Historic Hood River
Kollas Family Century Farm
Notes
Here’s another Century Farm citation:
The Kollas farm was started in 1894 by Phillip Wilhelm and Maria Gehrig Kollas. Of their four boys only Alphonse continued farming. Alphonse Jr. (Bud) (decesased) and his wife, Betty, continued with the farm. Now their daughhter, Michelle, and her husband, Jose Calderon continue to grow fruit. There is the hope that one of their children will carry on in later year. They grow pears, apples and cherries with peaches, nectarines and plums for Farmers Markets. Bud planted a few apricots for Betty to enjoy.
Left to right: Raquel Calderon, Gabby Calderon, Kieth Kollas, Betty Kollas, Ana Calderon, Jose Calderon, Michelle Kollas Calderon, Vicente Calderon.
“You raise the best fruit you can for the least money and hope to have something left over for yourself.” Quote by Michelle from her grandfather, Alphonse.
Arlen L Sheldrake
love the quote!…..most of us city folk have no clue about the risks farmers take yearly……this old ____ works to remind his grand children that our ancestors had to grow enough food and bring in enough fire wood to last through the winter and spring or die…..in comparison most of us don't have any where near those risks
L.E.
I have always said, if my family was dependent upon my garden and growing skills, we would have starved to death long ago and become non-existant.
nels
A deceased neighbor from North Carolina described running out of food one spring and having to eat the pumpkins that had been punctured on fence posts.
Women had the responsibility of growing the gardens and “putting away” all that food. And marshalling the children to weed and hoe and carry water, then help process the harvest. With wood fired stoves and old fashioned style canning jars. Failure to do properly ended up in food poisoning. And all the while she was probably nursing an infant. Brave, brave women.
Charlott
Hopefully one could have a root cellar and have it well stocked with potatoes, onions, squash, pumpkins, apples, etc. Carrots could be left in the ground and used as needed unless things really froze. Some would store their things in straw. Keep in mind that prior to cooking stoves all food preparations were done in fireplaces. I visited a southern plantation where in their kitchen (a separate building from the house) they had a dirt floor, which was naturally packed so hard it was like a real floor. They had holes dug in that floor when they built small fires and set what are known as Dutch Ovens (big cast iron pots) in there to cook. Very interesting to say the least.
My third great grandfather, in upstate New York made cider and stored it in barrels in his basement (root cellar)………..now we know that that was HARD cider. His kids were known to get straws (out of the field) and try to sneak down and partake of his cider.
Dwaine (Spike) Goodwin
My maternal Grandfather was Frank Kollas. His story of how he came to America, from Germany, in the late 1890's as a young man (boy) was always intriguing no matter how many times he told it. He had a farm in the Pine Grove area before retiring and moving into town on the Heights.