After breakfast Saturday morning we took a drive North to visit a family farm. It resides in Sedro-Woolley,a modest town about an hour and a half outside of Seattle. A scenic drive, the view alternating between rolling green farmland & small bundles of gas stations and shanty diners.

Skagit River Ranch turned out to be everything I had hoped. “A commitment to farm in harmony with the environment…using sustainable, organic, humane methods” was the quote off their website that raised my eyebrows and peaked my curiosity- ultimately motivating the trip out.

There are no cages in sight but there are chickens everywhere, they are moseying out onto the quiet dirt road and sitting in the grass yard, they re perched on fences and pecking at gardens. The cattle are equally content…out in the pasture lazily chewing grass, some of them only visible as dark shapes in the distance. These animals have ample freedom- they are not packed into crates or fenced in. This is the farm of children’s books, the image folks conjure up when confronted with a glass of milk or a plate of scrambled eggs.

This farm has been family owned for 15 years. The animals are 100% grass fed and pastured- they are born & raised here spending their entire lives on organic fields. You wont find antibiotics, steroids, growth hormones or animal by-products. What you will find is a small family offering a conscious alternative to the abhorrent conditions of the animal factories of today.

Snuggled up next to a large grey barn is a farm store. For sale inside-beef cuts, pork, chicken, fresh eggs, sausage, even jarred preserves. The woman behind the small counter is cheerful and makes polite conversation while I look through a recipe box of cooking suggestions. Its warm in here, cozy & inviting. This doesn’t feel like a money fueled interaction, it feels like a wholesome exchange between folks encouraging each other to revive a certain ethical standard.

Satisfied with what I had seen and excited at the prospect of having a good source for meat and dairy, we bought a couple things to celebrate. Our vegan diets have been fantastic but as someone that loves food and cooking I was beside myself with new ingredient options. We ended up purchasing a dozen tawny brown eggs and a chicken. It has been a while since we’ve had the luxury of either of these things so it seemed an occasion. We discussed how it very well should feel like this every time, the sacrifice and gifts of these animals should never be taken for granted and always acknowledged- there needs to be that connection.

Upon doing more research on Skagit River Ranch I found that there were a couple places closer to home that carry their products. As far as restaurants go,theres Tilth and Ray’s Boathouse (check the Skagit River Ranch website for a more complete list). They also sell to a couple co-op groceries- lucky for me Madison Market is one of them-and farmers markets (they have a stall in Ballard every Sunday). They also teach classes and workshops out on their farm (they have an upcoming “Soil Class” that sounds interesting) and welcome anyone to take a trip out to see for themselves what they are about. I am thoroughly impressed with the quality of the foods as well as their source. I am deeply grateful for the ability to reintroduce these foods to our home in good conscience.