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Family Farm celebrates first year

Mike Vieira, owner of a micro-dairy on the West Plains, cleans the udder and teats of a cow before milking Thursday, April 30, 2009. Vieira prides himself on cleanliness and although he has thirty cows now, he doesn
Mike Vieira, owner of a micro-dairy on the West Plains, cleans the udder and teats of a cow before milking Thursday, April 30, 2009. Vieira prides himself on cleanliness and although he has thirty cows now, he doesn't want to go above 60 so he can maintain hands-on control of his product. He sells minimally pasteurized milk to local supermarkets like Yokes and Rosauers. (Photos by JESSE TINSLEY / The Spokesman-Review)
By Lorie Hutson lorieh@spokesman.com(509) 459-5446

Spokane’s Family Farm is celebrating its first anniversary with a customer appreciation day Friday.

Meet Mike and Trish Vieira, tour the farm, see the milk bottling operation in action and enjoy milk and cookies at the farm between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The Vieiras opened the unusual microdairy last year. The milk is pasteurized and bottled at the farm and is only about 72 hours from the cow, and has traveled less than 20 miles, by the time it lands on grocery store shelves.

The milk isn’t homogenized, which means cream rises to the top.

Volunteers who work at stores where the milk is sold will be on hand Friday between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to help with bottling, including Yoke’s, Rosauers, Huckleberry’s Natural Market and Main Market Co-op. The milk is sold at about 100 stores in the area.

Students from local Future Farmers of America groups will also help out. Once local orders are filled, the remaining milk will be bottled and donated to Second Harvest food banks.

Trish Vieria said they plan to have tours of the milking and bottling during the customer appreciation event, as well as a small petting zoo for the kids, including calves, bunnies and ducks.

If you can’t make it to the farm, check out photos taken when the microdairy opened last year by Spokesman-Review photographer Jesse Tinsley.

Spokane’s Family Farm is about 13 miles west of Spokane at 21715 W. Coulee Hite Road. Reach the farm at (509) 796-FARM.

Bay Market tour

The Jilin-Spokane Sister City Society will host a behind-the-scenes tour at Bay Market on Saturday at 10:30 a.m.

The tour is free for members or $5 for nonmembers. Learn about the traditional and exotic ingredients sold at the Asian market. Recipes will be handed out.

Bay Market is at 1801 E. Sprague Ave. For more information call (509) 280-3116.

We’re always looking for fresh food news. Write to: The Fresh Sheet, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. Call (509) 459-5446, fax to (509) 459-5098 or send an e-mail to lorieh@spokesman.com.