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!

Vegetables growing on the farm, Whidbey Island, with view of Bayview road in the background (photo courtesy Bill McInvaille)

Thriving tomatoes strung up in the greenhouse (photo courtesy Bill McInvaille)

New Hampshire: Early Bur Oak Acres, Bill with family (photo courtesy Bill McInvaille)

Bill's kids, selling produce at the produce stand in New Hampshire (photo courtesy Bill McInvaille)

Kristine with the farm dogs

picture perfect pooch

string on the farm

seedlings in the greenhouse

Kristine walks the fields

One of 3 greenhouses, built by Bill, pictured with vegetable starts on the left

Above & below: Bill shows me his seedlings just sprouting in the attached-to-the-house greenhouse


Some of the quirky, fun, beautiful things on the farm, besides the vegetable gardens:

Buy eggs this year from Bur Oak acres at their roadside farm stand

Above and below: fresh air gazebo: windows hanging

Hen on the fence

"Think Summer" at the produce stand

Old Douglas Fir Trees along Andreason Road at Bur Oak Acres Farm

Colorful roadside Produce stand

View Larger Map

Want to help at the farm? Checkout this blogger's experience:
http://whidbeyharrisons.blogspot.com/2008/04/headin-down-to-farm.html

A review of the produce stand:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bur-oak-acres-langley

Good Cheer Garden's Cary Peterson: putting her values into action

Cary Peterson (far right) with some Tibetan friends, during her travels

Good Cheer work party Saturday February 28th

Before Cary Peterson ever got the job as Garden Coordinator for Good Cheer Food Bank's new garden at Bayview the rumors were circulating, "People would come up to me and ask me if I was making a garden for the food bank. Ever since Good Cheer bought the property at Bayview it has been an idea. The whole community can say they started this garden."

It was during a talk Peterson had with Good Cheer's Executive Director, Kathy McLaughlin, where the idea for a Food Bank Garden became a reality. As Peterson puts it, her new job was a "match made by the community." After that she put in a plan for the new garden to the board of directors at Good Cheer and it was approved. Thus began her new endeavor with the Food Bank and the community.

Cary Peterson and I sat down last Saturday during a garden work party and talked about how her life-long values of sustainable living, community service, and love of the land led to her role as "garden coordinator" for the Good Cheer Food Bank. As coordinator, Peterson is in charge of organizing, education, planting, dealing with volunteers-- everything it takes to get the garden growing. Which is no easy or simple task.

It has taken many volunteers, work parties, and planning to get where they are now: a 1/4 acre of freshly tilled garden with walking paths and raised beds, boxed beds, U-pick raspberries, fruit trees, and a picnic area. Also in the works is a shed for volunteer headquarters and tools, composting area, and a greenhouse. There will be a work party for the garden every Wednesday from 9 AM to 4 PM with a lunch break from 12 to 1. Anyone from the community is welcome. And you can bring your kids to help, as Peterson encourages parents to involve the whole family.

"It has come together like magic," Peterson says. People from the community have volunteered their time, expertise, and gardening equipment to get the garden to where it is now, all with the expectation of fresh organic produce for the food bank. On Peterson's garden blog (goodcheergarden.wordpress.com) she writes that, "growing fresh organic vegetables and fruit will provide nutritious produce directly to the food bank, increase food security and expand Good Cheer’s capacity to serve more people." Peterson plans to grow a variety of vegetables this year, with a focus on nutritious and easy to grow vegetables like carrots, lettuce, spinach, and other salad greens, chard, peas, beans, kale, beets, and squash. There will also be edible flowers, herbs, and tomatoes.

Peterson's love for the earth has attracted her to work where she can cultivate her passions. She has been a caretaker for the Chinook Learning Center (Whidbey Institute) and owned her own land care business. Now, she hopes to be of maximum benefit to others, as well as caring for the earth. Peterson is recently back from a trip to India, Nepal, Tibet, and China where she had time to reflect on the next step in her life. She spent a year and a half traveling and describes it as a "spiritual pilgrimage." She learned that she wanted to put her lifelong values of compassion and service to others and the planet into action.

In an effort to transition to low carbon transport, Peterson plans to purchase a "cargo bicycle" that can carry her wheel barrow and other gardening tools. You may have seen her current work vehicle around town, a memorable small blue truck with flower beds in the back. Peterson describes herself as a "total bike freak" who has taken a 10,000 mile journey on a three- wheeled recumbent human powered vehicle. Her travels in India showed her how our society takes for granted the ease with which we travel in the U.S. and the toll it takes on the planet. Here, we expect to be able to get in our car and be somewhere in 10 minutes. In India, and other third world countries, the roads are narrow and the cars are much smaller and slower, and traveling takes more time. There are often animals, people, and vehicles in the roadway. Slowing down our pace of living, planning ahead when traveling, and using alternative means of transportation (like bicycles) are all part of Peterson's vision for lessening her dependency on carbon fuels.

As Good Cheer's Garden Coordinator she has also been able put her values of service to others and the planet to work. "A big part of the garden is about education," Peterson says, "Our focus is to grow the food and we'll have classes as we need them, opportunistically, to benefit the community and the garden." Some class ideas include cooking classes that teach people how to use their fresh vegetables, how to grow vegetables in containers, and assembling a compost tumbler. Peterson is working in conjunction with WSU master gardeners to put on the classes. Checkout her Food Bank Garden blog for class information: http://goodcheergarden.wordpress.com/classes/

Peterson's blog also includes a couple of interesting programs associated with the new garden and food bank: the "Gleaning" and "Grow a Row". The Gleaning program is for home gardeners & farmers who want to donate their extra produce to the Food Bank (contact Beverly Rose at bubbybev@whidbey.com). Thanks to a generous donation of seeds from Ed Hume Seed Company, Good Cheer has seeds to give to the community so people can "Grow a Row" for the food bank. Peterson's blog has updates on the garden, work parties, and even includes a "wish list" of needed items for the garden (composted manure, wheelbarrows, weeding tools, containers for growing, and raspberry starts).

Good Cheer Food bank, Bayview

"Volunteer Enrollment Form"

garden planning: Cary (on the far left) and volunteers

In the foreground: a growing container, possibly for potatoes, one of many vegetables that grows well in a container

Scenes from the garden

Fruit trees mulched with straw (background) and garden beds-in-process

Some compost

topsoil

raspberry starts

greenhouse start (above)

some of the many seeds that have been donated, organized (above & below)

strawberries in box beds

work party day, picnic area

some of the raised beds, with string to mark their placement

box beds

Margaret O'Brien WSU Master Gardener-in-training

Heart Rock found in the garden

Cary points out where the vegetable washing station and greenhouse will be.

Bring the whole family . . . a dog relaxes during a work party