Come with me on my recent adventures to eastern Oregon!
Here you will not only read about how awesome Baker County is, you will know where good food really comes from. You hear the term “farm-to-table” tossed around so much these days it has started to lose its meaning.
A new generation of producers are revitalizing the northeastern Oregon. This isn’t gentrification, this is an authentic desire to make Baker County a true destination, while keeping its history firmly intact. One way they’re doing this is through food.
My recent trip to Halfway and Richland, Oregon put the true farm-to-table experience into perspective. These are the unique stories of the amazing people who have dedicated their lives to providing their community and surrounding areas with healthy, wholesome (and delicious) organic food.
Halfway, OR – The Ultimate Ranching Community
When I stepped up to the unassuming house that is the headquarters of Hedge Rose Farm, Amari and her partner Jenn were packing up their freshly-picked produce into a pickup truck to take to the farmer’s market in nearby Baker City.
Amari was kind enough to take a few minutes out of her busy morning to show me around their amazing horse-powered farm. She grew up on a farm in Maine and came to Portland several years ago. Her and her partner had a ½ acre near Powell Butte and grew fruit trees there. Then they had the opportunity to expand and move here to Halfway.
While they use no chemicals or other pesticides on their farm, they are not “certified organic,” although by all intents and purposes, they are. For certification, a farm has to go through much government red tape and inspections, not to mention coughing up $5,000 in order to gain such a distinction.
Hedge Rose Farm is a relatively young business, and the farm ain’t got that kind of money…yet. But they don’t really need it. They proudly provide their vegetables (including fragrant garlic!), fruits and meats to local Baker County residents and surrounding community businesses, and they like it that way. Word of mouth spreads fast, and people take care of their own.
I would come to realize this all throughout my trip to Baker County. The farmers and ranchers here would just as soon provide for their neighbors before anyone else. It’s what makes this community so wonderful and is seemingly a dying past time. Amari and her partner work closely with the next farm I was to visit, Pam and Marv Brisk’s horse-powered farm.
Pam and Marv Brisk’s Horse-powered Farm
Marv has mostly retired from the business, and he wants Amari’s Hedge Rose Farm to eventually take over the business entirely. In fact, Amari was there when I pulled up to the Brisk’s property. She led me to where Marv and Pam were gathering hay for the day, using pure, unadulterated horse power. No electrical machinery required.
Marv and Pam came here many years ago from the Midwest and have been supplying the folks of Baker County with hay, hand-made horse bridles, goat cheese, bodacious corn (and other varieties), and elderberry juice for a long time. They have a couple of goats that produce about a gallon of milk per day, from which Pam makes her delectable goat cheese. This cheese is delightfully soft and tasty, and she puts in other ingredients to flavor it up, such as garlic, berries, and herbs.
I asked Marv if Pam ships her cheese to faraway places. Turns out that the surrounding community has demand enough of her cheese that she doesn’t need to market it far and wide. Pretty impressive! A good reason to come here and try for yourself.
They also produce elderberries, which when made into a juice is pretty tart and bitter, but it’s got so many healing properties that people will use it for medicinal purposes. That could mean simply drinking a shot of it, or putting it into smoothies, or adding a bit of sugar and using it in various recipes.
Marv also has a ton of antique farm tools he has acquired over the years. It was amazing to just walk down the line and look at them, almost as if I was in a museum. He reckons he will eventually use them, either for parts, or give to folks who are looking for that long lost tool to help them work the land. He even has a wind mill at the front of his property, although it’s mainly just for show, as the valley doesn’t get a lot of wind. He drove all the way to Wisconsin for it, brought it back to Oregon and slowly put it together.
The Bird Ranch with Linda and David Bird
As an authentic Century Farm, this cattle ranch just outside of Halfway has been in Linda’s family for over 100 years. Her and David acquired the property from her parents decades ago and they started out with just a few head of cattle. Over the years they slowly grew their heard and sell their livestock to both processing facilities and private citizens. Not long ago they sold two of their cows to a young boy. He kept one as a pet, the other he trained to be shown at the local cattle show – of which he won the prize ribbon.
It was fascinating to tour their ranch – the cattle business is an intriguing one. A lot goes into the care of the cows and bulls, and the Bird’s carefully tend to each and every one of them. They may sure all are healthy, and meticulously keep track of the breeding process. Lots of the original buildings still stand today – their house, which was built in the 1990’s, is the only new structure on the property.
They took me on their four wheeler and we went out into the fields, landing in the middle of a cattle herd. All of my grandparents were farmers, but I had never before stood in the middle of an open field with 100 head of cattle surrounding me. It was wonderful. The cows were used to it – David and his ranch hand go out every single day and account for everyone in the heard. He showed me his list of their cows – they actually give names to the cows and their calves! One name that stood out to me was a cow called Miracle. Her calf is called Whip. Pretty clever. They match them to the numbered tags on their ears. That’s how they keep track of them.
Then David showed me his classic cars kept under wraps in a large garage down the road. That was an added treat I did not expect. Of all my visits, I spent the most time at this ranch; there was just so much to see and Linda and David where an absolute delight to talk to.
Where to Stay in Halfway, Oregon
Pine Valley Lodge. This is a great little place consisting of two old houses that have been converted into comfortable and modernly-furnished rooms and suites. A third main house holds the office with a lounge area, and where they serve their complimentary breakfast every morning and fresh coffee.
Where to Eat in Halfway and Richland
The Main Place – true to its name, this restaurant and bar is THE place to dine in Halfway. They serve traditional meals, including steak, chicken, burgers, salads, and sandwiches. And they do it well. Of course, ALL of the ingredients are sourced locally. I dined on a medium rare flat iron steak that positively melted in my mouth! Suffice it to say my delectable piece of meat came from one of the ranches in the area (perhaps the Bird ranch?) The drinks from the bar are perfectly handcrafted. They always have creative specials that aren’t on the menu and are always worth trying.
Sara’s Richland Cafe – more about Sara’s place below!
Richland, OR
Sara’s Richland Café
Sarah bought her amazing little café back in 2020, smack dab in the middle of the pandemic. This allowed her the time to really put some thought into how she wanted to run the place. And what a tremendous job she’s doing.
As what often happens with good neighbors, she gets some of her fresh ingredients from her customers, or from local farmers up the road in Halfway, like Marv and Pam Brisk. She loves to experiment with different recipes and flavors, and will often have “international nights” at the café, showcasing different cuisines from around the world. To many residents in Baker County, it’s the only taste of another country’s culture they get to experience.
Many locals here prefer a good pizza night over international night, and Sara does her best to provide. “I try to add unique dishes to the menu along with the favorites. But most of my customers are wary to try anything new. So I started doing the international nights to try to get more people to break out of their comfort zone.”
The day I was there, the lunch special was a pesto burger. A fantastically grilled-to-perfection burger from a local ranch, with cheese, and an amazing home-made pesto sauce on top, made from basil brought in from a customer’s garden. To me, pesto is something you’d never think to put on a burger, but the flavor combination was amazing!
Sara also partners with local artists and sells their crafts, such as jewelry, art, and other home goods in her café. She has even written a book, which is proudly displayed in her café called 60 Miles of Bad Road. She also has weekly pre-order bread options and other goodies. It kind of made my head swim with all of the things she does.
A few miles up the road from Richland is Linda and Robert’s fruit orchard. Eagle Creek has gone through the Certified Organic process, meaning they spent a good chunk of their money and resources in order to acquire that title. Their gorgeous orchard is on 4.5 acres and contains about 1,200 fruit trees.
They grow 18 varieties of peaches, 13 varieties of apples, not to mention Bosc and Asian pears, plums, and hazelnuts. They mainly sell to local co-ops, grocery stores, and have a good list of private customers.
“It’s important for people to know just where their food comes from, and we always strive to do that,” says Linda. “Especially young people in cities – many of them have no idea where their fruits and veggies come from, and often there is no food education system in place to teach them.”
She relayed to me a story about how a little girl came running up to her mother one day at the farmer’s market, exclaiming “Mom, look! I found this carrot laying in the dirt!” As if she didn’t know that was where they came from.
Linda showed me her Brix refractometer. A handy little device where you can take just a couple of drops of the juice from a piece of fruit and measure its sugar quality. About 15 on the scale will do just nicely for the perfect peach.
On to Baker City
People from all over come here (even the big cities) to make Halfway their home. Visitors are encouraged to explore it all and appreciate the slow pace of life here. Halfway and Richland celebrate with a number of festivals throughout the year, including the annual rodeo. This area is truly is relaxing. My next post will focus on the historic, yet up-and-coming town of Baker City.
**Disclaimer: I was hosted by Travel Baker County for my trip to eastern Oregon. However, all statements and opinions expressed in my blog posts are entirely my own.
