Sea Breeze Farm: Washington

August 2006

Name: Sea Breeze Farm

Owner: George Page

Location: Vashon Island, WA

Animals: 5 cows (1 Holstein, 2 Jerseys, 2 Milking Shorthorns), six goats (a mashup of breeds), chickens, ducks, sheep (for meat and pasture management), pigs, one pet rabbit

Cheeses/Products: Variety of goat and cow milk cheeses, raw milk, creme fraiche, feta, eggs, meats, wine

There I was pitching our project to Kelli Estrella (Estrella Family Creamery) at the Ballard Farmers' Market unknowingly standing right next to another farmer. When I strolled away, the farmer walked up to me and said he wanted to tell me about his farm, and I gave him the green light to let it rip. This man is George Page, and he owns Sea Breeze Farm on Vashon Island. He and his wife and daughter live in a house on 8.85 acres (3.85 when they first purchased it) with a whole raft of animals (see list above). George doesn't do it all alone. He has a farm manager, Matt Lawrence, who was operating the stand at the market with him that day. As he described the way he manages his farm–graze cows, goats, and sheep on grass, run chickens after them, move pigs around to clear roots and prepare the land for more pasture–my mind went to the section of Michael Pollan's "Omnivore's Dilemma" that covers Polyface Farm. I mentioned this to George, and his eyes lit up. He had just finished reading the book himself and explained how confirming it had been for him. He told me that people are continually pressuring him to specialize rather than diversify. Yet, whenever he removes a single part of his operation, the whole of it doesn't run as well.

We decided to visit George for several reasons, not the least of which was that everyone we met told us that Vashon Island was amazing. There was also the fact that Sea Breeze is not only producing cheese, milk, eggs, and chickens, but they are also making wine under the label Sweetbread Cellars. Nothing short of our dream farm were we to be so bold as to go into farming ourselves. So we went to visit our dream on Vashon Island, which is as beautiful as everyone promised. When we arrived at Sea Breeze, a pack of naughty piglets came tearing down the gravel drive until one of the farmhands spotted the escape artists and rounded them back towards their pen. George was in the commercial kitchen that they installed in part of their home, so he had a place to produce cheese legally.

George isn't adding any cultures to the milk during cheesemaking. We hadn't seen any other cheesemaker do that. Leaving cultures out means that whatever bacteria are present naturally in the milk is what develops the cheese (break down fats and proteins, develop on the rinds, etc.). Once the cheeses are made and have adequate time to drain, George stores them in the cellar in an open-air cabinet surrounded by mesh to prevent flies from getting in (like an old pie safe). The house on the property has a considerable in-ground cellar, which is where he keeps the aging cupboard and also where he matures his wine. In no uncertain terms, this cellar is where one would want to be in the event of any unfortunate disaster.

We sat at his kitchen table and had coffee with some kicking milk (from the farm, of course), and he talked to us about the evolution of the farm. George loves food and wanted to be closer to his ingredients. He started in 2001 with goats, chickens, and rabbits. Then George got word there was a Holstein for sale on Vashon. The operation has grown steadily since then, and he admits that there is constant pressure to expand the farm more than he imagined he would. Currently, Seabreeze sells its products primarily at farmers' markets and to select restaurants in the Seattle area.

We walked around the farm while sampling some of his wine. George explained his pasture expansion plans, which include borrowing land from neighbors. Some of these borrowing agreements are formal, others more casual. In the end, it seems very European to be walking your animals around on an island searching for new grass.

The milking parlor is the smallest we've seen yet, but it gets the job done and passed muster with inspectors. There is also a small building that George calls the humble farmstand. Neighbors come and help themselves, write down what they bought, and leave cash or checks in the jar. We love that the honor system is still thriving on some small farms. Sea Breeze milk is delicious, and the cheeses though they may be less predictable than others (due to the absence of commercial cultures), offer a taste of place. It is slightly upsetting that these products are available only on the farm or at a handful of farmers' markets and restaurants. However, if you find yourself consuming Sea Breeze goods, it will mean that you are either on Vashon Island (score), at the Ballard farmers' market (hoppin'), or in one of Seattle's finest restaurants (mmmm).

We look forward to our next visit and champion George's fight for the small, diversified family farm.