Latest / Talk Thurston to Me / EPISODE SEVEN: Rutledge Family Farm

Transcript

EPISODE SEVEN: Rutledge Family Farm · Talk Thurston to Me

• 0:04
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Talk Thurston to Me, where we explore the people, places, stories, and experiences that make Thurston County an unforgettable place to visit.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_01: Today we're discovering Rutledge Family Farm.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_01: I'm Emily Brooks, and joining me to help you learn about Rutledge Family Farm is Robbie Rutledge himself.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_01: Robbie, welcome to Talk Thurston to Me.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so glad that you're here.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: So excited to be here and excited to talk all things about us and some other things in Thurston County.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm just gonna dive right in.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_01: And Rutledge Family Farm, a lot of people probably know the name because I know you guys have been around for a very long time.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_01: But what's something about Rutledge Family Farm that most people don't know?
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I guess some fun stuff that people don't know about us.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: They obviously know us for the cormaze and all things fall, sweet corn.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: Those are what we're really known for.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: But stuff that people don't realize is that we've actually been a part of the community since before Washington was even a state.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: So our family actually settled here in the 1850s, and the homestead is still standing out in Little Rock.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: Sadly, it's not owned by the Rutledges anymore.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: It got sold out without us realizing it was on the market.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: So, oops.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: So hopefully we'll be able to reacquire that in the future if it ever goes up for sale again and maybe track that.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: But the barn's still standing.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: That was built in 1864.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: The barn actually is way cooler and in way better shape.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: It was actually built with wooden pegs instead of nails, which is one thing that's actually allowed it to stand as long as it has.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_01: Oh wow.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: So that's one little fun thing there that's not directly related to the farm that people really enjoy hearing about the history side of it.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think the history just of it's generations, right?
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's been generations of everything, and not only from your part, but people in Thurston County.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I know I went to Rutledge Corn Maze when it was Rutledge Corn Mace.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_01: Now it's Rutledge Family Farm, but I remember going to that when I was a kid growing up here.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_01: So it's just awesome to now be involved in it this way.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_01: And just so happy to have you here to chat all about it.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's kind of the unique thing.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: I think we're known pretty well for the corn maze side of things.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't know that I need to do a whole lot of talking on that for something that's unique.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_01: Valid.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_01: So, what can someone expect when they visit?
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: You can talk about right now what they can expect, or you can talk about, I know you guys have like the sunflower festival.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_01: So you can talk about that for future planning as well.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I'll just kind of hit on a little bit from basically what you can experience at our farm from August to October.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: How about that?
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_01: Perfect.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: So in August, they start out with produce.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: That is what we originally started out as a family farm doing.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: That's what my grandpa started was just sticking with the sweet corn.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: So you can expect to have sweet corn on our farm from about the first part of August on a good year, maybe in July, but generally speaking, August 1st through about the first part of October, depending on when we get a frost.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: We also bring in fresh Yakima fruit from peaches to apples to tomatoes, nectarines, all that good stuff.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: That continues to come in from the first part of August to about the end of September, right in there.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: Apples obviously continue a little longer, and we'll have those till the end of October.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: So all things produce, that's pretty much how our season runs with that.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: And next year we're going to change our festival for sunflowers.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's traditionally been happening at the end of August.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: We're going to go into the beginning of September and just run with it for the first few weeks of September, and then we'll transition into full fall things to do on the farm.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: Sunflowers are a really fun event on our farm.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: There's 43 different varieties of sunflowers from reds to the traditional yellow to some orange and yellows with some black mixed in.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: I even have some really cool white ones that are out there.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: There's some that look like they've kind of exploded with little petals coming out everywhere.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: So a lot of different fun varieties.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: We put photo ops out there for everybody to go take their Instagram or family photos and things like that.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: And then they also get all the activities that we have going on.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: From there, we'll transition into the fall season, which is where we are right now in the middle of this recording.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: But all kinds of fun things to do there from our regular corn maze to our haunted maze, fun activities from the pumpkin patch to our jump pad.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: We have a paintball shooting gallery that's really fun with animatronics.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: My brother created that and he created this special bonus show.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: If you hit a certain target, it activates more targets.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: So that's been really fun to add.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: We do different events throughout the fall season just to try to make things more fun.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: We usually kick off for our first event of the fall season with Kids' Day.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of things themed right towards kids.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: Another one that's really popular here in the Thurston County area is people with dogs.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody loves their dogs here in the Pacific Northwest.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: And we do a pups in the patch event where they get to bring their dogs out.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, dogs are always welcome on the farm anyway, as long as they're on a leash under the owner's control.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: But that event is specifically cared towards dogs.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: We have local vendors like Mud Bay that comes out, Subaru of Olympia comes out, and then we have a couple pet adoption agencies and rescues in the area, and then obviously everything fun for the fall season with the Haunted Maze, people jumping out, scaring you.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: And then the last event we're going to try out this year is a trick-or-treat event, and hoping this becomes a regular thing that we can do.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: So you kind of touched on what locals love about Riled Family Farm.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, all of the kid-friendly things.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_01: My question here is: do you guys still do the fire pits?
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: We do.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't even think about talking about those fire pits.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for that reminder.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: So private fire pits are fun.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: They're still a blast.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: They're a 30 by 40 area in a field.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: We plant corn around the field to make it more private and fun.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_00: And they have a fire pit there.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: We have a fire pit attendant that actually starts the fires, and they bring all of your supplies from basically the parking lot to the front of the fire pit, get you set up, they keep you stocked in firewood, and it works out great for all the guests.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: We've had things from proposals happen in the fire pit areas to baby showers, birthday parties, fall events.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: We have one guest from the area that has continued to come back for almost 20 some years, and they rent out a fire pit and bring all their friends and stuff.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: They've been coming so long that they actually remember the original name that we thought we were really clever and came up with these areas.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: We're like, oh, you can rent a corn room.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: Well, nobody knew what a corn room was, and they didn't really understand it.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: So it was really fun, exciting marketing idea that never caught on.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: And then all of a sudden we started calling them fire pits, and people realized, oh, these are actually perfect for what I need.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: And it's so much fun to do at fall.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's unique.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: They thought it was just a private room.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you know, you never know until you try, right?
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: So we've learned and it was a lot of fun to kind of figure out how to fix that.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: And now they're book solid through October.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_01: That's awesome.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so kind of switching gears just a little bit.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_01: Rutledge Family Farm is on the Thurston Bountiful Byway, which we also did a podcast with Mitch Lewis from the Thurston Bountiful Byway.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: So if you're listening to this and you have not listened to that one, go to that one after you listen to this one.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: But what do you want listeners to know about the Byway and why it's important to Thurston County?
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the Byway, I think has a lot of different things, and it can mean a little bit different to certain people on the Byway, and even depending on what guests are looking for.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: But I think the overall thing that the Byway really does a great job is it really focuses on local.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: It talks about local producers, local farmers, focuses on what drives people to the farm or local producers.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what is so fun about being on the Byway.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_01: And what is your favorite hidden gem in Thurston County?
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: It can be tricky because there's a lot of them.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: But I think my favorite one is to go visit Sandstone Distillery.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: John over there just does such an amazing job.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't drink any alcohol, so it's kind of funny that I choose that as a unique hidden gym.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: But for my friends and stuff that do, John just gives such a unique tour, and he's a Byway member, so it's fun to hit another local Byway member.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: But he just talks so uniquely, and it's like you're meeting this producer, and he wants to tell you everything about his product, and just getting to listen to him tell his story and how he does things and the taste testing that he does with the fun little spirits that he creates.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: And he also brings in his wife's products, which is the sipping vinegar is the name of her business.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: It's wild heart sipping vinegars.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: But between all of those different little things and the stories you get to hear, they're a lot of fun to get to talk to.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, there are tons of other byway members that are fun to hit, but local restaurants like Pellegrino's is always a fun spot to hit.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, there's so many little things they can do, and apparently we're a really big bike riding area.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: I did not realize that, but not my scene, but apparently we have a lot to offer there too.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: So those are maybe some fun gems.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: I also love Sandstone Distillery, and I did not think I was gonna be a fan of the wild heart sipping vinegar, but I remember when I was out there one time, John made me some sort of sipping vinegar club soda situation, and it was delicious.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_01: And I now make salad dressing with the sipping vinegar.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_01: So very, very tasty.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_01: Before I move on to our very last question, I just want to also tell you and our listeners that I know the corn is done for this season, but next season, when it is available, everyone should go get it.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_01: And I have a funny little story that my parents went to the farmer's market, they got your corn, they grilled it, they were eating it, and my mom looks over at my dad and says, What does this remind you of?
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_01: And he says, movie theater popcorn, because it was that buttery and sweet, and it smelled just like the popcorn smell that you get when you walk into the movie theater.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_01: So after they told me that story, I took myself to the farmer's market where you guys also sell it during season.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_01: And in addition to your farm stand out at the farm, but I went out there, got some, and I had that same exact experience.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_01: So I know that it is loved by many, many, many in this community.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: It is a fun thing.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_00: And grandpa perfected the recipe.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: I just get the luxury of getting to do it, and he fought hard to keep it.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: It's kind of funny.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: I guess this maybe as a side little story, but they used to have corn wars down at the farmer's market between the other vendors, and they would like undercut each other in pricing and all this stuff to uh beat out.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: And well, I guess grandpa won because we're the only one left.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_01: Well, there you go.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_01: There you go.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_01: I like that.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we've really corn is our passion, and we still carry that legacy today.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_01: Very cool.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so we've talked about the people, the places, and before we wrap up, I want to give you the final word, Robbie.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_01: If you can finish a sentence for me, Thurston County is a really fun place to visit and live.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I love that.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: And live.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_01: I think we've officially given everyone a reason to put Rutledge Family Farm on their list to go and explore.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_01: You can visit Rutledge Family Farm.com for even more information about Robbie's place.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_01: Now that we've talked about it, you've heard the story, you've gotten a taste of what makes it special, and hopefully you're ready to discover it for yourself.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_01: Are you ready to see what else is waiting for you?
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_01: You can head to experienceolympia.com and meet Ollie by Golly, your guide to discovering more places to go, things to do, and adventures to find throughout Thurston County.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_01: Because sometimes the best adventures aren't the ones you planned, they're the ones that you discover.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_01: Until next time, talk Thurston to meet.