Windflower Farm is dedicated to growing gourmet-quality vegetables, herbs, fruit and flowers. They use only sustainable practices, no chemical herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers. The farm is nestled amidst ranches and the Badlands, in the pastoral “banana belt” of Alfalfa, about 15 minutes east of Bend. Owner/Manager Gigi Meyer has been practicing horticulture and farming for over 20 years, gardening in various climates and latitudes from the San Juan Islands to Taos, New Mexico to Tuscany, Italy. She embraces the challenges of growing in Central Oregon and wants Windflower Farm to be a regional model for small-scale, farm-to-table agriculture. Hens, goats and horses provide fertility that is carefully composted onsite. Greenhouses, windbreaks and rock walls increase radiant warmth for tender seedlings and extend the productive season. Crop rotation and the planting of flowers that attract beneficial insects ensure a healthy and vibrant ecosystem. Exotic and heirloom varieties of tomatoes and eggplants are offered alongside a wide array of vegetables – lettuces, fennel, braising and Asian greens, beets, potatoes, carrots, peas, squash, peppers, onions, beans and lemon cucumbers – the list goes on and on! Our members also receive a steady supply of fresh herbs, including tarragon, thyme, rosemary, sage, chives, Sorrel, parsleys, basils, dill, cilantro, lavender, savory, and mints.
Our fruit plots are beginning to mature - we could barely keep up with the strawberry harvest in 2009. Last year we also had our first crops of currants, gooseberries, and apples. For those of you who are new to the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) concept, you will share in both the risks and the bounty of the farm for a full growing season. You are truly a member of the farm and will be able to experience, first-hand, the procession of edibles from the first shoots of spring to the last tomatoes of the fall. In the cool early months, this means lean bags, primarily of lettuces, greens, and radishes and smaller quantities because of the limited greenhouse space. As soil temperatures warm and more varied plants appear, your bags become more full and diverse and in the prime summer months, veritably burst at the seams. Now and then, due to weather, or what they call out here in Alfalfa, “dag-nab critters!”, or any of the other myriad challenges of high-altitude, cold-climate agriculture; a hoped-for crop might not make it. You can have confidence, though, that we do our absolute best to plan ahead, protect vulnerable plants with row covers, attract beneficial insects, rotate crops, use cured compost, and practice the most up-to date organic growing techniques to bring you the highest quality, most varied selection of local food possible. They welcome visitors. Just call for an appointment, 541-318-1417, and come see exactly where and how your food is grown.
So for the important stuff:
EGGS! Members who choose the egg option will receive a weekly ! dozen brown, white and blue eggs from our flock of free-range, vegetarian-fed hens. FLOWERS! The flower option: a weekly bouquet of fresh-cut, sustainably-grown flowers for your table. CHEESE! We’re very excited, this year, to be able to offer our members a local cheese option. Pierre Kolisch at Juniper Grove Farm studied cheese-making in France and brings his expertise to bear in operating his small family dairy in Redmond, creating a distinguished assortment of handcrafted goat cheeses.
HOME DELIVERY - Have our tote full of the tastiest, most nutritious produce money can buy, brought directly to your door each week of the growing season.DOWNTOWN DROP-OFF - Pick up your weekly shares at the Environmental Center at 16 NW Kansas Ave, conveniently located in downtown Bend.
• Be sure to call or email soon to get on our list early as we are taking a limited number of members to ensure a bountiful offering for each of you.
HOME DELIVERY – $825
DOWNTOWN DROP OFF – $675
FLOWERS IN SEASON - $115
EGGS - half dozen eggs/week – $75
JUNIPER GROVE GOAT CHEESES – weekly supply of cheeses – $158
Windflower Farm pays its employees a living wage. You can be assured that your membership not only contributes to the health of our planet but also to the well-being of our community.
26285 Walker Road • Bend Oregon 97701 • 541.318.1417 • gigimeyer@msn.com
Confirmed, Ginger's Kitchenware is host Wednesday, Oct 13, to Robin Asbell, chef, writer and cooking instructor. Her recent book New Vegetarian: More Than 75 Fresh, Contemporary Recipes for Pasta, Tagines, Curries, Soups & Stews and Desserts may lack meat, but it doesn't lack flavor or nutrients, especially when eating local. With seasonal produce a current culinary focus (thanks, Alice Waters!) Robin offers unexpected flavoring pairings (edamame quesadillas, cabbage omelettes, anyone?). She's headed in the right direction, with an emphasis on fresh produce, protein substitutes and an interesting flavor palate.
