Lisa Perry highlights local agriculture via current and future ag plans
Cody’s Fruit Stand is back, pop-up style, in Odell.
Lisa Perry now sells local fruit, vegetables, honey and value-added food products, along with gift items, in the former food bank space directly across from Odell Fire Station.
The stand is open Friday through Sunday, for the summer. Meanwhile, Perry has announced additional plans for connecting local people to local produce.
“It’s a fun way to introduce people to local agriculture. To say, ‘This is what’s out here,’” said Perry, who has long been an advocate for family farms through her own business, Women for Agriculture, and other organizations.
Perry operated the family fruit stand a half-mile away on Davis Drive for 12 years before closing it in October 2018 to focus on the 14-acre farm she purchased with her husband, Ricardo Galvez, in Duke’s Valley just west of Odell.
“This is definitely a transition year,” said Perry. “‘I’m hoping to step away from Cody Orchards and just be The Farmer in Odell. For now, this is a nice middle ground.”
The Farmer in Odell will be Perry’s next venture, one based at but not limited to her land, which she acknowledges is “a little out of the way.”
She plans bi-weekly produce deliveries of her own food and other local farms, in a CSA-style (Community Supported Agriculture) subscription system working with people who sign up via local businesses.
The idea is to sustain mid-valley agriculture.
“It will be my fruit and what other people grow, just to help. It’s crazy how many folks in town don’t know what we do out here,” Perry said. “This valley has the potential to feed a lot of people,” she said.
Farmer in Odell: A talk with Lisa Perry
HRN: What’s the secret to getting people who live in the Hood River area to know and understand how easy it is to get fresh fruits and vegetables?
Lisa Perry: “I’ve been trying to figure that out a long time. Part of it is convenience, they have a supermarket near where they work or live.”
HRN: But the Fruit Loop has been around a long time.
LP: “I think in some cases locals might think ‘that’s a tourist thing.’ But agriculture is an important part of the community, of the local economy.”
HRN: Your next business is The Farmer in Odell. What’s the name of your farm property?
LP: “The farm is called Out on a Limb, just to distinguish it. With Farmer in Odell, it will be fun to do the CSA buckets. I can prep that when I have time and still work on the farm.
“I hope to take a sign-up sheet to local businesses, and make up five or 10 buckets and deliver it on a given day. That way it’s incredibly easy for them.”
HRN: Your pop-up, and The Farmer in Odell, are continuations of what you’ve been doing for years.
LP: “The farm stand has been a wonderful foundation to help fuel my farming career forward. The experiences, relationships and knowledge gained will stick with me throughout my life.”
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