If you find yourself on the northern Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, making a stop on Marrowstone Island is a must. Connected by bridge to the mainland, just a 25-minute drive from Port Townsend, it offers a wealth of things to do, with multiple beautiful parks, a vineyard for wine tasting, and, Mystery Bay Farm.
In this week’s Faces of the Northwest interview, we introduce you to owner Rachael Van Laanen.
Goats at Mystery Bay Farm
photo credit: Mystery Bay Farm
What can you tell us about Mystery Bay Farm?
Mystery Bay Farm is a small scale, family farm operating on five acres on Marrowstone Island. We have been a WSDA certified Grade A Dairy since the spring of 2009. We produce farmstead, goat milk cheeses, yogurt and cajeta (a goat’s milk caramel sauce) for general sale. Farmstead means we make all of our cheeses and yogurt using only the milk of our animals. In addition to cheese and yogurt, we offer educational farm tours and cheese making classes.
We offer tours and classes as a way 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 and to provide a genuine experience for the growing number of people interested in artisan, non-industrial food production and farming.
We came to farming via ecology. Our interest in trying to create a truly sustainable farming system grows from observation of natural systems from which the word ‘sustainable: resilient, adaptable, evolving and thus stable’, is derived. We believe that farming can be done in an ecologically, economically and socially responsible manner.
Mystery Bay Farm ricotta cheese
photo credit: Mystery Bay Farm
Do you have any insider tips?
Anytime is great to schedule a tour, but springtime there are always baby goats (March-April).
Visit Mystery Bay Farm’s website here for details on scheduling a tour.
How did you get started in the business?
We came to farming via ecology. Our interest in trying to create a truly sustainable farming system grows from observation of natural systems from which the word ‘sustainable: resilient, adaptable, evolving and thus stable’, is derived. We believe that farming can be done in an ecologically, economically and socially responsible manner.
Mystery Bay Farm yogurt
photo credit: Mystery Bay Farm
Is there something about you or Mystery Bay Farm that not everyone knows?
Our products may seem ‘more expensive’ than other goat cheese at the supermarket, but there are no hidden costs (such as pollution/poor worker conditions or compromised animal health). We charge only what it takes to produce our products and raise our goats humanly. Our profit is modest at best.
Alpine/Kiko goat at Mystery Bay Farm
photo credit: Mystery Bay Farm
When you have a day off, what are some of your favorite things to do in the Northwest?
Weed our garden or go for a hike.
If you had to describe what you love about the Northwest in 3 words, what would you choose?
Abundant, fulfilling, endless
Is there anything else you’d like people to know?
Goats won’t eat just anything, really!
You can follow Mystery Bay Farm on Facebook, and get more details on the Mystery Bay Farm website.
