Farm & Garden Notes | Farm & Larder

Hello, May! New Classes, Workshops and More at Bella Luna Farms

Sunshine—finally! Along with this glorious turn in the weather, comes some happy news: We have just posted new spring and early summer dates for our Classes on the Farm workshops! Our May and June calendars can be found below, be sure to scroll down, take a peek, and register on our site.
(These classes would also make for a lovely, and unique, Mother’s Day gift; hint, hint!)

It’s going to be a great summer here at the farm, as we get closer and closer to completing our new classroom space to host these classes. To be affectionately called The Larder, this space will house a classroom kitchen and workspace for us to utilize for our farm-to-table experiences, and will also be home to a small farm market! It will be ready later in June, so come see it for yourself.

Check out the lineup below; see you soon!

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CLASSES ON THE FARM

Farm-to-Table Experiences & One-of-a-Kind Workshops
—All Enjoyed in Very Good Company.
DETAILS & REGISTRATION

Create Your Own Botanical Jewelry – Saturday, May 11th: Learn how to make beautiful botanical jewelry! Join expert gardener designer and garden coach Susan Papanikolas for this dreamy workshop and learn what plants work well for these stunning adornments. A perfect Mother’s Day gift!

Soft Cheeses: Creme Fraiche, Fromage Blanc & Whole-Milk Ricotta – Saturday, May 18th: Back by popular demand, professional cheese and buttermaker Meghan McKenna teaches the art of crafting your own soft cheeses at home!

Oysterology 101: Intro to the Briny World of Bivalves – Sunday, June 9th & Sunday, June 23rd: Learn the art of shucking oysters, and take a deep dive into the briny world of these beloved bivalves, during the first of the three progressive classes taught by the experts behind The Pop-Up Oyster Bar Co.

Preserving Summer: A Jaunt Through Jam-Making – Saturday, June 15th: Join florist, chef and forager Renée Beaudoin as she takes us through the jam-making process from start to finish, focusing on the first of the summer berries at Bella Luna Farms!

Oysterology 201: A Deep Dive into Oyster Aquaculture + Appreciation – Sunday, July 7th & Sunday, July 28th: In this second installment of our three-part series, PUOB founder Corey Burleigh and his staff will teach you how to build-own-your-own oyster shooters, highlight raw, then will fire up the OFYR grill to teach you how to grill these Pacific Northwest beauties!

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FIELD TRIP TIME

The Field Trip Society is coming to Bella Luna Farms!
Join Us for One of These One-of-A-Kind Special Events
DETAILS & REGISTRATION

Wire Flower Workshop with Shelli Markee – Saturday, June 8th: Join us for a creative afternoon with Seattle-based wire artist Shelli Markee and learn to transform a spool of steel gauge wire into your favorite bloom!

Block Printing Workshop with Moon Tea Artwork – Saturday, June 30th: Bring summer brightness and color into your home at this fun and hands-on workshop taught by Kristin Loganbill, the creator and owner of Moon Tea Artwork. Using inspiration from nature, field trippers will carve and create custom stamps for block printing.

Hi, April! The Latest News from Farm & Larder and Bella Luna Farms

As we greet the month of April here at the farm, spring seems to be in full swing! As we are busy both indoors during the drippy days, and then outdoors during those glorious sun breaks, there are lots of developments to share:

This month, we kick-off the first of our Classes on the Farm spring workshops, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome the expert instructors, and you, our guests, to the farm for one of these one-of-a-kind experiences. The full April roster is listed here below and our May calendar has just been posted; take a peek and reserve your spot today! (Hint, hint: Any of these classes would make for a lovely Mother’s Day gift!)

Elsewhere around the farm, in the orchard, we have just finished the last of the winter pruning as the orchard is beginning to wake up. Just in time, too, as a new resident is about to move in and join our budding fruit trees—a new apiary site is underway, with new honeybee hives arriving from RainyDay Bees later this month. In the creamery, we have been busy checking on the cheeses aging in the cave in between whipping up batches of fresh ricotta or silky crème fraîche.

We have also been busy dividing last summer’s dahlia tubers, getting them ready for planting , and have also just planted 120 peonies and over 1500 perennials as we expand our cut flower production-we are very excited to see last year’s perennials already popping up, and are hoping for an exceptional cut flower season ahead!

Spring is also starting in the vegetable garden, where we have been both pulling weeds and adding compost, planting onions and leek starts as well as hardy lettuces, kale and peas, with hundreds of seeds going into flats in the hoophouse for starts to be ready for planting later in the month. The herbs continue to grow in the walled garden, kissing the air with the savory scent of thyme, parsley and chives, and the Shiro plum tree that graces the east wall is about to burst into bloom⁠—hopefully the weather will cooperate for a good crop of juicy golden fruit this summer!

Here’s to a bountiful and beautiful spring!

CLASSES ON THE FARM

Epicurean Experiences, Curated Classes & One-of-a-Kind Workshops—All Enjoyed in Very Good Company
DETAILS & REGISTRATION

FRENCH SPRING SUPPER (April 14th):
Former Sitka & Spruce Chef Danny Conkling explores the beautiful bounty of spring through a classic French supper during this one-of-a-kind cooking class.

THE ART OF BUTTERMAKING (April 20th):
Back by popular demand, professional cheese and buttermaker Meghan McKenna teaches us how to make glorious cultured butter at home.

SOULFUL FLAVORS OF THE SOUTH (April 21st):
Chef Matt Lewis of Where Ya At Matt? Fame will guide us through an exploration of classic New Orleans recipes, including gumbo with a Northwest twist, and freshly-made beignets!

CREATE YOUR OWN BOTANICAL JEWELRY (April 27th):
Learn how to make beautiful botanical jewelry! Join expert gardener designer and garden coach Susan Papanikolas for this dreamy workshop and learn what plants work well for these stunning adornments.

Hi, March! The Latest News from Farm & Larder and Bella Luna Farms

Spring is coming: After a gray, cold, and wet February, we are greeting the arrival of March with extra enthusiasm this year as we hope it will soon bring more encouraging glimpses of spring-like weather with the first official day of the season just around the corner. The pop weed in the garden has certainly woken up despite the cold, providing fresh greens for the hens to enjoy!

Plans for spring are picking up and we are excited to announce that we have an expansive roster of Classes on the Farm workshops planned for you this season! The months of March and April will include the following highlights:

TRUFFLE EXTRAVAGANZA (March 23rd):
Sunny Diaz of Cascadia Truffles and Stella, her truffle hunting Lagotto Romagnolo dog, will demonstrate how to search for truffles in the wild; the hunt will be followed by a stunning meal centered around this distinctive ingredient.

FRENCH SPRING SUPPER(April 14th):
Former Sitka & Spruce Chef Danny Conkling explores the beautiful bounty of spring through a classic French supper during this one-of-a-kind cooking class.

THE ART OF BUTTERMAKING (April 20th):
Back by popular demand, professional cheese and buttermaker Meghan McKenna teaches us how to make glorious cultured butter at home.

Full details and registration information can be found on our Classes on the Farm site; check your calendars and reserve your spot; we’d love to have you join us! (Keep your eyes peeled as well: May classes will be posted soon!)

In between preparing and planning for these curated classes, we’ve been spending more and more time out of doors, as are our resident animals. The chickens are busy daily scratching for bugs in their outdoor enclosure and the ‘girls’ and the donkey are starting to shed their thick winter undercoats in favor of a sleek new look. Each day we keep an eye out for the postman: Seeds continue to arrive daily, including lots of new varieties we are excited to try. Strawberry, onion and asparagus plants are on their way, as well as seed potatoes and artichoke starts, and the kale, broccoli, and cauliflower seeds are just starting to emerge in the hoophouse. Later this month the spring peas and onions will be planted outdoors under row covers, and we hope to begin harvesting our first crops of flavorful baby spring greens from the hoop house by the end of the month. (Fingers crossed!)

As the days continue to lengthen, we look forward to saying good-bye to winter and hello to spring and all the fresh and bright flavors it provides; we hope to host you here soon!