If you haven’t yet been out to Bella Luna Farms in Snohomish, you should. It’s a one-of-a-kind property settled in 1919, set on 12 secluded acres, surrounded by towering trees, and is an elevated farm experience from what you may traditionally think of when you hear the word “farm”. In fact, the property is so stunningly gorgeous that you almost can’t believe that any actual work goes on around its grounds - but it does - in spades in fact - and its evident from one peek into their kitchen and storage rooms that books, seeds, ideas and community are aplenty. If you’ve ever just walked into a place and been struck by a feeling of home, Bella Luna does exactly that. It’s a cocoon away from the rest of the world - and whilst very easily reachable from Seattle city proper, feels a million miles away once you walk onto the property.
The gorgeous property which greets you as you walk to the kitchen
We’ve been eyeing Bella Luna’s classes and farm events for some time, having attended their market event in the Fall, where we came home with wines, cheeses, loads of fresh and interesting veggies, as well as locally baked goods, and two of the biggest smiles you’ve ever seen. We walked on site for the first time that day ooohing and ahhing and knew we had to somehow be more involved - and needed to come back the first time we had the opportunity. In a place like this, you can truly live an undistracted, undivided life. You’re free to just be, and to immerse yourself in the activities, the tastes, the smells (yes, even the smells…!)
As a couple, we have a personal vested interest in visiting places like Bella Luna. First of all, it offers a much-needed respite from our daily lives working in the computer-heavy tech world… after looking at a computer all week, there’s nothing we want more than to get out into nature and/or somewhere we can connect with the land and get our hands a bit dirty. Erick grew up on an organic farm on the East coast as a kid, and I have spent many thousands of hours traveling in remote places, climbing mountains where I’ve spent weeks on end out in nature, and so experiences like this - even if just a microdose of what we’re used to - bring us closer to our heart centers.
Sheeps peeking out of cozy barn
Goat friends
Stinky the donkey
Bella Luna has more classes on varied topics than you could ever imagine: watercoloring, preserving, sourdough, baking, wines, buttermaking… I know I’m personally interested in them all - especially in these times where self sustenance is of increasing interest in our world.
We found out that Norcino Salumi (https://www.norcinosalumiseattle.com/) was leading a butchery and charcuterie workshop on a rainy February day, and we couldn’t imagine a better place to be… and that was that. Without further ado, here’s snippets and a photojournal of our incredible day with Seamus:
A take-home guide from Norcino Salami
Stunning charcuterie plates with Norcino for munching
Gorgeous roasted farm carrots waiting for us for lunch
We started the day with introductions, learning about Seamus of Norcino Salumi, and his long family history in the butchery business, with his grandfather originally in the meat/butchery business in Pike Place market 70+ years before. Two things are immediately clear: Seamus has found his calling, and he is definitely the guy you want by your side if you’re about to butcher your first or 4000th pig (he says upon his calculations that he’s up to somewhere around 3,000 pigs in his lifetime, himself). What’s great though is that he makes you feel okay being a rookie… “you’re going to make a lot of mistakes when you first start learning this stuff,” says Seamus… “but what matters is how you fix those mistakes, not that you avoid making them all together.” I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that any actions I take this day won’t be judged, and I’m glad to be in a room of supportive folks.
Lunch enjoyed in the Grape Room
There’s also something to be said for the type of people that come to these things. We’ve got a lumber company executive who also owns his own farm and seems like he’s dabbled in pretty much everything (including helping furnish Bella Luna with some of the wood used to build their property!), we’ve got a UW scientist just returned from Patagonia on vacation, we’ve got an Alaskan restauranteur who is passing through town and used to work in a restaurant with Seamus, our very own instructor. Quite the eclectic group, and we all came together like flies on honey, despite our very varied backgrounds.
Over lunch, we talked about the risks/rewards of regenerative agriculture, our take on the food industry as a whole, and also shared tidbits about local events we’d also attended (we found out here about Kurtwood Farms, which hosts similar events over on Vashon!).
Gorgeous farm salad for lunch
Farm bread, carrots, slow cooked pork, salad
Pam Thompson, the owner of Bella Luna, was fully engaged and present nearly the entire 5 hours of our experience as well, watching and listening, and making sure the group was well-fed and well-caffeinated at every step of the way. She also was generous enough to spend time with guests and show us around the farm as we waited for lunch. We perused the outdoor gathering areas, the guesthouse, the creamery, and fed the goats and Stinky the donkey whilst sipping on a local wine.
Erick gets to take a turn at cutting the ribs, by carving a groove with the saw, then going back in with the long knife
Ready to season, stuff and tie my lonza for aging at home
Throughout the three and a half hour class, Seamus methodically showed us the play by play on how to butcher a pig, and explained each cut in depth (both American and Italian style!), how to extract them (“follow the bone!”) and even talked through the applications/best ways to prepare them as well (his lengthy chef background was immensely useful in helping us know what to do when we got home with our bounty!)
To wrap up the day, Seamus gave us a detailed lesson on how to season, stuff, and tie our own lonzas, which we would take home and age for 3 months. After a quick debrief on aging techniques (make sure you have at least 70 percent humidity and 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit!), we were each sent on our way with a personal lonza and a bag full of pork, which we already cooked for dinner the following evening and can confirm… is delicious!
Seamus educating us and stacking up our beautiful bounty before finishing with the cheek and jowls
Needless to say, we plan on coming back to Bella Luna again - for the great company, the food, the animals, the wealth of knowledge, and most importantly - the intangible magic that you just can’t describe.
