I considered rescheduling. Drinking coffee at the kitchen window, watching the rain come down in dollops…I figured this was no day for a farm tour. Logic, however, holds no weight in the face of my restlessness. The very idea of staying indoors that morning, my farm visit foiled in part to another soggy Seattle day was enough to shoot me out the door. Mt. Vernon is about an hour and a half North and the first two-thirds of the drive were miserable. Why? Because people continuously baffle me by way of their ineptitude. In a city that is steeped in rain most of the year, the majority still have trouble driving in it…its fucking unbelievable really. Alas, as I got closer the sky dried up and so did my temper. Maneuvering my way down narrow dirt roads, acres of farm land sprawling on all sides, I go slow enough to attempt to decipher what these fields contain as well as avoid any run ins with animals or potholes . And then up…up a steep gravel driveway, bouncing along…finally arriving at Hidden Meadow Ranch greeted by a pair of dogs that are less than thrilled with a stranger pulling onto the property.

Hidden Meadow Ranch raises animals and are the exclusive providers of meat for 20 local families with a mailing list of 110. Nine years strong of selling lamb, pigs, heritage turkeys, broiler chickens and meat ducks- all of their business is derived solely from word of mouth within the community. On average they sell 25-30 lambs each year and this past Christmas 60 of their turkeys were ordered. This isn’t a big operation but based on those numbers it doesn’t strike me as a particularly tiny one. The ranch itself, appears small and looks more like a homestead than a business. Directly ahead as I pull up there’s a small pasture with a couple horses, to its left a shed like structure that appears to be a chicken coop and standing most prominently-a medium wood shingled home. Come to find out there’s much more to it- behind the house stretches additional adjoining pastures and on my drive in, the fields that I drove so carefully and slowly through? Quite a few of those acres belong to Hidden Meadow Ranch as well.

We walk and talk, I get a tour of the place. Owner Laura Faley used to live in Seattle. Many years ago, she responded to a post on the PCC community board for local lamb and placed an order with the farm. Laura discovered a stark difference in flavor- the small farm raised meat was incomparable to that which she had tasted from the grocery. In light of this experience she found it difficult to continue to purchase and eat meat from the supermarket. That casual grocery trip to PCC was the catalyst and her desire for the superior taste of naturally raised meats propelled her in the direction of Hidden Meadows. Moving out of the city, the decision was made to start raising their own animals and when word spread throughout the community the business was born. Laura speaks of the challenges of the farm, for example the cost of infrastructure and the intense amount of work involved. At the same time her tone betrays a warmth that makes it obvious to me that she truly loves the ranch- even the rough bits. The recession has made no impact here- the orders keep coming in and their prices always manage to stay below that of the local co-op. When I ask what her future plans are with this place she shares that she wants to make sure she can continue to do the work as she ages. Currently Laura has a friend help her a couple times a week  and the bulk of the work is done by the family.

Together we watch chicks huddled together so tightly they resemble a mass of those fluffy little cotton balls that you use for art projects in elementary school. I visit with three darling pygmy goats. A small one, half the size of the others has my undivided attention..he looks like an animated ottoman. The entire time Lauras telling me stories of this rebellious threesome my eyes are glued to this particular animal and oddly enough his eyes are on me as well. We re in love..well, maybe I’m in love and hes just being a goat. The drive out was shitty, the farm visit- refreshing as always. My holiday bird this year may very well come from Hidden Meadow- Ill have to remind myself of that come Thanksgiving. I seemed to leave the farm just in time, the moment I put my key in the ignition the rain starts up again, heavy on my windshield.