Experience the stunning beauty of fresh flower farming in
the Skagit Valley
Experience the stunning beauty of fresh flower farming in the Skagit Valley with Genuine Skagit Valley’s Farm Tour & Tasting on August 22nd. These highly customized on-the-farm taste + tour experiences showcase prominent segments of Skagit’s diverse and distinctive specialty crops and foods. You’ll explore both ornamental and edible flower production at The Crows Farm, Mossy Gate Flower Farm, Bee Merry Farm, and Blackburn Gardens.
About the Flower Farm Tour & Tasting
GSV director Blake Van Roekel will be joined by Kate Smith, director of WSU Food Systems Sustainable Agriculture Education Program, to lead the tour. On Thursday the 22nd at 1:00, you will embark on the chartered tour at 1:00 from the WSU Skagit County Extension. Curated edible flower bites prepared by Chef Christy Fox of Evolve Cafe are included. For just $45, indulge in an afternoon of discovering the fertile flower fields of the Skagit Valley while gaining valuable insights into the various techniques of flower production. The tour concludes at 5:00 back at the WSU Skagit County Extension.
About the farms
Each farm on the tour holds various footholds in the consumer marketplace. The Crows Farm cultivates 17 acres of organic vegetables, fresh herbs, and edible flowers for wholesale markets throughout the Pacific Northwest. Mossy Gate Flower Farm specializes in wholesale cut flowers and foliage, grown at three different locations in the Skagit Valley. Their La Conner acreage is also host to the farm stand catering directly to the community. Bee Merry Farm cultivates over 150 different dahlia varieties for both cut flower and tuber sales in addition to seasonal flower varieties for florists and U-Pick. Blackburn Gardens is a micro-urban farm in the heart of Mount Vernon hosting a farm stand, U-Pick, and classes offered year-round in support of both education and experience on the farm.
How you can register
Space is limited, register early! We also encourage guests to be prepared for the weather and walking on uneven surfaces. Registration closes on 8/20.
Your tour leaders
Blake Van Roekel is the Director for Genuine Skagit Valley, a program to heighten consumer connection to the agriculture of the Skagit Valley. Her 15 years in the farm and food industry of the Pacific Northwest include running a cooking school and farm tour company, starting a farmers’ market, and consulting for food and farm establishments. She thrives in developing successful communication strategies to grow and gather community. Blake resides in Alger, Washington, where she can be found building forts in the forest with her daughter, gardening, and enjoying the exuberant symphony of geese, goats, and sheep that live next door.
Kate Smith leads the WSU Food Systems Sustainable Agriculture Education Program, based out of WSU Skagit County Extension. She has over a decade of experience supporting small farm businesses with bilingual English/Spanish technical assistance to connect to financial and market resources. She grew up in Skagit County and is proud to live and work in her home county!
Stay tuned for more Skagit Farm Tour & Tastings in 2024 and 2025! We thank WSDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding in support of this program.