Two chapters so far.
How a first year of hands-on learning is shaping what Wild Roots becomes next.
We had a plan. We had no idea.
Wild Roots began in August 2025 with enthusiasm and a growing interest in regenerative agriculture. The first year became an education in growing vegetables and flowers, caring for livestock, repairing and improving infrastructure, and learning how much the Snoqualmie River can shape a farm’s plans.
Some things worked. Others did not. Along the way we developed greater respect for the skill, persistence, and business discipline successful farming requires. These are the original stories of how it all began — complete with the animals, tractors, surprises, and mistakes.
The original stories, in order.
August 2025 · And so it begins....We had a plan. We had no idea.
How a long-running conversation about regenerative farming turned into a Saturday-night decision, a Sunday-morning property walk, and a farm we are still very slowly learning to be worthy of.
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September 2025 · The circle of lifeA respectful farewell for Shadow & DK
How we said goodbye, on the farm’s terms, through the good folks at Martzolf Meats. The hardest, kindest thing we’ve done.
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January 2026 · honest reflectionsWhen the road became a river
December and January brought a 100-year flood event to the valley. Our road was twelve feet under water. The only way in was by kayak. We are still counting what we lost — including Oreo.
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March 2026 · barn updatesHow we became duck parents (twice)
A friend said “Indian Runner Ducks are a must.” We went looking for Indian Runners and came home, the first time, with the Golden Girls.
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April 2026 · field notesWe became beekeepers by accident
Kappie and Joe signed up for a beekeeping class. It was supposed to be a sampler. Six weeks later we had a hive, a painted box, and a queen.
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May 2026He thinks my tractor's sexy!
It's a girl thing — we'd like that on the record before the story gets told wrong down at the feed store. Some girls buy shoes, we buy tractors!
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August 2026 · It's a first!Did someone say Farm Camp???
For one week this summer, a crew of kids spent five hours a day at the first annual Wild Roots Camp — animals, the Wild Roots Olympics, a fort in the woods, crafty socks, and homemade simple syrup.
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August 2026 · Wild Roots earned its name!We said “make yourself at home.” They brought tents.
Wild Roots Weekend filled the farm with ice cream, scarecrows, live music, s’mores, and a movie on the lawn — then a field of tents (several first-time campers!) stayed the night, enticed by cowboy coffee and pancakes.
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Building something bigger.
The first year made something clear: growing wonderful food is only part of building a successful farm. Farmers also need sound business models, reliable customers, appropriate equipment, infrastructure, and the confidence to invest in the future.
That realization is shaping the next chapter at Wild Roots. We are exploring a model where several independent farmers run their own businesses on the property while sharing resources and learning from one another. The aim is not simply to help farms survive, but to understand what makes them genuinely successful — and to share those lessons.
✎ This chapter is being written as we go. We will document what we try, what we learn, and what changes.