Early painting of Rainshadow by Kathy Deggendorfer

Thank you Lauren, for sending a questions for the monthly newsletter.  Would really love more prompts from y’all.

Lauren: I’d be really interested to hear how the Rainshadow team learned how to farm in Central Oregon. How much has it been trial and error? Who have been your mentors — local elders, inspiring writers, NRCS and Cooperative Extension folks, or Grandma? Did you have a plan or did it evolve on its own until the plan became apparent?

Well, I grew up on the farm so I am very familiar with the land and soil and irrigation infrastructure and equipment.  My parents raised hay, cattle, and horses and I grew up doing it with them.  The most relevant skill I learned as a kid was work ethic.  I don’t remember if I was a particularly hard worker, but my parents were and I tap into that on a daily basis.  It wasn’t just that they worked hard, they were extraordinarily observant, they shouldered the daily life and death on the farm, they always put their crops and animals before their own needs and desires, they were poor and extremely resourceful.

They sent me away to college with no expectation of me returning to the farm.  It was an essay by Michael Pollan that planted the seed that is now Rainshadow.  He described an intimacy that comes from raising your own food.  He pointed out that farmers are getting old and no one wants to do it.  I wanted that adventure. I wanted to truly know my food.  And I wanted to live on the farm and not have to commute to a job.

Rainshadow was a vision, not a plan.  It started organically, is farmed organically, and evolves organically.

I’d like to say “voila” Rainshadow Organics, just like that.  But really, I started on my own with no infrastructure.  I had some mentors in the community.  Namely my dear friend Glenn Cooper, who taught me a great deal about fixing things, tractors, welding, and generally being self sufficient.  He also showed me his bookkeeping methods.  Matt Mason farmed out here for a long time and then started a landscaping company and he helped me design my drip system.  Ol Doug Gibney helped me build a greenhouse and the deer fence.  My mom taught me to build a bed and plant seeds.  I read Elliot Coleman’s Market Gardener.  I built a website and made posters to sell 30 CSA shares in sisters before I ever grew a vegetable.

A couple years in, I got a smart phone and used YouTube regularly.  I went to the Small Farms Conference at OSU.  I worked with Mylen Bohle on a wheat and clover intercropping experiment.  I attended seminars with soil scientists Dr. Christine Jones and James Cassidy.  I took the Ag of the Middle course that EcoTrust hosted.  I visited other farms like Fields Farm and Groundworks Organics.  I worked with Katrina Van Dis from the beginning to create the High Desert Food and Farm Alliance.  I attended farmer gatherings.  I learned from the kindness and generosity of other farmers and by doing the dang thing.

These days many of our local veg farms are on a text chain that fills such an important sense of community and camaraderie.  Megan from Boundless Farmstead does the very most to keep this community together. And I learn a great deal by teaching our apprentices to farm.  Every year they bring such great questions and ideas.  Nat, Mel, Rae, Momo, and I put our heads together a lot.  And my sweetheart, Dylan O’Leary, opens my eyes to new ways of doing things, questions to ask, and the infinite intricacies of the natural world.

Biddy Boop is ready for a visit if you come out to the farm store. We’re open every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

August Farm to Table Events

August 28th – Take in the brilliance of Central Oregon’s night sky while, locating constellations, and listening to an ancient story about the stars

August 29th – Join us on the last Saturday in August to celebrate the diversity and abundance of farming in Central Oregon

Amaterra Summer Supper Session
Tuesday, August 18

Rainshadow is excited to collaborate with Amaterra for a Supper Session, an evening designed to bring people together over thoughtful food, great drinks, and shared moments. Invite your friends, make it a night out, and enjoy a beautifully paced dinner experience together.

Choose from three available seatings:
5 pm | 6 pm | 7 pm
Each seating is limited, and reservations are required.

What to Expect:

Your evening begins with a 30-minute welcome gathering upon arrival at Amaterra Restaurant, allowing guests to settle in before dinner begins. Enjoy a splash of bubbles, specialty cocktail or mocktail while reconnecting with friends.

From there, guests will enjoy an evening inspired by the momentum behind Bend’s newly launched menu. Chef Jeff Kelly and the Bend culinary team have been hard at work developing, testing, refining, and reimagining dishes as part of this exciting new chapter for Amaterra Kitchen + Social Club, as they embark on the second year in Downtown.

This supper session offers a chance to experience some of that creative process firsthand, featuring seasonal flavors, new ideas, guest favorites, and a few special dishes and elements that came out of the team’s research and development along the way.
Throughout the evening, courses will arrive in sync, creating a shared rhythm to the evening with Chef Jeff visiting each seating to share more about the dishes and what inspired the menu.

Elevate your experience with exclusive, one-night-only pairing flights. Choose between a curated wine pairing for $25 or a specialty whiskey flight for $30. Designed to showcase the full breadth of Amaterra’s craft, from their winemaking program to their Le Champ select whiskey collection, these add-ons offer a more immersive and dynamic way to enjoy the evening.

Tickets are $60 per person, space is limited for each seating, and we expect this evening to fill quickly!
Get tickets HERE

This is the time to tour the farm for next year’s event season. We host weddings and private events. All with our food and flowers.

Chinook Salmon Filets Available!

Straight from the waters of the Columbia River Basin, these wild salmon fillets are sustainably caught by Joe, a tribal fisherman from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Each fillet is the result of generations of traditional fishing knowledge, care for the land and water, and a deep commitment to feeding the community.

Thank you for being here! We’re grateful for your dedication to seasonal, beautiful food and the joy of culinary exploration

—so let’s eat!