Rene' and Anne Berblinger began farming in the Gales Creek Valley in western Washington County in 1999. Adam Baratta, Kimberly DeLanghe, and Robin Johnson will be our full-time crew for 2011, Chris Burtch, Norman Hamilton, Francizka Monahan, and Laurel Berblinger are our part-time workers. Some of our employees are aspiring to be farmers on their own, and three former employees have started their
own farms after working with us for a few seasons. Our farm, on the northeast side of Gales Creek Road, includes 9 flat acres of wonderful soil, a steep wooded hillside - the west side of Clapshaw Hill - and a riparian area with cottonwoods. We produce more than 300 varieties of great tasting and beautiful vegetables and herbs. Many of our varieties are heirlooms. Early in the season, we sell starts of hardy vegetables including beets, onions, lettuce, and chard. In May, we have starts of tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, squash, and cucumbers. We have more than 40 varieties of tomatoes, more than 20 sweet and hot peppers, and about five kinds of eggplant. Throughout the whole season, we have herb starts and our popular leaf lettuce starts, which are pots containing 10-30 plants of many varieties of lettuce. Verdura Gardens uses our starts for the gardens they build for customers throughout the Portland region. As the season progresses, we offer the best familiar spring, summer and fall vegetables and many unusual varieties. Our farming practices build the soil and provide habitat for wildlife including native plants, insects, birds, and microbes. We have been certified Organic by Oregon Tilth since 2001. In addition to the Hollywood Farmers Market (May - October), we can be found at the, Hillsdale Farmers Market (March-May), and Cannon Beach Farmers Market (August and September). Restaurants which use our products include Bon Appetit at Intel, Genoa, EVOO at Cannon Beach, Nostrana, Daily Cafe in the Pearl, Vino Paradiso, and Fleur de Lis French Bakery. And those fabulous Ruby Jewel Treats . . . the mint and lavender for the ice cream comes from Gales Meadow Farm.
