Hentze Family Farm

This is a great place for a family with children and to just hangout they a food stand with all sorts of choices to pick from and picnic tables to eat at. That also have a pretty big grassy area for the kids to run around. Hentze has pre-picked pumpkins for .40 cents a pound. They also have a small little gift shop in the red barn where they sell fresh produce.

A great stop - excellent lemonade, burger, and chicken sandwich- blueberry ketchup was delicious and farm berries from the farm store for dessert!

Was an awesome experience! Loved going on the hay ride through the woods, while the farm chocolate lab dog, Luna, tagged along and enjoyed a locally made hotdog and root beer, the pulled pork sandwiches were great too. All the staff were so friendly and welcoming. The pumpkins were amazing priced and the pumpkins were in very healthy conditions. I also love that they allow dogs on leash! 10/10 recommend!

Without a doubt, Hentze is my favorite Eugene/Lane Co. farm so far. I grew up just southeast of Portland, basically surrounded by a bevy of old, family-owned farms where my mom and I could buy every bit of produce that was in season. Moving to Eugene, I was pretty surprised at how difficult it was for me to buy large quantities of bulk produce directly from farmers. I learned the hard way that most of the farmers' market vendors don't WANT you go ask them about U-Pick. I also learned that, even if you want to buy 18 pounds of green beans, retail farmers won't sell them to you at a bulk price. Putting food by doesn't seem like a real viable option when even beans are over $3/pound.

This year, I got much more educated. I learned about this little gem (The WV Locally Grown Guide): http://www.lanefood.org/home.php, and a lot of farms started using social media tools (Thank you)! Good ol' fb is how I learned of Hentze; they were advertising their annual cherry fest.

My first visit in late July blew me away. First off, the farm is stinkin' beautiful! Tucked away just off River Road in Junction City, the setting is timeless. A long driveway leads you past cherry orchards, fields of berries, up to a big red barn. Nothing feels crowded. There's "the weigh station," which feels more like a store that holds everything you need; flats of fruits, fresh or frozen, vegetables, nuts, and grains. A cheery person will set you off in the right direction, bucket in hand, if you're ready to pick. Whether you pick yourself, or buy from the store, Henze also offers a variety of "food-processing" services via their commercial-grade stations. They'll wash and shell peas, wash and pit cherries, wash and snap beans.... the list goes on. Trust me, after you take advantage of this for one season, you'll find yourself questioning, "Why do I do this at home again? With my cherry pitter that pits One Cherry At A Time?"

During my first visit, I went to pick raspberries with a friend, and she and I ended up leaving with marion, boyson, and blue berries as well as cherries and green beans. As we packed the back of her Subaru with our haul, we were shocked that we had purchased nearly 80 pounds of food for right around $100. Although not all of the food here is certified organic, most (if not all) produce is no-spray or transitional. We had a nice mix of berries that we picked ourselves, berries that we bought from the store, bags of both frozen and fresh cherries. Hentze made it easy, and fun.

I encourage you to make Hentze a stop on your farm circuit this season. Whether you're a new recruit to the bulk food scene, or a seasoned veteran, I think you'll have a good time here...and I know you'll get good food.