ANew Frontier.

The Bush family settled on 640 acres nearby, which became Bush Prairie and was known as one of the most valuable and productive farms in early Washington. With Simmons, Bush built the area’s first gristmill (flour mill) and sawmill. Bush was well known for his compassion and generosity, helping finance Simmons’ logging company, dividing his crops with friends, and maintaining good relations with neighboring tribes.

The Bush Prairie Farm, near Tumwater, became a saving grace for other pioneers to the Puget Sound area. One legend says that Isaac Stevens, the first governor of the Washington territory, stayed at the Bush farm, disguised as a lonely traveler, but Bush and his family would not accept his payment for their services.

“I don’t intend to see them want for anything I can provide them”

In 1846, the northern boundary of the Oregon Territory was extended to the 49th parallel (the modern northern boundary of the State of Washington), and so were its racist laws. Bush’s land claim was suddenly illegal according to the laws of Oregon. Fortunately, Simmons had been appointed a justice of the peace and was able to temporarily prevent the loss of Bush’s claim.

The Bush family lived under these tense circumstances for years, but their loyalty and commitment to their neighbors never wavered. According to historians, in 1852, “the grain supply was low on Puget Sound, and speculators attempted to accumulate the entire wheat crop. They offered Bush a high price for his wheat, but

Bush told them that he would keep his grain, ‘so my neighbors will have enough to live on and for seeding their fields in the spring. They have no money to pay your fancy prices, and I don’t intend to see them want for anything I can provide them.’” (NPS, 1999)

Historian Ezra Meeker remarked that during this food crisis, “The man divided out nearly his whole crop to new settlers who came with or without money …. ‘Pay me in kind next year,’ he would say to those in need; and to those who had money, he would say, ‘Don’t take too much … just enough to do you,’ and in this wise divided his large crop and became a benefactor to the whole community.” (WSHS, 1994)

The Washington Territory separated from Oregon in 1853. Nine years after settling their farm, a group of Bush’s neighbors and friends passed a memorial through the Washington Territorial Legislature requesting that the United States Congress grant the Bush family title to their land in 1854. The U.S. Congress passed this special act the following year.

Many settlers in the region owed their success to George Bush and his family. George died on April 5, 1863, and Isabella followed three years later. Their sons carried on their tradition of farming and public service. William Owen Bush, their eldest son, was a member of the first Washington State Legislature in 1889-1890 and farmed the Bush Prairie Farm until his death in 1907.

The Bush Prairie Farm is now owned and farmed by Mark and Kathleen Clark, and with the help of the NRCS and Capitol Land Trust, has been preserved as farmland forever. The farm is home to butternut trees and fruit trees that descended from those George and Isabella brought from Missouri.

In November of 2021, a new monument honoring the legacy of George Bush and his family was installed on the Capitol Campus in Olympia, as part of a project to celebrate and share the history of Black Washingtonians. A Bush butternut tree, taken as a sapling from the butternut trees on the Bush Prairie Farm, was planted nearby.

Washington state has the perfect climate to grow so many marvelous fruits and vegetables for all of us to enjoy. All summer long, we have access to incredible produce in grocery stores and farmers markets. But did you know lots of fresh food is grown during the winter months too?

Nestled in the Skagit Valley, Boldly Grown Farm is one of those places you can find produce grown in the colder months – as well as during the typical warm growing seasons. A certified organic family farm, Boldly Grown Farm specializes in fall and winter storage vegetables for wholesale markets.

Wife and husband team, Amy Frye and Jacob Slosberg, are using their passion for sustainable food systems to grow all sorts of veggies on their 58-acre farm. “We grow a lot of things that we harvest in the fall and then store and sell like squash and onions, and then other crops that will stay in the ground into February, and then we’ll be harvesting,” says Frye.

As you’ve probably guessed, it’s not typical in most areas of the country to be harvesting crops in the winter. But in this case, it’s all about location. The West Coast, and especially the Skagit region of Washington, provides a mild winter climate allowing Boldly Grown and other farms to take advantage of a variety of produce.

“We grow lots of hardy greens, kale, collards, cabbage, napa cabbage, radicchio is one of our bigger crops, winter squash, carrots, and beets,” says Frye. “You never know what the season’s going to bring, so you always got to be a bit nimble and try to stay flexible.”

There’s no doubt that farmers have to stay flexible – a skill that Boldly Grown Farm has managed to take in stride. In 2015 when Frye and Slosberg set their minds to set up roots in the Skagit Valley, they had to be inventive with how they were going to start their own farm. They found Viva Farms – a nonprofit farm business incubator – where they set up shop for seven seasons until they were able to purchase their own land in 2021.

Now on their own farm, Boldly Grown has been able to continue expanding their business providing fresh produce to both the wholesale market and to their own community through their winter CSA program. “We do a mix of really large stuff for people for food processing and then small stuff for grocery stores and the CSA,” says Frye.

The Boldly Grown Farm CSA program is a biweekly offering, through the winter months, to the local community and an opportunity for folks to partner with Frye and Slosberg as stewards of the land. In return for their investment in the farm, CSA members receive high-quality, fresh, healthy produce and become more closely connected to the food they eat.

It’s through these connections that Boldly Grown Farm has made a name for itself in the region. Their focus on growth and sustainability hasn’t narrowed their vision to what a special place in the world we share with each other here in Washington.

“There’s a great diversity of produce that comes from our state all year round. It’s really something to enjoy,” says Slosberg. “It’s awesome!”

And he’s right. All the incredible things grown in this state are so awesome, which includes everything they’re growing at Boldly Grown Farm. You can find their products at the Puget Sound Food Hub, Frank’s Quality Produce, Organically Grown Company, New Seasons Market, Skagit Valley Food Co-op, Community Food Co-op, San Juan Island Food Co-op, Orcas Food Co-op, and at many other restaurants and retailers in Western Washington.

KSPS (Spokane) Mondays at 7:00 pm and Saturdays at 4:30 pm ksps.org/schedule/

KWSU (Pullman) Fridays at 6:00 pm nwpb.org/tv-schedules/

KTNW (Richland) Saturdays at 1:00 pm nwpb.org/tv-schedules

KBTC (Seattle/Tacoma) Saturdays at 6:30 am and 3:00 pm kbtc.org/tv-schedule/

KIMA (Yakima)/KEPR (Pasco)/KLEW (Lewiston) Saturdays at 5:00 pm kimatv.com/station/schedule / keprtv.com/station/schedule klewtv.com/station/schedule

KIRO (Seattle) Check local listings kiro7.com

NCW Life Channel (Wenatchee) Check local listings ncwlife.com

RFD-TV

Thursdays at 12:30 pm and Fridays at 9:00 pm (Pacific) rfdtv.com/

*Times/schedules subject to change based upon network schedule. Check station programming to confirm air times.

Couldn’t be simpler – delicious every time!

Simply roll out the dough, toss in your fruit, fold up the edges, and get it into the oven!