People think of Friday Harbor as a fishing village, but it was actually a farming island back in the day as well. In fact, it was the cherry capital of Washington State as an old banner in the courthouse states. And as you will see all over the island there are apple trees, many of them over a hundred years old and still providing fruit.
Local enthusiasm has grown in recent years to preserve, support, and encourage farming in the islands. One thing that many visitors comment on is the feeling of peace and happiness they experience as the head out from the town of Friday Harbor into the sunny fall fields of grazing animals. Early Island planners listened to the local sentiment and decided to keep the island rural outside of town. Along the road through San Juan Valley or West Valley Road you cannot miss seeing a few 1900 farmhouses and cattle, horses, sheep, and even alpaca enjoying the Indian summers where grass is still green in October. You may even pass by a sign at the end of a driveway where you can help yourself to produce and leave a payment for eggs or for a bouquet. Pumpkins will be lining many porches as the food from the orchards and from the gardens is harvested and put up for the winter. You may see the vineyard, where local residents are welcomed to help harvest the grapes. You may even spot Mona, the camel.
Many local restaurants serve local specialties which are in season. Just this afternoon at the grocery store I bought fat red heirloom tomatoes from a local farm. The best place to get these goodies from the island, though, is at the weekly Farmer’s Market which is held at Brickworks on Saturday from 10:00 until 3:00. Brickworks is on Nichols Street. You will find friendly local sellers and may even hear some good live music there. Fruits, flowers, herbs, cheese, eggs, tomatoes, jam, jellies, baked goods, sausages and grass feed meat are just a few of the local options that may show up on any given Saturday.
The enthusiasm for farming and agriculture has led to an active Agricultural Resources Group in the islands whose goal it is to protect and restore agricultural land and resources. Right to Farm Legislation was passed in San Juan County. A GMO ban was voted in. In San Juan County you will find no genetically modified organisms. The first weekend in October there was a farm parade down Spring Street to validate the community’s love of the island farms. Next time you think of the islands, remember it is the home of agriculture as well as marine life.
