Perhaps it is the Sakari Farms Rose Hip Tea that will help you recall picking wild plants by the river with your Grandmother. Or maybe it is just the overall feeling that you get when visiting Sakari Farms and the mission Spring Alaska Shreiner has brought to life there. A vision reconnecting all visitors and customers (both virtually and in-person) with the wonder around Indigenous plants, seeds and so much more.
This Tribal food production farm in Bend, Oregon was designed to bring forth the activities of collecting native seeds from the woods, mountains and streams and the plants she enjoyed eating, picking, and saving as a child. One of Shreiner’s favorite plants is yarrow. Sakari Farms also specializes in tribal peppers, tomatoes, herbs, and one-of-a-kind native flowers. They also work in collaboration with the Central Oregon Seed Exchange as a unique Deschutes County-based cold climate seed bank, offering free seed and agricultural education to the public.
The farm is a host to Sakari Botanicals and operates as a value-added product culinary and healing Tribal business that is Made/Produced by American Indian certified. The location also houses a unique Tribal Seed Bank dedicated to regional and national Tribal Members only. Sakari Farms is unique in that they grow Native American Tribal Foods, offer on-farm Technical Assistance through on-farm classes, and implement research-based tribal seed production, contract and wholesale growing.
Most important, Shreiner said is, “Using the whole plant.” This practice is central to Indigenous ways and is vitally important to the efforts at Sakari Farms where the intent is, “to bring back Traditional foods for everyone.”
She said it is essentially about bringing back, “Tribal culture and older food pathways.”
“Things do take time,” Shreiner admits. The efforts began in 2009 and really started picking up in 2012.
Two years ago, a larger farm location was purchased, and they had to, “expand because we were out of space to grow in quantity some of these food products.”
You will be inspired listening to Spring Alaska Shreiner visit with Electa Hare-Redcorn, a Technical Assistance Specialist based out of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. You won’t want to miss the resilience Shreiner has demonstrated after the loss of 8,000 seedlings to a massive storm and many more inspiring stories.
Of note: The Intertribal Agriculture Council is very proud Sakari Farms/Sakari Botanicals holds its Made/Produced by American Indian Patent Certification.
Listen to Part 1 of the Resiliency through Agriculture podcast with Sakari Farms by clicking: http://bit.ly/SakariFarmsPart1
Follow the IAC American Indian Foods program at: www.facebook.com/AmericanIndianFoods
Follow Sakari Farms at: www.facebook.com/Sakari-Farms-224485035156593
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