Riley Starks
and Judy Olsen, the husband and wife team that own The Willows
Inn, started Nettles Farm in 1992, building it from a west-facing
wooded piece of land. Rather than clearing the entire 5.5 acres
they cleared only three, leaving the surrounding large trees which
serve to shield the crops from cooling winds, and trapping heat
during the important spring and early summer months. They began
by growing flavorful greens and tomatoes, which at that time could
scarcely be found in any store, and added a greenhouse, cold frames,
and in 1993 a commercial kitchen to process the washed greens
mix they sold at farmer’s markets and retail stores in Whatcom
County.
Realizing
that the kitchen would be idle for most of the year, Judy purchased
used Italian pasta and ravioli machines, and Nettles Farm Pasta
was born. Since the single ingredient that makes the greatest
difference in fresh pasta is eggs, Riley decided to grow a flock
of laying chickens to provide the needed fresh organic eggs, which
were hard to find at that time. One thing led to another, and
before long Nettles Farm was producing 50 dozen eggs per day,
6,000 pastured chickens for meat, and 500 packages of pasta and
ravioli per week. All of this was delivered to more than 20 outlets
as far south as Tacoma.
We now have a full time farmer, and Nettles is better than ever, growing enough to supply fresh organic
produce, eggs and chickens for The Willows Inn and the Taproot Pub. Visit him at the farm most days, where you can buy produce from our farmstand. Riley is still reefnetting, and supplies the restaurant with his own catch.
Agritourism
It is just a short walk from the Willows Inn to Nettles Farm, where you can feed your soul as well as your body. Watch the chickens, the pigs, the flowers. All around is the quiet and the sounds of nature. Stay as long as you like. Self-tour, or find one of us and ask questions. Stay at one of Nettles Farm's two suites for a deeper experience. We offer workshops on how to turn your backyard hen into a stewing hen, and how to fillet a whole salmon. Check our website for more information.
