Rogue Valley Farm Tour
As parents it has always been really important to us that we teach our kids to support our local businesses. When Ilias was a baby we only had one car, so I would push him in his stroller to the Rogue Valley Growers Market to shop from our local farmers and makers, and we really got to know them, even building relationships that we still have today seventeen years later.
There’s something to be said for knowing the farmers that grow your food. It definitely makes you feel more connected to your food and brings your community closer together. One of our favorite annual farm events to participate in is the Rogue Valley Farm Tour. Every July Rogue Valley farmers open their farms up to tours offering education opportunities, as well as live music, and food. In years past we’ve had a blast visiting some of our favorite farms that we frequent at the growers markets, as well as visiting some new ones. Here’s an itinerary of what we have done in the past!
Since we live in Medford, we like to start close to home at Fry Family Farms where Sue Fry, the matriarch of small farming in the Rogue Valley, gave us a tour of their greenhouses and property and gave us samples of their delicious heirloom tomatoes. What’s awesome is that their beautiful farm store is open year round sharing farm fresh produce and flowers, as well as ready made dinners, and artisan products like pies, jams, and cookies.
Our next stop took us to the north Rogue Valley to the Alpacas at Lone Ranch. The owners happily introduced us to their alpacas and the kids were able to pet them while we learned fun facts about them, we even got to meet a baby! Afterwards we visited their little shop where Renate shares her skills with beautifully knitted hats, sweaters, and other items that she knits with her alpaca wool.
After playing with the alpacas we had worked up an appetite so we decided to head out to the Rogue Creamery Dairy Farm in Grants Pass so that we could get one of their yummy grilled cheeses and the most amazing vanilla ice cream you will ever taste. After we had our lunch we took a tour of the farm where we met the cows and learned about their robotic milking system and actually got to see it in action.
Some cool facts about the Rogue Creamery Dairy Farm:
Their handcrafted cheeses are all organic.
The dairy farm is sustainable. They have intensive rotational grazing to improve soil health as well as drought resistant landscaping and limited irrigation to conserve water resources, among other practices.
See more about the farm and their moves to be eco-forward here.
We ended our day by driving through the Applegate and headed to the English Lavender Farm. We love this gorgeous farm, it’s perfect for photo ops. We can also pick our own lavender, participate in wreath making, and enjoy some lavender ice cream!
This year some of the farms will be offering special events including: Itty Bitty Acres Farm will be offering guided hayride tours. Rusted Gate Farm will be offering guided tours of their truffle orchard. Dormouse Farm will offer a scavenger hunt and art activities for kids. Salant Family Ranch will be working with Rogue Valley Farm to School offering family-friendly, hands-on educational activities, and lots more. See the full day's events and download your map and brochure HERE.
No matter which route you take you are sure to have a wonderful time and come away with a stronger appreciation for all that our farmers do. If you’d like to be a volunteer for the event you can pick the farm you would like to work at here.
