Farmer Profile: Karen Selvar

by Connor Almon-Griffin

Friends of the Farms keeps the history of farming on Bainbridge Island alive and thriving. Through Public Farmland management, farmers like Karen Selvar are able to remain, farm and share their knowledge and wisdom of the land. Your support to Friends of the Farms this season helps keep a place in our community for growers and producers like Karen. Donate today, and read on to learn more about this incredible member of our community.

Local agricultural icon Karen Selvar has been farming on Bainbridge Island since she was nine years old.

During her first summer picking strawberries for Akio Suyematsu, Karen made a total of $4.50. At sixteen she graduated to delivering Bainbridge Island strawberries to sell at Pike Place Market. On a good day, Karen remembers, she could make it to the market and back to the ferry terminal just in time to catch the same boat back and take a quick nap.

When the opportunity arose for Karen to lease the fifteen-acre Manzanita property, she realized there was no way she could pass it up. Today, Karen continues to farm and live on the land where she grew up picking strawberries along with farming seven acres of public farmland at Day Road. You may have ambled about her pumpkin patch searching for your prized halloween pumpkin or u-picked raspberries at her raspberry field. Between the two farms Karen grows strawberries, raspberries, corn, squash, and other vegetables, as well as pumpkins, flowers, and Christmas trees for our community. Karen’s commitment to local farming, the community, and to honoring the legacy of Akio Suyematsu runs deep. When we interviewed Karen for this profile, her passion and connection to the land was both obvious and infectious.

She spoke with respect and gratitude of her predecessors who dedicated their lives to local farms and food.

Local farming is something that both nourishes and is nourished by the community around it and Karen certainly embodies those principals. She has been a significant partner to Friends of the Farms, as a former member of the Board, an advisor, and a strong advocate for the continuation of farming on the island.

Karen knows firsthand the obstacles our local farmers face today, such as housing for farm interns, the struggle the next generation of farmers face to acquire land, and the need to preserve and protect existing agricultural properties.

Friends of the Farms extends a huge thank you to Karen for all of the work she does and continues to do for farming on Bainbridge Island.

It's Christmas Tree Season! One of Karen's busiest times of year. The Suyematsu Farms/Bainbridge Island Farms Tree Farm is located at 13610 Manzanita Road, Bainbridge Island. There you will find seven acres with six different tree varieties ranging from three to ten feet tall. Cut your own or take advantage of pre-cut trees!

In addition to trees, there are also hand-made wreaths, garland, and centerpieces. More information can be found at www.suyematsufarms.com or at the Bainbridge Island Farms Facebook page.

Thank you Karen!