Blueberry Meadows

Blueberry Meadows is a small, family owned and operated farm located just north of Corvallis. We are Certified Transitional by Oregon Tilth. We are proud to provide our community with delicious, locally grown fruit as well as the quintessential summer experience of picking your own blueberries! Blueberry Meadows was started in the 1950s by Edward and Ruth Vaughan. Edward was a professor of plant pathology at OSU from 1947 until his retirement in 1974 and Ruth was an OSU graduate in home economics with a keen interest in nutrition and gardening. Lynn and Kevin bought the farm in 1993 and are the second owners. Lynn and Kevin moved from Healdsburg, CA to Corvallis in 1991 along with their daughters, Erica and Lisa. They chose Corvallis because it met their criteria: a small town with good schools, located in a valley, a reasonable cost of housing from their warped California perspective, and home to a four-year university. When they moved to Corvallis, they had never visited the town, didn’t have employment, didn’t have a place to stay, and didn’t know anyone. Erica, a toddler, and Lisa, a baby, were in tow. Lynn is originally from Chicago and has an educational background as a math and science teacher. She taught math for over 16 years in the Midwest, Southern California, and Corvallis. Kevin grew up in Los Angeles and is a professionally trained chef, a graduate of “the other CIA” (Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY). He worked for 22 years in restaurants and hotels in Chicago, Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Healdsburg, and Corvallis. Before purchasing Blueberry Meadows, all Lynn and Kevin knew about blueberries was how to cook and eat them. Lynn’s experience picking blueberries came from childhood summers spent in South Haven, Michigan, a major blueberry growing region.  Being “big city” people, they had no experience in agriculture. The first year was overwhelming; they didn’t know what they were doing. Guidance came from local blueberry farmers and members of the now disbanded Oregon Blueberry Growers Association. Over time, they have learned the rhythm of the seasonal tasks and have made improvements to the property. When they purchased the farm, almost the entire crop was being sold to a broker. From the beginning, it was their goal to sell all the berries locally, which has been realized. Providing an outstanding product with excellent service has been key to achieving that goal. Erica and Lisa had idyllic childhoods on the farm spending many happy hours wandering amongst the blueberry bushes, working in the blueberry shed, bothering the employees, and playing in the sawdust pile. They both chose careers related to land stewardship (archaeology and environmental engineering, respectively). Erica has spent over a decade working as an archaeologist in federal agencies and in the private sector, earning an M.A. in Cultural Resources Management, and participating in projects throughout the West. She returned to Blueberry Meadows because of the fulfillment and the connection to nature that farming provides. She splits her time between the two careers and looks forward to carrying the family business into the future. Lisa looks forward to frequently visiting the farm and contributing to the upkeep and maintenance of the equipment. We’re experimenting with pollinator plantings, and have planted several hundred feet of hedgerow! Lynn and Kevin provide assistance as ‘consultants’ and Lynn continues to handle the bookkeeping and government reporting. 3860 ne highway 20corvallis, oregon 97330(541) 753-2614