Published: Sandy Post – Wednesday, Dec 3, 2014
When customers arrive at Rainy Mountain Farms to pick the perfect Christmas tree, they are greeted by views of Mount Hood and Bear.
Not a real bear — a giant snow-white dog stationed in the middle of the driveway during the farm’s business hours.
Bear’s owner, Richard Ten Eyck, said the dog’s job on the farm is to be petted.
Rainy Mountain Farms is owned by Richard and his wife, Kim. They’ve been running a U-cut Christmas tree farm for about six years now.
According to Richard, his great-grandfather homesteaded not far from their farm just outside of Sandy in 1872.
Richard’s parents’ house can be seen from his property just up the hill. He said he and his father grew up there. His grandfather built the house in 1920, directly on the Barlow Trail.
Richard said he and Kim bought their property from his parents in 1995. They live and farm on the property, raising everything from Christmas trees and hay to pigs and goats.
In 2000, they began planting trees for the farm, Richard said. But when he realized how expensive it would be to run a large-scale commercial farm, they downsized a bit.
He said they were planting 1,000-1,500 noble firs, Douglas firs and blue spruce every year until the price of trees bottomed out with the economy.
After a break, only recently did the Ten Eycks go back to planting.
“We were just trying to diversify what we do here,” Kim said.
Although they haven’t been running a U-cut farm for long, Kim said it has been growing every year.
“We’re not really big enough to be commercial,” she said. But she added that they have customers who come back every year for the view, the unique trees and the drive.
According to Richard, Rainy Mountain Farms has about 1,000 trees.
Kim said they sold about 200 trees last year. In all, they have sold about 700 trees in the six years they’ve been running a U-cut.
“And there’s plenty more out there,” she said.
“It’s pretty fabulous,” said Megan Andersen, who was out with her family to pick a tree the afternoon of Sunday, Nov. 20.
Andersen said they found Rainy Mountain Farms online and decided to make the trek out. She said the drive was beautiful.
The Andersen family picked out a 15-foot noble fir to take home. Ella, 10, and Avery, 7, said they’ve had taller trees, but the one they cut down was still pretty cool.
“They’re getting bigger, so the trees look smaller,” Andersen said with a laugh, assuring that the tree they got is larger than normal.
What sets Rainy Mountain trees apart is their size. They’re not your average 7- or 8-foot trees found in a lot. Many of the giants tower over folks as they search for the right fit.
When customers arrive, Richard points them toward either the nobles, Douglas firs or blue spruce depending on their choice. He then tells them to cut it wherever to make the tree fit for them, and to holler if they need help.
If customers find a tree they like, but it’s too tall, Richard is more than happy to cut it to whatever height best suits them.
Although nobles are the best sellers at Rainy Mountain, Richard said the blue spruce is a close second.
Richard said he has heard people saying that nobles hold ornaments better because of their strong branches — he’s even heard people say they smell the best — but there is a niche market for the farm’s most unique species.
According to Richard, the blue spruce is a traditional European Christmas tree and isn’t very commonly found this time of year.
Because of its sharp needles, Richard recommends blue spruce for houses with cats because they tend to stay out of it.
Blue spruce is also popular among those who prefer a wilder looking tree.
“What we’ve seen with U-cut customers is that everybody has a different taste,” Richard said. “To go out and make them all look cookie-cutter, the same, is actually a disservice.”
But choosing the perfect tree is hardly ever easy. Richard said the record at Rainy Mountain for the most time spent picking out a single tree is three hours.
When they’re open on weekends, the Ten Eycks provide a warm fire and infrared heater, along with coffee and hot chocolate, to help successful tree hunters thaw out. Kim plays Mrs. Claus and hands out candy canes to the kids.
There are also handmade wreaths, swags and baskets for sale in the shed. Richard said a neighbor comes and harvests extra boughs off large trees cut the year before to make them.
Richard said owning a tree farm is a lot of work even outside the winter months — there’s fertilizing, mowing and trimming to be done.
“There’s about four weekends in there where we don’t have 10 hours of work a day to do,” he said with a laugh.
But the business of Christmas fits well with the rest of the farm’s schedule, and Richard’s nieces who live just up the hill are always willing to help out.