Winter Happened!

We had a delightful 2016 Christmas Tree season and hope your holidays were wonderful as well.  Thank you so much to those of you who came up between the snow storms (and the few brave neighbors who walked here in the snow) for your trees.  As promised, this year we supported the cause of protecting Native American access to clean water, donating $125 of farm proceeds to the Sacred Stone Legal Defense Fund.

The close of the 2016 and the beginning of 2017 have both brought days of snow, of sun, and one night with the brightest moon we have ever seen.  This time of year always feels a bit magical to me, and the weather definitely matches my mood.  I'm ready for quiet time to lay low at home, reflecting on the year that was and the one that is just beginning.  It's cold and dark, and surely time for a rest, but the light is coming again and we'll be ready when it does.

Snowfall:

 Kitty knows the best spot:

The alpacas are not fans of the snow.  It makes the grass disappear.  Usually even with just a little bit they stay in the barn but apparently they were feeling adventurous:

Our best evening skies of the year are in the winter when the sun is very much in the southern sky:

Craig venturing out after the big storm that left us with around 10 inches:

This puffball of a hummingbird wintered here despite the harsher than usual conditions:

We didn't expect Tux to get to see snow again, but at nearly 17 he kept us company on many snowy walks this winter:

I took this picture out our front window of this deer who came to munch the cold remains of this really beautiful late blooming plant that volunteered in our flower garden:

This was taken around midnight by the light of the full moon so bright we needed no flashlight:

This photo is of Craig under the moonlight around midnight on that bright and eerie night.  There is no artificial light in this photo and it was not even a notably long exposure:

The chickens dislike the snow even more than the alpacas:

As it melted they were relieved to forage under the tree shadows where there was some uncovered dirt:

We went sledding in some new places on the property, with this being the most fun sledding ever:

The bird feeders get a lot of traffic all winter:

Little visitors coming for a snack in the snow:

More birds coming for food:

Snow tumbling out of the high branches through the sunbeam:

Evening sun over the snow field:

Here we are, enjoying winter:

And the light low in the sky, climbing higher day by day:

Customer Gallery 2016

Thank you to everyone who came to our farm this year!  It is always such a pleasure to meet new families, whether you found us online first or just happened to see our signs while driving.  We hope you had a good visit and are happy with your trees and wreaths!  Our selection is thinner this year while we regrow but there are definitely plenty of trees to be found that will be beautiful for Christmas.  And if you don't find what you are looking for here, no problem!  We do hope you'll consider returning in a couple years when our younger stock reaches the popular sizes for harvest.

You can skip ahead to general info on Christmas Tree Season 2016, or enjoy these photos some of our customers with their greenery (and sorry to the families whose photos aren't here...  I forgot to put the memory card back in my camera for a few hours!) :

We are so happy you chose to share a bit of your holiday spirit with us here at Corner Crest Natural Farm and we hope to see you again next year!

Christmas Tree Season 2016

The holiday season has arrived and we are happy to be opening for our ninth year here selling Christmas trees in North Plains, Oregon.  In addition to our naturally grown noble firs, we also offer supplies and instruction to make your own wreaths.

We are a small, rustic farm on the edge of the forest, overlooking the valley.  We provide saws and twine as well as hot cocoa, honey mint tea, and candy canes.  We are a U-Cut business but are always happy to give you a hand (or two). We usually have only one or two cars of people here at a time, except on our busiest days so it rarely (if ever) feels crowded.  Most folks that come to our farm like to take their time hiking around and enjoying the view while they choose their tree.

Our trees are unshaped which leads to more space and variety in the branches.  They are also unsprayed so you can be confident that you will not be bringing any harmful chemicals into your home and that we are not adding them to the environment.  We think these natural trees are a lovely way to showcase your ornaments for a beautiful, traditional look.

Our selection in the 6 - 12 foot range is thin this year while we wait for the young trees to grow.  We have been replanting every year and many of the seedlings from our first year here are starting to reach a size where they would make a lovely 5 - 6 foot Christmas tree.  Most of the ones in this photo are in that size range and would fit nicely in a smaller space or raised on a platform (a popular choice for families with dogs and/or small children):

We also have several taller trees whose upper half is lovely but whose lower branches were damaged from the last year's dry summer.   Unlike previous years, we will be selling some of these tall trees to families who just want the top portion so we can make room for the sun to reach the lower ground and seedlings to be planted.  The trees in the foreground of the photo below are all trees that would be good options for harvesting and just keeping the top portion:

In another few years if we don't have too much dry weather, many of the little trees that are now just 2 or 3 feet tall will grow to Christmas tree size, each one absorbing more than 1 ton of CO2 in its lifetime.  Each acre provides the daily oxygen requirements of 18 people.  Live trees are renewable, keep plastic out of landfills, and conserve the resources used in manufacturing artificial trees.  Growing them naturally and not removing all the ground cover also makes the environment friendly to many animals who make our farm their home.

Here is this year's pricing information: Natural Christmas Trees: Nobles up to 6 feet - $37 6 - 8 feet - $42 8 - 10 feet - $48 Add $4 per foot over 10' Ask about Doug firs $10 and up
Fresh Wreaths: Make your own - $10 We take cash and checks. Thank you!

We hope you come to share a little holiday spirit with us here at Corner Crest Natural Farm.  Meeting new people and seeing friends from years past is truly a highlight of our Christmas season.

This year we will also be donating $5 for each tree sold towards the protection of clean water.  For more, see our earlier post, Fall Gratitude.

Fall Gratitude

We are grateful for this tiny fat frog who lives in our kale patch.

We are grateful for this fat frog who swims in our water trough.

We are grateful for our garden and the fresh produce it provides.

We are grateful for crisp, juicy apples fresh off the tree in fall.

We are grateful for the very big pumpkins we grew this year.

We are grateful for our health and strength.

We have much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving.

We are especially grateful that we have clean water for ourselves, for the animals, for the plants.

Clean water is essential for our health and the health of everyone on our planet.

Water is life.

This Thanksgiving we are donating to causes protecting Native American access to clean water.

We will continue to do so with tree sale proceeds this holiday season.