CHIMACUM — From fleece to food to fruit, the annual Farm Tour and Olympic Peninsula Fiber Farm Tour will allow people a peek at 18 local growers.
“It brings people out to places that they have never been to but are really important,” said Leora Stein, an AmeriCorps volunteer at Washington State University Jefferson County Extension, which organized the Farm Tour.
“These are private businesses and private homes, and the farmers are really generous to open them up to let us see the wonderful things they do,” she said.
The Olympic Peninsula Fiber Farm Tour, organized by shepherds, will be at sites around Jefferson County from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
The Farm Tour will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
The farms on the Fiber Tour are also part of the Farm Tour on Sunday.
Both tours are free and self-guided.
This eighth year of the Farm Tour features 18 farms, which is up from the original six participants, said Katherine Baril, WSU Jefferson County Extension director.
The complete Farm Tour guide and map will be available during the tour Sunday at Farm Tour Central at the Chimacum Crossroads, the corner of Center and Chimacum roads.
“Every farm will have music and food samples,” Baril said, emphasizing the tour is free.
“There’s a real commitment we have that families and children should be able to come out and experience the farms,” she said. “I don’t want any barriers.”
Fiber farm
Jan Gillanders at Jacob’s Fleece farm is part of both the Saturday and Sunday tours.
“I raise Jacob sheep and sell just about everything except the sheep — but all of their products,” she said.
“At my farm, there will be seven vendors here on Saturday and a few on Sunday.”
She said that Jacob sheep are considered a primitive breed of sturdy sheep and are traced back 3,000 years to Syria.
“They look like they are white with black spots, but they are really black with white spots.”
Her dozen-or-so sheep will be in her barn for visitors to meet and pet.
She said that the tour gives farmers the opportunity to share what they do on a daily basis with those who live nearby.
For a map of farms and more information, visit http://ag.jefferson.wsu.edu.
Farms on both the Olympic Peninsula Fiber Farm Tour and the WSU Farm Tour:
• Ananda Hills Farm, Jennie Watkins — 553 Embody Road, Port Ludlow.
• Jacob’s Fleece — 693 Big Leaf Lane, Quilcene.
• Compass Rose Farm — 1463 W. Uncas Road, Port Townsend.
• Taylored Fibers — 1671 Dabob Road, Quilcene.
On the WSU Farm Tour are:
• Farm Tour Central — Chimacum Farmers Market in Chimacum.
• Bishop Dairy, the Bishop family — 2691 Egg & I Road, Chimacum.
• Colinwood Farm, John Gunning and Jesse Hopkins, — 1210 F St., Port Townsend.
• Elk Meadows Nursery — 3485 Dosewallips Road, Brinnon.
• Finnriver Farm — 62 Barn Swallow Road, Chimacum.
• Mystery Bay Farm — 72 Beveridge Lane, Marrowstone Island.
• Old Tarboo Farm — 781 Old Tarboo Road, Quilcene.
• Red Dog Farm — 406 Center Road, Chimacum.
• Serendipity Farm — 141 Cemetery Road, Quilcene.
• Short’s Family Farm — 1594 Center Valley Road, Chimacum.
• Springrain Farm and Orchard — 128 Covington Way, Chimacum.
• Whiskey Hill Goat Dairy — 2333 Cape George Road, Port Townsend.
• Wildfire Cider — 220 Pocket Lane, Port Townsend.
• Wild Harvest Farm — 734 Windridge Road, Chimacum.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at [email protected]