Vancouver Food Network

Members arriving at Dancing Crane Farm to pick up their shares are greeted by a huge and welcoming walnut tree, the kind that is meant for summer swings and long, lazy afternoons. The tree and 100-year-old red farm house across the driveway are reminders of simple summer days gone by spent under shade trees drinking iced tea.

Owner Bernie Crane has farmed or gardened most of his life and repeated an old saying, “To eat well is to live good.” He told a story about his brothers and him relocating branches from a neighbor’s rose when they were children. The resulting grafts were so good that even the neighbor did not realize they came from his own roses. Very interested in the old varieties of apples, Crane has planted several including King, an old-time apple, and Gravenstein. Roxbury Russet, originally sold commercially in colonial times is another. He said these old apples do not need refrigeration and can last until as late as May. These are pre-chemical era so most have more natural resistance to disease and possibly pests.

When naming his farm, friends reminded Crane of his love of dancing and his last name so Dancing Crane it became. Though he has been a regular vendor at Battle Ground Farmers Market for several years, this is Crane’s first year as a CSA farm. He farms because he wants to “provide good food with no compromise.” He uses only organic spray on his fruit trees and gardens by both Washington and Oregon organic standards. He said his father, a great cook like most fireman, “taught a lot of respect for food when I was a kid.” Crane “grew up an Irish kid in an Irish-Italian neighborhood” and learned to appreciate good food at an early age and loves to cook. He will offer 12 full shares and 12 half shares this year (equivalent to 18 shares) which will include vegetables and fruit, basics and some surprises. When members receive their shares, Crane will be giving directions for many of his original recipes, so be prepared to try something new, both new products and new ways to prepare what you already know.

Contact Information

Dancing Crane Farm CSA

Bernie Crane
(360) 687-1210
incana@teleport.com

For Further Information

• Dancing Crane Farm at Local Harvest

• Maps from Google Yahoo Mapquest