Member Highlight

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PSFN Sponsorship Showcase: Meritage Handcrafted Soups

Continued from Spring 2012 Newsletter…

Meritage Handcrafted Soups has been a sponsor of PSFN for over a year. Owned by Shannon Moshier, Bruce Rowe, and Jeff Fisher, and based in Redmond, Meritage crafts signature soups by fusing old world cooking traditions with new world technologies.

Company Overview

We formed Meritage Soups because we believe there is a renewed interest in the foodservice industry to search out a company focused exclusively on cooking premier quality soups. We believe in handcrafted methods, small batches, and in the importance of a product’s quality over that of its quantity. We specialize in excellence.

Meritage is a designation created by Napa Valley, California vintners to define a premier wine created by a blending of three or more grape varieties; the words Merit and Heritage come together to form Meritage. As in the case of a fine wine, the crafting of a premier quality soup requires an artful blending of superior ingredients to a delicious end. Meritage cooks handcraft our soups with great pride and passion, employing classic culinary techniques.

Our Plant

Our soups are initially crafted in our R&D Presentation Kitchen. Great care is taken to evolve the soup recipe for production without sacrificing quality or flavor. By using smaller kettles and producing in small batches, we are able to maintain the artful preparation of a home kitchen.

Meritage Tuscan Minestrone Soup

Cooking & Ingredients

Classic culinary approaches are the backbone of our craft. Techniques, such as ‘made from scratch’ roux, differentiate our soups from the industry standard.

We support local companies whenever possible. We use fresh and natural ingredients, gourmet spices, real cheeses, local cream, choice meats and seafood. Fresh vegetables are cut to our own specifications, beans and legumes carefully sorted, and spice blends are created in house to achieve the perfect balance for our recipes. Kosher salt is utilized only when necessary to enhance the natural flavors of our ingredients. We do not include additives or preservatives to our soups.

The end result: handcrafted…nutritious…and delicious soups!

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Sponsors of the Puget Sound Food Network receive added benefits including a complimentary membership to the PSFN, a dedicated account manager, advertising benefits including prominent placement on our website and all e-communications and more. To learn more, or to find out if your business is a good match for PSFN or any other Northwest Agriculture Business Center project sponsorship opportunities, contact Karen Mauden: karen@psfn.org

Posted by Emma Brewster on April 25th, 2012

Member Highlight: Sarah Richards, Lavender Wind Farm

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Sarah Richards owns the only lavender farm on Whidbey Island. With views of the Olympic Mountains and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, she has built a popular destination for tourists. She has also developed a full line of culinary and personal care products which are sold online, at her farm, and by local retailers. This summer, she is opening her first retail store and production facility in Coupeville. She is a member of the Puget Sound Food Network, a board member of Northwest Agriculture Business Center, and was a founding member of the Whidbey Island Grown brand. She is also a founding board member of the new United States Lavender Growers Association and will be attending the Sequim International Lavender Conference, April 27-30.

NABC’s Sherrye Wyatt caught up with Sarah earlier this month to find out more about the origins of her “accidental” business, the unique challenges of farming on an island and operating a business out of a historic house, and some of Sarah’s other passions.

How did you get into lavender farming?
This farm was an accident. We were looking for a place to build a house in 1998 on Whidbey Island, and we found this land which was a part of the old Darst Farm. I took a shovel to see what kind of soil it had, and it turned out to be this incredibly beautiful, sandy loam. I recognized it because I had grown up with the same kind of dirt on my mother’s place on Martha’s Vineyard. We decided to farm it because it had been farmed for over 130 years. We chose to grow lavender because it had to be a crop that did not require irrigation. Plus, I had spent a year in France and it smells good, and the lavender surge in Sequim was starting to take off. Now on this farm we grow seven different kinds of lavender and have five acres in production. In the nursery we grow even more varieties for people to plant in their gardens.

Is lavender hard to grow?
We are certified organic which makes it more difficult because we can’t put any chemicals on the weeds. Weeds are a problem when you have a perennial crop. They can invade the rows. We do as much tractor work as we can, but the rest is done with hand tools. All the lavender is harvested by hand. We don’t have enough acreage to warrant buying harvesting equipment, at least not yet. My plan is to paint the prairie purple! There are no other lavender farms on Whidbey and I would like to get more acreage under production. The way things keep growing we won’t have enough lavender to meet demand. Right now we need more lavender than we can produce.

What is the secret to your success?
The secret has been to grow very slowly. For the first few years we weren’t even on the map. Every year we learned more. Eventually, I surrounded myself with people who knew more than I did. My background is not in farming. I am a multi career person with 10 years as a mental health therapist. One of the key people here now is Younes Mou Mou. He is from Morocco and approached me two years ago because he wanted to learn about farming. He started as a weeder and I just recently promoted him to farm manager. He is fabulous. We have a good team and I’m getting everyone in place to grow the business.

Part of the process of creating essential oils at Lavender Wind Farm

What can visitors see at the farm?
We are open to the public year round, but mid-June through August is when the lavender is at its best. We have purple alert at www.LavenderWindFarm.com with a scale from 1-10. The last weekend of July we annually hold the “Artists’ Invasion” where dozens of artists set up for two days to create and sell their work. In the summer while we are harvesting, we are also doing the distilling of essential oils. This is the primary activity people like to watch. It is a processing of the crop and it makes it into a value added product. Essential oils are the biggest deal about lavender, all the rest is just window dressing. The essential oil is where it is at. We make our value added products like sachets and dried lavender bunches, bulk lavender for other people to use for crafting, culinary lavender, herb blends and various food products. We make baking mixes, jams, jellies, ice cream and personal care products including lotions, soaps, shampoo and candles. We manage our own gift shop at the farm, an online store which is getting a new shopping cart. Soon we’ll have a new shop in Coupeville.

Some of Sarah’s value added products:

Why are you opening a shop in Coupeville?
The new place is a combination of a manufacturing facility and retail outlet. We will also be doing all of our shipping from there for internet sales. We will have a dehydrator and dry filling machine. Previously we haven’t had an official manufacturing place to make all of our personal care products and lavender crafts, and we’ve rented a commercial kitchen to produce our food products. So we are going to get this all packed into one place and staff it appropriately. Plus our community needs a commercial kitchen with packing capacity, and I am talking with other Whidbey Island Grown farmers. We are interacting with farmers in new ways.

How will this help your business and how do you promote yourself?
Now we are able to ramp up sales. I have just hired a full time sales manager who is focused on wholesale and retail sales. Her first step is getting introduced to our existing accounts, which are mostly on Whidbey Island. We are getting the word out through three chambers of commerce we belong to, plus we distribute brochures through Certified Folder on the ferries, the cruise ship terminal, at the Boeing tour, and other places. Also, we’re on the NABC Whidbey Island Map and we’re heavily into social media. We’ve always had our farm on the Whidbey Island Farm Tour. However, this year the new commercial kitchen will be on the tour instead. People don’t know what it takes to get preserved foods from the farm to the store. Our products and this new facility give us a chance to educate the public about what licensing is involved and what kinds of equipment it takes. We can show them what that process really looks like.

Are their considerations when putting a business in a historic house?
It’s as if buying the house has helped formulate the vision for my business. The house is a cottage, and suddenly I realized we are a true cottage industry. The house was built in 1916 and I found these old photos where there is nothing else on the block but this one house. I am so excited about it. The vibe is a sympathetic one, in terms of changing the use of the house from residential to a business. We’re making the transition in a way that fits the rhythm of things as opposed to something drastically different. The store will open by June. We have already started the inside demolition. We are taking great efforts to make the house serviceable, while keeping things historically accurate.

A local artist paints the landscape at Lavender Wind Farm

What are your other passions?
I’m on the board of Whidbey Air, the local internet only radio station. Also, through AAUW, I just created and awarded a new arts scholarship in memory of an artistic high school friend who died. It is named the Dale M. Fischer Scholarship and is for a high school student who will study art. The arts are very important. I was an Art and French major in college and it has been part of my life forever.

How do the arts influence you now?
The arts are important to any small business, even farmers. You have to be conscious of how things look, especially if you are doing agri-tourism. When you are designing marketing materials like a brochure or website, you need to understand the emotional appeal of visual design. In my case, it matters how the fields are laid out. Sure it matters what is best for the plant so it grows properly, but it also matters how it all visually plays out. Just as there are different rules for paints and how you use them, there are different rules for plants. I am using plants, buildings, rocks, and gardens as paints. My farm is my canvas, and plants are my paints.

Posted by Emma Brewster on April 25th, 2012

Member Highlight: Rosy Smit, 21 Acres Farm

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Rosy Smit is the manager of 21 Acres Farm a (you guessed it!) 21-acre diversified vegetable farm and education center in Woodinville, WA and has been a PSFN member for nearly two years. An exciting new retail co-op facility is in the last stages of construction on the property, and will be up and running soon! PSFN’s Lucy Norris and Emma Brewster sat down with Rosy a couple weeks back to find out more about Rosy and all the exciting things happening at 21 Acres this season.

E: So Rosy, how did you end up here at 21 Acres? I know you have a background in soil science at UBC, but don’t know much more about you.

R: My mom and dad had a dairy farm for forty years about an hour Northeast of Kelowna in the Okanogan Valley of BC, just small scale, usually about forty milkers, so our herd was never over 100. Now my brother milks twenty-five cows. The land is organic – the herd isn’t, but it’s treated organically. It’s great because we have 120 acres so the cows are still on pasture when I was home. He tries to run it as sustainably as possible: the cows can go get their own feed; he produces all their feed except for grain ration, then he sells all the excess and makes income that way. So It’s great, I love it.

E: Just last week you were up at your brother’s farm helping out with the cows, right?

R: Yeah so when he needs a vacation, I go home and milk. My brother has a relief milker, but if he wants to go away for more than a couple of milkings, he worries, so I go up there and help him out. So my time off is looking after them.

E: Is it a good change of pace to go up there? Cause it’s a total shift from what you do here.

R: It is. You know, summer is so busy as a vegetable grower – it’s just insane. I still have to get up at 5:30 when I’m there, but getting the cows when it’s still dark is something. I’m flashing my little flashlight, and I see these little beady eyes…. It just freaked me out! We had a sick calf, and two cows probably calved the day I left, but that’s how it is. But it’s good, Mom makes me dinner every night! I’ve definitely got some milk in my veins. Just enough.

E: So you were the first farm to come on board for the Farm to Table (F2T) project…

––– R: Yes! The leeks!

––– E: …those famous leeks…!

E: You were so eager to come on board with the F2T project, Why did you see yourself as a good fit for the project?

R: I don’t want to grow just for the people who can afford certified organic vegetables, or for just the elite part of the market, because there’s a lot of communities, a lot of food deserts, and there’s a lot of people in our communities that don’t have access to healthy or sustainably produced food. So I thought the farm to table project was a perfect opportunity to get our products into a place I wouldn’t normally access, and so those programs and people could get our produce which they wouldn’t have access to otherwise.

E: I was just crunching the numbers last week and we have had eight farms participate. Full Circle sold so much, and Carpinito Brothers sold so much, and you guys were keeping right up with them, even though you are so much smaller! Not dollar for dollar, necessarily, but in terms of orders placed and delivered. It’s impressive because You have such a different model from Full Circle or Carpinito.

R: Yeah, we do, but it worked really well! It’s all about getting to know the people who you’re selling to. Brandy at High Point, we get along so great! She ended up bringing her students out which was amazing! It was pouring rain that morning– just coming down in buckets! And I phoned her that morning and I said, “Brandy, are you guys still planning to come out?” And she said, “Why?!?! Can’t we come out?” And I said, “No, no, no! You can come out!” and the kids had such a blast!

I showed them all the different aspects of our farm, and we walked through the tomato hoop house and they could see, like, eight types of tomatoes growing. And we went to the strawberry patch and everybody ate two strawberries (cause I think they had ordered strawberries once) and I said, “This is where those strawberries came from! Everybody have a taste…” and then I asked, “How many had a tart one? how many had a sweet one?” So I was trying to get the kids to experience fresh off the plant strawberries, and learn that a strawberry’s not just a strawberry. And one little boy had a real sweet one and a real tart one – so, there ya go! Education, right? So they ate peas, and I just showed them the range of what’s growing in the field.

And to see what the kids ate for lunch… this one little boy had Cheetos in a Ziplock and Coke! And I said, “alright, kid, you come with me to the pea patch!” And that’s what I did!

E: So aside from sales, just having, what, 30 kids come out and see that a pea grows in a pod, then maybe that’s enough!

R: Yeah, and you know when the kids come out, I have this little cheat sheet and I say, “How many farms are in Washington state? What are the top three things that are grown in WA state?” or whatever, and these kids are so citified and disconnected from their food system. If you ask, “what’s the last great meal you’ve had,” most people say Christmas or Thanksgiving, or a big Family gathering where you eat a bunch of different things on the table. That just kind of gets them thinking.

And we found a bunch of cool bugs that day, like a caterpillar with a big horn (and I think they ended up squashing it) but they had so much fun! And they could just RUN! I said, anywhere in this big open space, just run in a big circle for ten minutes and get some energy out! And they loved the goats…. so even if it’s just a one time thing, they’ll go home and say to their Mom or Dad, or Gram or whoever, and tell them.. and it’s a whole chain; a domino effect. And I love that.

And I made a couple deliveries to West Seattle; Cheryl with SWEL, and she just commented on how beautiful the produce was. And, you know, we harvest the day of delivery to make sure they get the best quality as well. They’re getting the best of what we have. We want to make sure that they can use all of it. So this week I just sent them some cherry tomatoes for a little taster and some spinach. That might be something she wouldn’t have ordered, that maybe she’d be interested in.

I just see the whole program as a really great fit. And you know, it works for us because we don’t have the production of Full Circle, but we have enough that we can take on customers like her, or whoever.

E: It’s just great for us to see such diverse farms having success with the same program. I mean, you’re pretty much a one woman show, with a little bit of help, but compared to the other farms participating, you’re totally different. But, it’s still a successful model, so it’s interesting to see how that shapes up.

R: And it’s good to show other small farmers so that they can see the benefits and be interested as well so you can get more people on in the future.

E: So what is coming up next for you guys? What’s on the horizon for the farm going into the season change?

R: Yeah, so we’re starting to slow down now a bit, but we’ll have the usual onions and winter squash, root crops, Jerusalem artichokes and stuff like that over the winter. Diversity goes way down but still there’s some local product there. And I do a transition from hardcore summer farming to student education. I have six students coming on who are doing individual projects from UW Bothell ranging from coming up with informational pamphlets to take to market to give out to people; one’s going to do a heritage chicken business plan for me; we have a group of students who come and do test the soils and the water, and they just send me that data! …So all kinds of different projects depending on their interests. And some will just be coming out here and getting dirty, so I transition from growing to a more educational side of things and focus on all the planning for next year and strategizing for the educational program. This summer I had so many schools interested in bringing out kids and doing tours, so I’m going to try and get a student from UW Bothell to come up with a field trip program file so that they can help lead a tour with the kids, and all the learning that goes along with that. So they get actual class credit for doing that, and we get the benefit of having more kids out here.

E: Something I’ve heard throughout is all the educational things you’re involved with. you have students from UW Bothell, kids coming out, educational programs for consumers… if you could design what this space could be used for, would it be primarily education focused? Or primarily a super productive small space? Or a combination?

R: Definitely a combination. We’re not striving to be a production farm. In any way. So everyone has the goal of having really high quality produce, but not trying to eek as much as we can out of our production plots. And another goal of growing lots of different things because that’s educational for people too. The education component is super important, it’s just that the school systems are on a completely different schedule! In a way it’s good, because we can work on our production plot and get super crazy in the summer, but then there’s a bit of overlap so students can come to the farm and see how we winterize, and what we do with our winter cropping system, help harvest things, etcetera, etcetera. In the spring I had six students: five from UW Bothell, and one from Cascadia, who would come to the farm 4 – 6 hours a week and do…whatever! So we planted all our potatoes in like, three hours! which would have taken Pepe and I a long time – days! And I would give them a little fifteen minute lecture in the beginning and tell them why we’re doing it to give them a bit of theory so they’re not just here as labor – they’re actually learning why are we planting here, why are we planting like this… so they did a little bit of everything. And the spring students always get to see the progression. They planted the potatoes and got to taste them because they came back in the summer. One of the students had never eaten a radish before, so I offered her a radish! And that’s an educational experience in and of itself. She didn’t like it, but, whatever!

My Cascadia intern moved to Cle Elum and started his own garden and put up a little hoop house at his place and even though the climatic conditions are really different (it’s really hot and dry there) he still had the knowledge base to use those production helps. So that’s cool to see. So I can see it being more education in early spring, fall, and winter quarters, but in summer – unless we have more help – we’re too busy. We still have to be making some money and producing some food.

21 Acres' Rosy and Heidi meet with PSFN's Ann and Karen during our spring member consultation sessions in March 2011

R: It’s been great. All the components. Our page on the site, working with you two and Karen: completely positive and beneficial. We feel like you’ve really taken us under your wing to help us out!

––– L: But the thing is, why not? This place is so cool!

R: And the farm is so close to Seattle! We’re even a little closer than Snohomish and Carnation, and because we have this big educational component we’re more than happy to have people come out here and learn about green building design and sustainable ag. That’s what we’re all about! So I see it as just such a great fit for us.

L: And that’s such a great compliment for us, too, because, though we could do the educational stuff, our mission is to help move the product and get it out there, and feed more people than just the niche markets like you were talking about. You know, we’re all eaters!

R: Yeah! And there’s so much food being produced that’s so close, you know. But you know, I haven’t been here for that long, and I‘m still trying to figure out how things are going to look and what we’re going to grow, and what our market’s going to be… so I’m really thankful. It’s not like we sold 5 orders a week for Farm to Table, but if I can create relationships with those purchasers, then maybe it will be an ongoing thing, or maybe they’ll be interested in trying a different things. It’s all about trust, right? I’m trying to find chefs to work with locally, here, and other venues to get my product out into.

L: So just off the top of your head, what are the things that you grow well, and what are the things you don’t like to mess with?

R: I do not grow celery. It takes a long time, and if the weather is inclement, then forget it! it was the same up at the UBC farm. I have problems with cold crops here. Though we do cabbage and broccoli and everything else. I try to grow a little bit of everything. I grow really good beets, I grow really good tomatoes, basil… but this year I just grew some of my old faithfuls, like Oregon Sugar Pod II, those are failsafe and taste great. And I’m trying to grow things in different seasons, too.

I’ve only been here a season and a half, and had horrendous weather this spring and it was a tough summer – it was so wet for so long. We had sixteen days of sunny weather in five months, so such a late start, but when it got hot in August, BOOM! We got hit so hard. But I’ve just been growing crazy varieties of everything just to see what does well. And some things, you know, why am I growing jalapeños? I have a hundred feet of them and nobody buys them!

––– L: I’ll buy em! …I just can’t buy all of them!

R: Yeah, doesn’t anybody make jalapeño jelly around here?

L: I pickle them every year! But I can only do one case at a time.

R: Really?

L: Yeah, I just did a demo down at Pike Place Market for Canning Across America. They had 300 people look at that recipe in the last 2 months!

R: and it changes, you know, Farmers Markets are really fickle. We grow these golden rave tomatoes… [gesturing]

––– L: those are so pretty!

R: Yeah they’re so delicious; they have twice the moisture content of a regular plum or roma, and if people try them, they love them! But people don’t want yellow tomatoes! they want heirlooms… it’s a lot of education.

L: So what products got you the most excited this year?

R: Everyone commented on our broccoli, on how sweet it was. I grow Packman and another variety that matures at different times which is great for a small farm like this. Tomatoes were fantastic. I grew Brandywines and Speckled Romans and all kinds of varieties . Cippiolini onions, and stuff like that. Stuff that tastes good!

L: Do you do fruit?

R: No. We had a strawberry patch which everyone raves about, but couldn’t sell the berries because they were so small. And you know the guys in Mount Vernon have these great big berries, so, we’re gonna plant a new block this year. And of course my friendly resident herd of deer would go under the fence and snack on the buffet. I’m having a student do a business plan on gooseberries and currants, but this new fruit fly that’s here – have you heard of this? – goes to immature fruit. Usually they go to fermented fruit, (like if you have cherries that are hanging too long) but this one goes to young fruit and lays eggs there. We have tons of bitter cherries and blackberries that are just incubation sites for that pest. It’ll go to apples, to strawberries, so I’m just holding off until there’s a reasonable organic management method, because what’s the point of putting in a block of small fruit and then having it devastated by these fruit flies? And there is no organic control right now. So I’m holding off. But fruit is the next thing. When my nephew was young, he told me that he wanted to be a fruit farmer. And I asked, “But why, Dustin?”

“Because everyone loves fruit!”

And yeah, if you have a choice between a carrot and a strawberry… duh! And that would really diversify our production and we’d have some perennials, because annuals – they’re tough. Fruit’s in the long term farm plan, but I’m a little leery right now. And there’s a whole permaculture plan completed for this farm with nut tree plantations, with sheep under them and chicken tractors, and the whole bit, but it’s figuring out where the money and efforts are best spent. I found an apple orchard out there in four feet of grass, caught up and talked to the guy who planted it, and we’re trying to rehabilitate it.

L: So right now you’re selling to a few Farm to Table buyers, and you said you’d be interested in working with more restaurants. What’s your ideal customer mix right now?

R: I see one or two farmers markets being really beneficial in getting the word out about our programming because there’s a lot of people that walk through and you can move a lot of product on a good day. Having some regular customers like F2T and getting our food into more institutions like kids programs, senior centers, things like that, and then working with restaurants or catering businesses would be great. I’ve even sold a bunch of cylindrical beets to Heidi for her food delivery to make beet fries! Yum! So I’m still working on all of that. That’s a winter job, too. If I can connect with a restaurant who wants to buy whatever kind of heirloom tomatoes, then it’slike contract growing for them. So I would like a diverse range of where our income would come from. And, too, some of it would come from charging some school groups per head fees, or if there are different classes being run in the back, that all counts too. it’s not just a production farm. That’s for sure.

L: Yeah, I can think of three restaurants right off the top of my head who would love to work with you. Restaurants are always interested in the new thing; they want to play with their food. And they’re also trying to run a kitchen, which is all based on that budget and trying to get that food in and out. You can’t bank your farm completely on restaurants or farmers markets alone – because you know how much work that is! – but if you have your customer base be as diversified as your operation is, then that to me is the key to success.

E: So right now, at this point in the season, where can people buy your produce? Are you still at any markets?

R: We aren’t, but last week we started sending out our fresh list to our regulars, and we have people just come here and pick up orders. And yes, diversity is decreasing, but there’s still produce.

The new 21 Acres Center retail facility is expected to open early this winter

E: It will be cool if you guys can get some of your produce into the retail coop; it’s such a selling point for customers to see that it came right from the store’s backyard.

R: We will, for sure! Yes, it’s literally 800 feet back there. We will just be one of the producers. We’re all about educating the consumer about where the food comes from. You go to these grocery chains that tout being local and sustainable, but you never know where the produce is actually coming from and who the farmer is. So part of the educational part of our co-op would be, “Here’s who’s growing this, if you want to go talk to them, or go to their farm…” then we can create a real connection there.

To learn more about 21 Acres and the new retail co-op facility, check out their website, and stay in touch through their Facebook Page.

Posted by Emma Brewster on November 17th, 2011

PSFN Member Helps Provide Crucial Summer Nutrition to Kids!

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This Saturday, the City of Seattle kicked off its Summer Food Service Program for Seattle children. The program helps ensure recipients of free or reduced-price school lunches have access to nutritious daily meals when school is not in session over the summer months. This year, PSFN Member Maltby Produce is selling fresh produce to the program.

PSFN is ecstatic to be part of Seattle Human Services Department’s Kids and Teens Eat Free Summer Food Service Program. The program, beginning today and running through Friday, August 26, provides free breakfasts, lunches and snacks for children and youth aged 1 – 18. The meals are served to children at 90 approved sites throughout the city where at least half the children are eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches. Sites include designated community centers, Seattle park playgrounds, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs and YWCAs, and other community sites throughout Seattle and parts of King County.

: Samples of the produce bags to be included in this year’s Summer Food Service Program. Community guests were able to take these home!

In addition to daily packaged meals and snacks, participating children will have access to free bags of fresh produce to bring home to their families weekly. The fresh produce bags are an exciting addition to the meal program this year. Because of City of Seattle partnerships made through the Farm to Table project this year, PSFN was chosen to coordinate the produce bag pilot. PSFN’s Karen Mauden and Lucy Norris visited over five serious farm candidates for the program, interviewing only PSFN members. Based on highly competitive selection screening criteria given to us by the City of Seattle, we chose
Maltby Produce/Marshland Orchards as the exclusive local produce grower for this groundbreaking program and we’re confident they will do an exceptional job! Maltby will be selling fresh fruits and vegetables to fill 8000 bags to be distributed among participating children at meal sites over the course of the 2-month program. We hope this will lead to more opportunities for local farms to connect with schools and other city feeding programs in the future.

The Seattle Summer Food Service Program is funded by a $225,000 Walmart Foundation grant. The grant is part of a larger 25 million dollar project to support summer learning programs, nutritious food access and job opportunities for kids and teens over the summer. Through this summer giving initiative, Walmart will feed 8 million nutritious meals to more than 85,000 kids, help 20,000 students enroll in summer learning programs and provide jobs and training to 5,000 youth. This 25 million dollar project is itself part of a broader Walmart commitment promising two billion dollars to help fight hunger in America. Walmart has committed to help areas where federal, state, or other government funding for healthy food access has been cut.

: Natalie Thomson of Seattle Human Services Early Learning and Family Support (ELFS) division, Carol Cartmell, nutritionist for the Child and Adult Care Food Program, Maltby Produce’s Marijke Postema, and PSFN’s Lucy Norris.

On Saturday, Seattle Human Services was joined by PSFN, Maltby Produce, Walmart Foundation representatives and community guests at the New Holly Gathering Hall in Southeast Seattle to kick-off the program! Key speakers included State Representative Eric Pettigrew representing Washington’s 37th Legislative District (South/southeast Seattle area), and U.S. Congressman Jim McDermott. McDermott, a child psychologist as well as politician and a known champion of poverty issues, spoke about how eating well consistently is crucial for children’s proper development, allowing kids to reach their full potential. Human Services Director Danette Smith agreed, saying, “When it comes to our kids, we must do everything possible to provide them the nutrition needed to be healthy, active and ready for the future.”

An interesting facet of the program is the integration of eating, learning, and physical activity. Seattle Human Services Director Danette Smith emphasized the importance of connecting kids to meals and to educational programming over the summer break so that “they may gain, not lose, nutrition and learning opportunities over the summer months.”

Emphasizing this marriage of healthy eating and learning, the launch event included a diverse array of performances and activities. Seattle Parks and Recreation sponsored a performance by the Adefua African Music and Dance Company which offered a rhythm of welcoming and a rhythm of healing for the community members at the gathering. This group will offer free African music, dance, and language education for kids at Othello Park over the summer. City volunteers read the book, From Head to Toe by Eric Carle in both English and Somali. The book encourages children to move different parts of their bodies, and builds confidence in children’s physical abilities by repeating, “yes, I can!” There was also a performance of Mexican music, and dance performance by the Union Gospel Mission’s Youth Dance Troupe! Tabling organizations offered books and information on summer reading programs for kids, free blood pressure tests, and nutrition information from families. Continuing this tie between healthy eating/active living and summer education, as part of the Summer Food Service Program the Seattle Public Library will provide fun and educational programming in conjunction with the feeding program (such as story times in five different languages!) as well as provide free books for children at story time sites.

PSFN Project Manager, Lucy Norris, and Maltby Produce’s Marijke Postema and her husband, John, spoke at the kick-off, expressing their excitement about their business’ involvement in this important summer program. Maltby Produce brought beautiful produce displays including samples of the produce bags which will be distributed through the program. They also provided case loads of beautiful, fresh veggie snacks for the event including baby cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and broccoli for munching on! It was a riot to watch skeptical tots take bites out of rainbow carrots with the tops still on– they were a big hit! Maltby Produce and PSFN are really excited to play a role in introducing new and exciting fresh fruits and vegetables to children and families in need in our community!

This program is a real win-win for Seattle children and Maltby Produce (and all local producers!). It goes to show that connecting fresh, healthful foods with children and families in need is a viable and exciting market opportunity for small- and mid-sized local producers! As PSFN’s Lucy Norris said,

There is ripe opportunity for PSFN to continue working within our region to build a self-sustaining food system that mobilizes businesses and institutions, aids underserved communities and increases the profitability of farmers in Northwest Washington. Opportunities like the Summer Feeding Program led by the City of Seattle can serve as an example for other communities within the region and other parts of the United States.

We’re so pleased to be able to be a part of this exciting program. Stay tuned for updates on the project and photos of some of the first produce deliveries!

For more pictures of this weekend’s program launch, visit our Facebook Page
Komo 4 News coverage of the launch: http://rainiervalley.komonews.com/news/parents-kids/special-summer-program-keeps-kids-going-hungry/649299
City of Seattle Press Release: http://www.seattle.gov/news/detail.asp?ID=11854&Dept=21

For more information or to find out where a child you know can receive summer meals, contact Javier Pulido, Program Coordinator, Human Services Department, at 206-386-1140 or javier.pulido@seattle.gov.

Posted by Emma Brewster on June 27th, 2011

Producer Member Highlight – Kia Armstrong, Nash’s Organic Produce

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New PSFN member, Nash’s Organic Produce, has been farming in the Dungeness River Valley for nearly four decades. Farm to Community Coordinator, Emma Brewster, chatted with Nash’s Farm Manager, Kia Armstrong last week about the farm’s history, its current projects, and how the farm is planning for its next generation of managers and the future.

Tell us about Nash’s, how you came to the farm and what your role is.

Nash’s has been farming in the Dungeness River Valley for over thirty five years. The farm has grown considerably in the last decade and today we manage almost 400 acres. Nash and his wife Patty own ten acres, and we lease the rest from nine different landlords.

I came to the farm in 2003, and kind of randomly got a job just by shopping in the farm store . This gal who was working in the store at the time was complaining about not being able to find any good help and she kind of whipped around to me and said, “You want a job? You know how to cook this food – you come in here all the time!” And I said, “Sure thing!” Just then, the harvest crew leader walked into the store and dropped off a box of freshly picked spinach and I said, “Ooh, where’d he pick that? I want to work with him!” And she said, “Show up at 5:30am tomorrow — you’re on the harvest crew!” So that was my first experience working on the farm, pretty much harvesting from sun-up to sundown. It was a great crash course in what we grow and where everything was on the farm. I learned a lot about post-harvest handling, packing, and produce handling in general. Today, I work with a great team of people to manage the farm’s sales, packing shed, promotion and outreach and farmers markets. Nash’s employs over 30 people year round and at the peak of the summer our crew is at about 35 or 40 people, about ¾ of whom are full time.

One of the things that Nash’s has been working hard to do over the last few decades is to show people that we can keep farm land in production, and make a business out of it. We strive to provide quality food and employment while simultaneously preventing amazingly fertile land from sprouting houses. The land we manage in the Dungeness river valley (the alluvial plain of the Dungeness) is some of the best topsoil in the whole country, hands down! Unfortunately Clallam County has already lost 70% of its farmland to development. We’re working in partnership with the Friends of the Fields, the North Olympic Land Trust and the PCC Farmland Trust, to save as much land as we can.

Nash’s has been a great partner on PSFN’s Farm to Table (F2T) Project, which connects farm fresh produce with senior meal sites. I know you do some work with some other senior centers in Sequim. What are those projects, and what’s your personal – or the business’ – impetus to work with senior feeding in general?

When I started on the farm about 7 years ago probably 75 or 80 percent of what we grew was being shipped off the peninsula via wholesale companies. Today, that number is probably closer to 50%. We’ve worked really hard to shift our focus from shipping things off the peninsula, to providing food for people in our community and broadening consumers’ access to fresh produce direct from the grower. We’ve partnered with Olympic Community Action Program (OlyCAP) to deliver carrots twice a month to some of their senior feeding centers in Sequim, Port Angeles, and Port Townsend. This is just one example of progress that’s been made in selling food to our community instead of shipping it to Canada, Oregon, Northern California or throughout Washington. We want to be able to sell as much as we can to our immediate community to reduce the miles the food travels and to optimize the freshness and health what people are eating. There’s also an adult retirement facility in town that buys food from us and we’ve helped them find ways to prepare and process it properly in their kitchen.

Not only are we working with senior facilities but also schools and hospitals to try and broaden our customer base and make fresh produce and grains readily available to institutions. There’s a huge market and lots of potential growth for selling to institutions that are close to home, and we’re continuing to pursue those options.

Which hospitals are you working with?

Olympic Medical Center. We have two farmers markets that we host at the hospital at their Sequim and Port Angeles campuses on Tuesdays, year round. We’ve been doing that for a few years now. And the cook at the Port Angeles site buys produce from us for their cafeteria. So it’s been a great relationship getting to know them and for them to become familiar with the what we grow, and get excited about incorporating it into their meals. People at the hospital have totally appreciate the markets – they’ve been really well received and its a lot of fun! I love being right there in the belly of the beast! We all talk about health care, and prevention, and healthy lifestyles, and how healthy eating can be a major key to resolving the health care crisis in this country. We’re really grateful that Olympic Medical Center and their Wellness Committee have been forward thinking enough to have the farmers market available to their employees right on site so that the folks that work in the hospital and patients and folks who come through have access to healthy foods right there at work.

You were present at, and brought the produce for, U.S. Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan’s visit to a PSFN Farm to Table meal site in early March. What did it mean for you to be able to meet someone who works in agriculture at such a high level?

I was truly honored to meet Kathleen. She’s a real inspiration. She’s been a long time advocate of sustainable food systems and sustainable agriculture. A few of the women that I work with through the Tilth Producers of Washington know Kathleen personally and they were just on cloud nine when she was appointed Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. It was a huge boon for the sustainable farming community in Washington state, many of whom had been working for over three decades to impact national policy and Farm Bills and legislative efforts get things going in a better direction. It was a real honor to meet her and it gives me hope that we might just turn this ship around yet!

Outside of F2T, Nash’s is involved in some pretty interesting projects. PSFN came out for the Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) Farm tour at Nash’s in November. What’s that project all about?

We have a long-time partnership with OSA and have worked with them in various capacities. Over the last few years and in the upcoming season we will be doing seed trails for them. They’re looking for varieties of vegetables that do well in Northwest Washington’s unique microclimates, like broccoli and corn and beans that we can breed to our climate here for farmers and eaters in the NW. We’ll be continuing seed trials with them this year and will continue to work closely with John Navazio, Senior Scientist, Researcher and Seed Specialist, and Micaela Colley, their Executive Director, on seed projects. We really value the excellent relationship that Nash (owner/operator) and Scott Chichester (vegetable and seed production manager) have cultivated with them.

What are some other projects Nash’s is involved with, either on-going or new this year?

Every year we do wheat and grain variety trials in partnership with the WSU team. We’ve trialed over 75 different types of grains in the last few years in an effort to find what grows best in our climate, which is the most disease resistant, and which produces the best yields. So those trials are on-going. We’re going to grow out some of our carrot seed this year. The seed for Nash’s famous carrots was discontinued about 8 or 9 years ago from a seed company that was bought up and consolidated. Thankfully, Nash had the foresight to start growing out the carrot seed variety that did so well in our climate, and he had his own seed stock.

We also have a big tour with the PCC Farmland trust coming up on May 14. They’ve got a lot of tickets for sale and we’re going to fill up three giant buses and schlep all over the fields we manage in Dungeness. The theme of the tour is “Training the Next Generation of Farmers.” We’re going to talk about our year-round cropping systems and the diversity of the farm, but we’ll really focus on the mentorship and training that Nash’s offers people here at the farm, and highlight the work that he’s done to train the next generation of farmers. There’s about six young folks who work closely with Nash managing the daily operations of the farm year-round, and someday the farm will transition into our hands. Nash feels very fortunate to have a group of young people motivated to continue his operation into the future. He’s worked hard over the past few decades to cultivate relationships with young folks so they are motivated stick around, to make a livelihood for themselves, and so they have the skills needed to take the farm to the next level. It’s hard for young folks to have access to land, infrastructure and capital to get their own farm running, so the opportunity to work with Nash is a true gift. Sure there are farms all over the country, but it’s the fantastic people I work with (and the amazing mountains!) that have kept me here for so long.

The day-long tour with PCC is going to include a farm-fresh lunch at the Old Dungeness School House right across from our packing shed. The event is open to the public: children, adults, and families are all invited. People are recommended to bring their umbrellas, muckboots and rain gear – you never know what the weather’s going to be like that time of year! It should be a great day! Tickets are available at the PCC Farmland trust website over the phone through their office (206-547-9855).

That same evening we’re having our Spring Barn Dance, so we’re going to be whooping it up all night long to the rock-a-billy blues of Junkyard Jane. The community potluck starts at 6:00 pm and the music at 7:30 — it’s going to be a hoot n’ hollerin time!

What products are you excited about for this upcoming season?

We will continue to further refine our rainbow bunched carrots. That’s something that has taken a few years to get up to a level where we can produce them for more than just the farmers markets or farm store.

We have probably five to ten acres of seed crops we’ll be growing for Alf Christensen, and a few other seed companies, and will also be growing red kale, green cabbage, and spinach seed crops.

We’re always pushing to extend our season both early in the spring and late in the winter so we’re excited that the over-wintered leeks are coming up strong right now and we have some over-winter cauliflower going out the door soon, and the parsley that we harvested last fall is bouncing back too! We’re always refining how to extend out season so we can have more fresh food available for people at times of the year.

The grain and cover crop seed harvest of 2010 was a disaster because of the cool, wet, late summer weather we had. Fortunately we were able to salvage enough rye, red and white wheats, naked oats, field peas and cover crop seed stock, and we’re hopeful that 2011’s harvest will be better. We’ve been expanding our grain operation for the past five years, and will continue to make that a main focus in the future.

Where can customers find Nash’s produce now and coming up this spring and summer?

Nash’s grows over 100 varieties of vegetables, grains, pastured pork, eggs, and seed crops, so were’ pretty diversified not only in what we grow, but also in how we sell it. Our Farm Store is open year round; we have a summer/fall and winter CSA; farmers markets on the Olympic Peninsula and in Seattle, and also wholesale accounts.

We participate year-round in the Ballard and University District Farmers markets in Seattle, and also seasonally on the Olympic Peninsula at the Port Townsend, Sequim, and Kingston farmers markets. Year round, you can also find Nash’s at the PortAngeles Farmers’ Market, and the two Olympic Medical Center Farmers’ Markets on Tuesdays.

Our farm store is open year round Tuesday through Sunday and we are really excited about the expansion of the Store! We’re going to be moving down the street to a larger location, and in the next year we’ll be a full grocery and have an extended selection of products both that we grow, that we buy from other local farmers, and also bulk goods and grocery items, so it will be bigger and badder than ever! It’s also going to have a giant lending library, a community center, and a place for people to teach workshops and take classes. Eventually, there will be a giant demonstration garden and medicinal herb garden out back. We’re really excited about the future of our Farm Store and the role it will play in empowering our community to take back their food system!

You can also pick up Nash’s CSA boxes at any Farmers’ Market location and some drop points. Right now we’re selling shares for summer and fall, and in about nine months we’ll be getting our third annual winter farm share program going.

Nine months out of year we sell directly to PCC Natural Markets and all nine of their stores carry an extensive product line from the farm. We sell our bagged carrots exclusively to them in the winter and fall and folks have come to know and love that sweet Dungeness crunch! People get really upset when Nash’s carrots are done in February or March for the season…they’re totally addictive! We truly appreciate the relationship we have with PCC and value the relationship we have with them. It’s one that’s been built on trust and a consistently quality product over the course of the last thirteen+ years. The reason we’re hosting a big tour with PCC Farmland Trust is that we manage the 80-acre Delta Farm that’s owned by the PCC Farmland Trust – the first purchase they made eleven years ago. We have deep roots with both PCC Natural Markets and the PCC Farmland Trust.

It seems like meaningful partnerships are highly valued by Nash’s.

We are committed to training the next generation of farmers. A lot of the people that work on the farm are involved with other agricultural nonprofits, whether it’s the Farmers Market Association or the Tilth Producers of Washington or the local Land Trust and we really have a great community here of people who both enjoy what they do, and who also understand the bigger picture of what’s happening on the sustainable agriculture front in the Northwest. I feel pretty lucky to be working here at Nash’s with this group of people and to be farming in the Dungeness valley.

Posted by Emma Brewster on April 12th, 2011

Producer Member Highlight: Sol to Seed Farm

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On March 16th, PSFN Project Manager, Lucy Norris visited Sol to Seed Farm in Carnation, WA and talked with Matt and Deanna Tregoning about their CSA and wildlife in the Snoqualmie Valley.

Tell us a little bit about Sol to Seed Farm.

My wife Deanna and I moved here in 2008 so this is the third year we’ve been farming this land. We both grew up in Michigan. Farming here is a long-term commitment for us and we wanted a place where we could leave a lasting impression by conserving and allowing nature to guide us. We are Certified Naturally Grown and incorporate many growing philosophies, all of which are based on organic principles. We have twenty acres but only one and half acres in production. We use no synthetics and have a strict non-GMO pledge. Most of our farm is worked with hand tools and a walk-behind tractor. We use our 4-wheel tractor only when necessary. We have a Facebook page, we Tweet, and we put flyers up at PCC and participate in farmers markets. We joined PSFN in 2009.

Tell me more about your CSA.

Our CSA shares are our product. All of the food we place in our CSA boxes during the season is from our farm. We do not source from other growers. We’re ready to sell (50) CSA shares this year (that’s 20 more than last year). We grow a bunch of different things and people are really happy with the quality and variety. We were once CSA customers so we’re always thinking of things we liked and didn’t like.

We already have verbal commitments from more than 50 people now, but it’s not real until the checks arrive. And right now is when we’re spending the most money. Every week that someone signs up we say, “Great! There’s the money to buy more seeds.” With each share we sell, that money goes directly back into the farm.

Our prices are based on two sizes of shares. One is a half share box ($400) that feeds two people who eats most meals at home. The full box ($600) is ideal for a family who plans to use vegetables in daily meals. For smaller restaurants (approx 20 tables), we suggest starting with 1 to 3 full shares per week and developing a tasting menu based on that week’s share. This works especially well for restaurants new to developing seasonal menus and farm direct purchasing. Start with CSA shares and train your staff how to use more “fresh off the farm” ingredients and less “RTE” processed foods.

What can new members expect from Sol to Seed CSA boxes this year?

New CSA members should expect lighter shares earlier in the season, but we make up for it once the harvest kicks in. Early share boxes might include Kale, Kohlrabi, Peas, Bunching Onions, Green Garlic, Arugula, Radishes and Turnips. Mid Season/Late Season boxes might include Lettuce, Beans, Carrots, Beets, Fennel, Rainbow Chard, Tomatoes, Hot and Sweet Peppers, Salad Mix, Potatoes, Summer Squash, Cucumbers, Melons, Eggplant and Corn

What makes Sol to Seed Farm’s CSA unique?

We’re able to grow lots of pantry staples as well as hard to find local produce that other farms in the Pacific Northwest struggle to grow. For example, we grow an impressive variety of standard and twenty varieties of sunflowers, thirty varieties of heirloom tomatoes including saucing/paste, slicing and cherry types. We also grow forty varieties of hot and sweet peppers and eggplants popular with chefs and serious home cooks. We small but we have absolute control over our own quality standards. We also bottle and sell our own brand of pickled jalapeno pepper rings.

It’s been another bad year for floods, has it affected your planting?

Not really. In 2009 it was really bad. That’s before we got the green houses. Our house is 8 feet off the ground, but if water ever got in the house that would be cataclysmic. Since we moved here the worst flood got up to about 4 feet below the house, so I think we’re OK. Our waterway in Snoqualmie is pretty clean so it’s more about dealing with the mud than with garbage. It’s not the Mississippi River although some of the rules about planting after a flood are based on one polluted river across the country.

Oh! There’s the first swallow… (Pauses to look as the bird flying away)

Big Hoss and his ladies

Those are actually bat houses. We just put those up last year so we’ll see what happens, but there’s nothing yet. I’d like to bring in some owls, too. That’s the cool thing about living here since Salmon Safe started establishing trees early with the neighbors like Jubilee Farms all the way down the road, cleaning out the non-native plants. Wendy (from Jubilee Farms) and I really enjoy following the birds and tell each other when we see something new. She said they’ve noticed more raptors since the trees have been established. We’re just trying to attract everything we can. Birds in general seem to really thrive out here. It’s amazing in the summer, all day we’ll see hawks, falcons, kestrels, bald eagles, harriers—at least once a day you see a hawk come down and snatch up a snake or rats and carry it away. I saw a hummingbird today and so I raced out to check the bird feeders. We are also trying to attract Mason bees. We’ve got really good soil out here but a thriving bird and insect population will only make it better.

Connecting with Sol to Seed Farm

Sol to Seed Farm is now accepting applications for their 2011 CSA season. This year they plan to increase the number of CSA shares, so make sure you get your applications and payments in soon to guarantee your spot. The first share is planned for distribution on June 15^th through October. In addition to our existing drop points or ‘depots’ in Issaquah Klahanie, Downtown Seattle, Bellevue Bridal Trails and at the farm in Carnation, Sol to Seed is adding one new Seattle depot, in the Maple Leaf neighborhood. Please email Matt with questions regarding the upcoming season: soltoseedfarm@gmail.com. Matt is open to adding new depot locations. Those interested in offering their commercial or residential site as a pick-up location Sol to Seed Farm is offering a 5% discount for a depot site that serves at least 4 CSA members.

For more information about Sol to Seed Farm, and to sign up for their 2011 CSA, contact Matt and Deanna Tregoning at soltoseedfarm@gmail.com or 425-273-1232. You can also visit their website at www.soltoseedfarm.com, follow them on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sol-to-Seed-Farm/222101135476 and on Twitter: soltoseedfarm.

Producer Member Highlight: Sol to Seed Farm

On March 16th, PSFN Project Manager, Lucy Norris visited Sol to Seed Farm in Carnation, WA and talked with Matt and Deanna Tregoning about their CSA and wildlife in the Snoqualmie Valley.

Tell me a little bit about Sol to Seed Farm

Tell me more about your CSA

What can new members expect from Sol to Seed CSA boxes this year?

What makes Sol to Seed Farm’s CSA unique?

It’s been another bad year for floods, has it affected your planting?

Oh! There’s the first swallow… (Pauses to look as the bird flying away)

So what kinds of birds are you trying to attract over here?

Connecting with Sol to Seed Farm

Producer Member Highlight: Sol to Seed Farm

On March 16th, PSFN Project Manager, Lucy Norris visited Sol to Seed Farm in Carnation, WA and talked with Matt and Deanna Tregoning about their CSA and wildlife in the Snoqualmie Valley.

Tell me a little bit about Sol to Seed Farm

Tell me more about your CSA

What can new members expect from Sol to Seed CSA boxes this year?

What makes Sol to Seed Farm’s CSA unique?

It’s been another bad year for floods, has it affected your planting?

Oh! There’s the first swallow… (Pauses to look as the bird flying away)

So what kinds of birds are you trying to attract over here?

Connecting with Sol to Seed Farm

Maple Leaf neighborhood. Please email Matt with questions regarding the upcoming season: soltoseedfarm@gmail.com. Matt is open to adding new depot locations. Those interested in offering their commercial or residential site as a pick-up location Sol to Seed Farm is offering a 5% discount for a depot site that serves at least 4 CSA members.

Posted by Emma Brewster on April 12th, 2011

Full Circle Farms on Q13 Fox!

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PSFN member and Farm to Table (F2T) partner, Full Circle, on Q13 Fox news this morning! As a PSFN F2T partner, Full Circle will bring these delicious, beautiful fruits and veggies to underserved seniors and children in King County.

Posted by Emma Brewster on February 1st, 2011

Member Highlight: Nuri Aydinel, Crown Pacific Fine Foods/Eat Local Distribution

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Tell us a little bit about your background.

I came to Washington when I was 16 as a foreign exchange student from Turkey. My family has been farming primarily cotton in Turkey so I have a little background with that. Cotton is an important agricultural export and quite popular so that’s why my parents did it.

I came back to Washington when I was 18 to attend college because I already had friends here, knew the area and the schools. I majored in Business and Economics and graduated from University of Washington.

I am relatively new to the food industry but I was familiar with local food production back in Turkey. It was normal to visit the markets with all kinds of fresh produce that looked and tasted delicious. I first met Tony Ataee (Founder, Crown Pacific), because I was thinking of importing Turkish apricots. As I talked with Tony, I realized it was not feasible for me to do because the margins were too small. So I began helping out around here and then jumped right in when the opportunity came up. I’ve been with Crown Pacific for about a year. Now I help build the business, expand into new growth markets, etc.

Posted by Lucy Norris on January 11th, 2011

Producer Member Highlight: Michele Catalano, Full Circle

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Michele Catalano is the Site Sales & Community Relations of Full Circle, a leading organic produce and artisan food provider located in Carnation, WA. Full Circle is a big proponent of making fresh, local, healthful food available to, and accessible by, seniors. Because of this, Michele, and Bill Brown, Full Circle’s Allocation & Sales Manager, were quick to jump on board with PSFN’s Farm to Table program which will connect local growers with senior meal programs. PSFN Farm to Community Coordinator, Emma Brewster, chatted with Michele last week about Full Circle’s role in this exciting new project.

Posted by Elliot on January 11th, 2011

Member Highlight Interview: Chris Wolf, Transition Whatcom

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Chris Wolf

Wednesday Oct. 27, 2010 - Conducted by Emma Brewster

You came to PSFN through your work with Transition Whatcom. Can you tell us more about what that is and what your role in it is?

Transition Towns are a movement that was started in England. It’s communities that are concerned about climate change, concerned about oil, and realizing that we need to seriously reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, find other ways to grow our food, transport ourselves and meet our own needs more locally. There was one town in England that decided that, “Well, you know, our government isn’t doing anything about this and the business sector isn’t doing anything about this. We, as individual people, need to come together as a community and make a plan and decide what kind of future we want to make for our town.” And so they did this, and then other towns nearby said, “That’s such a great idea!” and they started doing it, and it just spread — in just a couple of years — all over the world. And now there’s something like 300 Transition Towns, and maybe more. So a group of us in Whatcom County decided to start a Transition Whatcom so that Whatcom can begin coming together and having conversations about true sustainability. Not just little things we can do to help a little bit, but how could we actually create a future that our kids and our grandkids can live on even when oil becomes really scarce. We’re part of the transition all over the world and I was one of the initiating group — one of eight people who got that started in our county. Now there are 750 members.

Posted by Emma Brewster on November 4th, 2010