Mystery Bay Farm is a small scale, family farm operating on 5 acres on Marrowstone Island. In seasons past it has grown organic spinach seed for sale to Organic Seed Alliance in Port Townsend and Tulips for sale in the local market. We are projecting completion of a state certified dairy by spring 2009, at that time we will begin producing farmstead goat cheeses for general sale as well as offer educational farm tours and apprenticeships.

In addition to cheese sales, the farm will provide educational tours for a fee and seasonal classes. While these tours and classes will provide valuable income to the farm, they also serve to educate and integrate the community into the farm. As career educators, we feel that there is a need to inform the greater public about where our food comes from as well as provide a genuine experience for the growing number of people interested in artisan, non-industrial food production and farming.

We practice intensive, rotational grazing which utilizes classic grass pasture with brush islands; this mix highlights the natural need for browse in a goat’s diet and reduces the dependency on hay during spring and summer months. In contrast to cows and sheep, goats are ‘browsers’ rather than grazers and cannot get all their necessary nutrients from a grass-based pasture. When given the chance, goats prefer browse plants, such as blackberry, roses, trees, ivy etc., which are more suited to their digestive system. Grass is consumed, but in a more limited and picky manner. We have established a rotational browsing system that incorporates the established high-quality grass pasture with edges and islands of brush (the native rose, hawthorn and blackberry) that can sustain the majority of the goat’s food needs for up to 8 months of the year. We plan to continue planting more ‘brush islands’ within the pastures which will include edible fruit trees surrounded by native berries and brush to further diversify our browse, natural habitat and food production.

Our friend and cheese 'consultant' Wil Edwards has been writing a blog for the new cheese magazine called 'Culture: the word on cheese' about our dairy starting up. Please check it out - it's a great way to see what we've been up to at http://www.culturecheesemag.com/Wil_Edwards_Blog. (Please note: This link will open in a new browser window.)