Greetings! We at 3 Corners Farm hope you enjoyed a safe and happy 4th of July!

Section 4 of the Flag Code states:

 "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

~Francis Bellamy (1855-1931)

While I was hanging freshly washed laundry on the line outside the morning of July 4th, I was blessed by witnessing the presence of the military jets flying overhead, on their way to fly over the parades happening throughout Oregon. They are always so powerful to witness from the sight of the jets to the loud vibrating and echoing sounds that they leave in their wake, and to the sheer strength that they represent. It almost brought tears to my eyes.

Our family did not attend the local parades this year. Still, we did enjoy a family barbecue together, for dinner. We also went to our local Fireworks show in the evening over the Columbia River. It was a simple celebration on a beloved Holiday, but most of all we were grateful that no large fires occurred as a result of fireworks. 

Fireworks over the Columbia River in The Dalles Oregon.

So What's Up In Our Farming?

For those of you new to us, we are a family of five who live in the hills of Oregon above the mighty Columbia River in The Pacific Northwest. We run a small farming business concentrated on growing organic greens such as lettuce, kale, spinach, and salad mixes.

We use a separate, irrigated, rented lot of land to grow for our 3 Corners Farm Business, but we have our own growing gardens and produce on our small Homestead land of just under three acres. If you would like to learn more about who we are, what we do, and where we began in this experience, please feel free to visit us at our "About Us" page and enjoy reading through former blog posts to get a peek into our tiny house project, our rescue animals, our farming (including certifications, sales, and growth), and stories of us in general.

So far this year, we have had our ups and downs in sales, but mostly ups. The weather, of course, always plays the lead role in this act of farming and growing food from the earth.

Here is a bit of a comparison to show, though, that we have indeed worked hard and been blessed this year:

In June of 2022, we produced three hundred and thirty pounds of produce compared to this June of 2023, in which we produced eight hundred and ten pounds of produce. That's a whopping 480 pounds of growth! I know that my husband, Travis, had his sights set on even bigger numbers, but growth is growth, so we will call this a win. And besides that, I reminded him that the quality of his produce is tasty and top-notch. We receive many compliments on the good test and freshness of our produce and that encourages us every day.

Travis is selling his salad greens/produce to Mosier Market, Gorge Farmer Collective, Riverside Restaurant in Hood River, and Freebridge Brewing in The Dalles. Plus last month in June we did a three hundred and fifty-pound contract for the Columbia Gorge Food Bank. That one contract alone is almost as much as we produced and sold all of last June!

CGFB Delivery
Columbia Gorge Food Bank delivery.

We are missing being at The Dalles Farmer's Market this year, but as you can tell, we do not have much left over to sell there, at least not enough to make it worth the extra work and time. We miss seeing the people there most of all, but we don't so much miss spending the week getting ready for the market and then hauling our booth, tills, ice buckets, etc., back and forth. It is nice having full Saturdays to ourselves this summer since that is the one day a week we give ourselves "off."

It has taken three years to work up to this point and we are still planning more future goals. We are especially excited to start farming using hydroponics. That is still a dream that we are working behind the scenes to make a reality and I will share more about that process as we "grow" along, haha!

Weather Happenings

It has been dry and windy recently, and with the arrival of the summer solstice, we got hot!

True to this time of year in modern times, there have been some wildfires burning in our surrounding areas, including the Tunnel Five Fire in Skamania Wa., located just across the river from Hood River, Or., (on the west side of us.) I believe the Tunnel Five Fire burned ten homes. What a tragedy! Before that, there was a fire in The Dalles, Or., (on the east side of us) which resulted in the loss of two homes, but thankfully no lives have been lost so far this fire season and I pray it stays that way!

There was also a bit of a scare near us just after the 4th. Three things occurred with that:

1. A lovely friend from down the hill called me early Thursday afternoon on July 6th, to tell me that she could see billowing smoke near us. 

2. We were so relieved to learn that this new fire was actually burning further south than we had all thought and it was of no threat to us, however, it was still very concerning because other homes were being evacuated and wildlife was in danger.

3. Before our angst could grow any bigger, fire bosses were flying in the sky above our Homestead, and emergency fire vehicles were patrolling up and down the gravel road out front. They did a phenomenal job and managed to extinguish that fire within a few hours. Incredible!

Fire crews continue to watch for hot spots and they make rounds in our area regularly. 

What an incredible purpose our emergency service crews have! I can't imagine not having them bravely swoop in and save the livelihoods (and lives) of so many. I am forever grateful to firefighters. I have such high respect for all emergency workers of any kind because they are always there for us in our most vulnerable times of need.

Other Homestead Happenings

Well, this part is much like everyone else experiences from time to time. You know, when all the major appliances in the house bite the dust at the same time? It seems like this always happens all at once. 

First up, our washing machine broke. Not only that but since I am such a lover of the old ways, I have a 1940s Wringer Washer that I enjoy using for just such times as these. When the power goes out, or the washer breaks, I can hook up the wringer washer to a separate motor or generator, fill it with water and laundry soap, and push the knob that makes the machine agitate the clothes.

Maytag Wringer Washer that I bought at an auction for $40.00 several years ago.

I then drain the water out, run a hose over the laundry to rinse it, and I send the pieces of laundry through the wringer. 

That old machine does a beautiful job! I can hang the clothes on the line (or pop them in the dryer) and they will come out as fresh and clean as ever. The only downside is that I need to be present in the process versus walking away and letting the machine do all of it, but when the laundry piles up, this old-school Wringer Washer gets the job done and I rather enjoy the process. It is very peaceful and gratifying.

All is right in my world when there is laundry drying on the line.

Guess what though? For the first time in years of owning the Wringer Washer, a part in it also stopped working! So now we found ourselves stuck with two out-of-order laundry machines. 

We tried to fix the washer but it was to an avail. We ended up ordering a new (modern) machine through The Home Depot, and our laundry washing life is back to normal. We do still intend to order the part for the Wringer Washer because it still has so much life left in it, and what a neat piece of history it is! 

That's not all though. 

One morning I woke up and was brushing my teeth in the bathroom when I heard a weird "gurgling" noise.

Some red flags went up in the back of my mind but after I scouted around the house, I noticed nothing unusual so I went about my business and forgot about it. It wasn't until one of the kids told me a little while later that their toilet wouldn't flush... and that's when I knew we had a problem.

Ugh!

We had to call a plumbing company and our septic tank had to be pumped. It was another large (and smelly) unexpected cost, but we should have known it was time to check into that anyway.

And finally... 

I decided that since we have had so many big expenses lately (including a vet visit for the horses back in May), it is time for me to bring in some more supplemental cash flow. 

I wasn't sure exactly what to do, but I have noticed so many families looking for daycare in our local towns. I reached out to an acquaintance and offered to watch her little ones because she needed someone part-time, and that still left me time to help with farm work, so it's a win-win arrangement. I am watching her little guys for a few days a week and loving it!

Nothing brings me more joy than children. (And animals, of course.)

Busy, Busy, Busy

This is only a small written piece of our farm and life happenings in the past month or so. There is always so much more to share, but I must sign off now to get the horses ready for a farrier visit. I will be sure to include an animal update in next month's blog post.

Sometimes life throws us setbacks, but we are good at making homemade lemon juice out of sour lemons, so we are looking ahead to an exciting future! I hope you enjoy learning about our small farming lifestyle and journey with us. 

May the rest of this summer bring blessings and love to you all,

Amy E. Darr

3 Corners Farm

Mosier, Oregon U.S.A.