KINGSTON, Wash. — "We probably have 130 varieties of cut flowers," Fat Turnip Farms co-founder Bryan Custer, 58, said. "We have 20 varieties of peppers and eight varieties of onions."
But here outside Kingston, Custer is growing more than organic food and flowers. He's also growing farmers.
"Because I believe we need a future generation of farmers and we are not creating very many of them right now," he said. "So this place aims to be a real big part of that."
The farm started up in 2019 with the motto "Teach The Children."
"I want to teach them everything," Custer said. "From how to be physically strong, emotionally strong, spiritually strong, to be able to handle the work and the pounding that farms take because there is really quite a disconnect between what lands on someone's table and everything it took to get there."
Sophie Porter, 20, has been here since Day One. At age 17 she began managing the 14-acre farm, overseeing a crew mostly made up of younger female cousins. Women are the fastest growing demographic in farming, with 51% of all farms now owned by women.
"I love it," Porter said. "In the winter you've got to plan for the coming year. You got to plant everything in the field and then, come harvest time, that's my favorite, bringing in everything and seeing all of our old customers again."
Porter's cousin Lizzy Strickland works mostly behind the counter where she sells bouquets of flowers she's made herself.
"It's kind of like a dream come true!" she said. "I have always wanted to work on a farm and Bryan's just like this happy little guy."
"We often joke we call it farming and not banking because you can't count on anything," Custer laughed.
Well, visitors can count on one of the best bargains in the state. For $5, you can pick your own bouquet of flowers. They're in peak bloom in August, followed later in the month by the sweet corn harvest.
Months ago Fat Turnip Farms was all a wet empty field.
"Now look," Porter said as she was picking tomatoes. "They got all this food on them, you know? Start reaping what you sow."
Custer is also reaping what he sows. His farmhands wear knives on their hips. Their hands and fingernails are dirty. And yes, they do sweat.
"Anything that teaches you to get up and work hard all day when you feel like it and when you don't feel like it, that's a huge benefit later in life," Custer said. "Young people need more opportunities like that."
And they need rewards. So on hot summer day the girls of Fat Turnip Farms celebrate a hard day in the fields with snow cones.
"Cheers to Fat Turnip Farms, " Custer said as they gathered with their treats in the cool shade.
Fat Turnip Farms has a stand that is open every day of the week but Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Halloween. The farm is located on Norheim Way in the Eglon community outside Kingston.
KING 5's Evening celebrates the Northwest. Contact us: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Email.