Past the park, into the woods and to... a farm stand?

Just beyond Keizer Rapids Park is the Fischer Family Farm Store, a new farm stand now on the property of Kyle and Jasmin Fischer. The couple owns the 9-acre property just east of the park, separated by a gate. The Fischers said they started it as a way to connect with the community, leave something for their daughter, Clover, and share the bounty of their property. It's been a "dream come true" to have the small farm and stand, they said.

The farm stand opened at the beginning of August, a navy shed that Kyle built and set up himself. Inside, small shelves and shelved bins contain goods either grown, foraged, harvested or made by the couple. Due to its small size, they are only open Friday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The couple bought the property just a year ago, coming up from Eugene. They said if you'd asked them a few years ago if this would be their life now, they wouldn't have believed you. Jasmin said it'd always been a dream of hers to have a property to have chickens, while Kyle wasn't as enthusiastic. Eventually, they got settled in and Clover was born.

The little farm stand is a shed with a custom logo, "fresh produce," "farm fresh eggs" and "honey for sale" signs on it. A chalkboard with a revolving message of hours and other specials is hung up next to the entrance.

In the shelved bins are summer produce, currently with tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, blueberries, cucumbers, green beans, figs, carrots and foraged blackberries. On the shelves to the left are jars of honey and hand-poured beeswax candles, which Jasmin said are harvested from the two hives on the property.

There are also homemade jams, preserves, canned produce, dried produce, seasonings and baked goods. Baked goods include bread loaves, cookies and muffins, with pies planned for the fall.

Everything is made in small batches, as the couple does everything themselves. They said it is a tedious but rewarding process. Jasmin added homemade goods just because she likes the process of making them, while Kyle is great at prepping, making it a "great system."

Jasmin has a passion for herbology and natural remedies, so she also makes tea mixes, a salve and offers fresh herbs at the stand.

They originally planned to be open all week, but with the immense demand they saw in the first week made them realize they couldn't keep up. Being open for three days provides enough time to gather, make and restock their goods.

The couple also plans to plant a small pumpkin patch to be ready for next year, Jasmin said.

To be the most accessible, they have applied to be a part of the Farm Direct Nutrition Program (FDNP) to eventually accept families in the Women's, Infants and Children (WIC) program.

The two said they began the process of creating it over six months ago when Clover was just two months old.

The property they live on had beehives and an orchard before they moved in, but it is mostly forested, Jasmin said. She grew up in Washington's Olympic Peninsula, where her family taught her how to forage, identifying what was and wasn't edible throughout the region. She has foraged wild garlic, mushrooms, blackberries and other herbs on the property.

Kyle built a duck pond and chicken enclosure, including a pond, to house the birds, which contributed to his newfound love of building things. The two had previously never raised chickens or ducks. They have a small number of laying birds for each species and sell the eggs. Jasmin said the duck eggs are very popular but are in more limited supply.

The orchard on the property had apples, pears and plums (which will be available in the fall), and they were growing other produce in the greenhouse.

Kyle said he never imagined he'd have a farm or anything like it, as he graduated from the University of Oregon in 2020 with a degree in advertising. But he got burnt out working in advertising. They decided as his family was moving to Newburg to start their winery Late Sky Wine, they would move to Salem.

He said he "beat his family to the punch" in starting their own business as Late Sky Wine is opening next month. In the meantime, he said the family has been "over the moon" about the agricultural venture.

"When I was younger I stayed away from doing (agricultural work) but now I enjoy it a lot more, just getting back into nature and being off the computer," Kyle said. "This work is satisfying and so much fun ... but now it's almost never enough."

Written by Em Chan who covers food and dining at the Statesman Journal.