Wanderlust Wednesday
Oregon is a state full of rolling hillsides, forest land, mountains, lakes, and pastures, making it a haven for all things natural! We've put together a list of the most bountiful destinations across the state, each option providing information, tours, or great views of livestock and vegetation production.
- Al’s Garden Center
Woodburn
Date Established: 1948
Owners: Al and Ann Bigej
Tours Offered: Daily gardening classes/workshops
Goods Harvested/Sold: Seasonal plants, outdoor living items, indoor living items, tools, supplies, soil, compost, bark
Acreage: 6 Acres
This highly popular Oregon gardening center is a third-generation owned and operated a local business that sells everything from potted herbs and flowers to BBQs and outdoor furniture. This location is the largest full-service indoor garden center in the Willamette Valley, with three total retail stores throughout the area. Here in Woodburn, your group will get the chance to see everything, from behind the scenes to on the shelves, as well as take part in any of the various daily special events, workshops, classes, or (if young enough) the Kids Club.
Tomato Pixabay Public Domain
- Mountainside Lavender
Scholls
Owners: Bill and Lori Carlson
Tours Offered: Aquaponics Garden Tour, Essential Oil lecture
Goods Harvested/Sold: Lavender, essential oil, lip balm, dried flowers
Here your group will find over 2,000 various lavender plants representing over 20 varieties of French and English lavenders in several different shades of whites, pinks, and purples. A visit to Mountainside Lavender does well to soothe guest's spirits, teach them about the horticulture of wildflowers and herbs (especially, you guessed it, lavender), and allow them to see some of the most photogenic spots in Oregon, all from the farm!
Lavender Pixabay Public Domain
- Smith Berry Farm
Hillsboro
Date Established: 1978
Tours Offered: Various seminars and workshops for local farmers
Goods Harvested/Sold: Fresh produce - Raspberries and Apples, local food items, gardening tools, educational items
Acreage: 30 Acres U-Pick berry, 5 Acre Apple Orchard
Here at Smith’s your group will learn about farming practices used locally, sustainable agriculture in general, as well as the farm’s personal goal to provide the freshest, highest quality, produce in the local market. You will find excellent seasonal choices such as pumpkins and Christmas trees, and you will even have the chance to grab an espresso or milkshake while looking around! This is the perfect spot for students hungry for horticultural knowledge and fresh local foods!
Berries Pixabay Public Domain
- Oregon Heritage Farms
Hillsboro
Date Established: 1990
Tours Offered: Customizable tours, field trip class outings, educational walks
Goods Harvested/Sold: Apples, cider, fresh local seasonal produce
Acreage: 30 Acres U-Pick berry, 5 Acre Apple Orchard
At Oregon Heritage Farms you will see 10 different varieties of apples, from Gravenstein to Melrose and every delicious Fuji and Granny Smith in between, as well as locally grown seasonal produce. Enjoy free samples of cider and apples and even see the Zucal apple pickers do their work before the apples are cooled, sized, and sorted, then head over to the gift store for some local country crafts and gifts!
Apples Pixabay Public Domain
- L Bar T Bison Ranch
Forest Grove
Date Established: 1991
Owners: Tom Epler
Tours Offered: Ranch Tour - by appointment, monthly lectures
Goods Harvested/Sold: Bison meat (patties, bratwurst, jerky, hot dogs), skulls, hides, spices, smokers
Acreage: 420
This particular ranch has on average about 14-15 animals regularly, between the constant process of breeding and butchering. Here you can learn all about bison and Native American tribes, as well as why bison meat is an absolutely healthier alternative to red meat, also known to be more flavorful, sweeter, and richer. What better way to learn all of this and perhaps try bison for the first time than at one of the most widely recognized ranches of its kind in the Pacific Northwest!
Public Domain
- Oregon Orchard Hazelnuts
Cornelius
Date Established: 1995
Goods Harvested/Sold: Hazelnuts - natural, mint chocolate, jalapeno, hickory, cherry, etc.
Acreage: 30 Acres U-Pick berry, 5 Acre Apple Orchard
This orchard takes pride in its age-old tradition of growing and harvesting quality hazelnuts on-site and is backed by strict Oregon grade standards and frequent USDA inspections. There is no better place to go nuts (hazelnuts that is) than here at the Oregon Orchard! Enjoy your horticulturally prosperous visit and learn why over 99% of North America’s hazelnuts are sourced from this rich Willamette Valley soil!
Hazelnuts Pixabay Public Domain
Windy Acres Dairy Farm
Prineville
Date Established: 1994
Tours Offered: Special Event/Dairy Days
Goods Harvested/Sold: turkeys, pigs, lamb and calves, chickens, eggs. Seasonally: blueberries and honey
- Windy Acres Dairy Farm is an operational Grade A dairy farm that has raised from 60 to 7 cows at a time, thriving in its area as a premier dairy source. While here you can see calves, turkeys, pigs, and lamb, each raised for the food chain of natural meat. The farm also harvests eggs, and seasonally blueberries and honey. Learn all about the food chain, milking process, and pasteurization process while here!
Cow Pixabay Public Domain
