Tom and Bonnie - The Koenigs of Bend

My name is Bonnie Koenig.  I am not a writer or website designer so I hope you will overlook the amateur-ish quality of this site.  I married Thomas (the greatest man) in 1987 and we live happily ever after in Bend, Oregon.  For 16 years we lived in the Willamette Valley where we started a small specialty food company named From Oregon Inc.  The business was relatively successful cooking up Oregon’s  great berries into jams, sauces and fudge toppings.  We sold the business to Oregon Fruit Products in 1997.   Since moving to the high desert I’ve learned that the weather and volcanic soils along with an abundance of hungry wildlife make gardening here quite difficult.  We use as many season extenders as possible, supplement the soils each year with manures & meals and fence the important vegetable areas.  Each year the garden has produced an abundance of fabulously nutritious vegetables and tasty herbs.  Having gone through the Master Food Preserver program at the OSU Extension service in 2006, I attempt to preserve everything.   The only produce that I consider “surplus” at times is lettuce.  Of course I share with my neighbors!   Your garden can produce the food your family likes to eat and you’ll be able to harvest in quantities suitable for home preservation. 

The goal here is to help you eat better.  Grow a garden.  ”Put up” local peaches or  pickle your home grown beets, cucumbers and beans.  I am very excited about the new community interest in local food.  Are you  growing your own??  Enjoy it all year long by spending the time to preserve the nutrients and flavors of the summer sun.