A Labor of Love

Ashford farm gives knowledge and vegetables to the community

Story and photos by Rick Stedman

The Frey Family Farm in Ashford is a labor of love. Owned and operated since 2014 by Jim and Claudia Frey, the 40-acre homestead features a variety of crops, as well as a community supported agriculture program.

“We are a certified organic farm, specializing in regenerative practices,” Claudia says. “In addition to growing vegetables on 3 acres, we also rotationally graze a small herd of llamas, fiber sheep, dairy cows and beef. We also have 40 egg laying, free-range chickens.”

One of the popular programs they offer is a 20-week community supported agriculture vegetable subscription.

“Community supported agriculture is a partnership between the farmer and
community members,” Claudia says. “The harvest is shared with subscribers, who receive a weekly share of the harvest. This method of community sharing connects members to their food source, and also with other community members.”

Though farming is near and dear to their hearts, both Jim and Claudia had previous professional careers. Jim was raised on a wheat and cattle farm in Montana, and has a bachelor’s degree in math. He is currently a full-time information technology director at a local company, and part-time farmer on weekends and after work.

Raised in Illinois, Claudia has a bachelor’s degree in animal science, and worked for years in the nonprofit sector and teaching. She has been a full-time farmer since 2019.

“We both love farming,” Jim says. “It’s our main hobby and pastime. But we do love to go camping, hiking in Mount Rainier National Park, exploring Seattle and Tacoma on occasion, and visiting our grown daughters Madeline and Emily whenever we can.”

Giving Back to Local Communities
Claudia and Jim’s educational pursuits didn’t end after receiving degrees. To keep up
on the latest in farming techniques, they take various classes through Washington State University Extension. Much of that information is incorporated for the benefit
of their farm, and the couple routinely passes that learning on to the community.

“We love to give farm tours,” Claudia says. “We explain about regenerative farming techniques and why we choose to certify organic. You can email us anytime to set up a tour.”

Twice a year, Frey Family Farms hosts the Eatonville Co-op Nursery School and the Eatonville Elementary special education classes.

“We are an educational adviser and service project for the Eatonville School District’s GRITS program, or Growing Relationships In The Soil,” Claudia says. “We demonstrate regenerative techniques and advise their projects.”

Maintaining the 40-acre farm is a nonstop effort. In addition to Claudia working full time and Jim contributing part time, the Frey’s also rely on a few seasonal employees.

“Our youngest daughter, Emily, works full time during summers, and this season, we are hosting a few interns from The Evergreen State College in Olympia,” Claudia says.

New Projects
Later this year, the Frey’s will plant 2.25 acres of blueberries, with the first sellable crop available in 2026.

“We plan for it to be a combination of U-pick and a farmer harvest blueberry field,” Claudia says.

Their small grass-fed beef operation is just getting started. They have two Lowline Angus cows for breed stock. The busy couple also plan on repairing and fixing up their old dairy barn.

“We plan to open a micro-dairy in the near future,” Jim says.

For those interested in getting a little farm time, you can explore the area by renting out the Frey Family Farm suite. This cozy 200-square-foot studio sits 6 miles from the entrance to Mount Rainier National Park. It comes with a queen bed, drop-down dining/work table, two chairs, one sitting chair, a coffee bar with a microwave, refrigerator, a tea/coffee maker, and a 3/4-bath with a walk-in shower.

“Guests can roam the property, visit animals and harvest any veggies they like,” Claudia says. “We stock the suite with soap from Creekside Soaps in Eatonville, and
provide a continental breakfast that includes scones from Cat and Fiddle Bakery.”

What’s Grown on the Frey Family Farm

• Microgreens. Delicious, nutrient dense greens grown for 12 days, microgreens are packed with all the nutrients from within the seed.
• Seasonal vegetables, herbs and berries. The farm produces more than 72 different varieties, many not offered in traditional grocery stores.
• Online ordering from the Frey Family Farm website is available. In addition to Frey products, local partner companies’ products can also be found on the website, including Cat and Fiddle Bakery, All a Buzz Honey Co., Tahoma Shroomery Mushroom Logs, Creekside Soaps, Coots Castle Hot Sauce, organic coffee from Rivers Bistro and Cafe and products from Lavendar Passion Flower Farm.

Frey Family Farm is located at 28411 SR 706 E.,
Ashford, WA 98304. For more information,
visit www.freyfamilyfarm.net or call
253-677-9393.