Confessions of a Grateful Farmer September 2016

1. I am over the moon to be serving our Golden Row Cider at our Event Space and Farm Stand. Come by for a free sample and pick up a growler to take home this weekend. Or let us know if you are interested in having a pony keg at your restaurant or brewery. 

2. We thankfully finished picking our winter pears this season.  It was a smaller crop than we are used too and we struggled to have enough people to help us harvest but in the 11th hour we had some bonus pickers show up and save the day. Thankful for answered prayers.

3. Our Farm Stand is OPEN 7 days a week and the apples are absolutely beautiful, tasty and huge this year for pick your own.  Did you know the keeper apples store all winter long(Fugi, Grannies, Pippens, Braebruns, Rome, Spitzenburgs). Grateful for our loyal customers that come out each week to buy farm direct and for those of you who are putting up the harvest in apple butter and sauce. Here is my recipe for Pear Butter.

4. We are honored to be partnering with a favorite non profit Gorge Grown this year for their annual fundraiser a farm to table Harvest Dinner on October 2nd from 4-7pm.  Tickets our selling out fast for this once a year event featuring Ben Stenn from Celilo Restauant and local farmers so pick yours tickets today. Excited they are serving our Golden Row Cider  and fresh fruit at this lovely dinner. 

5. We had a fantastic first year hosting weddings at our Wedding and Event Space right in the heart of our orchard and if you would like to learn more about having your special day here on our farm it would be our pleasure to host you. We also host other events as well so reach out and check on available dates.

6. We have bumper crop of Italian Prune plums and they are looking for good homes.  Please come by this weekend because they taste amazing fresh, dried, in jam or pie and are on SALE.

7. Speaking of Dried Fruit we have some of the best dried fruit in town according to our customersCome by today for a sample and get inspired to dry some of this years harvest for your household for colder months, or stock on the dried fruit we have lovely prepared for you. 

8.  Yes we have fresh pressed unpateurized Cider as well for the next 6 weeks. This weeks variety was made with Gravensteins, Jonagolds and Goldens. Its perfection! It freezes well too.

9. The best farmer on the farm (my dear mother) right smack dab in the middle of harvest had her gall bladder removed. We barely made it without her harvesting pears but we are grateful she made it out ok. 

10. We got some great news this past month from our 2015 pear crop. We thankfully had the numbers of bins and payout in a way that I got my first pay out check as a farmer.  This is the first pay check I have received from the packing house since I started in 2014(2 years later).  It was a loooong wait and I am so grateful for this surprise. Financial breakthrough keeps farmers going strong year after year and Ill take it. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for my continued success.

11. Our All fruit CSA is in its last weeks and we have had a very successful season. So many people want to back up local small family farms they just don't have the time to come out each week to shop. Consider joining our 2017 All Fruit CSA and let me drop off a box each week in your neighborhood, friends.

12. Yes, we are having our Swiss Edelweiss day on October 22nd from Noon-4pm this year. Plan on joining us for this day of Swiss music, dancing and yodeling, Swiss Sausage, Apple Strudel and Hard Cider. Also Harvest Festival weekend is a fun weekend to join as well Oct 14-16th.  

13. Consider following along on our Facebook and instagram accounts for photos, recipes, weddings, cider and farm love. xox your grateful farmer, Trina McAlexander

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Photo of Ben Mitchell/Hood River News (Golden Row Cider made by your truly)

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Harvest season is my favorite. Photo by Ben Mitchell/Hood River News

Cheers to September

September has always been my favorite month in Oregon.  We begin harvesting our winter pears and all 70+ varieties of our apples.  We are still picking peaches for days but we coming into more pluots and plums. We press fresh cider and start baking pies.  The farm smells absolutely amazing and the fall colors are starting to pop up all over in every direction.   The air is crisp in the morning and warm in the afternoons.  Its perfect time for apple picking and apple sauce making.  So I personally invite you all up to the farm for a farm day. 

Visiting our farm stand gives people the chance to experience the big picture of our small family farm and see the variety of plants we tend and the wild forest setting important to our bees and honey production. I like building long-term relationships with customers, and the more relaxed situation gives everybody time to connect when you come and

Farming is about thriving. When the soil thrives, my family and my community thrive. My hope is that the lives after ours will thrive. It's simple, but, to quote Wendell Berry, "This is no paradisal dream. Its hardship is its possibility."

Things to not miss when you visit our farm

1. Pick your own peaches, apples, plums or pears

2. Visit the barnyard and say, "Hello," to Carlos, Wilber, Billy and Waldo.

3. Pack a picnic and enjoy a meal in the heart of our orchard.

4. Play on our 2 different play structures

5. Enjoy our Fresh Pressed Cider or Hard Cider

6. Visit our Event Space or learn more about our wedding venue

7. Try our homemade jams, local honey or dried fruit.

. Pick some dahlias in our fresh flower garden.

9. Visit our Pumpkin patch with breathtaking views of Mt. Hood

10. Meet the farmers who grow fruit with you in mind.

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photo by Zach Vandehey

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for tickets head to this link

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The Mt View Orchards Wedding Venue Story!

Since I was a little girl, I thought it would be dreamy to get married on our family farm.  I learned that I am not alone in this longing and many people have asked my parents through out the years if we could host their wedding.  We are a working farm with many side businesses happening at the same time and there are special permissions needed to be able to do this so we always politely declined.  Two years ago, when I bought my families legacy farm I decided to start the process of applying for a conditional use permit to be able to host weddings on our farm because the farm wasn't making it financially and we needed to diversify in order to save the family farm.

So I started working with the Hood River county planning department and talking with another farmer/wedding venue owner nearby for some gentle coaching.  After about 4 months into the process, I had some second thoughts after going to a evening meeting where a sweet couple who had originally been approved to host weddings were shut down.  I wasn't sure I wanted to put all the work into the permit process(which was 80+ pages) to only be denied. I already felt crazy busy working 3 long days off the farm as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner and learning how to run a brand new business(es).  So I put it on a shelf and thought I would pick it up this new business idea on year 5 when I have found my groove better as a new farmer. 

Around that time a dear friend who is a well known and experienced wedding caterer in Portland visited me on the farm and strongly encouraged me to not be dismayed and put my hat in the ring and the worst thing that could happen is is my permit is not approved. After praying about it I decided it was worth the risk and I started crafting my proposal(with much advice, design help and wisdom from my caterer friend.)  I never really was certain if I would be approved or not through the whole process but after 10 long months and many small adaptions and re-submissions, miraculously we made it through the application process and we're approved to host 30 weddings on the farm and 6 farm to table dinners.  I had went to see my nearby neighbors one by one and I took their input very seriously and adapted my plans to be mindful of their needs as to be a respectful neighbor.  Being approved to host weddings on your farm in the Hood River Valley is quite rare these days because Exclusive Farm use land has many important restrictions and protections. I have to admit I was exhilarated and felt a bit like Rocky, after one of his big fights were he nearly died but then pulled a win in the last round. Unbelievably grateful.

So with my new permit in hand, I started working with a lovely structural engineer and we began designing the structures for the wedding venue.  I started working with a business consultant in town who had also launched a wedding venue at a hotel she owned in Dufur for advice because I was so very green and didn't know what I didn't know often and the idea of having new wedding venue was daunting and intimidating to me on top of everything else I was managing.  I went to the small business center at the community college nearby and worked with a very kind gentleman to begin my business proposal for the bank.  I have been very cautious to take out any debt on the farm and so I wanted to do everything very prayerfully and cautiously.  After a few rounds of drafts, I was approved an had a small amount of funding to begin construction based on my farm equipment as collateral.  I had heard lovely reports about a classmate who was in construction that I went to school with and so I met up with him because he is known for being hard working, timely and a great communicator. I couldn't be more pleased with his progress and timelines.  Because by this point we had already booked 5 weddings based solely on peoples imaginations alone with only a grass meadow in sight.  My dear friends helped with the beautiful websites, photography and wedding staging and I couldn't be more grateful to their amazing help. 

I honestly didn't always know the right next steps because building a wedding venue is a beastly project and I was trying to mostly cash flow the construction. My dear sweet parents have been incredibly helpful and I couldn't have don't it without their great partnership, encouragement and daily help,  I had to ask many questions along the way but I knew one thing, I was not going to let the couples down that I had promised our venue too this 2016 summer.  They didn't know me when they booked our venue but I keep my word. Also I found an excellent venue coordinator, Ashley Brown who has exceeded my expectations in every arena to help manage all tours and correspondence with our couples. So thankful to partner with such a stellar friend and business woman. Her email is mtvieworchardsweddings@gmail.com if you have any questions. 

Friends, I am so excited to announce that we have completed our 3 spacious buildings, all the plumbing and electrical, the sod laying and they are nearly done with our new roadway that leads to wedding venue that is very private and secluded. We are painting the 26 hand crafted tables and 52 benches this week as well.  I am so very grateful to have our wedding venue completed and to host all the lovely couples this summer on our small family farm as well as 3 farm to table dinners.  I am a bit tired and feel unsure how I am going to pay for the last big bills in july but so far I have been able to pay all my bills and I thank my generous Papa for that. I never felt super confident and secure in managing this huge project, but I am thankful to all my friends and family who have backed me up on days I was feeling unsure of my ability to launch another business.  This journey was full of insecurities, surprises and big unexpected bills but also much joy, love and wild support.  I am so thrilled to host all our lovely couples this summer on our farm and I believe it was well worth all the hard work and risk. If you want more information about getting married on our farm please head to his link. So grateful to be done with construction and for all the great advice and help along the way, friends. Bring on the weddings! I really believe this is going to be a lovely addition to our small family farm. A farm that gathers. Where our farm is your farm. xoxo your grateful farmer, Trina  

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