Sketching Girl Meets Dirt

Girl Meets Dirt produces amazing heritage preserves, "inspired by the long history of orchard keeping on Orcas Island"  in Washington State. I visited the island kitchen and their booth at the local farmer's market.. The organic, locally sourced fruit is combined with other ingredients, then cooked by hand on copper pans before it is bottled for sale in the kitchen, in the farmer's market and on-line. I can personally testify to the high quality of the jams. I end up purchasing enough for the rest of the year until I return. Thanks for having me over to sketch Girl Meets Dirt!

Return to Orcas by Sonia Tamez

I've been going back to Orcas Island, WA for about twenty years. The ferry carries me away from the urban tempos to a slower heartbeat. Thank you Moran State Park, San Juan Land Trust, Warm Valley Farm, Warm Valley Orchard, Girl Meets Dirt, and others who welcomed me to sketch and paint. Here are some of my sketches from my stay.
Ferry view below.

Moran State Park above.

East Sound hydrant.

Warm Valley Farm apple tree and strutting turkeys below.

The Warm Valley Orchard Truck carries an amazing variety of goods for the body and soul.  

I love Warm Valley Orchard's sheep and they love munching grape leaves (Thanks M).

Girl Meets Dirt transforms the bounty of Orcas orchards into jams and other  delicious items. Preserving Orcas  heritage fruit, one jar at a time! Thanks for letting me sketch there!

Orcas in September

A ferry ride with enough time to work on a puzzle and afterwards enjoy Orcas Island in the San Juan's for the rest of the week.

Blue Berries

When I arrived at Beach Haven, on Orcas Island (within the San Juan Islands) I sketched the roadside, honor system blueberry stand. Within the stand were the most beautiful blueberries, which I purchased and sketched (and then nibbled) back in my cabin. I wanted to find their origin and located Wren’s Berry Farm on island. “Grower and Weeder” Laura and Matt Zybas welcomed me to sketch and Laura gave me the tour of the approximately ½ acre farm. Eight different varieties of berries are growing in an opening surrounded by northwest coastal forest. The blueberries are the stars underneath the waves of aqua nets to protect them from the birds. I was so impressed with Laura’s hard work to maintain an organic berry farm. She is keeping bees for pollination, trying out different berry varieties that ripen at different schedules to foil cyclic berry diseases instead of employing chemical pest controls. Some berries are for baking, some for other edible products and others are for just enjoying as is.