Eugene weekly., June 14, 2012, Page 32, Image 32

GETTIN’ PICKIN’
Moon Time Farms offer produce on the vine
BY STACEY M. HOLLIS
P H O T O B Y S TA C E Y M . H O L L IS
“I
t’s not a hobby, it’s not a job, it’s a lifestyle.”
If you’ve ever made a day of a visit to
a u-pick farm, or picked up a CSA box or,
heck, even grown your own comestibles
straight out of the earth, you may better
understand what Moon Time Farm owner Nicki Tabb
means when she explains farming as, above all else, a
lifestyle.
Moon Time Farm is a three-acre produce and chicken
farm that also specializes in annual and perennial herbs.
It’s also the place Tabb and full-time farmer and partner
John Neilson live.
“When we got here three years ago, there was nothing,”
Tabb says. Now the farm produces 5,000 to 6,000 pounds
of food a year. And it’s open to anyone who cares to stop
by and harvest some produce to take home.
A cheerful sign beckons passersby on the tucked away
country road: Moon Time Farm. You’ve found it, the place
where countryside and a quiet residential neighborhood
seamlessly coexist.
In addition to providing for local customers through
community-supported agriculture deliveries, they also en-
courage visitors to come out and get their hands in the dirt.
“We have volunteer workdays on Saturdays,” Tabb says.
“You can work on the farm for a few hours, take home
whatever food you need, learn what you want to learn, get
some exercise, touch the earth and connect.”
And for those less inclined to noodle around in the
dirt, “There’s all kinds of things that people can do to par-
ticipate in the food experience,” Tabb says. In return, she
makes a big lunch for all the volunteers. “If you’re gonna
come work for me, I’m going to feed you,” Tabb says.
“That’s always the deal.”
“It’s all about giving people access to food,” Tabb says.
“We really want to encourage people to make that connection.”
And connecting is easy when all it takes is a short drive
out to the country, westward out of town toward Veneta:
As you head straight out West 11th toward Veneta, the
world opens into a broad expanse of fi elds and marshland.
Fern Ridge Lake appears and watery expanses make up
the view off both sides of the highway. An eagle dives for a
fi shy meal, scooping at the water with scaly, bright yellow
feet punctuated with long, curved talons. He got his meal
and I, too, was on the hunt for nourishment.
So what can you expect to fi nd at Moon Time? Well,
produce for sure: kale, beets, spinach, pumpkins, pole
beans, carrots, peppers and tomatoes, to name a few. In
addition, they have fl owers available for picking — peo-
nies, daffodils and foxglove — and pear trees. There are
also preparations to have a good number of different berry
crops in the future, available for those who want to come
out and pick their own. “Next year there’ll be lots of straw-
berries for people to pick,” Tabb says. “They should be
able to sit in the middle of the path and just eat.”
Scheduling a trip before you come is a good idea, Tabb
says. “We’re always here,” she says, but “it’s best to email
us or to call, just to check.”
Tabb and Neilson, along with the help of a progression
of Willing Workers on Organic Farms interns who work
in exchange for food and a place to stay, already have
hundreds of plant starts ready to go. And they try to grow
what people ask for, Tabb says. “We ask people over the
winter: What kinds of things do you like, what do you eat
more of, what would you like us to grow more of?”
And if anyone is interested in medicinal herbs and
they’re having a hard time fi nding something, Moon
Time Farms can grow it, Tabb says. “If it’s medicinal, I’m
probably going to grow it eventually.”
Not only can you help decide what kind of food the
farm might start producing in the future, you may already
be helping Moon Time without even knowing it: The farm
uses compost that is sourced from Eugene, in the form of
leaves and compost straight from Eugene’s own Off the
Waffl e.
Sourcing your food close to home can be pretty darn
satisfying. “It feels so much better when you see what
you’ve done and then you get to eat it,” Tabb says. “So
many people lose that, being in the city.” ■
To find out what’s available each month and to schedule a farm visit, head over
to www.moontimefarms.com. They can also be found in the Willamette Local
Farm and Food guide.
S OUTHERN AND N ORTHERN I NDIAN C UISINE
EW's BEST ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET 2008-2009
L UNCH B UFFET
7 Days a Week 11:30am - 2:30pm * Dinner 5–9:30pm * 5 Years in Eugene
E AT & P ARK
F REE P ARKING
FOR
E VENTS
AT
M ATT K NIGHT A RENA
WHEN YOU DINE WITH US
* 1525 Franklin Blvd. Eugene, OR
541-343-7944
4 CHOW! Summer 2012
* 136 SW Third • Corvallis, OR *
541-754-7944
chow.eugeneweekly.com