Burnt Ridge Nursery 2017 tours

Burnt Ridge Nursery, one of the premier permaculture nursery and orchard businesses in the United States, is opening up for a few tours this year. Space is limited (due to parking and access challenges), so purchase your tickets asap!

Tours are: Saturday, Aug 5th, 2017 1-4pm with a focus on BLUEBERRY, MULBERRY & FIG
               Saturday, Sept 2nd, 2017 1-4pm with a focus on KIWI, ELDERBERRY & SHIPOVA

Join us for a public Farm and Nursery Tour, with our founder Michael Dolan leading the way as we share with you our 20 acres of organic fruits and nuts, which have been developed over the last 38 years using a permaculture mindset. Admission is $10 per person, or family of up to 4 for $20. Limit of 30 guests will be strictly enforced due to parking limitations; please carpool if you can.

1pm: TOURING! The fun starts with a tour of our sloping farm site on our rugged trails - not easy access for strollers or those with limited mobility. While we will be viewing all the different crop plants - hazelnuts, chestnuts, kiwis, grapes, and more - we will be paying special attention to our featured ripening and/or ripe crops. Cultivation and propagation techniques will be discussed, as well as the specific characteristics of the varieties that do well here in the Pacific Northwest.

2pm: EATING! We will have a sampling of our focus foods, with a emphasis on flavor, texture and nutrition. Chef John Camenzind will tickle our taste buds with quick and easy treats - DIY Appetizer Samplers!

2:30pm: LEARNING! Michael Dolan and Chris Madden, our resident orchardist, will answer your questions about any other crops that caught your eye during the tour.
Live potted plants and preserved foods will be available to purchase and take home as the event winds to a close.

Please visit our website at http://www.burntridgenursery.com/Special-Events-Farm-Tours/products/165/ to purchase tickets.

               

I live in the area, and I just want to say, for anyone in the Northwest or beyond, that everything that I've gotten from this nursery has thrived and been disease and pest resistant as advertised. I picked most of my plants up at the nursery itself and got goumi berries, strawberries, a rainier cherry tree, a peach, and a hazelnut. It sounds like a really great tour for anyone who's interested!

Whoops! Looks like the shipova crop has aborted this year, so the 3rd focus for the September tour will be HAZELNUTS!!! Everything you ever wanted to know about growing or using hazelnuts - come on down and ask Michael Dolan.

August date is SOLD OUT!
Still a few tickets left for September 2.

UPDATE:
September date is SOLD OUT!

Here is one more opportunity to visit the nursery for a public tour in 2017. Also lots of other fun stuff to do that day in our little village of Onalaska, WA (including touring a local permaculture family homestead!)

The Farm & Homestead Tour is a new addition to Onalaska’s Apple Harvest Festival! Come tour on Sunday, October 8th from 12 noon – 4pm.

Experience Onalaska, WA like never before. Get to know some real farmers and homesteaders, see what it's like on their farms, and have a wonderful Sunday afternoon drive between farms in our beautiful area.

BURNT RIDGE NURSERY will be one of 9 local farms participating in this event. Other farms include: WillyTee's Pumpkin Patch, J Foss Gardens (a specialty flower farm), Well's Winery, BeeWrangler Honey, Rocky Top Arena (horse events), Nettlesnook Farm (a small permaculture farm), and Snowy Pines Bermese Mountain Dogs.

The Farm and Homestead Tour welcome booth will be open at The Mason Jar (637 Leonard Rd., Onalaska, WA 98570) at 11:30am where you can register for the free tours or purchase a $5.00 souvenir passport packed with details on your tour destinations. Each passport purchase enters you into a drawing for a chance to win prizes from local businesses. The passport is a fundraising opportunity for our non-profit Onalaska Alliance. Proceeds will go to the upkeep and development of Carlisle Lake and other Alliance projects. You may pre-purchase passports at www.onalaskaalliance.org/ahf-farm-tour-and-dinner.html

A five course Farm-to-Table dinner featuring the locally sourced cuisine of award winning chefs Derek Noble and Chris Simons will follow the tour from 5-8pm. Tickets can be purchased at www.onalaskaalliance.org/ahf-farm-tour-and-dinner.html

As part of the Apple Harvest Festival Farm & Homestead Tour, BURNT RIDGE NURSERY will be offering guided tours of our 20 acre farm, with a focus on backyard fruit and nut varieties. Group tours will start on the hour and half-hour. Please note: our sloping farm site has rugged trails - not easy access for strollers or those with limited mobility. Wear closed toe shoes and dress for the weather. We will also be offering jam and fruit tastings, sales of produce (apples, kiwi berries, grapes and Asian pears) and nursery stock of rare and unusual fruit and nut varieties will be available for you to purchase and take home. Kids activities will include a Scavenger Hunt, nature crafts, and Beneficial Bug Bingo!

Parking can be a challenge at our farm. If the farm parking lot is full, please be prepared to park above in designated lots and walk down our ¼ mile sloping driveway. Visitors with physical limitations can be dropped off/picked up at the lower office lot as needed.

My family and I drove down to Onalaska today for the tour.
It was fantastic. Michael, Chris, everyone involved exceeded expectations. The place is beautiful, the chestnuts which we spend quite some time with are stunning and a personal favorite. The snacks offered at the tour's conclusion couldn't have been better.
One of the highlights of my summer. Permies, get out to a future tour if at all possible!