We've Got Peaches and So Much More!

How could you ask for more?! Peaches, Nectarines, fresh Figs!!! Taste buds and scents are swirling every which way on this farm. The nectarines, were absolutely divine, very apt for a fruit named after the drink of the Greek gods. We have never tasted anything so sweet. We will be planting another few of these this Fall for sure.

Everyone still can't believe we did it!! That we grew stone fruits successfully west of the Cascades! But we can't take all of the credit, as this was a particularly dry spring and hot summer. Still, we put our hours in. Our final count of Apricots was around 250 lbs. We harvested about 75 lbs of Nectarines and another 180 lbs of Peaches. We still have Peaches left, but our Apricots and Nectarines are all sold out.

But what is stealing all the attention on the farm are our Figs. People and the local restaurants cannot get enough. We have Lattarula (Italian Honey Fig) and the Brown Turkey. Some of the best fresh eating figs you can find.

Now we are taking in our first early Apples. We have two varieties, Sunrise and Rosey Glow. Both are sweet eating apples. Pears are ready to turn and we are waiting just days for the last of our plums.

The "farmstand" on the farm has been somewhat successful. Much easier than going into town and dealing with the street vendor ordinance which is still in the works. It is an activity, an adventure to find and buy your fruit. Plus we leave the figs on the tree until purchased. Never ever refrigerated!! Can't beat that.

So don't forget to stop by and stay tuned for our Asian Pears, Quince, and Kiwi!!!

Lazy Days of Summer, I only wish!!

Do I wish I was sleeping on my raft, gently rocking, on a "sleeping sea?" Yes I do!! But, I am working as all farmers do in the summer months. I am harvesting apricots, drying apricots, eating apricots, selling apricots, feeding chickens over-ripe apricots and telling everyone how much we are proud of our APRICOTS!!! Can't you tell we are proud of our apricot bounty? It was a great season for our stone fruit. The peaches are almost ready and they are big fruit, bright red and just perfect in appearance in everyway. Our fruit are all natural, nothing on their pretty skins but the kiss of Orcas Island sunshine. Kiwi is turning softer each day. Strawberries are having their 2nd big performance, and they are just as delicious as they were in June! We are digging up elephant garlic, and soon will be harvesting a few varieties of red and yellow potatoes. The apples, pears and quince will be ready for harvest in a few more weeks. We are stuffing ourselves with farm fresh good "eats!"

Our customers are enjoying all three of our vacation properties, The Farm and The Beach House, both on Orcas Island, and the new Village House in Friday Harbor, on San Juan Island.
The Harbor Hideaway rental on San Juan Island has two popular homes to choose from.
The main rental home in Friday Harbor is called The Hammock House and is quite large. It has about 2000 sq feet of space. Two big bedrooms + a huge living room with vaulted ceiling, a large gourmet kitchen plus a big dining area. The best part is the big outdoor deck and the Hammock tied between two huge cedar trees. This main portion of the home sleeps 6 or 7 comfortably. . Add on the Bunk House and bring 2 more singles. Add on the Porch Suite, and add another couple. Add on the "hammock," and add the family dog! Can you picture your dog sleeping in a tree hammock?

The Porch Suite is very popular as a separate unit for couples and friends "get-aways." Reasonably priced, it is an artistic and bright bedroom suite, with queen bed, many windows, microwave and refrigerator, DVD player, a colorful tiled bathroom, and a big wrap around porch and deck with tables and chairs. Or, rent the Porch Suite along with the very large Hammock House, if you are bringing the whole family.


At the farm, we had to slow down the finish work of our new vacation home, "Adeline's" : 5 suites with mountain, water, and pasture views, all with private entrances from outdoor decks and patios. As with everything we do, all our creative expression and artistic input takes additional time and planning. Zach, who is the project manager for Adeline's, is installing tile mosaic pillars in the living spaces, and designing the patterns and colors for the bathroom tiles.
The suites are all works of art with many wood details and other special natural materials, much of which is restored and recycled.

Tune in tomorrow and I will be writing about our horses at Once In A Blue Moon Farm.
I will bring you news of our Alpaca and chickens too!

Thanks for reading the latest Blog, updating you about everything it seems, but the Hog.

Shana

Apricots, Apricots, Apricots!!!

Take a look at these delicious apricots!! They are ripening out in the sun, just waiting to be plucked from the trees. The dry hot summer has made this a terrific year for these trees. This is our biggest crop ever, some apricots are the size of apples!!! We harvested a couple flats this evening and there are plenty more on the way. You can find them for sale here at the farm and we'll be bringing some in to town.

The Summer Keeps Coming!!

The heat has been on full blast. Other than the freak thunderstorm last weekend, it's been one of the hottest and driest summers on record. That means our apricots, peaches, figs, plums, kiwis, berries, and all our other trees are loaded with fruit. We have our largest setting of apricots ever, with fruit as large as apples!! Unfortunately we also lost three apricot trees to crown rot and Eutypa die back.

We also are very excited for our very first crop of fuzzy kiwi!!! It is a good showing and we can't wait to try them at the end of August.

Our water situation is holding steady during this "drought" so we can continue to keep our trees as happy as we can. Still, we are feeling the pinch and seeing the stress in our landscape.

Adeline's Suites

The Adeline's suites are coming along slowly but surely. We've missed both of our deadlines, but it is well worth it. Now we can continue to add our fine artistic details, salvaged materials, and handcrafted touch that will give each suite each its own individual experience.

We recently found some "brand new" Spanish marbleized tiles from the 1930's at a salvage yard in Seattle, which was an amazing find.

We are trying to finish two suites by Labor Day 2009. So stay tuned for any updates. But it always seems something else on the farm pops up, and it keeps us from finishing the project. Doing the project ourselves has been a huge undertaking with all our other responsibilities, but it is the only way to build something with the personalized unique details we are looking to provide our friends and guests.

Back By Popular Demand!!

What a gorgeous spring morning on the farm, ONCE IN A BLUE MOON FARM!! The cherry trees are in full blossom, as are the plum trees, peach and apricot trees too, service berry trees, and numerous magnolia trees. You really should come for a weekend visit in May!! Then again, June is still fresh with new growth too. June gives us lilac and wisteria bloom cascading down the brick walls.

We are mowing the orchards almost every 3 days since the grass is growing by the minute. The chickens are in heaven with all the sweet green grass clippings we line their coops with. They look like they are laying in their own Easter baskets!! They are giving us plenty of delicious eggs each day. The geese are laying too.
The goose egg is the size of 3 large duck eggs in one!! The geese are so protective of their nests.
We have to collect their eggs from the coop, when they are not looking, when they are ranging out in the fields. I feel like a thief doing this, but their eggs are great to bake with. We really do not need another baby goose this summer. We have 5 geese now, and this is perfect. Little Miss Sunshine was born last June 20, on the summer soltice, and she will remain the "baby" for some time now.

Back by POPULAR DEMAND is our original farm name! Coming soon to our web site will be Once In A Blue Moon Farm once again. We will be dropping "Sleeping Sea Farm" and using only the very popular and truly ONLY name for our farm: Once In A Blue Moon Farm. Our vacation rentals will continue with the name Sleeping Sea. You can choose to stay on our beach front, Abigail's Beach House, or next door to the farm with Turtleback Mountain views at Adeline's Country House (both these vacation homes on Orcas Island, and both with multiple housing options). Plus, can also choose to stay in a big family home in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island called the Maple Village House. Our web site will clarify all this.

Adeline's Country House is on the property next door to our farm with all the great farm and mountain views. This is a BRAND NEW rental with 5 units to choose from. It is truly a gorgeous country rental on Orcas Island, far from the summer crowds but close enough to the water (1 mile from Westsound and the famous cafe and deli there) 2 miles from all the services at the ferry landing, and 6 miles to the main village of Eastsound and Moran State Park further up the road. Come to Adelines and hike the new trails on Turtleback Mountain which you can see from the decks of Adeline's. Hike to the top of Turtleback to see the fantastic marine views and also see our large 35 acre farm nestled in neighboring Woollard Mountain. You will see how our farm is actually 500 feet elevated on a nice vantage point on Mt Woollard.

San Juan Island is a great place to visit!! Our Maple Village House is situated close to the big town on the harbor called Friday Harbor, but it is far enough up a hill too to get away from the maddening summer crowds. The Maple Village House is on a lovely gardened lot with mature cedar trees, plum trees and roses. Relax on the gorgeous wrap around decks leaning into the gardens. Take a hot tub too!! Listen to the song birds. Friday Harbor is at the ferry landing so you can actually walk on the ferry from Orcas Island or Ancortes, and walk up to the Maple Village House without your car. Or, take your bike if you travel light!

Thus, Once In A Blue Moon Farm, the orginal piece of heaven I started with, is now back as our mother ship once again. The title for the farm came to me, because acquiring this farm was a life long dream that happens only Once In A Blue Moon. I believe that when the moon is blue, you have to reach out and make your dream happen. This is what I did back in 1996.

So, come to Once In A Blue Moon Farm for tours, close encounters with horses and alpaca, chickens and sheep. Buy fresh farm eggs and produce. Add to your collection of homespun yarns from our Alpaca and Sheep. Meet with our college farm interns from all around the globe and stroll our many gardens and fruit orchards. Horse riding is available by appointment and only if the timing is right for us and if our horses want to take you riding. The horsees get a say in this experience too! (Horse riding outfits are available at a few other locations on Orcas Island and San Juan Island.)
Once In A Blue Moon Farm is also getting ready for our first new farm stand at the Saturday market fair in town throughout the summer. We will keep you posted about this exciting new booth which is scheduled to open in mid June and managed by a graduate student from Evergreen College in Olympia, WA.

Please be assured, we are keeping three small lodging units available at Once In A Blue Moon Farm for the serious farm enthusiasts. These are our 3 Carriage House units: The biggest is the Loft with the full kitchen, next is the Alpaca Cabin with the courtyard gardens and kitchenette, & the smallest unit is the Garden Room right next door to the Alpaca Cabin on the patio level. Rent the Garden Room as an additional bedroom and bathroom or singularly for a couple or a couple and child. It has two beds. Best of all, we do have the community kitchen in the Carriage Bldg, so no matter where you stay in the Carriage Bldg, you do have a full kitchen too! And of course, we are PET FRIENDLY. We believe that if you are severely allergic to dander, you will not be comfortable at a farm lodging anyway. So, if that is the case, do consider Abigail's Beach House Loft for a small complete unit with kitchenette that is pet free.

Yes, there will be a lodging experience that is just right for everyone, all under Sleeping Sea.
Once In A Blue Moon Farm is BACK!!!!! We love the name and this farm was the original seed of all that exists for Sleeping Sea today. And, this farm was one of the ORIGINAL seeds of all of Orcas Island. Farming began here and farming is continuing here at ONCE IN A BLUE MOON FARM. Come join us soon!!!

Happy Spring time. Play OUTDOORS!

Shana, founder

The Sun Is Out!

Today was 65 F and sunny and there is more sun on the way!! Absolutely incredible and essential after what seemed like a never ending winter pushing its way into spring.

We just had three wonderful families stay on the farm over the course of this week and we were sad to see them go. Especially Strider and Chewbacca the great danes!! Ana and Cortes, our dachshunds, still tried their hardest to show the farm belonged too only them, regardless that they could have been eaten in one bite! Hopefully everyone will come back and visit the farm again.

With the sun out, the buds are just beginning the break. We had our first plum blossoms this weekend!! The gardens are shaping up. Lots of soil to move and weeds to pull, but soon everything will be blooming!

(Here is our guest Liz holding McDreamy, one of our cuddly geese)





(Out on the water)

Abigail's Studio Loft

The cozy beach loft studio will now have its own private bath with a shower. We are going to be incorporating some reclaimed pine siding from a former farm project. Adding the shower will cut down on the size of the living space. But a little refreshing shower before an evening on the deck looking out over the Georgia Strait with a glass of wine is well worth it. The work should be done by the first or second week of April so stay tuned for updates.

So excited that sleeping sea is up and running! Congrats to Webmaster Zach for all his hard work.

A Private Edible Garden for our Chickens

So... the website is definitely a work in progress. We are constantly making updates, edits, and more. I guess that's what happens when you do it yourself.

We fenced an area in the chicken yard for an edible chicken garden, but we had to make sure to keep those always snooping goats, sheep, and alpacas. There are currants, elderberries, acorns, walnuts, and serviceberries. We also plan on putting in a few row crops for them to eat during the summer, fall, and winter. Beets, chard, artichoke, etc...It will be their own private garden so hopefully they will leave our strawberries alone!!

Stay warm!

Zach.

New Tree Plantings

It is now the time to start putting in all our new trees for this year. While it's been a cold winter and early spring, we are hoping that all our new fruit trees and shade trees will do well.

We are proud to plant 6 established exquisite shade and ornamental trees this year.

• Katsura (1)
• Northern Red Oak (2)
• Japanese Snowbell (3)
  

We put in over 100 native plants purchased from the WSU extension office in Friday Harbor. We just finished putting them in the chicken yards and around the ponds, before this cold spell and snow.

• Vine Maple
• Red Flower Currant
• Red Elderberry
• Garry Oak
• Mock Orange
• Ninebark
• Red Osier Dogwood

Still to be purchased are this year's berries and fruit trees, along with seeds for the garden. We'll keep you up to date.

Zach.