To most people a strawberry is a strawberry is a strawberry but on our farm we grow eight different kinds of strawberries: Shuksans, Totems, Hoods, Puget Summers, Honeyoyes, Tillamooks, Puget Reliances, and Firecrackers!!

As their names suggest these are truly local, quintessentialy northwest, strawberries that taste the way strawberries should taste: sweet, bursting with flavor and truly delicious. We have been growing some of these berries so long (over twenty-five years) they could be considered heirlooms. We have stuck with them because we feel they are still the very best there is.

Our mission is to preserve these great tasting strawberries so they will be around for a long time to come. A few years ago we became alarmed that the reputation of local strawberries was being compromised by the introduction of certain day neutral varieties of strawberries that are very similar to (and in some cases the same varieties as) strawberries that come from that great big state two doors down the west coast.

These are the berries that flood the market from February on and, though pretty to look at, are decidedly less sweet and flavorful. They are berries that have been built to travel long distances and, by considerably lowering their sugar content, last a long time on the shelf. These are now being grown in the northwest and can rightfully be labeled fresh, local strawberries. Our concern is that they people will be confused and soon reach the conclusion that local berries are nothing special......... which they are.

The varieties of strawberries we grow are referred to as June bearing and because they were developed for immediate consumption or freezing, they have maximum flavor and sweetness. They also have a beautiful, bright red color inside and out. But because of their high natural sugar content they do not have good shelf life. These perishable berries need to be eaten very quickly after picking. That's why we pick daily and deliver them to the markets within hours after harvest. Their season is short, generally three to five weeks, so it is recommended that they be indulged in at every opportunity.

We also grow five different varieties of raspberries: Malahats, Meekers, Cascade Delights, Coho's, Tulameens, and Cascade Dawn. And five different varieties of blueberries:Blue Crop, Reka, Early Blues, Dukes and Chandlers

We wish time would allow us to go into more detail on the different varieties we grow as they each have their unique appeal. But that is a project that will have to wait until we are less busy farming. We will try to see that our berries are identified at the markets and hope that you will enjoy discerning for yourself their subtle variations. Happy Eating.