James and I met at the Aprovecho Institute (an appropriate technology, permaculture, and sustainable forestry research center) in Cottage Grove in 1988; I was an organic gardening intern and he was the office manager. After 9 months there, we decided to move to Portland in search of a place to live and work, as well as someone to deliver our first child. We planned to visit a homebirth midwife, a birthing center, and a medical doctor. First appointment was with Rhonda Ray, a midwife. We talked for an hour about our hopes and dreams and Rhonda told us that she had just heard of a farm that needed caretakers. That day, we drove out to North Plains, talked to Bill and Lee Green, the owners of Pumpkin Ridge Gardens, and took the job. In one amazing day, we found our home and the midwife who would deliver all four of our children! We started our subscription farm in 1990 with four customers. A year later we were able to buy the farm from Bill and Lee.

 

Here’s us with Seth in 1991, with the farmhouse behind us, one year after we moved to the farm.