What’s Happening at the Market: Life ‘like a recipe’ for Sea Basket Farm owners

Sequim Farmers & Artisans Market

Open: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, July 25

Location: Sequim Civic Center Plaza, downtown Sequim

Greg and Marilyn Gundy are two individuals with an incredible zest for life, and Sea Basket Farm is the dynamic culmination of their natural evolution. Where once they combed the beaches for nothing more than their own enjoyment, the seaweed that Greg and Marilyn collect today has become the medium for a vibrant business with a distinct array of products.

At the core of this transformation was one tenant: stay engaged with what fascinates you.

Following their hearts has always come naturally to Greg and Marilyn. From early on they abandoned the traditional career path in favor of a nomadic lifestyle, and it was during one of their many sojourns when the Gundys first spotted a work of kelp art.

Intrigued, Greg and Marilyn implored the artist to teach them the craft, and upon doing so embarked on the journey of a new fascination.

“Marilyn thought the kelp was really neat and immediately thought that it’d make an interesting basket,” Greg recalls.

Despite the insistence of the other artists that such an idea could never work, Greg and Marilyn soon managed to craft beautifully decorative kelp baskets, capable of capturing the spirit of the sea and transplanting it directly into one’s home space.

Evolution is key to Sea Basket Farm.

“Life is kind of like a recipe, it’s just a place to start,” Greg said. “You go up on some things, down on others, and eventually hone in on what you want it to be. That flexibility is key to a good life.”

Market-goers have had the chance to witness this evolution first hand over the years as Sea Basket Farm’s focus has gradually shifted from vegetables to a lineup presently consisting of table centerpieces, rattles, wall hangings and, of course, kelp baskets.

With each new product the Gundys create they unearth something about the intricacies of the art form. To this day, they’re still evolving and learning.

Although the kelp baskets demand the most of their customer’s attention, Sea Basket Farm still produces delicious artichokes, garlic, and even offers ceremonial smudging products, inspired by the traditions of indigenous peoples across the Americas.

They offer responsibly sourced cedar and palo santo, alongside homegrown buffalo sweet grass and white sage.

Greg and Marilyn handcraft feathers as instruments used to fan the various smudging herbs.

“We come by these passions naturally, we just like doing things that appeal to us and are creative and something that hopefully somebody else can appreciate,” Greg said. “It’s just a real blessing to pursue the things in life that matter most to you and figure out how to do them well.”

Anyone who knows the Gundys won’t be surprised to learn of another intense passion of the couple: farmers markets.

“From the time I was a little kid, my parents would load us in the car on a Friday night and go to the farmers market. They had everything you’d want to eat or buy,” Greg notes.

“Even as Marilyn and I were traveling the country in our RV, one of our favorite things to do was stop and look at the local farmers markets. You see what the locals eat, you see what the locals grow. Those are the people closest to the community and that’s what I find most fascinating.”

You can find kelp baskets, produce, and smudging products from Sea Basket Farms every Saturday, from 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. at the Sequim Farmers & Artisans Market, located at Sequim Civic Center plaza.

Emma Jane Garcia is Marketing Manager for the Sequim Farmers & Artisans Market. See www.sequimmarket.com.