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Where fine food begins Dog Mountain Farm serves the Snoqualmie Valley community and Seattle area by providing Certified Naturally Grown farm-fresh vegetables, fruit, eggs, herbs, and flowers. On the farm We are not a U-pick farm, but we are happy to sell directly to you at the farm. Check our fresh list to see what is available and be sure to call before you make the trip. We welcome visitors to the farm! Buy produce fresh from the garden, enjoy a tour of our vegetable, herb, and flower gardens, the orchard, vineyard, and greenhouse, or just relax amid the beautiful Cascade Mountain view, peace, and quiet. It’s best to call in advance to ensure we are home. 425.333.0833 or 425.417.3947 We use sustainable, organic growing practices—no synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or hormones/antibiotics. Our poultry range free in pasture all day long and eat a certified organic feed as well. For more information about the Certified Naturally Grown and Salmon Safe certification programs, please visit their Web sites: http://www.naturallygrown.org/ Restaurants Andaluca, Mayflower Park Hotel, Seattle
Shelby, the real “dog” in Dog Mountain Farm. This sweetheart of a chocolate lab is overly friendly and always looking for a sucker to rub her tummy. As one of our young visitors recently said, she’s not a dog, she’s an overstuffed sausage. What’s not to love about that?
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Farm News April/May, 2008 April came and went without an update to our Website! So, I’m going to make up for it with an extra long column. Yes, we were busy. Most of our time was spent in the greenhouse potting off seedlings and planting more seeds. We had 5” of snow on April 19th and I think this Spring set a record for being the coldest ever. David lost 15% of his tomato plants in our greenhouse due to the cold. The greenhouse and covered spaces are overflowing with plants waiting for the soil to warm up. Outside, the rhubarb is producing well; I have the most amazing crop of chervil; the snap peas grew about 3”; and most of the cool crops we planted out survived the snow, but are not growing much. The Remay covering we used in the field protected the beet seedlings and the lettuces and other greens. After the snow event, we rigged some gutters in the greenhouse and planted lettuce and arugula seeds to ensure we have greens for our customers sooner than later. Next year we’re doing row tunnels! OK, enough grumbling about the weather and on to the fun stuff. I successfully passed the teamster course. I drove a big hitch, with one horse, a trolley with a team, and a team pulling a log. I loved every minute and the Cramers were great teachers. Two weeks later, we went to Sisters, Oregon for the Small Farmers Journal auction. Wow! We learned so much from the people there, too. We came home with a new forecart that David successfully bid on at the auction. The harness there was too small for our big boys, but we met a representative of a company that specializes in draft horse harness and equipment made by Ohio-based Amish. We placed the order for our leather team harness with stainless hardware and hames. Now we wait 3 weeks while they custom make the harness. I’m not sure if we’ll have it in time for the Carnation Farmers Market Opening Day on Tuesday, May 13th, but I hope you’ll come visit our booth! With the help of a volunteer, Shannon, we have installed a new bee hive. I’ve had one hive that was populated by a local swarm I think, and has hung on for two years without producing honey. So, I bought 3 pounds of Italian bees (yes, they sell them by the pound) and a queen to repopulate a hive that has been idle since the bears destroyed it 4 years ago. I’m sure you’ve heard about the tremendous loss of hives in North America and the latest concern about a new devastating disease in the PNW. Many theories have been floated, from the pollen of genetically modified plants weakening the digestive system of the bees to stress induced by moving hives to various locations to pollinate crops. I’m heartened by the fact that organic beekeepers have not sustained the same losses. We’ll keep you posted on the progress of our hives and the availability of honey! We delayed our plant sale in the hopes of warmer weather and the extra time our seedlings needed to develop this year. If you miss us on the 10th, look for our plants at the Broadway and Carnation Farmers Markets. Our son, Matthew, has been potting off several hundred basil plants of many varieties. We’ll also have tomato, pepper, eggplant, annual and perennial flowers, herbs, and a small selection of shrubs and trees. Our first farm dinner of the season is May 17th. The chefs have been trying to anticipate what produce we’ll have available and collaborating with other local producers to create the menu. We are looking forward to a wonderful evening and the opportunity to share with others this unique farm-to-table dining experience. We have a few more openings in our summer CSA program. Don’t delay! Think warm and dry. Cindy
Sisters, Oregon and the big tent at the Small Farmers Journal Auction.
Shannon installing her bees.
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