Bottom brood boxes set in place
Some of the Brookfield Farm bees have a new home: Sumas River Farm in Sumas, Washington. Our farm has lots of trees, which is lovely, but limits the amount of space I have for beehives. So I’m always looking for more “bee yards”. My bees stay year-round in these locations. I drive to them to care for the bees. I drive to the bees rather than the bees being driven around. On the perfect morning for moving bees: chilly and raining Ian and I moved some hives to Sumas River Farm. It’s a lovely place to keep bees: excellent forage, good light, great wind breaks, and a wonderful organic farmer.
Farmer Helen Solem tends edible flowers
Farmer Helen Solem works dawn to dusk, at her USDA Certified Organic farm, selling to the public at the Bellingham Farmer’s Market, Ferndale Farmer’s Market, though the local CSA program, and at her farm stand. Farmer Helen is committed to sustainable farming methods dedicated to caring for the soil and production of abundant healthy, fresh local produce. You can really taste the care, knowledge, and love that Helen puts into her work. The produce is delicious
Her farm produces a vast array of traditional vegetables that include chard, snow peas, broccoli, and lettuce as well as such specialties as yellow raspberries, grapes, apples, arugula, edible flowers, sugar peas, tomatoes, and eggplant (I didn’t think one could grow eggplant here until I met Helen). Fruits from her farm encompass a range from apples and quince to blueberries and strawberries. To eat one of her Rainier strawberries is like biting into a warm summer day. The herb crops include basil, cilantro, dill, fennel and more. She even sells nettles – now there’s a deal: nettles are absolutely delicious, but not much fun to harvest.
Don’t know what to do with nettles? Try Helen’s recipe for Nettle Pesto and other nettle creations. Her CSA deliveries often come with new recipes for the abundant fruits, vegetables, and edible flowers she produces.
Farmer Helen in one of her organic fields
You can find her at the Bellingham Farmers Market, the Ferndale Farmers Markets and at Helen’s Sumas River Farm, in Sumas where she welcomes visitors (but please call first) and hosts a Midsummer Open House each year. Sumas River Farm is on an 1888 homestead on the banks of the Sumas River at 4289 Rock Road, Sumas WA 360-927-9736
I should direct you to her website, but as you might have figured, this hard-working farmer has been concentrating on delivering local, organic produce to the community, which has left little time for web-development. In the meantime Northwest Farm and Food has an excellent page on Farmer Helen Solem and Sumas River Farm (with driving directions too): http://nwfarmsandfood.com/index.php/farms/sumas-river-farm
Brookfield Farm hives in place with happy bees (look close)
I do think Brookfield Farm bees will be very happy in the organic fields of Sumas River Farm.
