February 6, 2014 • The Whidbey Examiner
Page 7
FARM: Milepost 19 owners move on after five years in raspberry business From page 6 Post 19 marker, and we settled on that.” Because they wanted to be part of the friendly Whidbey farm scene and not directly competitive with others, they consulted with neighbor Juanita Youderian, who has been growing Willamette raspberries on her property down the highway at Welcher Road for decades. As a result, they planted Meeker raspberries, a variety that matures later in the season and whose harvest doesn’t directly compete with Willamettes. “Our experience with our garden in Medina had shown us how to plant and care for raspberries,” Jerry said. “They’re basically kind of a weed. They are pretty easy to grow, but the trick is to train them or else you have a massive bramble.” They were pleasantly surprised by the amount of advice and help available for start-up farmers on Whidbey. The WSU Extension gave them a lot of resources. Farmers in the heart of berry-growing country near Lynden opened their fields for study. “They hold seminars on pest control and plant problems and on growing techniques for all the small guys,” he said. “It was fantastic.” The Jaderholms went into the berry farming business with a couple of goals: To be sustainable by not using herbicides and other chemicals, and to sell everything on Whidbey that they grew. And for Kimberly, a former human resources executive
at Nordstrom, it was chance to hire and train young local people as “employees,” not just “berry pickers.” “At first, I had a hard time getting pickers,” she said. “I ran it as an HR operation. I did a lot of interviews, and I insisted that everybody be responsible and arrive on time. No excuses. We paid the state minimum wage ($9.19 an hour); this was a real job.” Within a few weeks, she did attract a loyal group, mostly Coupeville High School students, eager to make as much as $500 after taxes during the July picking season. Many stayed with them throughout their high school days and have now gone on to college. “I had an absolute ban on torn or dirty clothes; we’re all representing a business,” she said. “The kids loved it when I had to dress down the farmer (her husband Jerry) one day for wearing a ripped T-shirt.” Her favorite part of the farm was working with the kids, she says. “These are wonderful young people, and that speaks highly of our
parents, our schools and our community. They would get so bonded that they would hang out in our barn after a picking shift, just chatting.” After the first harvest in 2009, which was mostly sold fresh at the farm or at the farmer’s market in Coupeville, the Jaderholms began to experiment with products made from frozen raspberries – syrup, jam, vinegar, mustard and more. The berries are frozen at the farm, then transported to a processor in Oregon that manufactures the products. “We didn’t know if people would buy a manufactured product, but it has been very successful,” Jerry said. Mile Post 19 products are currently sold in 14 retail locations throughout Whidbey from the Clinton Market to the Navy Exchange in Oak Harbor. And now that they have turned over the keys to new owners, how do they feel about the experience? “We went into this as a business, with a five-year plan, and we stuck to it,” Jerry said. “Farming is hard,
Whidbey Island Vintners Association presents
Re
late Tour o c o d Wine & Ch Two Weekends! Feb. 8-9 & Feb. 15-17
Tickets $20 in advance / $25 day of event www.whidbeyislandvintners.org Ticket includes a souvenir glass, wine tastes & chocolate treats. Tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/536821
but if you want to work hard on this island you can make it in farming. The farmers here have a real work ethic and they help each other, and we treasure the friendships we have made. Nobody could have told us how hard it would be to do this, but there is also no way anybody could have told us how much satisfaction we would get.” All that sounds very encouraging to Lynn and Raitzer as they embark on their own Whidbey farming adventure. Raitzer said he remembers growing up in a rural farming community and knowing about his father’s dream to run a small farm after he retired as an engineer – a dream he didn’t live long enough to realize. “So I’ve been thinking about farming and orchards for a long time,” he said. For now, they will continue to juggle their city careers
and their Whidbey farming life, which they know will be a challenge. They plan to take “an extended summer vacation” from their city jobs during the summer growing and harvest season. “Our main focus right now is to continue with the great work the Jaderholms did,” Lynn said. “We’ll spend our time getting up to speed and learning the ropes. But we’re fast learners and eager people and we’re full of enthusiasm ... and Izzabella loves being a farm dog.” They are bursting with ideas they hope to explore once they gradually transition from city life to full-time farm life. “We both love to cook and eat, and we’re always coming up with new recipes for things we’ve found on Whidbey,” she said. Eventually, they may expand beyond raspberries to
other “foodie” row crops, or they may use the farm as a venue for dinners or meetings. “We’ll be involved somehow in the local food movement, and that could take lots of forms,” Jerry says. An engineer by training, Jerry is also considering ways technology can improve the farm operation, such as selfirrigation systems. “It’ll be irrigating itself and hopefully we’ll be able to monitor it from a distance,” he said. And they’ve already taken one technological leap forward. They now accept credit cards for purchases. The Jaderholms had always shied away from such things. “We’re not techies and we don’t even have a smart phone,” Kimberly said. “Michele and Jerry have the expertise and the energy to really take the farm to the next level.”
Town of Coupeville Accepting Applications for Volunteers for Boards & Commissions The Town of Coupeville is accepting applications for the following volunteer positions: • Planning Commission – Three Positions - Four-Year Term • Parks & Recreation Board – Seven Positions – Three-Year Term • Library Board – One Position – Five-Year Term • Ebey’s Trust Board – One Position – Four-Year Term • Historic Preservation Commission – One Position • Tree Board – Three Positions These positions may be vacant or the terms may be due for renewal. Current members of the Board may be considered for reappointment. Volunteer applications are available at Town Hall at 4 NE 7th Street, Coupeville, or the Town’s website at www.townofcoupeville.org. Applications are due by February 28, 2014. If you would like more information on serving on any of these boards or commissions, please contact Clerk-Treasurer at 360-678-4461, ext. 7; or email at clerktreasurer@townofcoupeville.org.
Whidbey Island Worship Guide Pacific Rim Institute St. Mary’s Church Sundays • 6:30pm
TOWN OF COUPEVILLE
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING Island County Hearing Room Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014 6:30 pm
MEETING CANCELLED
*************** THE NEXT REGULAR TOWN COUNCIL MEETING WILL BE ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2014
Oak Harbor Lutheran Church invites everyone to experience a casual evening of prayer, worship and friendship in Coupeville. Call 679-1561 for information. WELCOME TO
St. Mary’s Catholic Church MASS SCHEDULE
Sundays • 11:15 am & Thursday • 12:10 pm 207 N. Main St., Coupeville • www.staugustineoh.org
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH ON WHIDBEY ISLAND WELCOMES EVERYONE!
St. Augustine’s in-the-Woods
Julie Spangler, Director of Christian Formation Nigel J. Taber-Hamilton, Rector
Sunday Eucharist 8 & 10:30 am
Child care available at 10 am Youth programs at 10:30 am Sept - June 5217 S. Honeymoon Bay Rd Freeland • 360-331-4887 www.staugustinesepiscopalchurch.org
Coupeville United Methodist Church
8:45 Contemporary Service 10:00 Sunday School 11:00 Traditional Service
Child care available Pastor Jin Ming Ma 608 N. Main St. • 360-678-4256
A Church, A Family
A Spiritual Home Grace By The Sea An Anglican Expression of Faith The Rev. Paul Orritt
SUNDAY SERVICE
8:00 AM TRADITIONAL WORSHIP SERVICE 9:15 AM SUNDAY SCHOOL 9:30 AM FAMILY WORSHIP SERVICE www.gracebythesea.org
•
Island Vineyard Community Church Pastor James Gallagher
9:15 AM SUNDAY SCHOOL 9:30 AM WORSHIP SERVICE www.islandvineyard.org
•
2 Churches - 1 Building 679-3431 555 SE Regatta Dr., Oak Harbor
ISLAND VINEYARD COMMUNITY CHURCH
Come join us for Lutheran Worship Services in Coupeville!
GRACE BY THE SEA • AN ANGLICAN EXPRESSION OF FAITH
To advertise in this directory, call the Whidbey Examiner at 360-678-8060.