Farm Bulletin: It's Time to Ramble!

Don't blame me if you miss your once-a-year chance to visit Anthony and Carol at Ayers Creek Farm, especially now that the weather wizards have looked into their murky cauldrons, pulled out a bat's wing and changed the forecast from rain to partly sunny. Still, I'd bring wellies to change into just in case. And feel free to bring your (well-behaved) kids…they'll love it!

The Ramble will take place on Sunday, Oct. 12th from 3:00 to 6:00, rain or shine. 

Showers are currently in the forecast [see above re: changed forecast - KB]. Bring a slicker and, as mud is a fact of life when it rains, a change of shoes or maybe some Wellies. We don't want muddy shoes in the harvest shed, please. It is a visit to a working farm, not an agritourism affair.

The harvest shed (before painting was completed).

There has been a merlin in residence, as well as a pod of meadowlarks, so binoculars may come in handy for the birders. Yellow jackets have been pretty tractable this year, but they are present and a bee sting kit is recommended if you are allergic.

There will be light fare provided by our own Linda Colwell, who has helped harvest so much of what you all enjoy at Hillsdale, and Sarah Minnick of Lovely's Fifty Fifty. No need to RSVP. 

One young rambler.

Our street address is 15219 Spring Hill Road, Gaston, if you need to inform Siri. Otherwise, our directions have been working pretty well, and long before unflappable and inscrutable Siri was even a twinkle in Timothy Cook's eyes.

From Portland:

Take 26 West out of Portland toward Beaverton.  Exit onto 217 (69A) toward Beaverton/Tigard.  Follow 217 to the  second exit (Beaverton, Routes 8 and 10, exit 2A).   Take this exit and go straight across Route 8 to the second traffic light.  Turn right onto Route 10, which is also called the Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway.

After crossing the railroad tracks, Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway turns into Farmington Road. After rambling on about 12 miles, Farmington Road T's onto 219.

Turn left onto 219, cross the bridge and take the first possible right turn, Bald Peak Road, in about 200 feet.

Bald Peak Road very soon splits into a “Y”. Bear to the right, staying on Bald Peak Road. You will follow Bald Peak for 3+ miles up a long hill. (Note: about half way up the hill, Laurel Road merges on the left, stay on Bald Peak Road by snaking to the right.)

The road peaks at the very top of the hill and curves sharply to the left, at the stop sign which doesn't make you stop, turn right onto Laurelwood Road, marked with a sign indicating "Scenic loop".

Go down this curvy road and through the hamlet of Laurelwood (about 3 miles) until the road T's onto Spring Hill Road. Turn left onto Spring Hill. In 1/2 mile, you will pass Gibson Road which comes in from the left. Turn right onto the next driveway. There are 2 mailboxes as we share this driveway with the Huserick Brothers nursery next-door. We have a sign.

[A quicker alternative, if less scenic, route for those coming from downtown or Northeast Portland: take Hwy. 26 west to the Glencoe Rd. exit (past Hillsboro). Take a left onto Glencoe Road, and in about a mile at the signal take a right onto NW Zion Church Road. It will turn into NW Cornelius-Schefflin Road. At the first roundabout, turn onto NW Verboort Road. At the second roundabout, turn onto NW Martin Road. It will end at Hwy. 47 (Nehalem Hwy.). Take a left into Forest Grove (mind the speed limit) and at the signal (at McMenamin's Grand Lodge) continue straight through onto Hwy. 47 to Gaston. Right after entering Gaston, take the first left onto SW Gaston Rd., then take a right at the stop sign onto SW Springhill Road. Follow a couple of curves and up and down a couple of slight hills till you pass Gibson Road which comes in from the left. Turn right onto the next driveway at the Ayers Creek Farm sign—there are two mailboxes as they share this driveway with the Huserick Brothers nursery next door.

If you're coming from Southeast, the best bet is to take Powell Blvd. across the Ross Island Bridge. Follow the signs to Hwy. 10, Barbur Blvd. Take Barbur to the Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy. exit (still Hwy. 10) and follow it out through Beaverton. Cross the railroad tracks, then follow Anthony's directions for proceeding on Farmington Road. - KB]

From Salem and points further south:

From I-5 North, exit at Brooks (Exit 263), about 10 miles north of Salem.  The stop sign turn left on to Brooklake Road. Follow the Brooklake Road for about a mile and, at the 4-way stop after crossing the railroad tracks, turn right onto River Road.

A couple of miles past the Wheatland Ferry turnoff, you must turn left towards St. Paul, this is still River Road.  Stay on River Road all the way through St. Paul and then to Newburg.

River Road ends at 99W on the east side of Newburg.  Turn left onto 99W and staying in the right hand lane.  About a mile, you will see a sign for 240.  If you are in the right lane, you will have to exit onto 240.

Take Route 240 west out of Newberg.  Follow for approximately 5.5 miles.  Turn right on to Ribbon Ridge Road.  The sign points to Gaston. Follow the main, paved road as it swings to the left about a mile later, becoming North Valley Road.  The road will meander along the side of the valley for 5.7 miles and then comes to an intersection where the main road swings to a sharp left.  Go straight onto Spring Hill Road.  You will see our berry fields at the top of the rise.  Follow Spring Hill for approximately a mile and look for gravel driveway on the left.  This is our farm's driveway.

Farm Bulletin: Inspection and Verification

The work that goes into a farm isn't just plowing, planting, watering and processing, especially for organic farms. Every year there are two certifications at Ayers Creek Farm, one by the government, required for them to use the term "certified organic" on their products, and the other by their customers, a voluntary requirement they've been glad to undergo every year since they began farming. This year's ramble is scheduled for Oct. 12.

On the 18th of April our organic certifier visited the Ayers Creek for our annual inspection. Arriving at 9:30, he inspected our farm and our records without pause, finishing his closing interview at 2:15. Even though we have been through the process 15 times since 1999, it remains an intense experience.

Linda Colwell at the farm's wood oven.

The application, submitted in March, articulated our organic farm management plan. After it was reviewed, an inspection was scheduled. The week before inspection, we make sure all of the records, seed packages, certifications and invoices are pulled together. All of the buildings, machines and fields must be open to inspection.

The inspection fee is paid on the clock, so we try to make it as efficient as possible. No chit chat or lost keys, and niceties kept to the barest minimum. It is a serious matter because a cavalier decision or mistaken use of a substance will mean loss of certification of the crop or even the land for three years. By the time 2:15 rolled around, we were hungry and tired with a sense of evisceration. To our daughter, who goes through the process at their Italy Hill Produce, we can say confidently that it never gets easier or smoother. (We never talked to you about Santa either, did we?)

Breads from the wood oven.

Passing the review, inspection and audit allows us to carry the term "certified organic" on our labels and signs. Our second very important review and inspection comes when you all visit the farm on the ramble. We take it as seriously, and fret over details the week before. We are cognizant of the fact that if you are not satisfied with the way we farm, we could lose you as a customer. However, this inspection is much more comfortable because we can digress from the topic at hand and digest Linda Colwell's excellent food.

This year's ramble will take place on the 12th of October, from 3:00 to 6:00 pm. Bring friends and family, along with sturdy shoes and a bee sting kit if you are allergic. As a reminder, in our irrational New England Blue Law rectitude, we have kept the ramble strictly noncommercial. We won't be selling anything. Please don't try to lead us astray, just enjoy the stay.

Black and white photos by Anthony Boutard. Click on them to get enlarged versions—they're worth it!

Farm Bulletin: A Ramble Through the Fields

As spring waves adieu and summer slides in with its promise of longer, warmer days, Anthony and Carol Boutard at Ayers Creek Farm host a ramble through their certified organic fields to highlight what you'll be seeing in the bins at their stand at the Hillsdale Farmers' Market this summer.

This Sunday, the 30th of June, Ayers Creek Farm will host another relaxed ramble in its fields and woods. We will start a little after 3 pm. It is a chance to see the crops growing and ask all those gnawing questions that are best answered in the field. Ask many questions and tell us many stories. We learn a lot when we host these rambles. The farm is a constantly evolving enterprise and you all have contributed so many ideas that we regard these walks as a consultancy of sorts.

A young tourist takes in the sights.

Please remember we are a working farm so the ground is uneven, and we will cover about a mile as we look at the various plantings. Wear study shoes or boots. The ramble will take place rain or shine, though the forecast looks good.

We work hard to create a Hymenopterous Heaven, so if you are allergic to bees and their ilk please bring along your sting kit.

Linda Colwell is helping us put together a light snack. For those with a sweet tooth, we will also be joined by our friends from Pies for Peace who will sell slices and whole pies made from the first harvest of our raspberries, loganberries and sour cherries.

Hope to see you all Sunday,

Carol and Anthony Boutard
Ayers Creek Farm, Gaston

Down on the Farm

What more could you ask of a day in the country? The sky a robin's egg blue, the light clear and the sun just beginning its decline, painting the fields a slightly golden hue. Positively bucolic.

Anthony and Carol Boutard (left) had planned out the schedule with military precision, and the Ayers Creek Farm open house went off without a hitch, right down to the pizzas that were spitting out of Mark Doxtader's brick oven like mortars out of a firing tube. It wouldn't have surprised me if Anthony had his orderly display of soil amendments alphabetized, his lecture skillfully sprinkled with amusing anecdotes to keep his guests' attention while he extolled the virtues of each mineral.

And when it came to the tour of the fields of charentais melons, pole beans and sorghum that will be stocking their booth at the Hillsdale Farmers' Market starting this Sunday, he cleverly hit the rows of ripe raspberries (right) exactly halfway through so that listeners could gorge themselves (and stain their fingers that telltale reddish hue), getting a sugar hit that would carry them through to the end of the tour.

The cleverest ploy, however, came when Carol started bagging up the several flats of leftover sweet potato starts (left) that she couldn't bear to throw away and handed them out as party favors. It was so tempting that even I considered bringing some home and finding a spot for them in my already overstuffed beds.

To get serious for a moment, though, these two are acting on their conviction that food is best when grown by people you know and trust and consumed close to the source. And that talking about the love they have for their land and the pleasure they take in sharing its bounty with their customers translates into more aware consumers. To put it more succinctly, they rock!