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A little history:

The Price family has had a long history of farming in the northwest. Les's
grandfather owned and operated a cattle and crop farm in Sunny Valley,
Oregon. Les has fond memories of feeding calves warm bottles of milk before
sunrise with his grandfather. These early experiences in life created lasting
memories, which would eventually encourage him to farm later in life.

Talea grew up on a small farm atmosphere, raising and caring for chickens and
horses. She sold brown chicken eggs around her local neighborhood for .25 a
dozen! Her horses were shown at county fairs and she was very active in the
local 4-H groups

The farm was bought in 1991 and Jones Creek Farms was created . The farm,
once a dairy, had been abandoned for 14 years. The buildings on the property
were in bad shape and the land was overrun with weeds. The first few years
were spent both building and restoring buildings, fences and removing weeds.
The barn was repainted and the Jones Creek Farms logo was created.

Jones Creek Farms was now ready to begin and in the fall of 1992 the first
trees of the orchard were planted. The vision was to provide great fruit with
lots of variety to the community. JCF began to look for the unusual and
historic strains of tree fruit. Research discovered that the Skagit valley used
to be one of the largest growing regions for apple production, famous for
growing such well known and loved varieties such as the King and Gravenstein
apples but, as apples became popular to grow, the apple industry was moved to
Eastern Washington. Sadly, most of the original orchards in the Skagit valley
were lost to urban growth, torn down for super malls and housing
developments. Lucky for JCF however, some wood was saved from the
orchards before they were cut down and the King and Gravenstien apples we
now sell are remnants from the past! Our 'Sheets Gravenstien' variety came
from the original orchard which was torn down to build the Bellis Fair Mall in
Bellingham.

The orchard is always evolving, always experimenting, removing and/or adding
varieties to our selections. We have applied this method to all of our products,
supplying many varieties of heirloom tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes have great
flavors and are great additions to meals with their unique colors and size.

The garlic crop has also evolved, starting with two heads of garlic given to me
by friends from Korea. I began multiplying the garlic in hopes that it would be
a great variety. Was it ever! JCF used those heads and expanded every year,
reaching the peak in 1996 when 3000 pounds of Korean Rocambole was
harvested ! It still remains the core crop, being the most popular variety I
grow. JCF had expanded its garlic varieties every year, trying out new
varieties. This not only gave the customers more choice but also ensured
product diversity. JCF maxed out with around 20 varieties. However some of
these turned out to be very problematic. Today (2006), only 2 varieties remain
....... the Korean Rocambole and Asian Tempest. These are not only the most
in demand by our customers but are also well suited to the ground and climate
of the upper Skagit Valley.

Our goals:

We have enjoyed farming in Skagit County and are constantly trying to find
new ways of improving and expanding on our products. We also realize the
importance of protecting the plentiful resource of rich farmland within the
valley. We work hard to farm sensibly, refusing to use harsh unnecessary
chemicals if a sustainable alternative is available.
We feel that the key to successful farming is through communication with our
customers. Involving our customers through local Farmers Markets and farm
visits may help to ensure farmland preservation and a lasting support of
agriculture. We can be found at many of the local markets throughout
Washington and at our farm store.