The Applegater

1 Summer 2022 Applegater Nonprofit Org US Postage PAID Permit #125 Medford OR ECRWSSEDDM Local Postal Customer SUMMER 2022 Volume 15, No. 2 Serving Jackson and Josephine Counties — Circulation: 13,000 Applegate Valley Community Newsmagazine Celebrating Years Photo by Linda Kappen • applegater.org ~28~ See FARM TOUR, page 2 See WILLIAMS STORE, page 5. Williams General Store celebrating its 125th year BY DIANA COOGLE T h i s s u m m e r t h e Ro g u e Va l l e y Farm Tour will offer the opportunity to visit multiple local farms and ranches, participate in field tours and activities, purchase local produce and products, and learn about the abundance of our local food system. e event will take place from 10 am to 3 pm Sunday, July 17. T h e t o u r i s d i v i d e d i n t o t h re e geographic sectors: Rogue Valley North, Central Rogue Valley, and the Applegate Valley. is year, the Applegate Valley has 11 local farms and ranches participating. e tour is self-guided, so you can go to whichever farms you choose and stay for as long as you like during the event. Oshala Farm is a 145-acre, certified organic, family-run farm growing more than 80 varieties of medicinal and culinary herbs. Here you can learn about regenerative agriculture and sample herbal products made from the herbs they grow. Local-centric, organic meals will also be available for purchase. Applegate River Lavender Farm (formerly Lavender Fields Forever) offers you spectacular Applegate Valley Recently I asked our Applegate Fire Chief McLaughlin to list a few items that he felt were of top importance for our constituents to do before fire season gets here. H i s t o p p r i o r i t y i t e m completely surprised me. The chief said that he wished that every property in the Applegate had the reflective numeral address signs that the fire district provides in coordination with the county (Jackson or Josephine). I was stunned—I thought everyone did use these signs. e chief explained that "fancy" address signs are nice (and having one next to the house is fine), but in the middle of the night or during a wildfire those signs are hard to see, while a reflective sign would be very easy to see. Time is of the essence if the resident is having a heart attack, when a few minutes could make the difference between life or death. e chief also said that an issue here in the Applegate Valley is that many homes are off the main roads, up long, shared Trivia question: What significant event took place in Williams, Oregon, in 1897? Answer: e Williams General Store first opened its doors. So what significant event will take place in Williams this September? e quasquicentennial—125 th anniversary— celebration at the general store. In July 2016 Heather and Tom Glass became the 21st owners of the store. "ere is a rumor there were 47 owners," Tom says. "But only if there was one big poker game!" Marge and John Chambers, who still live in Williams, owned the store The value of reflection (and planning ahead!) BY SANDY SHAFFER driveways. ese long driveways can have several homes on them, and many times the homes are not in numerical order! "Like yours," he said! at, I got. We were the second family to purchase land on our private road, and we chose the parcel at the far end of the driveway for more privacy. But the county assigned us the second parcel number in sequence instead of the third number. So over the f r o m 1 9 8 1 t o 1 9 9 8 , "t h e l o n g e s t o f a l l t h e o w n e r s ," s a y s t h e i r d a u g h t e r , L a d o n n a , w h o w a s 21 when the family moved from southern California to run the store and who also still lives in Williams, with her d a u g h t e r a n d g r a n d d a u g h t e r. T h e Chambers added an extended hardware section and a barn for selling feed. They brought in movies, a popular entertainment for the community. For years the most popular aspect of the store was its potbellied stove. "Guys would sit around and drink coffee and Eleven Applegate Valley farms featured on tour BY JESSICA BULLARD v i e w s w h i l e surrounded by seven varieties o f c u l i n a r y and aromatic lavender. Here you can enjoy the view and r e l a x u n d e r the big maple tree, inside the p i c t u r e s q u e barn, or under the awnings, while taking in the sweet smell o f l a v e n d e r and enjoying their lavender brownies, lemonade, and ice cream. Siskiyou Seeds is a bioregional seed hub that produces open-pollinated and heirloom seeds using organic practices and biodynamic methods. is family farm has grown organic seeds, fruits, animals, ideas, and people since 1997. Whistling Duck Farm is a certified organic vegetable farm and kitchen. e on-site natural f o o d s s t o r e includes meats, p r o d u c e , f e r m e n t e d f o o d s , g r a b - a n d - g o c o n d i m e n t s and meals, plus f a r m - b a s e d CBD products. S a l a n t F a m i l y R a n c h i s a working cattle ranch raising h o m e g r o w n grass-finished and grain-finished beef with tours available upon request. Pony rides are available for kids under 50 pounds. The English Lavender Farm is a family-friendly working lavender farm with U-Pick, wreath-making, gift shop, essential oils, and lavender ice cream. Rogue Artisan Foods is a small polyculture farm raising goats, pigs, and poultry. ere will be a baby-goat petting area for kids. The Farm Store offers pastured goat, pork, and chicken along with goat milk, eggs, and goat milk soap. They also have bokashi, a beneficial bacteria for soil and composting, available for sale. TerraSol Organics is a certified- organic microgreen farm. Microgreens are plants no older than two weeks that have been cut just above the root before they have a chance to mature. Tours will include microgreen production and an edible flower field. Herb Pharm uses certified organic, non-GMO farming techniques to grow over 65 herbs on their farm. ey use these herbs to create high-quality herbal extracts in a way that supports the health of their customers, environment, and community. P l a i s a n c e R a n c h r a i s e s U S D A certified organic, 100 percent grass-fed and -finished free-range beef cattle. ey also produce award winning wines, with tastings available in their open-air barn. Goodwin Creek Gardens is an organic nursery specializing in lavender, herbs, See REFLECTION, page 17. The address sign at the road shows the order in which the driver comes to each home. Photo: Sandy Shaffer. Elise and Jeff Higley founded Oshala Farm in 2013. It will be open to visitors on July 17 for the Rogue Valley Farm Tour.

• Cover