Agra-CULTURE: A Farmer’s Perspective

Finnriver Farm Chickens

In addition to providing the resort with fresh eggs for its guests, Keith and Crystie Kisler, owners of Chimacum’s Finnriver Farm, share Chef Dan’s commitment to restoring vitality to the rural local community through farm/restaurant partnerships. Below, Crystie offers a farmer’s perspective.

Farming is an act of food-growing and community-growing. Although many of the farmers I know are soulful, quiet folks who would prefer to spend their time in the fields with hands in the dirt than be out handshaking at a party with heap of people, still they know that agriculture (from agra for ‘land’) requires CULTURE to thrive. In our rural community here in Jefferson County, a wonderful sense of common purpose has developed among food growers and food preparers and purveyors. The ‘eat local’ movement has inspired conversation and collaboration that is successfully connecting our farms to restaurants and allowing folks at their tables to taste what is growing fresh in our fields.

Gathering Eggs

Chef Dan from the Fireside Restaurant at Port Ludlow Resort, for example, has been at Finnriver, our 33 acre organic farm and artisan cidery, many times now. His positive experiences on this land led him to make a commitment to purchase our organically grown, pasture-raised eggs for his kitchen. Making this commitment was not simple, although it may seem logical for a restaurant to source its food from a nearby farm. But in fact over the last fifty years or more, the modern food system has been moving away from local sourcing at a commercial scale and has instead looked for the cheapest source. The industrialization of agriculture has led to a system of food distribution that does not prioritize how or where food is produced, but simply how much it costs—the bottom line has turned eating into an economic act rather than an intimate one.

Chef Dan’s choice to purchase eggs locally from Finnriver requires him to pay a significantly higher price than he could get for commercially produced eggs from afar. But he knows who raises these chickens and, well, he knows the chickens themselves! He can speak to his restaurant customers with confidence and care about the fresh, local eggs and share with them the many benefits to both human and community health that come with eating those glorious, golden yokes.

Life on the Farm

Even though the agriculture system has been commercialized and de-personalized in many parts of the world, the good news is that many communities are turning this around by working together to nurture relationships between farmers and chefs. Through organizations like local farmers markets, Slow Food, the Chef’s collaborative movement, Cascade Harvest Coalition and the Olympic Culinary Loop, our local ag network is becoming stronger and more vital.

Recently a group of Resort at Port Ludlow chefs and managers came out to our farm to discuss ways we could work together. It was an honor to welcome them onto this land and to envision ways for us to grow together, celebrating life on the land and restoring vitality to a rural farm community.

Photo credit to: Tomo Saito

Farm to Table – Working to Sustain an Artisanal Food Community

Finnriver Farm

Supporting local farmers is a high priority for the Fireside Restaurant’s management team, and the commitment goes beyond just buying local!  In today’s post, Director of Food & Beverage James Robinson explains how the Fireside is partnering with local growers.

 Nestled against the sea and just minutes from East Jefferson County’s agricultural heartland, Port Ludlow is in a prime location to benefit from the bounty the area has to offer. From vegetables, to cheese, to fishmongers and bakers, there’s no shortage of highly quality goods. However, years ago the management team at the Resort At Port Ludlow’s Fireside Restaurant decided that it isn’t enough to simply purchase the goods. If we believe in helping to foster and sustain an active farming and artisanal food community – which we do – then we decided we must do more. We must lead.

Executive Chef Dan Ratigan

To that end, Dan Ratigan, our executive chef, convened a farmer and restaurateur summit this spring. The idea was to gather all the players in the same room in an attempt to solve some of our most vexing delivery and distribution challenges. One of the summit’s goals was to work toward creating predictability in the market by cajoling other restaurateurs into committing to sourcing a variety of products from area farms. With commitments, farmers could grow crops with the assurance that there was a willing buyer, or market, for their goods.

 Although the farmer-restaurateur summit drew a tepid response from the area restaurant community, the farmers were ecstatic. Moreover, the afternoon galvanized our resolve to stay front-runners in the Peninsula’s farm to table movement -- and not because it’s the trendy thing to do. But because the quality of the goods available here are unsurpassed; because it’s the right thing to do for the environment, because it’s the right thing to do for the local economy and the community and because it allows us to offer a menu we are extremely proud of. As a rule, our menu and business plan make the use of locally grown, locally produced, locally foraged and locally fished products paramount.

SpringRain Farm Chickens

In that regard, we are working with SpringRain Farm to develop a market for poussins – or young chickens. Although these chickens take a prominent place on our menu, we hadn’t found a local source – until now. As our relationship develops and we commit to SpringRain Farm, they are assured they have an outlet for their products and we are assured we have a source for a coveted menu item.

Chef Dan's friend, Graham Kerr, Visits Red Dog Farm 

The same holds true for Red Dog Farm in Chimacum. Before planting began last year Karyn Williams and Ratigan sat down with seed catalogues in order to ensure she grew crops with a guaranteed market.  We committed to rows, she committed to us. And now, fresh produce arrives daily, our relationship with Red Dog Farm is thriving and we are proud to showcase her high quality produce on our menu.

Just down Center Valley Road from Red Dog Farm lies Finnriver Farm – our sole source for eggs. Like Red Dog Farm, our partnership with Keith and Crystie Kisler runs deep. In addition to continually developing outlets at the Resort for their goods, our most recent project includes creating a roster of agri-tourism events and activities for Resort guests.

But partnerships, relationships and excellence grow in baby steps and it’s taken us years to get us where we are.  First you’ve got to plant the seeds and hope they germinate. Then you hope for conditions favorable for the production of strong healthy crops. Once the seedlings burst through the soil, they must be nurtured in order to produce.

As a business and organization, we have forged fast friendships and strong partnerships with the Olympic Peninsula’s premier growers but stay tuned, because we are not finished. Our seeds have sprouted, but there is still much to do to ensure that East Jefferson County becomes the epicenter of the state’s farm-to-table and locavore food movements – and not because it is trendy, but because it is the right thing to do. See you at the next farm and restaurateur summit!

A Year In The Making



Beautiful Petal

Our knitters had a wonderful 3-day retreat in June with a few staying over longer to continue enjoying the relaxing atmosphere of the Resort. They worked hard at the retreat – absorbing new knitting and dyeing techniques taught by their energetic and captivating teachers, mastering new cooking skills with Chef Dan and his team. They visited local Finnriver Farm each day, the source of The Fireside’s freshly laid eggs, tasting boutique apple ciders, preparing dinners for the group, and ending their days feasting on their bounty along with paired wine flights.

As tradition would have it, the knitters found the extra energy to “yarn bomb” the Inn during their stay.  One piece of knitted art had been in the planning process for several months. We call it A Year in the Making – not to be missed!  This beautiful piece surrounds our staircase light fixture … how did they install it with no ladders, no scaffolding?  It’s a mystery, a secret taken away by the knitters, never to be shared, yet this beautiful piece of art will remain to be enjoyed for years to come.  

A Year In The Making

This retreat’s site specific art installation is now available for public viewing –stop by the Inn at The Resort at Port Ludlow during the month of July to enjoy the knitting artists’ work. We have shared pictures of a few pieces here if you are unable to make it before July 31st.

How Did They Get Up There?!

Urbanites to Lavender Farmers

Sequim’s 2012 Lavender Weekend celebration is just a week away, July 20-22! The bloom is right on schedule, shrouding Sequim in a vibrant sea of purple!

Jardin du Soleil, one of 7 farms on the renowned Heritage Lavender Farm Tour, is under new ownership this year by a couple who just may hold the record as Sequim’s youngest lavender farmers ever!  An adventure of a lifetime led them to Sequim – and they are working hard and loving a new life that they never before imagined!

Summer Bloom

The Schiefen’s Story 

What would possibly motivate a thirty-something pre-school teacher and her insurance agent husband to pack-up their two small kids (ages 5 and 2) and the dog and chuck their comfortable urban life in Santa Barbara, Calif.  --  to become lavender farmers? Particularly when neither had any kind of farming experience whatsoever – in fact, they never even had a yard!  

According to Jordan and Paul Schiefen, it all began with a search for a more  simple, stable life that involved selling the family business, buying a small trailer and setting off on a cross country journey with destination unknown. Their only requirements – wherever they landed must have ocean, mountains, and be within 3 hours of a major city.

After traveling from California to Maine and back to the west coast -- still searching – the Schiefen’s happened to roll into Sequim during an uncharacteristically rainy 2011 Lavender Weekend celebration. They visited all of the destination farms on the Lavender Farm Tour, and noted that the last one, Jardin du Soleil, was up for sale.

After touring the farm and speaking with owners Pam and Randy Nicholson, the stars aligned! This was what the Schiefen’s had been looking for! They made an offer the Monday after Lavender Weekend, and because harvest was imminent, got a 15-day Escrow!

Jardin du Soleil

A flight back to California to tie-up loose ends, then back to Sequim to undergo 3 intensive days of training with the former owners, and the Schiefen’s were on their own with a lot of lavender to harvest and lavender oil to distill!

“I had no idea one year ago how much work running the farm would be – growing, distilling oil, and running the on-site gift shop,” says Jordan Schiefen. “We’ve taken it step-by-step and the Lavender Farmers Association has been a big help along the way. We’ve loved every second of it! This is the life that we were looking for.”

“As we approach our initial year on the Heritage Farm Tour, Schiefen continues, “we welcome visitors to what is not just a business, but our family home – complete with playhouses, sandboxes and chickens! Our 5-year-old son will most likely be mingling with visitors selling the basket full of lavender bundles that he clipped. Oh – and there is no longer a ‘please hold your child’s hand’ sign on the gift shop door!

The Schiefen Family and Jardin du Soleil will be featured on King 5’s Evening Magazine on Wednesday, July 18 at 7 p.m. Be sure to tune in!

About Sequim Lavender Weekend
Sequim Lavender Weekend is comprised of two separate events – the Lavender Farm Faire, which features the renowned Heritage Tour of 7 destination lavender farms, each a festival unto itself, plus “Lavender in the Park” at Carrie Blake Park/Reuse Demonstration Park, a free family-friendly central source for all things lavender – food, music, cooking demonstrations, crafts, family programs and more.

The second event, Lavender Festival, features a self-guided “U-Tour" of more of Sequim’s many lavender farms, plus the annual Street Fair on Fir Street in downtown Sequim.

Totem Pole Depicts Port Ludlow's Evolution

Burner Point

The next time you visit Port Ludlow, take the short stroll from the Inn to Burner Point, a circle of lawn overlooking the Bay, and view the totem pole at its center.

Designed specifically for this site by David Boxley, a Tsimshian carver from Metlakatla, Alaska, the pole depicts the evolution of Port Ludlow from its past natural state to its present state as a residential community, in six Tsimshian figures.

Standing 40-feet high, the pole is carved from a Western Red Cedar tree located on the Olympic Peninsula at Nolan Creek, south of the Hoh Rain Forest. A wind storm in 1993 blew the 720-year-old tree to the ground, and Boxley chose it from amongst several trees for the Burner Point totem.

The initial cuts to the log were made at a sawmill in Gorst, outside of Bremerton, and the balance of the carving was done in a temporary shelter erected near to the pole’s present site.

Starting from the top, the figures are:

Eagle and Bear

The Eagle – representing the state prior to any human occupation.

The Bear – representing the ancestors of the local S’Klallam tribe.

Two Men with Locked Arms – Mr. Pope and Mr. Talbot, owners of the sawmill formerly located in Port Ludlow.

The Lumberman – representing the period of the sawmill, 1852-1935.

Inn At Port Ludlow in the Distance

The Beaver – representing the building phase of Pope Resources.

The Six Interlocking Figures – representing the people and community of Port Ludlow.

According to Boxley, one of the six figures represents an actual person. Tony Puma, who was the construction project manager for the Inn and apparently conceived the idea to place a totem pole at Burner Point, is the mustached man with the cell phone.

The pole was completed and raised in 1995.

Source: Port Ludlow Voice, June 2000

Life As Live Aboards

Dolphin Spirit

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live on a boat with the freedom to chart your own course, traveling when and where you choose in the comfort of your floating home? It’s a dream-come-true for Anne and Don Whipple, a California couple that moors in Port Ludlow for part of every year.

As guest bloggers this week, the Whipple’s share a bit about what keeps them coming back to Port Ludlow year after year.

Boating has been a big part of our lives since the early years of our marriage. We spent nearly 30 years houseboating, skiing, jet skiing, and fishing on a small Northern California lake. Our retirement dream was always to live aboard a boat and cruise. We envisioned ourselves exploring the historic waters of the Intercoastal Waterway--generally known in boating circles as "The Great Loop."

Anne Whipple

As sometimes happens to plans, fate and a good friend intervened! Shortly before we were ready to put our California home on the market and set off to follow our nomadic dream, we were invited to join a friend on his boat to cruise for a week on Puget Sound and in the San Juan Islands. We were smitten! We thought this was the most spectacular area we had ever seen!

Don Whipple

When our home sold a few months later, we decided to return to the area to see if it was still so magical. It was! Perhaps even more so!

We have been living aboard "Dolphin Spirit" in the Resort at Port Ludlow Marina since spring of 2004. We have met many wonderful people here and are active members of the Port Ludlow Yacht Club. We felt Port Ludlow was home from the very first time we saw it. That good feeling surfaces each time we return, whether from our summer cruising aboard Dolphin Spirit or our RV travels south in the wintertime. Port Ludlow is home.

And, as Dorothy said, "there's no place like home!"

Anne & Don Whipple

Meet Kori and Port Ludlow’s Seafaring Dog

Sir Christopher Ludlow Sampson

If you’ve been to the marina lately, you may have noticed a cute little Welsh Corgi trotting along a dock or taking an afternoon nap in the sun. That would be none other than Sir Christopher Ludlow Sampson, Port Ludlow’s seafaring dog and loyal companion of Marina Manager Kori Ward. While Sir Christopher has been “working” at the marina for the nearly seven years, Kori’s history with the Resort At Port Ludlow spans two decades.

Marina Manager Kori Ward

 Growing up in a boating family that made its home on the Hood Canal, Kori has always been at home on the water and was naturally drawn to a maritime career. She hired on as a dock attendant at the Resort in 1992, and worked her way up to Dock Master and finally to Marina Manager. She is the “go to” person for long-term moorage arrangements and manages a marina staff of seven.

Working with Port Ludlow’s resident boating community and the many guests that boat-in to the Resort or kayak on Ludlow Bay is what Kori loves best about her job. She is extremely knowledgeable, and regularly fields a variety of questions.

Asked what question she gets the most from visiting boaters, Kori replies, “what is the average temperature of the water in Ludlow Bay?”

If you’re reading this post, you may live in Port Ludlow or perhaps you’ve enjoyed a stay at the Resort. Do you know the answer? If so, tell us – or share your best guess – with a comment below! Kori promises to provide the answer next week.

Now that summer is finally here, we hope you’ll come out and enjoy the marina often -- whether it’s from the water or while relaxing with a glass of wine on the veranda and watching the boats go by!

Port Ludlow Marina