The things we are grateful for in 2023

Our crew from last year

Wow, what a winning year last year. In 2023 we started our own Apprentice Program and our first year’s Apprentices knocked our socks off. We feel very strongly about being a place that is integral in inspiring and training future farmers. We take it as a given that farming on a smaller scale using regenerative, biodynamic, and organic practices is part of a solution to climate change and helps to create a sustainable local economy. Our apprentice crew is our farm labor for the summer and they do everything: plant, weed, harvest, seed, pack, clean. All of it. If you are going to learn how to farm, you might as well do it all! To be part of what inspires and trains others to take on this step is rewarding and gives us great hope.

The weather

What a glorious growing season we had in 2023. From start to finish it really was mostly Goldilocks. It got hot and it got cold and it rained and it hailed and the wind blew and the smoke came, but it was pretty even keeled all the way through. The “mild” spring, summer, and fall really showed itself in our produce and the general contentedness of our animals. We spent the whole season just tickled with the relative ease of farming this year. The weeds were manageable, the plants weren’t so taxed that we were constantly fretting over them. Harvests were bountiful, beautiful, and delicious. And our animals just kept doing their thing – eating the right amount of food, enjoying their pastures, feeding us. You can’t hang your hat on these sorts of things, but damn it feels nice when it happens. It is something to cast back on when future seasons are starting to feel hard and demoralizing. We are so far enjoying the relative ease of winter also, but we are prepared for when the cold cold comes. Right now, we are getting quite a few outdoor things done so that when the rains and snows and sleet and, well winter, arrive, we can feel that much more excited about going inside and grateful for future moisture.

The land

Every day at least once we take a moment to be grateful for the land that sustains us. Sustains our farm, our lives, our entire being. Part of land is soil, the foundation of food, home, life. Everything at the farm is dependent on our soil. We continue to spend time nurturing and feeding the microbiome in it and adding organic matter. Every time we harvest and eat from the gardens we taste the love we give our soil and the energy, fuel, and hard work it gives us. But land is more than dirt. It is the views in the distance – the snow covered Three Sisters, Smith Rock in front of the rising sun. It is the old irrigation ponds full of frogs and birds who also make their home here. It is the Coopers Hawk that has become a resident eating the mice that eat our chicken feed. Land is the nexus of the ecosystem and the farm, dirt and food, birds and views. It is the alchemy between the farm and our corner of Central Oregon. The Land is how and why we are here and able to do what we do.

You all!

Your commitment to Rainshadow throughout the year as you got married here, ate from our CSA, shopped at our Farm Store or the Bend Farmers Market, or enjoyed brunch on our deck. Seeing your excitement over the first tomatoes. Hearing about what fabulous meal or dish you cooked using your CSA. This is the land manifesting itself in you too. Our year would not have been complete without you. Thank you!

Join us in December for our Winter Solstice Dinner 

Dinner: 6 pm
December 21st Solstice Dinner

Q: Why are we so fixated on the solstice?

A: Its an incredibly special day. The Winter Solstice is the shortest of all the days of the year and is the true start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

This day is pure magic; you can see it in the way the light is golden and hits us at a tender angle. Never harsh, the light casts a gentle glow on everything it touches during the few short hours it is up.

So light your candles, stoke your fires and join us for an intentional gratitude filled evening. Let’s sit together enjoying each others company, delicious nurturing food and commit to honoring the season we are entering.

We are hiring for 2024

Rainshadow Organics is looking to hire incredible people to partake in our Paid Apprenticeship for the 2024 season. At Rainshadow, we are passionate about cultivating future farmers for what it will take to grow food in an ever changing and unpredictable climate. This apprenticeship is a full immersion into farming, preservation, and farm driven cuisine. The rigorous, educational experience is taught by a team of people who are truly stoked on food and farming. If you are looking for a lifestyle that nourishes both mind and body at a multi-faceted, full-diet organic farm, apply now!

• April-November, with flexibility on start and end dates; PTO for vacation, sick time, and mental health accrued at 1 hr per 30 hrs worked
• Average of 30-45 hours a week; $15 to $18/hr DOE
• Access to optional, affordable housing available

Duties

• Being an integral part of an upbeat, fast-paced work environment
• Participating in a full curriculum of real-life, hands-on farm education
• Vegetable production including but not limited to bed preparation, planting, weeding, tending, harvesting, washing, packing, and cooking

We are looking for inspired, driven learners who bring a positive power house of energy and fresh ideas to the farm. Team players are a must. You must be:

• Enthusiastic to challenge oneself to master the sport and art that is farming
• Excited to live as a member of our small and intimate community
• Passionate about honing new skills, work ethic, decision making, and efficiencies

Check out our Opportunities Page for more information and how to apply!

While the year isn’t over, it has been such a joy we wanted to share our gratitude now! Enjoy your big meals this week. Enjoy your family, chosen and assigned. Enjoy this beautiful bountiful place we live. Thanks for sharing your time and hearts with us!

~ Sarahlee and the crew