 to 13, which is the opening date of the Warm Valley Farm stand.

Warm Valley Farm is the one you pass on Orcas Road when headed to the ferry, whose old farmhouse was collapsing for years. Now only the chimney remains, and Annie and her husband Joel currently have a GoFundMe organized with hopes to one day build a locally sourced timber frame building with a commercial kitchen and cidery, cold storage in the root cellar and farmworker housing on the upper floor, and an outdoor area for farm-to-table dinner gatherings and other celebrations with a wood-fired oven. In the meantime, they plan a transitory interim space that will be used for events, weddings, gatherings, tastings, farm-to-table dinners, farmstand use, and teaching space.

Happening even sooner than these events is the OCPA, which stands for Orcas Community Participatory Agriculture. According to its website, “since 2014, the OCPA team has been working to deepen community connections, grow nutrient-dense produce, and contribute to island resiliency through shared knowledge and shared work. OCPA offers a means to organize our community for farm work and adapt the ancient tradition of growing food together to fit the needs of a changing world. Each farm brings together land hosts, anchor farmers, site managers, and neighbors to learn what it takes to grow and process our own food from seed to table in a year-round local food network. Our purpose is to empower people to be creators of the food that nourishes them, in solidarity with the food sovereignty movement. Most importantly, we focus on building community – we are actively working, learning, re-skilling, and reaping rewards as a group.”

The farms that are a part of OCPA are Kaj Dog Farm at the beginning of Crow Valley, Turtleback Farm in Crow Valley, Fir Peace Farm in Doe Bay, Plum Berry Farm in West Sound, and Annie and Joel’s Warm Valley Farm.

How does it all work, you wonder? Here is what the website explains:

“Anchor Farmers are the network organizers, offering support to all other roles in the form of education, consultation, administrative work, systems thinking, and maintaining the collaborative agreements between the Land Hosts, Site Managers, and Participants.

“Site Managers act as educators, organizers, and leaders at their respective farm sites. They are responsible for guiding and organizing the Participants, facilitating educational opportunities, and planning daily operations and events at the farm.

“Land Hosts provide a venue for CPA projects to take root. Generally, Land Hosts contribute monetarily to material infrastructure that will remain on the farm if the CPA project were to change location, or cease to operate. Land Hosts can also act as Participants.

“Participants are the heart of the CPA model. Each person or family invests money and time on the farm while learning how to grow food both on a large scale, at the farm, and on a smaller scale, at their home.”

If you are interested in learning more or being a participant, email info@orcascommunityag.org.

There are always abundant opportunities for learning, growing, and having a grand time here on our island, and I hope these ideas get your spring gears turning.

Map and photo are courtesy of the OCPA website.