High water and it is almost time for strawberries

We went for a drive on the island yesterday to look at the high water. The Columbia River is running at 17 feet. Meaning 17 feet above sea level. Which is not very high... unless you live on Sauvie Island... where some parts of the Island are below sea level. This first photo was taken at the entrance path to the clothing optional beach. As you can see, the water is covering the base of the sign and lapping at the gravel road. Another foot or so in the river levels and the road will be covered.


We traveled to a friends farm where the cows are enjoying water front property. They look so relaxed even though the water has covered the top of the fence.(Today, the water has gone over this road we were standing on and has flooded the wheat field on the other side.)
This last photo shows some cows standing on an island surrounded by flood water. The farmer has been feverishly trying to move all of his cows to high ground. The water in this field is only about a foot deep but the cows don't want to stand around in water.


And... strawberries! We will open on June 9 or 10 with Honeoye Strawberries. The Hoods and Puget Reliance berries will start around June 15.

A nice spring day!

Today is beautiful! I would like to share a few photos from around the farm. The first photo is the outside of our HUGE hoop house. Next is the inside... can you see all those tomato plants?
And my daughter watering in our greenhouse.
And what is that HUGE tent in our parking area... Columbia Farms is hosting a dinner, dance and auction for the new charter school, Sauvie Island Academy this Saturday. What fun! I hope you can join us for a very worthy cause.

Diane

A little snow and a little sunshine

The new year is off to a rolling start. Last nights snow is beautiful and serene; snow seems to change the pace if life on the farm to a more deliberate walk. Changes are happening on the farm as I write. We are installing a hoop house to grow our tomatoes. I hope this eliminates the amount of fungicide I have to apply, as the plants will be guarded from Oregon's summer rain. I also hope we have tomatoes much earlier then mid- September; maybe as early as the first part of August. If you have a favorite variety of tomato you would like me to grow, post a comment and I will see about planting your request. Until next time, enjoy this day.

Diane

The pumpkins are ready

Finally, Fall is here! This is my favorite season, hands down. My crew and I decorated around the market today, including setting up the mountain of hay. I can't wait to climb to the top. I hope you all have an opportunity to visit us this season and take home a pumpkin or two. We still have you-pick blueberries and raspberries, flowers to cut and honey to enjoy.

New to our market, we are selling Sauvie Island Fruit Company's Fruit Preserves. We have strawberry, marionberry, raspberry, black raspberry and an all-fruit triple berry. This is a local company, just staring out, with a quality product.

Opening Friday September 3

We will open our fields for picking on Friday, September 3. We have Fall raspberries, Fall blueberries and flowers. We did not plant tomatoes this year... too wet and cold. And we removed our thornless blackberries after last Falls harvest.

The blueberries are the 'Elliot' variety. A mid-size berry with a wonderful blueberry flavor. The raspberries are 'Caroline' and they are very sweet and fragrant. The price for you-pick is $1.95 a pound for both berries. We also have a field of flowers. They include 4 types of zinnias, 4 types of sunflowers, cosmos, statice, snapdragons, cleome and a couple other varieties that escape my mind. The price is 25 cents a stem. Feel free to bring a bucket from home that can be filled with water to keep your flowers fresh on the way home.

Diane

This is my 'other' life

While the market is closed, I still have farm responsibilities. This includes fixing dinner every night for our combining crew. I prepare a meal, load it into my truck, drive it out to the field, set up a table and chairs.




I enjoy seeing my husband and
listening to the stories
about how the crews day is
going. On this evening I
brought out BBQ ribs, coleslaw,
watermelon, bread and homemade
Heath Bar crunch ice cream.














And I do it all again the next day.

Marionberry Barbecue Sauce

This coming Sunday, July 25, will be our last day for summer berries. We will be closed until our fall raspberries and blueberries are ready for picking; usually early September. In the meantime, let's play with our food!
I am frequently on the look-out for new recipes using Oregon's original berry, the marionberry. I came across an excellent recipe in Sunset magazine and then I tweaked it to fit our family's palate. This sauce is good on chicken, pork and turkey. Give it a try. (I love the color of marionberries after they are blended.)

Marionberry Barbecue Sauce

1 1/2 cups marionberries
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tea. ground ginger
1/2 tea. ground black pepper
1 tea. Tabasco Sauce
1 tab. Frank's Redhot Original Sauce

Blend all ingredients in a blender. Pour into a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.