18 | SUMMER 2026 EDIBLE CENTRAL OREGON If you are a farmers market regular, you have likely shopped at Sungrounded Farm, one of the larger veggie stalls at the downtown Bend and Northwest Crossing markets, with an expansive tent and, at times, a line that snakes through the shade and pokes out into foot traffic. Co-owners Ashley and Caleb Thompson met and cut their farming teeth in the Peace Corps while working with small-scale producers in Paraguay to improve on-farm agricultural practices via simple methods like composting, cover cropping, and improved animal husbandry. After working at farms in Eugene and Bend, the Thompsons started Sungrounded Farm in 2018. They quickly began selling their offerings, these days totaling up to 35 varieties grown on two-and-a-half acres, at Bend farmers markets, through a community-supported agriculture (CSA) harvest subscription program, and selling wholesale to restaurants and grocers. Sungrounded has become known not only for its wide array of perfect produce for sale in peak season, but also its year-round salad mix and early tomatoes, available in June—basically unheard of in Central Oregon. Curious what is a farmer’s personal favorite crop? Caleb names the orange slicing tomato for its “flavor, popularity, and reliability.” For Ashley, it varies season by season. Snap peas are currently in the lead partially because of the plants themselves. “They’re the first big flowering plants of spring and are beautiful at all stages,” she says. What do they recommend to farmers market customers? “We always wish people would be more open to cooking with fennel. It is a favorite flavor in our kitchen and pairs so well with meat and vegetable dishes.” “Farming is a truly rewarding career that will challenge you physically, mentally, and emotionally,” says Caleb. “I can find nothing more rewarding in the long term than getting to watch our piece of property turn into a thriving farm ecosystem.” Ashley shares how fortunate she feels to have found small-scale farming after growing up in the arid high mountains of Colorado, where there is no model for this type of agriculture. “The constantly demanding nature [of farming]...keeps me engaged in the neverending puzzle, and I’ve found a fabulous community of growers and eaters here,” she says. “That sense of community and purpose is something I was always looking for. I’m hooked.” sungroundedfarm.com FARMER SPOTLIGHT: SUNGROUNDED FARM Get to know your farmers and find out what they’re cooking with this season Words by Rebekah Altman | Photos by Amanda Long/Sungrounded Farm e
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