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Seattle Tilth Farm Works Open House

Seattle Tilth Farm Works Open House on October 22, 2011

By Lucy Norris, PSFN Project Manager

This morning I attended Seattle Tilth Farm Works Open House. It was a dark and rainy morning but the last few miles of pavement leading towards the farm was beautifully framed by yellow and orange foliage. Unfortunately it was too cloudy to see Mt. Rainier but on a sunny day the farm boasts a spectacular mountain view. Regardless, I was happy to be there.

Established in 1978, Seattle Tilth is a local nonprofit best known for it’s organic gardening education programs. Farmer education is new territory for Seattle Tilth. In fact, it was Burst for Prosperity who piloted the farm program in 2009 and then passed the reigns to Seattle Tilth in 2010. Under the leadership of Seattle Tilth, a true farm incubator program is thriving. Seattle Tilth Farm Works currently operates in Auburn, WA (on land owned by Seattle Parks and Recreation) and it’s where participating farmers comprised of Somali Bantu immigrants “learn how to operate a small farm by actually operating the farm” in a supportive, low risk environment. First year farmers are given access to small plots of about 1/4 acre that can increase during their time in the program based upon demonstrated competency and improvement. The goal is to help refugees, immigrants and other low-income individuals create a better life for themselves through their own farm enterprise. In turn, the foods they grow are marketed locally, increasing healthy food access in their own communities.

Program Manager Eddie Hill guides a farm tour starting at the well.

Program Manager Eddie Hill guided a tour of the farm and explained how the land was previously used as a dairy farm. It took only a hundred days – thanks to a host of farms like Full Circle, compost supplier Cedar Grove Composting and community volunteers (even the Seattle Sounders soccer team!)- to prepare the farm incubator site to be suitable for program participants to grow their first crops in time for summer market season. They grew a variety of gorgeous vegetables like beets, broccoli, romanesco (an Italian heirloom), turnips, cabbage, lettuce, and cauliflower. Recently they sold two goats, the first animals to be raised and sold from the farm.

Seattle Tilth Farm Works in Auburn, WA

This year’s list of buyers was impressive! This summer’s produce was sold at Des Moines Waterfront Farmers Market, Highline Community College, Puget Consumer’s Co-op, Central Co-op, a handful of South King County restaurants and smaller grocery stores. They are also selling to Grand Central Baking Co (also a member of PSFN) who turn seasonal produce into delectable and savory pastries. Farm Manager Micah Anderson even participated in the Seattle Wholesale Market that PSFN held in the parking lot of the Mt Zion Baptist Church last August. Seattle Tilth Farm Works joined PSFN in March 2011.

Standing in the rain, Ramadan (from Fatima Farms- a program participant) is holding a fresh-picked turnip

Seattle Tilth’s Executive Director, Andrea Dwyer also announced that Seattle Tilth Farm Works was recently awarded a three-year Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development grant from United States Department of Agriculture for $483,160 to continue their work with refugee, immigrant and other socially-disadvantaged farmers to help them create viable agricultural enterprises growing and selling mixed vegetables and small livestock. PSFN congratulates Seattle Tilth Farm Works for a wonderful year, and we look forward to seeing more great work from them in year’s to come.

Carol Gregory of Burst for Prosperity talks with Ron Harris-White of Seattle Parks and Recreation

For inquiries about the farm or products, please contact Micah Anderson micahanderson@seattletilth.org or call (206) 633-0451 ext. 120. The farm is also accepting applications for farm interns (boarding is included) as well as next year’s round of farm participants. For more information please visit: http://seattletilth.org/about/farmincubatorprogram

Micah Anderson and farmers from the Seattle Tilth Farm Works program show off their fresh chard and collards

Posted by Lucy Norris on October 23rd, 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

PSFN Under the Big Sky!

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PSFN’s Operation Manager, Ann Leason, and Farm to Community Coordinator, Emma Brewster, spent this last weekend in Missoula, Montana attending the 2011 Joint Annual Meetings of the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society (AFHVS), Association for the Study of Food and Society (ASFS), & the Society for Anthropology of Food and Nutrition titled Food and Agriculture Under the Big Sky: People, Partnerships, Policies.

University of Montana, Missoula Campus

The meeting in Big Sky Country was just what the conference title promised: a tremendous convergence of all folks food (we met gastronomy students, nutritionists, produce distributors, winemakers, Thai agronomy students, chefs, grocers, sociology professors, corn farmers, policy makers, buffalo ranchers, food anthropologists, cookbook authors…) all looking to think and work collaboratively on a wide array of contemporary food and agriculture challenges.

Ann and I were privileged to present on the recent work of PSFN with institutional foodservice in the Puget Sound region. Our session was titled, Equity, Health & Regional Food Economies: the Power of Institutional Markets. Ann introduced session attendees to PSFN’s work setting up and hosting its Wholesale Markets in the Skagit Valley and Seattle last summer. (This year’s Wholesale Markets will run mid-July thru early September. Contact ann@psfn for more info on buying and selling). Ann spoke of the successes of the Wholesale Markets for PSFN Members– producers and buyers alike! She shared anecdotes of Chef Chris Johnson’s overhaul of the Coho Cafe at United General Hospital and how sponsor Wholefoods picked up Dale Sherman’s unique sugar hubbard squash to sell in all of their Washington and Oregon stores. I then presented PSFN’s involvement in the CDC-funded Farm to Table (F2T) project, which is working to connect fresh fruits and vegetables from local producers to typically underserved consumers in Seattle and King County. The Wholesale markets, namely working with Chef Chris Johnson and Chef Peter Roberge of Skagit Valley Hospital, as well as PSFN’s periodic cooperation with Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility opened PSFN’s eyes to the opportunity of institutional purchasing to local producers and thus and opened the doors for the F2T Project.

Co-presenter Crissie McMullan with Emma and Ann

Also on our panel was Crissie McMullan of Grow Montana, and one of the founders of Montana FoodCorps, and now advisor to the National FoodCorps program. Crissie also works for the National center for Appropriate Technology. Crissie shared her work integrating locally produced products into the University of Montana, Missoula dining halls, and in establishing the FoodCorps program first in Montana and now as an advisor to the development of a national Food Corps. Together, we were able to speak about farm-to-institution purchasing specific to hospitals, senior meal programs, childcare, elementary schools, and university cafeterias. Our session harnessed a decent-sized and active audience: a mix of academics, farmers, students, educators, non profit groups, and others. One of the most interesting attendees was a representative of the Center for a Livable Future of Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health. The mission of this institute is to bringing together research and thinking on the confluence of agriculture, food, and public health – a liaison which, for us, became somewhat of a theme of the whole conference.

The Keynote Address solidified this theme of food and health. Albert Borgman, Regents Professor of Philosophy at the University of Montana since 1970 and former classmate of Wendell Berry, delivered “The Culture of the Table: Reweaving the Contexts of Celebration.” Borgmann quoted Aristotle, reminding us that “nutrition and growth are marks of life,” uniting and syncing all creatures. In this way, Borgmann called eating a universal act which has the perhaps unique capability of uniting necessity and transcendence.

Borgmann pointed to food’s unique ability to both playing a role in determining culture, and to indicate and communicate the culture of a family or community to others. Anyone who has shared a meal abroad or with a family of another culture can attest that eating has the power to “disclose the world we live in.” The way we eat is a response to the world we live in whether illustrating culturally-steeped meals using food food endemic to a region, or by illustrating the now complicated, perhaps multinational system through which food arrives at our plates.

Borgmann spoke of this transformation of food, eating, and living over the last century saying, “the mark of a new epoch is when the inconceivable becomes the plausible.” Indeed, so many inconceivable ideas are now commonplace in modern life, and especially in modern food production in America (and elsewhere, I presume, as Dr. Borgmann himself hails from Freiburg, Germany). Borgmann posited that Because of technological development and the differentiation of spheres in American life and labor and productivity, America has experienced a loss of “competence and comprehension.” That once, every person knew an essential, marketable skill, whether they were a baker, smith, or a miller. Because of this, individuals were capable and indisposable in their communities– resilient communities of interdependent skilled individuals.

Now, individuals and communities are less skilled, less engaged with one another, and therefore less resilient. The table, (both in literal and figurative interpretations– think of the expression for collaboration and cooperation,“coming to the table”) has the power to reweave the resiliency of communities through engagement and health. As he said it, the table designates the place where we eat. It is like the picnic blanket which, though somewhat arbitrary, when laid on the ground distinguishes the civilized from the uncivilized, creating a stage and a space for eating. The table then, in comparison, elevates and stabilizes that place of security and civility, (just as families coming together for meals stabilizes family life and health).

The table is a Gathering place. It gathers people– people who are dear to one another, who are accepting of one another, and who have agreed to sit with one another. It gathers food from many places, and it gathers “strands of diverse views of the world into a fabric of understanding.” Borgmann reminded us that “you cannot gather what has no extension” and that things that may be gathered are inherently things that can be traced… whether to the grocery store, to the farmers’ market, or to the original source. It is this traceability, he thinks, that will begin to restore competence and comprehension to American families.

With this traceability of food in mind, Borgmann challenged the audience to “push people to what’s better and better within the limits of the possible.” This method is very much a theme in PSFN projects, especially in the Farm to Table project where limited budgets, time, and cook skills limit the use of whole, fresh fruits and vegetables in senior and childcare meal programs. We all try to work together to do the best we can with what we have, and that’s a success!

Chefs and Catering staff (curiously constumed as fly fishermen and "farmers"...) at Feast

Other conference Events included a beautiful exhibit of documentary photographs by Katie Knight, “Montana Solutions: A Documentary of Grassroots Leadership” (view here) and “Feast,” the conference dinner event showcasing locally-sourced Montana foods.

And of course, no visit to any new city is complete without a visit to the local Farmers’ Market, and Ann and I gave it a thorough “professional investigation” Saturday morning. We sampled delicious Raspberry Chipotle Sauce (much like that of PSFN friend Aldrich Farms) which the producers suggest pairing with BBQ chicken or marinated flank steak. We (expectedly) found some buffalo jerky, and (unexpectedly) some shrimp ceviche…? At least the tomatoes were local!

All in all, it was a marvelous conference. We met a wonderful diversity of very interesting, smart, and hardworking folks, all working in different ways to study or change the evolving food system. It’s rumored that next year’s meeting will be held in New York City, if you’re interested in joining the caravan to the big city!

For more photos of the conference, visit our Facebook Page

Posted by Emma Brewster on June 14th, 2011

Whatcom Food Network Forum – May 11, 2011

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There were so many interesting people to meet and so little time! The Whatcom Food Network committee organized a great event that many not for profit organizations, local businesses, city and county representatives, community groups, local food activists, environmentalists, and interested individuals attended. PSFN was fortunate enough to take part in such a fun networking event.

“Working to build common understanding and facilitate collaborative efforts toward a healthy and equitable food system for all”. This is the mission statement of the Whatcom Food Network Planning Committee. This group is well on their way! Speakers at the event included Samya Lutz, Whatcom County Planning Department, Colleen Burrows, WSU Whatcom County Extension, Rosalinds Guillen, Community to Community Development, Nicole Willis, Whatcom County Health Department, Marde Solomon & Holly O’Neil, Whatcom Farm to School, Laura Ridenour, Sustainable Connections, and Drew Betz, Director of the WSU County Extension.

Colleen Burrows from the WSU Whatcom County Extension gave a short overview of the Whatcom Food Assessment. In 2007, Colleen and Drew Betz started the assessment that would not conclude until 2010. The Whatcom Food Assessment is a compilation of crucial data that will be used to improve and develop programs for farmer education, farmland protection, nutrition education, hunger reduction, and policy advocacy. To see what their specific results are, the assessment has been posted online. Overall, the assessment concluded that food insecurity exists in Whatcom County. According to the data collected by Colleen Burrows, Drew Betz, and their volunteers, 15% of Whatcom County residents fall below Federal Poverty Guidelines, 7.2% of Whatcom County residents are currently utilizing food stamps, and 15% of Whatcom County adults felt they did not have enough to eat in the last 12 hours.

It was impressive to attend this event and learn about Whatcom County’s efforts and energy towards its food activism movement! If groups like the Whatcom Food Network continue to work hard and collaborate, food insecurity will be a thing of the past. Keep up the hard work!

Posted by Emma Brewster on May 13th, 2011

Muckleshoot Tribal Cooks Retreat

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This past weekend, PSFN’s Farm to Table (F2T) Coordinator, Karen Mauden, was invited to attend the first ever Tribal Cooks Retreat at Bastyr University. Hosted by Muckleshoot Senior Program (a F2T meal-provider partner) and Northwest Indian College, this 2-day retreat helped “sharpen both knives and healthy cooking skills” of selected tribal cooks working at Muckleshoot School, Senior and Daycare feeding sites. This training opportunity is especially exciting for PSFN’s F2T Team, as it addresses skill development for both senior and child care meal providers, the dual foci of the F2T project.

Chef Tom French, Founder/Director of Experience Food Project; Valerie Segrest, Native Foods Nutritionist and Wendy Burdette, Muckleshoot Senior Program Manager created an eventful and meaningful curriculum.

Saturday’s agenda included:

Basic skills: knives, kitchen organization, time management
Foraging Native Foods and Plants
Balancing menus using fresh foods from the Pacific Northwest
Cooking methods with whole grains
Salad Dressing and Sauce Preparation
Integrating Nuts, Herbs and Berries into dishes
Creating shared meals with local foods
Friendly Team competitions

Chef Tom noted that originally tribes foraged, gathered, hunted and fished for their food. This does not typically happen in society in general anymore. Now, food comes to us, which limits our choices. As we return to gardening and foraging we can select our food with purpose and intention. These themes fit well into tribal culture which Valerie and Wendy seek to encourage. At Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, Wendy has partnered hunters, gatherers and fishermen with specific tribal elders who are no longer are able to participate in those activities. This has created a greater bond of community, commitment to traditions and hope that future generations will eat and celebrate northwest native foods and traditions, which in turn will lead to better health.

Tribal cooks were thrilled with the retreat. They were challenged to, and succeed in, presenting plates with a rainbow of colors and bursting with flavor. Splitting into teams from School Lunch, Senior Feeding and Daycare cooks were challenged to create and present nutritious, balanced and welcoming meals. The results included beautiful Breakfast Frittatas, Poached eggs on Herbed Potatoes, Bountiful Vegetarian Breakfast Burritos, Hazelnut Encrusted Salmon and much more. It seemed everyone felt empowered to return to the tribal community and create healthier, more colorful and flavorful foods from the bounty of the Pacific Northwest.

What a great event! PSFN is overjoyed to be working with Wendy and with Muckleshoot Indian Tribe on the Farm to Table project. We’re very impressed at the focus given to kitchen skills and training by the tribe. These are necessary skills for working with the fresh, whole foods the F2T project makes available to meal -provider partners, and we’re inspired by their initiative! While popping into the retreat, Karen delivered Muckleshoot’s first F2T delivery: 50 lbs of potatoes from Full Circle. Here’s to the beginning of what we hope will be a very successful partnership!

Posted by Emma Brewster on March 23rd, 2011

Catholic Community Services Takes its 1st F2T Delivery!

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PSFN’s F2T Team had been fretting a couple weeks ago about the dearth of local produce available this time of year. We joked we were on “the Irish diet” with only potatoes and turnips gracing the pages of our “F2T Local Produce NOW!” fresh sheet. But we forgot that mid-March is a great time to be on the Irish diet! Last week, Catholic Community Services (CCS) purchased its first order of (F2T) produce! Rochelle Carlson, Special Projects Coordinator for CCS, placed and order of 50 lbs of organic yellow boiling potatoes from Ralph’s Greenhouse in Mount Vernon. These potatoes were delivered to CCS’ Auburn and Enumclaw meal sites on Wednesday and to the Redmond meal site on Thursday. What’s better than a St. Patrick’s Day delivery of boiling potatoes?!? The potatoes were prepared the very next day as mashed potatoes with gravy – Yum! Check out these pictures from the CCS deliveries:

CCS' Auburn Meal Site Manager/Cook, Peggy; Bob, CCS King County's distribution driver; and Rochelle with their first F2T delivery!

CCS's King County Distribution Driver, Bob, delivers 50 lbs of yellow boiling potatoes to CCS' Auburn meal site

CCS' Enumclaw Meal Site Manager/Cook, Kerri, and Rochelle

Organic yellow boiling potatoes from Ralph's Greenhouse in Mount Vernon later to be made into mashed potatoes with gravy

Chicken Soup Brigade, another F2T meal-provider partner deserves a special shout-out: they purchased 300 lbs of potatoes from F2T producer Full Circle last week as well! An honorable mention is due to Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, a newer F2T meal-provider partner. Wendy Burdette, Senior Program Manager for Muckleshoot, ordered 50 lbs of potatoes for her meal sites. Stay tuned tomorrow for an exciting post on the Muckleshoot Tribe’s Tribal Cooks Retreat which happened this past weekend! These deliveries pushed PSFN beyond our initial goals of three F2T deliveries to three meal sites by the end of March. It’s only mid-March and we have already had over 9 deliveries to over five different sites! Thanks to our meal-provider and producer partners! If we can make it though March with such gusto from our partners, we have confidence that the remainder of the pilot project will be filled with plentiful F2T deliveries and scrumptious, fresh meals for our senior meal and child care participants!

Posted by Emma Brewster on March 22nd, 2011

F2T Partners visit F2T Producer 21 Acres

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Today Karen and Emma, PSFN’s Farm to Table (F2T) team were joined by other members of the F2T Partnership on a tour of 21 Acres in Woodinville. F2T representatives from WSDA and Aging and Disability Services (ADS), as well as senior meal site partner Catholic Community Services (CCS) were all able to make the trip out today. 21 Acres (a PSFN member since November 2010) was the first farm to make a F2T connection and delivery! In January, Farm Manager Rosy Smit personally delivered 50 lbs of freshly harvested leeks to F2T meal partner, Chicken Soup Brigade. The leeks were quickly made into a yummy Caribbean tilapia dish with lime and leeks and was delivered shortly to Chicken Soup Brigade clients. Rosy and the rest of 21 Acres’ staff continue to be a wonderful partner in F2T and in the local food economy on the whole.

21 Acres is in the process of building an impressive structure. Once complete, this facility will include a retail co-op for the farm’s and others’ products. The building will also have a natural root cellar, cold storage, rent-able commercial kitchens for the development of value-added products, kitchen classrooms, office space, and will serve as a drop point for wholesale transactions. The building itself will be super eco-friendly, complete with a rooftop garden, composting toilets, and even a shower to encourage employees to bike to work (21 Acres is on a couple of bike trails!). This will be such a great, central facility – we can’t wait to see the completed building.

Check out these photos of the F2T Partnership visit to 21 Acres today!

A lovely morning in Woodinville (the weather held just long enough for us to complete our 90-minute tour!)

21 Acres Farm Manager, Rosy Smit, points out the lay of the land to F2T Partners: Rochelle Carlson (CCS), Karen (PSFN), Shoko Kumagai (WSDA), while 21 Acres Facilities Manager, Brooke, looks on

An on-site (in-field!) brick pizza oven makes 21 Acres a great spot for educational tours for all ages. Now THAT'S Farm to Table!

F2T Project Manager Maria Langlais of Aging & Disability Services checks out the farm

Mmmmm... garlic!

Karen (PSFN), Brooke (21 Acres), Rochelle (CCS), Shoko (WSDA), and Heidi (21 Acres) listen to Rosy talk about opportunities for veterans' groups at the farm

Though it looks a little austere now, come summer this will be a beautiful and flourishing comprehensive agricultural center!

Heidi Pomeroy, Retail Manager for 21 Acres, points out to the group how classrooms, kitchens, and retail space will all come together in the new facility

Thanks for a great day, 21 Acres, and thanks to our awesome F2T Partners for braving the weather to come check out the other side of institutional food service and production. What a great group of people to be working with!

Posted by Emma Brewster on March 11th, 2011

Member Training Sessions are off to a Good Start!

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Yesterday, PSFN hosted the first of many PSFN Member Training Sessions. These one-on-one, hour-long meetings are an opportunity for producers, buyers, and service providers alike to meet with your PSFN Account Manager and to ask necessary questions to help move your business forward.

Kai Ottenson of Hedlin Farms meets with his PSFN Account Manager, Ann Leason, and learns how to enhance his PSFN online profile

We’ve developed these trainings because we want to know from YOU, individually, what your business’s specific needs are. How can we work with you to help you reach your goals? Whether it’s one-on-one introductions, mini trade meetings, logistical help, wholesale markets, or brainstorming ideas for where you want to expand customer base, we want to discuss all the ways your PSFN membership can connect you with the local buyers, producers, or infrastructure you need.

Yesterday’s training in Skagit County (held at NABC’s offices in Mount Vernon) was busy – we had a totally booked day! Members came with great questions and open minds. I think, together, we came up with a lot of good ideas and connections. A big thanks to Ann Leason, our Operations Manager, for facilitating every single session!

Kai and Ann brainstorm and discuss alternative strategies for gaining additional CSA members for Hedlin's upcoming season

As a member, you’re incredibly valuable to us as partners in the local food economy and as friends. What can we do for you to make your membership more valuable to you? Book your one-on-one session today and receive individualized assistance on the best ways to utilize your annual membership to build your business:

Upcoming Training Dates Contact Ann Leason to RSVP or for more info: ann@psfn.org / 360-336-3666

March 23rd – King County*
2100 Building: 2100 24th Avenue South, Seattle
1-hour appointments available 8 AM – 5 PM
*A special opportunity for King County training attendees: the training will be taking place simultaneously and in the same building as, a Farm to Table Kick-off event for King County Childcare providers. This is a great opportunity to meet a large group of buyers who will begin placing orders shortly!

April 6th – Snohomish County
Snohomish County Extension Office: 600 128th Street SE, Everett
1-hour appointments available 8 AM – 5 PM

Whatcom County
RESCHEDULED – TBA

May 4th – Island County
Coupeville Public Library: 788 NW Alexander St. Coupeville
1-hour appointments available 8 AM – 5 PM

Contact Ann Leason to RSVP or for more information: ann@psfn.org / 360-336-3666

Posted by Emma Brewster on March 8th, 2011

Seattle Farmer Fisher Chef Connection 2011

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A week ago today, PSFN attended the 2011 Farmer Fisher Chef Connection (F²C²) at Herban Feast Sodo Park, hosted by the Seattle Chef’s Collaborative. As always, the event was beautifully put together: the open layout of the venue encouraged networking and provided a classy yet laid back atmosphere. Before I go any further, I want to thank the event volunteers and planning committee for all of their hard work and persistence – the event was fabulous!

PSFN tabled at the event to attract new members, to spotlight PSFN’s current projects, and to highlight how PSFN has evolved since its launch a year ago. Launched primarily as an online marketing tool, PSFN has really transformed itself into a more robust and holistic non-profit marketing and networking service for participants in the local food economy. In addition to its online marketing tool, PSFN offers direct account management with every member assigned to an individual account manager. This individual assistance is what many producers and buyers are looking for, and is the most useful in establishing long-term, sustainable local relationships. Many interested producers and buyers were drawn to our table at Farmer Fisher Chef Connection for just these reasons. It was so good to meet you all – we look forward to working with you!

The keynote speaker, Laurie Demeritt, president of The Hartman Group, gave an informational presentation on how to “Turn your Story into Market Success”. Basically, if you’re a farmer/business owner, you need to communicate “your story” to your target audience. This is a strong and inexpensive marketing technique that can be accomplished – for example – by adding verbiage to packaging materials, enhancing your presence at farmers’ markets with a personal message on a chalkboard, or adding images and narrative to your website. Dermeritt later moderated a panel of Northwest business owners: Chrystie Kisler of Finnriver Farm, Riley Starks of Lummi Island Wild Co-op, and Ethan Stowell of Ethan Stowell Restaurants. Dermeritt gracefully facilitated the panel and helped them to share their personal business stories with the audience. Very inspirational and heartwarming!

Another panel discussion, “Farms & Fins: The Balance of Farming in Essential Salmon Habitat” gave a well-rounded, dynamic story. We were able to clearly see the efforts that environmental conservationists and farmers, alike, put into maintain quality spawning habitat for salmon. Elizabeth Dubovsky of Why Wild; Dale Reiner of Reiner Farms; Andrew Stout of Full Circle; Deborah Oaks of the Stewardship Partners, Seattle; and Geof Lebon of F/V Halmia gave insight on current conservation efforts and the energy that local farmers put into managing salmon habitat on their land.

Jake Fowler, a Project Manager for NABC, participated in the panel, “The Concept of Retail: An Overview of Adding Value to Your Product.” Skagit Fresh Seasonal Cider, a product developed by PSFN member, Skagit Fresh Beverage Company, with Jake’s guidance was used as an example to discuss the whole process of creating a value added product and bringing it to market: initial feasibility studies, market analysis, determining current food trends, new ways to add value to products, finding places to process and sell your product, and how to identify your target market. Also on the panel was Denise Breyley, Local Food Forager for Whole Foods Markets (NW Region) and Skagit Fresh Beverage Company producer partner, Alan Merritt of Merritt Apples. Perkins Variety Apples and PSFN member, Sakuma Bros. Farms, also produce the apples used to make the delicious seasonal cider.

Last but not least, PSFN Project Manager, Lucy Norris, spoke and facilitated a panel discussion on “The Wholesale Market: An Alternative to Traditional Distribution.” Lucy spoke about the Wholesale Markets that PSFN organizes. This past growing season, PSFN collaborated with local producers and wholesale buyers to launch two grassroots,business-to-business wholesale markets in Mount Vernon and Seattle to help facilitate local wholesale and institutional purchasing. PSFN was recently able to run some numbers and evaluate the impact of the 2010 Wholesale markets – both were successful! Check out this link for more information on the 2010 PSFN Wholesale markets. PSFN Members Sarita Schaffer of Viva Farms, Denise Breyley, and Chris Johnson of United General Hospital, as well as Erin Treat of the Skagit Valley Food Co-op served as a well-rounded group of panelists. Each shared their role in, and thoughts about, the PSFN wholesale markets. Thanks, everyone, for participating and supporting PSFN!

Farmer Fisher Chef Connection concluded with networking opportunities and lots of local food and beverage tastings. Thanks, Seattle Chef’s Collaborative and Herban Feast for hosting, it was such a great day! And let’s hear it for staff members Jake Fowler and Lucy Norris, as well as all our PSFN members who participated in panels for representing PSFN and NABC so heartily at Farmer Fisher Chef Connection 2011!

Posted by Emma Brewster on March 8th, 2011

A Big Day with U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, Kathleen Merrigan, & Seattle Mayor, Mike McGinn!

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On Wednesday, Kathleen Merrigan, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and manager of the USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food effort, paid a special visit to PSFN/NABC projects. Deputy Secretary Merrigan (who made the trip up to Seattle from Portland just for us!) chose to visit Central Area Senior Center (where she was joined by Seattle Mayor, Mike McGinn!) to show her support for PSFN’s Farm to Table involvement. Deputy Secretary Merrigan then met with PSFN/NABC-affiliated local producers at Central Market in Shoreline, where she toured and sampled their high-quality products. See the full photo album on our Facebook page!

The day began with the first F2T delivery to Central Area Senior Center (the first Senior Services site to receive a F2T delivery!). Kia Armstrong, Manager of Nash’s Organic Produce in Sequim, WA, personally delivered cabbage, parsnips, and triticale flour to Senior Services’ Chef and Nutrition Site Coordinator, Anthony Herts.

Seattle Mayor, Mike McGinn, and Deputy Secretary Merrigan both spoke on the importance of local food connections and praised PSFN’s work on our Farm to Table project which connects produce from local farms with senior meal programs.

Deputy Secretary Merrigan with members of the CPPW Farm to Table Partnership. From left: Karen Mauden, PSFN Farm to Table Coordinator; Charlie Thomas (Senior Services); Emma Brewster, PSFN Farm to Community Coordinator; Deputy Secretary Merrigan; Maria Langlais, Farm to Table Project Manager (Aging and Disability Services); Lucy Norris, PSFN Project Manager; Tricia Sexton-Kovacs (WSDA Farm to School Program).

After a delicious lunch, Deputy Secretary Merrigan and her staff joined local producers and NABC staff at Central Market in Shoreline. Producers had an opportunity to introduce Ms. Merrigan to their products featured at Central Market.

Deputy Secretary Merrigan and local producers set up camp in the produce department at Central Market, where Merrigan fielded questions and listened to producers’ concerns.

What a fantastic day! Thank you, Deputy Secretary Merrigan and staff! Special thanks to Central Area Senior Center Chef and Nutrition Site Coordinator, Anthony Herts for hosting us and preparing such a lovely lunchtime meal. Thanks also to Charlie Thomas, Program Manager of Community Dining for Senior Services, and Cynthia Andrews, Director of the Central Area Senior Center and her wonderful staff, volunteers, and meal attendees. A final thanks to Central Market-Shoreline for hosting us and for featuring so many quality local products on your shelves.

Posted by Emma Brewster on March 4th, 2011