Sweetrock Farm
By Sharon Barthmaier
Where can you find three acres of developing permaculture farm, 40 chickens, fruit trees, a 10,000 sq. foot garden, an herbal medicine garden, 400 sq ft greenhouse and a Swiss bakery? At Sweetrock Farm, on Old Cornelius Pass!
Sweetrock Farm is the result of the industriousness of Diane Vireday and her husband Bob McCormick. Four years ago, in July 2008, Diane’s parents spotted the for-sale sign on a three acre farm of ruddy, rocky volcanic soil. It was perfect for Bob and Diane and their family who were looking to move from a rental house. Although neither Bob nor Diane had grown up on a farm, the location and land appealed to them. After they fulfilled their daughter’s wish for some chickens, the dream to build a self-sustaining life began to take shape.
Utilizing the hours during a snowstorm, Diane decided to begin researching traditional Swiss breads. Baking is part of Diane’s family heritage. Her mother’s family had owned a bakery in Glarus, Switzerland, near Zurich (now her mother, Claire, helps Diane in the kitchen.). Diane could find no Swiss recipes available in English, so she began compiling her own with the intention of writing a bread cookbook. The project “snowballed” into a home bakery. The couple turned the pantry of their kitchen (which was the original kitchen of the old farmhouse) into a bakery.
Sweetrock Farm‘s licensed, domestic (not commercial) bakery produces 12-15 different types of traditional breads, on a rotating basis. Diane bakes 4 times a week, making 250 loaves a week. She uses cold fermentation and begins baking at 2 or 3 in the morning so that the breads can be loaded in the car by 9 am, fresh for the farmers markets. Additionally, she bakes apple pies from a family recipe, and several different Swiss cookies and sweets.
The water for the bread comes from their property, which is lab tested for quality and purity. Bob and Diane attribute the high quality of the bread to the water being filtered by the volcanic rocks below the farm. These rocks are the origin of the name Sweetrock Farm. However, a friend who was helping them clear the property of its many rocks offered a different explanation for the farm’s name: As he came upon yet another stone, he said, “I get it, “Sweet, another rock!”
Diane’s background as an herbalist has also influenced the development of their farm. Although a Reed graduate in Anthropology, she also trained as an herbalist through the American College of Health Science and in MTM, Mexican traditional medicine. She and Bob have created a garden of medicinal, culinary and dye herbs. Their objective is to grow about 100 different herbs. The 13 Ricola herbs, used in the Swiss cough drops, are among her plants. They have also built a 400 sq foot greenhouse where they have about 100 flats of starts germinating. They are in the process of learning what grows well in their soil and climate.
The farm is a work in progress. Bob, a consulting engineer, works about 4 days a week off the farm and his "extra" time is spent working the farm and learning to bake. He has built the structures on the farm and outfitted the kitchen from recycled materials and purchases at the Restore. Last year they planted an orchard of pears and cherries to complement the existing old apples, plums and cherries. As the trees mature, the fruit is destined to be incorporated into jams and breads. And plans abound for more arable land, improvements and additions in the future.
Look for Sweetrock Farm baked goods at the farmers markets at West Union, Tanasbourne, Orenco, and the Tuesday Marketplace in Hillsboro. Custom orders and fall holiday baking are available.
(Skyline Ridge Runner July 2012)
Where can you find three acres of developing permaculture farm, 40 chickens, fruit trees, a 10,000 sq. foot garden, an herbal medicine garden, 400 sq ft greenhouse and a Swiss bakery? At Sweetrock Farm, on Old Cornelius Pass!
Sweetrock Farm is the result of the industriousness of Diane Vireday and her husband Bob McCormick. Four years ago, in July 2008, Diane’s parents spotted the for-sale sign on a three acre farm of ruddy, rocky volcanic soil. It was perfect for Bob and Diane and their family who were looking to move from a rental house. Although neither Bob nor Diane had grown up on a farm, the location and land appealed to them. After they fulfilled their daughter’s wish for some chickens, the dream to build a self-sustaining life began to take shape.
Utilizing the hours during a snowstorm, Diane decided to begin researching traditional Swiss breads. Baking is part of Diane’s family heritage. Her mother’s family had owned a bakery in Glarus, Switzerland, near Zurich (now her mother, Claire, helps Diane in the kitchen.). Diane could find no Swiss recipes available in English, so she began compiling her own with the intention of writing a bread cookbook. The project “snowballed” into a home bakery. The couple turned the pantry of their kitchen (which was the original kitchen of the old farmhouse) into a bakery.
Sweetrock Farm‘s licensed, domestic (not commercial) bakery produces 12-15 different types of traditional breads, on a rotating basis. Diane bakes 4 times a week, making 250 loaves a week. She uses cold fermentation and begins baking at 2 or 3 in the morning so that the breads can be loaded in the car by 9 am, fresh for the farmers markets. Additionally, she bakes apple pies from a family recipe, and several different Swiss cookies and sweets.
The water for the bread comes from their property, which is lab tested for quality and purity. Bob and Diane attribute the high quality of the bread to the water being filtered by the volcanic rocks below the farm. These rocks are the origin of the name Sweetrock Farm. However, a friend who was helping them clear the property of its many rocks offered a different explanation for the farm’s name: As he came upon yet another stone, he said, “I get it, “Sweet, another rock!”
Diane’s background as an herbalist has also influenced the development of their farm. Although a Reed graduate in Anthropology, she also trained as an herbalist through the American College of Health Science and in MTM, Mexican traditional medicine. She and Bob have created a garden of medicinal, culinary and dye herbs. Their objective is to grow about 100 different herbs. The 13 Ricola herbs, used in the Swiss cough drops, are among her plants. They have also built a 400 sq foot greenhouse where they have about 100 flats of starts germinating. They are in the process of learning what grows well in their soil and climate.
The farm is a work in progress. Bob, a consulting engineer, works about 4 days a week off the farm and his "extra" time is spent working the farm and learning to bake. He has built the structures on the farm and outfitted the kitchen from recycled materials and purchases at the Restore. Last year they planted an orchard of pears and cherries to complement the existing old apples, plums and cherries. As the trees mature, the fruit is destined to be incorporated into jams and breads. And plans abound for more arable land, improvements and additions in the future.
Look for Sweetrock Farm baked goods at the farmers markets at West Union, Tanasbourne, Orenco, and the Tuesday Marketplace in Hillsboro. Custom orders and fall holiday baking are available.
(Skyline Ridge Runner July 2012)
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