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April 10, 2006
Winlock Meadows Farm is an innovative
small family farm nestled in rural southwest Washington dedicated
to the preservation of small family farms. Our 15 acre farm with
a view of Mt. Rainier and a creek running through a beautiful small
forest includes pasture for our two horses, Clipper and Fancy, 2
acres in vegetable production, and a small orchard. The owner, Susie
Kyle, thought that a small family farm could be a very good place
to help create positive social change based upon the philosophy that
small family farms are at the heart of healthy communities, and that
when we strengthen small family farms we strengthen communities.
With Susie's dream and perseverance, along with the help of her family,
friends, interns, and farm supporters she is now bringing the dream
in to reality.
We offer CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Seasonal Memberships,
we sell at the Olympia and Cowlitz County (Longview) Farmers Markets,
and we offer intern and apprenticeships in sustainable agriculture
and living. Since 1999 we have been researching ingredients that
exist in a viable small farm operation and are now ready to write,
publish and communicate our results. Our goal for this winter (already
in progress) is to form a non-profit for the purpose of providing
support, resources, and networking for local small farms and small
businesses and services. And also this winter to finalize the formation
of a local small farm alliance, which is also in progress but got
put on the side burner once the season began.
We grow a variety of mixed vegetables,
much like you'd find in a backyard vegetable garden. We focus
on providing specialty
varieties such as our Hakurei Turnips, heirloom varieties (non-hybrid
varieties around for a long time), and just darn good tasting
vegetables. Once you've eaten vegetables grown with sustainable
practices, picked usually within 12 hrs. from time of delivery,
and with health and nutrition in mind, you experience how vegetables
are really supposed to taste. No wonder some people don't like
eating vegetables...they just haven't eaten a "real" vegetable.
Vegetables from the grocery store travels an average of 1400
miles (from an industrialized farm), 7 days from time of harvest,
grown with toxic chemicals, and grown for its shipping ability
and looks. I guess you can tell how we feel about some things.
We encourage people to grow their own food, with buying from
a local farm as the next best. If you don't buy from our farm,
please choose another local farm in your area. Our food security
depends upon it.
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