Mud Pies and Froggy Tales: Bur Oak Acres: bringing the soil to life to offer fresh, naturally grown produce

A beautiful view of the Greenhouses during a big snow, Whidbey Island (photo courtesy Bill McInvaille)

Bayview Farmer's market 2008 (photo courtesy Bill McInvaille)

Bill McInvaille is a self-taught gardener with a passion for the process. He sat down with me last Sunday to tell me about his farm on Andreason Road, "I have high standards for my produce," McInvaille tells me. McInvaille has a quiet, confident passion for his farm, Bur Oak Acres, named after a commercial farm he had in New Hampshire. He has planted several Bur Oak trees since he moved here, to keep with the tradition. In just 3 years, McInvaille's 2 1/2 acre farm has grown to 3 greenhouses (built by Bill himself), and several large tilled plots of land for growing vegetables. All fueled by the dedicated family team of Bill and his sister Kristine.

Over the past year, the McInvailles' hard work has paid off: the community has embraced their produce and they have made ambitious plans for the future. Bill attributes their success to a combination of high standards for growing, a keen interest in the farming process, and word-of-mouth advertising. The farm is a major provider of vegetables for the Mukilteo Coffee Roasters (restaurant and coffee supply, Crawford Road, Langley), and they are designing several juices to sell at the restaurant, their roadside stand, and the farmer's market. Bill, also a carpenter, is refurbishing a building on the property to make into a commercial kitchen. The kitchen will be where the juice and other food items from the garden are made.

When I arrived at the farm, McInvaille, like a proud father, showed me his thousands of plant starts in a greenhouse attached to his home. The starts will be moved to one of the larger greenhouses in the coming weeks, to be planted in the ground or sold at the market. By April 10th, the roadside produce stand will open to the public. "I am providing this produce and hopefully people will come. My produce is fresh, high quality, and grown using organic methods. We guarantee our produce, if you don't like it we will exchange it." It is McInvaille's commitment to the customer and confidence in his produce that endears him and Bur Oak Acres to the public.

For philosophical and practical reasons, McInvaille grows his vegetables free from chemicals. He opted for the "certified naturally grown" (CNG) label so that customers can be assured that his produce is grown based on the highest principles and ideals of organic farming, "the certified organic label by the federal government is a big business dominated by large food corporations who are in it for the money, not for health reasons," he said. The CNG is an affordable option for small-scale farmers who sell at local markets and show sustainable agricultural practices. To be certified, his farm is inspected by other farmers and follows standards that are more strict than the federal standards. McInvaille explained that, "for farm efficiency I don't need to put chemicals on the soil. I have had very few problems with insects here on Whidbey, and all can be solved with simple organic methods."

McInvaille has been growing vegetables for 20 years, and has always had an interest in gardening. He received a Wildlife Ecology degree from University of Wisconsin and taught at several private boarding schools after that. He moved to Maine and worked as a carpenter and had a 1-acre garden, but was unable to spend much time in it as he was working full time and taking care of his two boys. When he moved to New Hampshire, he started a 3-acre commercial garden with 3 greenhouses. With his 8- and 9-year old sons' help, he sold the produce at a farmer's market. For 3 years McInvaille lived in Portland with his family and without a garden, while his wife (now ex-wife), Krissy, pursued further schooling. When he moved to Whidbey Island, he was able to pursue his love of farming: In the span of one month they sold their house in Portland and bought the farm that is now Bur Oak Acres. It took another year to prepare the soil and remove blackberries for planting.

As I walk around the farm I am intrigued by the unique landscaping and artistic touches. McInvaille explains that the previous owner was an avid landscaper, and that the home was once on the garden tour. Several weeping evergreen trees ("they are negative geototropic," Kristine explains) frame a path around the farmhouse. A metal rod spirals out of a garden bed next to an ancient wheelbarrow. Spring flowers are pushing through the ground and blooming on otherwise dead-looking foliage: primroses, heather, and crocuses. A large fresh air gazebo looks out at the brown tilled soil of the vegetable plots. From its empty window frames, hanging by chains, glass windows with frames painted a faded purple, red, green, and blue. A statue of a little pig, peeking out from behind its own ears, sits by a tree. Rims and hubcaps hang on a red wall of an outbuilding. An indoor staircase is supported by a seasoned tree. Little artistic touches are all around, and no where more so than in the greenhouses and fields where the plants are growing.

Everywhere on the farm there are signs of spring and the promise of abundant garden bounty. The McInvailles' fields are being prepped for planting and the starts in the greenhouses are glowing with life. Bur Oak Acres' colorful roadside produce stand will offer naturally grown produce, eggs, and (eventually) fresh juice, as well as other creations from the kitchen. The farm has signs on the roadside at the corner of Bayview and Andreason Road. You can find the McInvailles at the Bayview Farmer's market and the Oak Harbor Farmer's market this year, as well as in their gardens and greenhouses. Checkout the farm stand on Andreason Road: it opens April 10th!