Kitsap County hosted their 1st Annual Kitsap Farm Tour, and we had the opportunity to attend. We had such a wonderful day celebrating the local farms!
Multiple farms around Kitsap County opened up their “doors” to celebrate a day of community, and farming. There were 8 locations to visit, all self-guided so you could visit all locations if you were able to, or just spend your day at one.
Our first experience with farm touring was at last year’s Key Peninsula Farm Tour, my daughter and I had so much fun! When I heard about Kitsap County hosting one this year, I just knew we had to attend.
Ideally we would have loved to visit all 8 farms, but I knew that was going to be hard with a child, how spread out they were, and it was going to be a hot day. I was correct, so we picked the ones closest to us.
I love visiting other’s farms, yes I’ve got my own mini-farm, but it’s just a beginner farm. These ones have experience; I love to see a glimpse into their lives, see the beauty they’ve created, and get inspiration.
I love to show my daughter into the world of agriculture. She loved visiting the farms for the animals, and naturally she is begging for goats now, after playing with them at Courter Country Farms.
I also see the importance of agritourism from witnessing something. We get a small glimpse into farm life every day, but so many others don’t. For example, the little goats were trying to play, and gently pushing on us, my daughter was absolutely loving it! Two girls a little older then her got so terrified! I’m just hoping it gave the parents an opportunity to educate them, and next time they visit are more comfortable.
Here were all the farms/farmers that participated this year, you can also find more information on the farms here.
“The tour is an initiative of the Kitsap Agritourism Coalition, a group of dedicated farmers working together to promote agritourism in Kitsap County. The event is supported by WSU Kitsap Extension, State of Washington Tourism and Visit Kitsap Peninsula.”
We were only able to visit Courter Country Farms, Red Roof Ranch, and Pheasant Fields Farm(I could of easily spent all day at each farm though). I’m hoping to visit the rest if they have any public open dates, and next year hopefully the weather will be cooler and can visit more, if not all.
If you are able to attend a farm tour in your area, I strongly suggest you do. They are usually family-friendly, have farm fresh products available, and most importantly you get to experience farm life even if it’s just for a moment.
If you weren’t able to attend this years Kitsap Farm Tour, hopefully you can next August. And if you’d like to donate for future years, you can visit here.
Other farm tours around the Kitsap Peninsula; it’s the Jefferson Counties 21st annual this year in September(two days with over 14 farms participating), and the Key Peninsula annual in October(two days with over 11 farms participating).
Have you ever had the opportunity to do a farm tour? I’d love to hear about any great moments in the comments.
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