Hedlin’s Family Farm

#GSVMemberMonday Feature

Located in the heart of the Skagit Valley near the mouth of the Skagit River, Hedlin’ Farms’s Family Farm is a 3rd and 4th Generation farm growing certified organic and conventional produce on 400 acres outside the town of La Conner. They have been farming in the Skagit Valley since their (great) grandparents, Rasmus and Pathea Koudal, came over from Denmark in 1906.

Dave Hedlin and Serena Campbell took up farming the land in 1974 and began the farm stand as a roadside shed selling strawberries and sweet corn during the summer back in the 80’s. First beefsteak and heirloom tomatoes from the greenhouse, mixed vegetables, then cut flowers for bouquets, soon pumpkins at Halloween, other local products and produce, and stone fruit from the east side of the state. One year an old garage was trucked down from the hill in La Conner to serve as a storefront. Every year brings a few new additions and improvements.

Today the Hedlin’s Family Farm produces about 30 crops of more than 100 different varieties for their La Conner farm stand, local restaurants, and wholesale buyers as well as through the Puget Sound Food Hub including: grains, flowers, peppers sweet and spicy, herbs, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, snap peas, heirloom, cherry, and beefsteak tomatoes, beans, blueberries, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, strawberries, sweet corn, seed crops and swiss chard, to name just a few.

We recently spoke with Dave and Serena’s nephew Kai Ottesen, who now manages the iconic La Conner farmstand with his wife Jules. Kai and Jules and their two children have recently reopened the farmstand for the 2023 growing season and are adding some welcome touches to compliment the well loved favorites. We recently reached out to Kai to see how the season was going so far and what’s planned for the rest of the season at the farmstand:

“I think our primary goal this first year out with the farm stand is continuity. You’ll still see Hedlin tomatoes, strawberries, and greens on the shelves. My Aunt Mary (Hedlin) is still cutting flowers and making bouquets.  One of the challenges historically has been giving the farmstand the TLC it needs and deserves to really shine when everyone on the farm is already pulled in so many different directions, so we’re really focused on the low hanging fruit this year, rather than reinventing the wheel.” says Kai.

Speaking about low hanging fruit – Hedlin’s has that well covered. With strawberry season in June comes delicious berries. Many customers come from miles away just for a flat of Hedlin’s organic strawberries. Earlier this year, Kai and Jules reached out to Rachael and the team at Water Tank Bakery to see if they could make shortcakes for their farmstand. A heavenly Skagit Valley duo was created. The farmstand is open from the end of May until the end of October, from 10 -6 daily and this year will be participating in GSV’s Farmstand Fresh program.

As we do for all of our featured members, we recently asked Kai what his favorite Skagit grown fruit and/or vegetable was and here’s what he had to say:

“I always tend to answer this question based on whatever season we’re in, but for me it has to be the Shuksan strawberry. It’s an old June-bearing cannery variety with about a three week harvest window we’re wrapping up right now, just world-class flavor, and a basically non-existent shelf life. I think they really exemplify the best of what the Skagit has to offer, and they won’t survive in transit for much besides jam by the next day so they’re really intrinsically, unapologetically local.“

Kai and Jules are always on the lookout for new and interesting local products that complement the farmstand’s produce and current offerings, especially when they come from farmers and artisans that share their commitment to the long-term stewardship of farmland in the Skagit Valley and beyond. They carry cheese and butter from Golden Glen Creamery, cheese and yogurt from Samish Bay Cheese, eggs from Well Fed Farms, Lopez Island Creamery ice cream, flour from Cairnspring Mills and much more.

As Kai says, “We carry cheese from at least half a dozen local creameries, why not stock a cracker too? We already have a pasta on the shelves, why not a pasta sauce to go with it? We grow darn good tomatoes and carry an amazing local mozzarella so let’s grow a little basil to tie it all together?”

We’re grateful to welcome Hedlin’s Family Farm into the Genuine Skagit Valley family as new members in 2023 and are pleased to feature them as this week’s #GSVMemberMonday feature. We hope you’ll stop by and say hello!