DELIVERING THE WHEAT

Yes, those are gigantic piles of wheat kernels that have been off-loaded from truck after truck after truck that haul it in from the fields.

The Greening of the Grapes

Lookin' Good

With more than 100 wineries and 2,800 acres of grapes, 

this scene is replicated throughout the Walla Walla Valley this time of year.

Keeping the weeds down and the grass between the rows mowed 

is only one job among many a fieldworker attends to during the growing season. 

Skyscrapers of the Palouse

Blue Against Blue

Walla Walla is surrounded by wheat fields in all directions. As a result, grain silos and elevators dot the landscape like towering skyscrapers. Most are made of metal or concrete and are grey in color. So when I came upon these dark blue silos, my heart skipped a beat. They are part of my on-going collection of photos that I call "Skyscrapers of the Palouse."

Study #1 Snapseed-Natural Edit

 Study #2 MobileMonet-Color Sketch

 Study #3 MobileMonet-Watercolor

Study #4 Snapseed-B&W

WILLIAMS HUDSON BAY FARM

The Williams Brothers of the WW Valley

NPR's Tappet Brothers aka Click and Clack (Tom and Ray Magliozzi) have nothing on Tom and Ray Williams who, along with their spouses Penny Hawkins and Melinda Eden, own and operate Williams Hudson Bay Farm located just south of Stateline Road in Umapine, Oregon. At this week's Blue Mountain Land Trust's "Learning on the Land" event, participants were entertained and enlightened with humorous and fact-filled stories about operating this third-generation, 3000+ acre sustainable, organically certified, Salmon-Safe farmland.

As siblings often do, Ray and Tom tease, joke, and interrupt each other while finishing each other's sentences as they present an overview of their operation which includes organically grown wheat, alfalfa hay, alfalfa seed, sweet corn, grain corn, popcorn, pumpkins, and a first this year, watermelons. They also maintain a large dairy replacement livestock feeding operation as part of their nutrient recycling program that is a mainstay of their organic farming objective. In short, what goes in a cow comes out and can be used to build the soil. And maintaining healthy soil is what organic farming is all about. 

 

It's one thing to grow organic crops, but the Williams brothers haven't stopped there. Over the years they have developed strong long-term business relationships with distributors and customers who buy and use in their own businesses what the Williams' grow on their farm. 

The list is as diverse as the crops Hudson Bay Farm produces.

Organic food vendor Bob Moore of Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods of Milwaukie, Oregon was skeptical at first that Eastern Washington wheat could be as good as the hard red spring wheat he was used to buying from Montana. But the organic high-protein wheat grown by the Willliams' brothers far exceeded Bob's Red Mill standards, and they are now an exclusive vendor partner and featured in Bob's Red Mill marketing campaign.

Organic soft white wheat from Hudson Bay Farm is also used in the award-winning Bainbridge Legacy Organic vodka. As noted in their website, "Bainbridge Organic Distillers is Washington's first and only USDA-certified organic distillery and works alongside local family famers to select grain varieties that pull the unique earthy flavors unique to Washington State soil and growing conditions." Take a bow, Tom and Ray Williams!

Dark Northern Spring wheat (DNS) is typically used in bread, and Hudson Bay Farm supplies Washington-based Fairhaven Organic Flour Mill in Burlington, WA, with their wheat as one of the "dedicated organic grain growers throughout the Northwest. By milling only organically-grown grains, Fairhaven Mill supports healthy farmlands and a sustainable, ecologically-responsible agriculture." Kudos to you, Hudson Bay Farm!

After the overview at the offices of Hudson Bay Farm, participants car-pooled to see different parts of the Williams' diverse operation. Here a combine cuts the standing organic wheat, separating the wheat kernels from the wheat straw, the latter to be used as bedding for their herd of organic dairy replacement cows. As Ray pointed out, organic cows need organic straw bedding because cows nibble at the straw. Obviously, everything is 

well-planned and used up.

Just across the road from the wheat combine, a tractor and bailer pick up the straw from a recently cut organic wheat field. Each bale measures 3x4x8 feet and will be stacked for use later. Ray also pointed out the use of rubber tracks on the tractor rather than conventional tires. The reason is that conventional tires compact the soil more than continuous tracks, and since organic farmers work hard at maintaining optimum soil health, compaction is avoided even in the use of tractor tires.

According to Tom and Ray, crop rotation is critical in organic farming. So in any given year one third of their land is planted in wheat, one third in alfalfa or forages such as corn, and one third in high value crops such as pumpkins, winter squash, and watermelons. Here the Williams brothers explain the ins and outs of growing organic pumpkins which has a four-year rotation for pest control. As Ray explained, there is no organic method to rid infected pumpkin plants of insect pests other than hand-pulling the yellowed plants (an indicator of poor plant health) and carting them away in a burlap bag. 

As for the healthy plants that produce pumpkins, Hudson Bay Farm has contracted with Stahlbush Island Farms to harvest and process the fruits. Stahlbush Farms of Corvallis, Oregon, are premium processors of fruit and vegetable purees and quick frozen foods.

It was at this point that BMLT participants were regaled with another Williams Brothers' story about their venture into a new-to-them "high value" crop--catnip. Wanting to be known in the industry as the world's largest producer of catnip (most catnip was grown on 15 acres or less), their inaugural attempt at growing the kitty aphrodisiac resulted in the world's largest "failed producer" but with a hilarious story to tell. Above, Tom is holding a bouquet of catnip which he sheepishly admits, neither of them knew what it looked like until they grew it themselves, at which point they realized they had been growing it all along in the wetter parts of their acreage.

A new high-value crop this year is watermelons. A specialized tractor attachment mounds the soil, covers it in black plastic mulch, and installs the drip line in one pass. Then the young starts, having been seeded in Sunnyside, WA, are transplanted by hand along the rows. Every fourth plant is a pollinator plant, which is an essential in growing fruit. The ripe red fruit in these 4-10 lb. personal-size seedless watermelons are destined for Charlie's Produce of Spokane, Seattle and Portland.

Further down the road, Melinda Eden, Ray's wife, takes the portable mic to explain her part of Hudson Bay Farm's diversity--raising organic Katahdin Hair Sheep for meat. Contrary to what the name implies, Katahdin sheep have short, un-spinnable wool which means they do not have to be sheared annually making them low-maintenance, easy care sheep that also do well in the Eastern Oregon heat. As naturally-raised, grass-fed sheep, they exclusively eat alfalfa, wheat stubble, and forages all grown on other parts of Williams Hudson Bay Farm.

In the above pen, one and two-year-old sheep await being sold directly to individual customers for custom-processing or to Anderson Ranches in the Willamette Valley for processing in their Kalapooia Valley Grass Fed Processing LLC.. Reed Anderson supplies grass-fed, humanely grown and processed lamb for the upscale restaurant market throughout the U.S. 

In a neighboring field this year's new-mama sheep and their baby lambs congregate in the shade while in a third field, the un-bred ewes congregate with their Maremma guardian dog, Jack. 

This is Lulu, a Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dog, which is a totally different job than a herding dog. She and her partner Jack protect the sheep from predators which include coyotes or roaming, aggressive dogs. As guardians, they bark and alert the owner that something is amiss in the herd.

*  *  * 

The history of the area is inscribed on this rock at the fork of two roads in the center of Williams' farmland--Umapine Road and Hudson Bay Road--where the Hudson Bay Company Farm was established in 1821-1856 with 500 head of horses and 100 cattle. With good soil, mild winters and the availability of water this land proved ideal for farming and ranching, and hence became the name of the Williams' family farm. As inscribed on the commemorative plaque, "The farm was bounded by the Snake River on the north, the Blue Mountains on the east, the Umatilla River on the south, and the Columbia River on the west." 

Not a bad place to call home.

The future of Williams Hudson Bay Farm will continue as in 2011, PCC Farmland Trust, in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service's (NRCS) Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program (FRPP), acquired an organic agricultural conservation easement on 300 acres of the Williams' farm.

BLUE CREEK FIRE--ONE YEAR LATER

Nature, Heal Thyself

After unseasonably hot, dry weather, the Blue Creek fire ignited on July 20, 2015 at 12:30 in the afternoon. By August 3, the fire was 95% contained after charring over 6,000 acres and destroying one home and 11 scattered outbuildings. Nearly a year later participants in the Blue Mountain Land Trust's Learning on the Land series took a field trip to a nearby ridge to see for themselves the lasting effects of the fire on the vegetation.

In general, the landscape had healed remarkably well considering the duration and intensity of the wildfire. Even in this photo taken several miles up the road (not part of the Learning on the Land excursion), green undergrowth and live fir trees can be seen amidst charred timbers left from the fire.

Because of heavy rains the night before, the group was unable to drive up Klicker Mountain Road where the fire started, but instead carpooled to nearby Black Snake Ridge to get an overview of the area. Even this road, though navigable to this meeting point, required 4-wheel drive several miles further.

With a broad view of Klicker Mountain as a backdrop, four local authorities spoke about the nature of the fire, incident management during the fire, and post-fire regeneration along with an evaluation of the health of the area one year later. As can be seen by the clouds, those gathered were lucky that it wasn't raining, nor was it sunny and hot.

Much to everyone's surprise, there was much visible green vegetation as seen here on Klicker Mountain, an observation that was confirmed by facts provided by Eric Pfeifer, a Forester with the Umatilla National Forest Service. In short, the fire cleared out the underbrush and thinned stands of trees, and even though it burned hot, it was not hot enough to sterilize the soil. As a result, the forest and land is regenerating on its own.

Even several miles further up the road and closer to other parts of the fire, green undergrowth can be seen along with many live fir and pine trees that were spared by the fire. (Again, this was not part of the official Learning on the Land event, but our own "Value-Added Package" to see where Black Snake Ridge Road went.)

In the end, the general consensus by the authorities is that the Blue Creek Fire could have been a lot worse; but because of well co-ordinated fire management by Walla Walla Fire District 4, the Fire Management Office of the Umatilla National Forest, along with regional wildfire-fighting companies and Hot-Shot teams, the precious Mill Creek Watershed was spared as was the serious loss of property. If any fire can be good, this one was just that.

OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR

AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE

Looking West From Black Snake Road in the Blue Mountains

The Blue Mountains are the backdrop for the Walla Walla Valley. They are the last mountain range that the Oregon Trail pioneers had to encounter 

before they dropped down into the Grande Ronde Valley on their way to the Columbia River and Oregon City on the Pacific coast. 

In my travels across the United States on the seat of a bicycle or as a passenger/driver on numerous road trips by car, 

I have seen many beautiful places; but nothing is any prettier than what I can see right here in the Walla Walla Valley.

BUY LOCAL, EAT LOCAL

Klicker Berries and More

Around Walla Walla, summer, strawberries, and Klickers are synonymous. The Klicker family has been growing strawberries in the Walla Walla Valley since 1918. Having picked too many strawberries from their mother's garden patch in the Blue Mountains, brothers Del and Jake Klicker hitched a wagon and drove 15 miles to town where they sold the vine-ripened mountain berries for a premium price. They quickly discovered that the berry business paid better than the family Klicker Springs Hotel business. And the rest is history, as they say.

Klicker Berries, as they are referred to locally, can be purchased whole with the stem in tact or pre-sliced and unsweetened by the bucket. Depending upon what you plan to do with them, Klicker strawberries are indeed a natural sweet treat of every Walla Walla summer.

In addition to strawberries, Klicker's also grows and sells blueberries along with other locally grown fruit including raspberries, peaches, apricots, and melons. Combined with giant, shortcake biscuits from John's Wheatland Bakery, the berries and stone fruits make a great summer dessert or even breakfast. Why not?

And while you're there, why not pick up some fresh, locally grown veggies. Sweet corn, green beans, and zucchini are in season right now with plenty of vine ripened tomatoes arriving soon. 

And of course, don't forget the Walla Walla sweet onions grown only here in the Walla Walla Valley.

You can buy them singly . . . 

or by the bag. 

Either way, they're the sweetest onions you'll ever taste.

RED, WHITE, AND BLUE

Happy 4th of July to My American Viewers! 

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME

Play Ball!

The Walla Walla Sweets baseball club, named after Walla Walla's famous sweet onions, is a wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league. They are part of the East Division of the West Coast League, which includes teams from the North and South Divisions such as the Bellingham Bells of Washington state and the Victoria Harbourcats of British Columbia, Canada, to the Bend Elks and Gresham Greywolves both of Oregon. 

The Sweets, seen here dressed in their throw-back uniforms, watch the game from the dugout.

 The ballpark is part of Walla Walla's Borleske Stadium and seats at capacity 2,376 fans. 

Even on a hot summer evening, the fans are (mostly) shielded from the setting sun in this east-facing setting. 
Come nightfall the area is well illuminated to keep the game going well into extra innings, if necessary.

 "Hey Batter, Batter!"

According to Jim Caple a senior writer for ESPN, "Today's Walla Walla Sweets play on the same diamond 
as Hall of Famers Ozzie Smith and Tony Gywnn once played, as well as actor Kurt Russell and quarterback Drew Bledsoe. 
It's also where Walla Walla's baseball team once was managed by Cliff Ditto, 
perhaps the most serendipitous managerial name in baseball history, " 
which is a reference to Ditto's management of the Walla Walla Padres baseball team from 1973-1978.

A Yakima Valley Pippin swings at a low ball while his teammate waits in the on-deck circle.

In the background stands "Borleske Blue," the park's signature 16' tall x 40' long hand-operated scoreboard.

Looking out from inside the scoreboard. 

Photo courtesy of Walla Walla Sweets 2010

The bat connects with the ball and the Sweets' runner is off to first base.

In the opposite corner of the ballpark from Borleske Blue, an electronic sign also keeps track of the score. 
This sign was bulit as a cooperative effort between Walla Walla Community College (construction), 
Walla Walla University (engineering) and Whitman College (foundation).

By the way, the Walla Walla Sweets went on to beat the Yakima Pippins 3-2 in 11 innings.