HOOD RIVER — Spirited Roots Farm and self-service farmstand, located a few miles up Highway 35, has jams, tree-ripened peaches, and bouquets of colorful, seasonal, locally grown flowers. Spirited Roots is owned and operated by Whitney Osborn on her family farm, where they have fruit trees, flowerbeds and cows.
Osborn’s family has a background in farming, with her grandparents growing large crops like alfalfa, and her father, Jeff Osborn, tending their roughly 100 peach trees as a hobby. When Osborn moved back to the area with her wife and 3-year-old, she left a career in healthcare and was looking for something new.
“I was kind of thinking like, ‘Okay, I have access to this land, which is a really big privilege. What could I do with it?’”
Her father suggested she take over the land and create something there that could outlast them.
“The cool thing about flower farming too is that every year you get to crop plan something different,” she said. “You can change it up and tailor it, and if there’s a crop you hate, then you just don’t grow it.” She was drawn to the seasonality, and the nature of the growing cycle, finding resonance with her background in women’s healthcare.
Through local mentorship, small businesses courses, and trial and error, Osborn built and grew her farmstand, learning the difference between a flower farm and a garden — her only personal prior farming experience. “Gardening is about having it be very pretty in a very small area, and I think flower farming — it doesn’t always look super pretty when it’s happening, but you still end up with a really beautiful end result,” said Osborn. She explained that she picks her flowers in the morning or evening, out of the heat of the day, and then leaves them in water overnight to keep them fresh.
Osborn is focused on accessibility. “I’m trying to make it accessible and easy for people, while also keeping it feasible for myself. So, I think having the farm stand be self service allows me to have expanded hours, but not be committed to being there 24/7,” she said, making it easier to she split her time between Hood River and Portland, where her family lives. She is also working on getting matching signage in Spanish and setting up SNAP and the farm direct program availability at the farmstand to make it easier to use for all her customers.
Osborn envisions her farmstand becoming a welcoming stop for locals and tourists alike, potentially expanding to host small gatherings, and renting out the bar cart she’s building for events. “Ultimately, I’m just hoping that this creates community, even though it is self-serve,” she said. “I want to know my customers. I would still consider [Hood River] a small town, so I think there’s just really nice opportunities for collaborations with other small businesses, and deep connections with customers.”
Osborn took the opportunity while walking around the farmstand to greet the two customers who were there to buy some peaches, giving a personal touch and putting a face to the stand.
Osborn also sells her bouquets at farmers markets and can be found at the Mercado del Valle in Odell on Thursdays, the Sellwood-Moreland Farmer’s Market on Saturdays in Portland, and grab-and-go bouquets can be purchased at Dani’s Kitchen Shop at 1545 Osprey Drive in Hood River on Fridays. The Spirited Roots farmstand at 3471 Neal Creek Road is open Friday through Sunday, dawn to dusk. Visit SpiritedRootsFarm.com.
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