© Oakhill Organics
2008
At Oakhill Organics, we aim for:
- Quality. Although we hope you buy from us to support sustainability and locally grown food—beyond the philosophical motivations—we hope you buy our vegetables because they taste better than conventionally grown produce shipped from hundreds of miles away.
- Sustainability. We hope to grow in a way that does not overly tap our environmental resources, nor pollute them (see 'How we grow' below). We also aim to be financially sustainable so that we may live off of this endeavor, thus allowing it to continue into the forseeable future.
- Community. We have found food to be an amazing uniting force for community, whether it is a family sitting down for a shared meal or a group of CSA members working together to help grow the food they eat. By making our primary market our local community, we hope to directly connect people to neighbors as well as to the land that grows their food.
What we grow
We grow a broad mix of vegetables, including diverse varieties of: arugula, beans, beets, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, corn, cucumbers, edamame (fresh soybeans), eggplant, garlic, annual herbs (basil, parsley, cilantro), kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce and other greens, melons, onions and shallots, parsnips, peas, sweet and hot peppers, potatoes, radishes, summer squash, swiss chard, tomatoes, and winter squash. See our harvest schedule for info on approximate availability through the season.
How we grow
We are an organic farm, certified by Oregon Tilth. Our new land was previously farmed conventionally. Thus, in 2007 & 2008 our vegetables' certification status is transitional. To be certified transitional, we must continue growing in compliance with the National Organic Standard. Oregon Tilth inspects our land annually and requires us to submit a written 'organic plan' detailing our growing methods and input sources. If you have questions or concerns about the source of your food, please talk with us about our land’s history or about the certification process. Transitioning our land to organic production is an honor, and we are doing so by focusing on soil health.
We use no synthetic chemicals, pesticides, herbicides or genetically modified seeds. Instead, we utilize cover crops and natural sources of fertility. To combat pests, we employ barriers, plant spacing, and carefully bred plant varietals. To address weed pressure, we use a restored 1946 Allis Chalmers cultivating tractor run on biodiesel. (Plus those ancient technologies: hoes and our hands.) With every growing choice we make, health and sustainability are our top priorities.
And, our back story (the 'short' version)
Both Northwest natives, Casey grew up in Lincoln City and Katie in the Seattle area. Before moving to Yamhill County in 2006, we lived in Bellingham, WA where we trained for two seasons on another organic market garden, Cedarville Farm. We each hold graduate degress in non-farming subjects from Western Washington University, read voraciously, love to cook and eat, and like to swim in the river on hot summer days.
To read more about our personal thoughts on farming and life in general, check out our farm blog.
An aerial photo of the northern end of our land & surrounding farms ... our farm is outlined in white (Thanks to Jake Rockwood for this great photo):
