PSFN Blog

NABC hosts Hard Cider Production course – December 2011

By guest NABC contributor Carolyn Goodrich Luke

The Northwest Agriculture Business Center, in partnership with Washington State University – Mount Vernon Research and Extension Center and Mitchell F&D, recently hosted a fun and informative six-day hard cider production course funded in part by a WSDA Specialty Crop Block Grant.

The course began with a daylong workshop on Orchard Management and Cider Fruit Production led by Gary Moulton, WSU orchardist and cider production expert. Topics included soil quality, orchard layout, rootstock and variety selection, irrigation, pruning and thinning methods, pest management, grafting techniques, and harvesting.

After lunch, students ventured over to Red Barn Cider for a tour and hands-on demonstration of pruning, thinning, and grafting. Those who braved the chilly temperatures for this informative and interactive session were rewarded with a fantastic cider tasting facilitated by Red Barn owner/operator Drew Zimmerman.

The second part of the course shifted the focus to Cider Making: Principles & Practices taught by renowned cider production expert Peter Mitchell. The first two days provided students with a broad overview of hard cider. Topics included cider history, terminology, sensory analysis, and cider market trends. Students also participated in cider tastings to better understand flavor and aroma profiles. Who says learning can’t be fun?

At the end of day two, students had the option to take the exam for the NACM Certificate in Cider & Perry Appreciation. This is the only formal cider industry specific qualification available in the world and many students took advantage of the opportunity.

Days three and four were spent in the WSU lab where students practiced producing and fermenting cider. They also learned techniques to analyze the chemical properties of cider in order to produce a high quality product.

The final day of the course took place at La Conner Flats. Processing and production methods were discussed, a delicious lunch was served, and cider samples made by students were critiqued by the class and instructors. Not a bad way to end the week!

For those who missed this amazing workshop, don’t despair! The course will be repeated in June 2012 followed by an advanced course in December 2012. More details will be posted on the NABC website as they become available. Cheers!

Carolyn is NABC’s Special Projects & Research Coordinator

Posted by Emma Brewster on December 20th, 2011

Strength Through Diversity: People, Products, Markets

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By PSFN’s Communications and Outreach Coordinator, Emma Brewster

On Thursday, Cascade Harvest Coalition hosted the Olympic Peninsula Farm to Table Trade Meeting in Port Townsend. The overwhelming theme of the day was the importance of diversity: diversity of knowledge, experience, markets, and products.

To kick off the event, Dr. Laura Lewis, the new Director of WSU extension services for Jefferson County, delivered a refreshingly scientific keynote address. Dr. Lewis spoke about “agrobiodiversity” and economic development opportunities therein for farmers and members of the local food economy on the Olympic Peninsula.

Much of Dr. Lewis’s presentation drew on the concept of Edge Theory, commonly used in permaculture design, among other applications. Edge Theory asserts that the edges of areas (of biomes, of neighborhoods, of garden plots…) harbor a tremendous amount of diversity, and discusses the desirable resiliency and stability found through such eclecticism. Dr. Lewis offered the example of ecotones: the areas between biomes or environmental regions such as the salty march which separates the grassy dunes from the sea, or the Serengeti savannah which joins the Sahara desert to the central rainforest in Africa. These inter-regions are areas of great biodiversity, abundance, and environmental dynamism, and are less affected by changes which might devastate the environ on either side. Ecotones both result from and indicate a gradient of conditions between zones, such as changing precipitation levels, shifting temperature, or differential access to sunlight.

Dr. Lewis reminded us that realms between more distinct areas are not just an environmental or biological phenomenon, but that the local food economy on the Olympic Peninsula (and in other regions) is a sort of ecotone itself. Dr. Lewis pointed out that our agricultural system is not simply a linear chain from seed to spoon, but rather there is in fact a large amount of dynamism and potential where players in the food system interact and overlap.

In these overlapping areas of knowledge and practice, we can choose to ignore or capitalize on our interconnectedness by choosing to either share or withhold knowledge from one another. For instance, a chef who discontinues his order from a local farm, but does not tell the farm what it was that made the chef switch to a different source – quality, price, delivery hiccups – foregoes the opportunity to improve the relationship and the system as a whole because the farm has not learned or grown from the experience. Relationships among different players in the system and the system entirely are strengthened and both see more stability in the long term when knowledge and experience are shared.

The space in the center of the diagram here is the “area of vital connection” across systems. It is this area of diversity and interconnectedness in our own agricultural system that we need to sustain together, and which should be more highly valued and utilized in an effort to strengthen our local agricultural economy.

With this in mind, as players in the regional food system we can decide to capitalize on the edges that exist within our own systems to identify barriers and weaknesses and to strengthen bonds and systematic resiliency. Interaction between producers and consumers can point out the weaknesses in processing capacity, storage facilities, marketing assistance, and distribution capabilities available. We can then work together to develop milling, meat processing, and distilling facilities; wholesale, direct, collective, and cooperative distribution options; and other infrastructural helps. The more successful we are at preserving interconnectedness, the more stable we’ll all be in the long term. PSFN is proud to be a group that represents each sector in this vital center (consumers, producers, processors, distributors and other service providers). We aim to help share knowledge and information across perceived barriers in an effort to support the regional food economy in the Puget Sound.

Photo courtesy of Nash's Organic Produce

A panel discussion also spoke to the idea of diversity and to the benefit to diversifying both products and markets. PSFN Member Kia Armstrong spoke about all the different outlets for Nash’s Organic Produce, and about the pros and cons of each. Nash’s is currently wholesaling about 50% of their products through three or four major wholesalers throughout the Northwest and Canada. Nash’s recently opened its own small grocery store where you can buy all your favorite Nash’s produce and everything else “from olive oil to toilet paper!” as Kia says. In addition to the store, the farm is now more active than ever before at farmers’ markets, and is looking to expand its partnerships with regional institutions. Nash’s currently holds an on-site farmers market at the Olympic Medical Center on Tuesdays. Hospital staff are able to swipe their payroll deduct cards at the market (as opposed to needing cash), which is convenient for shoppers and reliable income for the farm. In its efforts to expand its institutional relationships, Nash’s is also in the process of getting into local schools through the Jefferson and Clallum county Farm to Cafeteria programs, as both schools are working under new local buying initiatives. Kia and Nash’s Organic Produce has partnered with PSFN in the past in marketing their produce to child care centers and to senior meal programs through our Farm to Table Project.

It is institutional markets like these that excite Kathy Pryor of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility (WPSR) and Heathcare Without Harm (HWH), who also participated in the panel. Kathy is working to gain signatories to the Healthy Food in Healthcare pledge, which commits healthcare institutions to use their enormous purchasing power to improve the health of the food system while also modeling healthy behavior for patients, visitors, and staff.

The healthcare industry is the third largest institutional purchaser of food (after colleges and universities, and elementary schools), and mostly purchases through the same mainline distributors as other, smaller institutional buyers like preschools and senior meal programs. The Healthy food in Healthcare commitment asks hospitals to use their “moral authority” as healthcare providers to support local producers who healthfully and ethically produce their products. By harnessing the purchasing power of the hospitals, WPSR and HWH is able to pave the way for smaller institutions and other local buyers to source their food carefully and locally.

Some local success stories of hospitals partnering with farms include:

The Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles was the first hospital in the state to set up an onsite farm stand, and to use produce purchased from that stand in kitchen at least once a week.
Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton is now directly purchasing whole carcass beef over the winter months, something that Kathy hasn’t seen yet elsewhere.
United General Hospital in Sedro-Woolley just won second place in the nation for its sustainable food purchasing. Head Chef Chris Johnson made lots of local purchasing relationships with PSFN member farms at our Skagit and Seattle summer Wholesale Markets, and has been able to sustain them, leading to his award.

United General Hospital is currently purchasing 15% of its food for cafeteria and in-patient dining from local producers. The hospital that placed first in the competition (Fletcher Allen Healthcare in Burlington, VT – not far from where I grew up) is at an astounding 40%! So… it can be done!

In contrast to these inspiring local purchasing percentages of 15 and 40%, panel moderator, Katherine Barill of EDC Team Jefferson, reminded us that across the country, only one half of 1% of consumer food is purchased direct from the farmer by the end user. In Jefferson County, that proportion is a relatively impressive 4%. Ms. Barill challenged the audience to envision what might be possible economically for the county and the region if we could raise that number to 20% by 2020? The goal of 20% by 2020 is also the goal set out by the Real Food Challenge, a key partner of PSFN this year, for colleges and universities in the Northwest. The Real Food Challenge also has a food commitment to be signed by college and university presidents and chancellors to similarly harness the purchasing power of colleges and universities.

Kathy sees this region of Washington as a prime candidate for this type of innovative food purchasing at healthcare and other institutions because of the high diversity of farms, as well as the somewhat limited geographic layout: Kathy markets the idea of local food purchasing to hospitals as an essential part of the facilities’ emergency preparedness plan, which all hospital are required to have. It’s an incredible resource to have food at their fingertips (and have the necessary relationships in tact) to feed patients in case of any major disaster which might result in limited transportation or other infrastructural losses.

This panel also discussed the importance of diversifying local products manufactured and sold in our region. Panelist Laura Lawless of the Port Townsend Food Co-op harped on value-added products as one of the most effective ways of ensuring income over the winter months for regional farms. She suggested the alternative value-added markets of health and beauty products, the herb and spice market, and medicinals as the next frontier for local producers. (PSFN is so excited for our soon-to-be-former Operations Manager, Ann Leason, for soon devoting the majority of her time to her own herb farm for health and beauty products, as well as medicinal herbs. Go Ann!)

Laura also gave some great suggestions of value-added products needed in the area:

Processed meats like salami and sausage
Frozen convenience foods for busy families – at the Port Townsend co-op they have a frozen Tamale that they can’t keep on the shelves!
Kale and produce chips
Salad Dressing
Pet food

For advice on, and assistance in, entering the value-added marketplace, PSFN and NABC are offering a Transition to Value Added Business Course this winter. The introductory courses in market assessment and business plan development have already passed, but product development classes in a variety of categories remain:

Value-added Dairy Workshop – Friday, January 27, 2012
Value-add Floral and Nursery Workshop – Thursday, February 2, 2012
Value-added Meat Workshop – Monday, February 6, 2012
Valued Added Prepared Foods – Thursday, February 16, 2012

For more information about these classes, contact Jeff Voltz: jeff@agbizcenter.org / (360) 593-4744

As a final word of advice, Laura said the most important thing you can do as a producer is to take the time to come to the store, demo your product, and tell your story your way to your customers. We at PSFN agree. Telling your story through your brand, your label, and in person is essential.

So in summary, diversity is the key! We should all work to diversify relationships and enhance interconnectedness among different players in the regional food system; producers should diversify their markets (and focus on institutional partnerships) and their products. Diversification of activities across the agricultural continuum will enable all stakeholders to manage risk, which will promote economic development. Diversity is the key to regional economic stability and resilience. So… let’s get talking!

Posted by Emma Brewster on December 12th, 2011

Producer Co-ops and Small Farm Meat Processing

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By Guest Contributor Jeff Voltz, NABC Project Manager

Cooperation has provided a successful path for small to mid-size local meat producers to get their product to market. On Wednesday November 30 five members of the North Cascades Meat Producers Cooperative and I traveled from Whatcom County down to Thurston County to watch a USDA inspected mobile slaughter unit in action.

This unit is owned by the Pierce Conservation District and leased by the Puget Sound Meat Producers Cooperative (PSMPC). This is the second USDA mobile unit established in the Puget Sound area as Island Grown Farmers Cooperative (IGFC) built the region’s first unit in 2002. It’s important to recognize the work of Bruce Dunlop, owner of Lopez Island Farm, who was instrumental in IGFC’s start-up and the design of Washington State’s first mobile slaughter unit, as well as his work on the design of the new unit we visited.

Based on U.S consumption data it is estimated that the 201,140 residents consume 12.5M pounds of beef per year. At 500 pounds of yielded meat per cow this would be the equivalent of 25,000 cattle. NABC’s conservative estimate is that no more than 1,200 of these cattle actually come from Whatcom County. There is even a great proportionate spread between pork consumption and the availability of locally grown pork. And the spread grows even wider in more the more densely populated counties of the Puget Sound region.

These USDA inspected mobile units are helping local meat production and community access to locally produced meat make great strides. Dunlop estimates the IGFC unit and cooperative have provided for close to $1M per year in expanded economy for San Juan, Skagit, and Whatcom County producers.

The North Cascades Meat Producers Cooperative, formed in July of this year has created common production standards and a common brand in order to market locally produced meats (currently Skagit and Whatcom Counties) to supermarkets, restaurants, and institutions. The co-op is interested in leasing the Pierce Conservation District/PSMPC mobile unit and bringing it to Whatcom County twice per month. The co-op would also need to ensure adequate post-slaughter processing capacity either through a local provider, or by creating its own processing facility.

North Cascade Meat’s co-op member Matthew Aamot was favorably impressed with the unit. “It should work very well. We think it has the capacity to harvest up to 15 cattle, 30 hogs or 50 sheep per day. And now that we’ve seen its internal layout and how PSMPC’s systems work, we know what we’ll need to do on our end to set up a site and enhance efficiencies.”

Posted by Emma Brewster on December 8th, 2011

Taste of Ebey’s Celebrates Rockwell Beans

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By Guest Contributor Sherrye Wyatt

Let the battle begin! On November 5, Taste of Ebey’s attendees enjoyed an Iron Chef experience as Camp Casey’s Mess Hall B was transformed into Kitchen Stadium for a culinary cook off to celebrate the secret ingredient: Rockwell Beans. Sponsored by Whidbey Island Grown and the Northwest Agriculture Business Center, the entertaining event was part of the Ebey’s Forever conference. Several Puget Sound Food Network members participated.

Sherrye Wyatt, who works on the Whidbey Island Grown brand and island tourism, organized and moderated the session. Her introductions were sprinkled with dramatic lines from the popular cooking show including “The time has come to once again ask life’s most savory question: Whose cuisine reigns supreme?” and “Ala Cuisine.” On a more serious note, Edible Seattle Magazine Publisher Alex Corcoran spoke on the growing “locavore” movement. He explained the important role public relations and the media play in helping gain public support for preserving rural farm land. But the main stars of the show were those who grow and serve the famous heirloom legume, Whidbey Island farmers and chefs.

Gardener Vin Sherman, Sara Perdue of Prairie Bottom Farm and Georgie Smith of Willowood Farm each captivated the audience as they shared family recipes and humorous stories from their own experiences growing Rockwell Beans in Ebey’s Landing. The main floor show was a fast paced hour long cook-off between Scott Fraser, owner of Fraser’s Gourmet Hideaway in Oak Harbor and Mark Laska, owner of Ciao in Coupeville. They were assisted by volunteer sous chefs Nan Devlin, consultant from Portland, Oregon and Jessica Muzzall of 3 Sisters Cattle Co. of Whidbey Island.

The afternoon’s highlight was when audience members joined the chef’s in the kitchen as they noisily chopped, sautéed, sizzled, and blended the beans into four original succulent variations. The session ended with everyone sampling the chef’s creations.

Posted by Emma Brewster on December 6th, 2011

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 Participates in 1st Ever National Food Day!

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Monday was the first time the nation celebrated Food Day, and PSFN was not to be left out! We collaborated with Public Health – Seattle & King County, The Real Food Challenge Northwest, and students at The University of Washington to spread the gospel of local food for institutional food service!

Food Day, sponsored by the Center for Science in the Public Interest and “backed by an impressive advisory board that includes anti-hunger advocates, physicians, authors, politicians, and leaders of groups focused on everything from farmers markets to animal welfare to public health, seeks to bring together Americans from all walks of life—parents, teachers, and students; health professionals, community organizers, and local officials; chefs, school lunch providers, and eaters of all stripes—to push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way.” Food Day 2011 paraded six tenets linking the importance of food’s connection to community and global health and wellness. The priorities of National Food Day 2011 were to:

Reduce diet-related disease by promoting safe, healthy foods
Support sustainable farms & limit subsidies to big agribusiness
Expand access to food and alleviate hunger
Protect the environment & animals by reforming factory farms
Promote health by curbing junk-food marketing to kids
Support fair conditions for food and farm workers

In an effort to address these priorities on a local and, ultimately, global scale PSFN partnered with students involved in the Real Food Challenge at the University of Washington to help muster student and campus support for more Real Food on campus, that is, food that is locally produced and community based, and verifiably produced in ways that are fair to humans, humane to animals, and ecologically sound. PSFN has been partnering with the Real Food Challenge since June in an effort to connect more food producers in Northwest Washington with college and university food service in our region. The University of Washington has been a leader in this effort so far, and we were ecstatic to partner with UW students for Food Day!

Student leaders hosted two Food Day events on Monday, first tabling for Real Food Challenge outside the library. Of course the best way to attract college students to a tabling event on campus is to offer FREE FOOD, and PSFN did just that! PSFN members and NABC-affiliated producers graciously donated wonderful, ‘real’ product samples for the event. Students devoured 3 Sisters’ uncured pepperoni, Twin Brook Creamery‘s delicious chocolate milk, Skagit Fresh’s wonderful seasonal apple cider, and Belly Timber’s easy-to-pack “survival bars”, recently picked up by REI to be sold in major stores across the country! Students loved having the opportunity to sample these high quality, locally produced, and community based foods that one day (with enough student support) could end up in retail and dining facilities on the UW campus!

Photo Courtesy of Real Food UMD

Students in the Real Food Challenge student organization engaged their passerby peers in conversation about the possibilities of getting more Real Food on campus, offering each student the opportunity to participate in a “photo-petition” wherein each student could express their specific, individual want for food on campus. Students said they wanted to see, “FRESH greens!” “More local options on campus,” “HAPPY BACON!” and “…for the food I HAVE to buy on campus to better reflect what I would choose to buy as an individual consumer off campus,” among other requests. Throughout the year, student leaders at UW and PSFN’s Emma Brewster, who’s serving as a Regional Field Organizer for the Real Food Challenge as part of her AmeriCorps term of service with NABC, will work with these students to voice their demands to university Housing and Food Services, and work with HFS to move UW forward in the quest for Real Food on campus.

Interested students were also asked to sign an endorsement of the Real Food Challenge Campus Commitment, hot off the presses and officially released nationally on Food Day itself! The Campus Commitment, when signed by a university president (as has been done by St. Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota already!) affirms a school’s commitment to Real Food through the creation of campus food systems working group, the drafting of a campus food policy, and a pledge to purchase 20% Real Food annually for campus eateries by 2020. If all target school achieve this goal, the Real Food Challenge will move 1 Billion dollars of campus food expenditure to food produced locally and in ecologically sound, fair and just, and humane ways by 2020. On Monday, dozens of students signed their support for this commitment to be adopted at UW.

On Monday evening, in concert with a campus-wide sustainability summit, Real Food Challenge students co-hosted a Food Day film screening of the Seattle-based films Carbon Nation and Unwasted and through an intersession discussion tied the issues of climate change and environmental degradation depicted in the films to direct remedial Real Food action on campus. PSFN also provided samples of local, ‘real’ snacks from PSFN members for this movie event. More films will be shown throughout this week for the campus sustainability summit, and Real Food Challenge UW intends to attend those events and introduce Real Food campus sustainability priorities to Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn who will attend a film screening on Thursday.

What a week! We’re so glad to be connected with such passionate students who won’t rest (literally – they got 3 hours of sleep Sunday night preparing for these events!) until their campus purchases and serves food responsibly grown in Northwest Washington. Check out Real Food Challenge Northwest on Facebook for updates about ongoing Food Day events at Western Washington University, The Evergreen State College, Washington State University, Everett Community College, Gonzaga University, Whitman College, and Eastern Washington University. All these schools have committed students working for Real Food on their campus.

Not bad for a first go, Food Day! We’re already looking forward to the 2nd annual National Food Day in 2012!

Posted by Emma Brewster on October 26th, 2011

Seattle Tilth Farm Works Open House

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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

3 Sisters Go To School

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By Lucy Norris, Project Manager, Puget Sound Food Network

Today was Taste Washington Day and participating schools throughout the state celebrated Washington’s seasonal bounty in style, including:

Serving a locally-sourced meal
Providing education and activities to recognize the region’s agricultural bounty
Inviting farmers to lunch
Arranging school visits to area farms
Connecting Future Farmers of America high school students with elementary students

This year was especially exciting because Seattle Public Schools (SPS) featured grass-fed beef franks from 3 Sisters Cattle Company (3 Sisters) of Whidbey Island on today’s lunch menu:

Seattle Public Schools Taste Washington Day Menu, September 28, 2011

According to Wendy Weyer, R.D., SPS Nutrition Services, “We had the hot dogs in our 70 elementary schools equaling 8,000 servings. We actually ran out so not all sites had the dogs.”

The full cost for one school lunch is $2.75 for Seattle elementary schools, and students who qualify for free/reduced lunches are not charged. Considering these locally produced beef franks retail at PCC Natural Markets for $5.99 per 12 oz. pack, the fact that SPS and 3 Sisters were able to reach an agreement on pricing alone is remarkable and inspiring.

3 Sisters Cattle Co. Uncured, 100% Grass-fed Beef Franks are sold at PCC Natural Markets

The connection between 3 Sisters and SPS was sparked on the morning of July 20th at Puget Sound Food Network’s (PSFN) 2011 Seattle Wholesale Market. As Eric Boutin (former Food Services Director) put it, “We had no buying expectations. We just wanted to look around at how the market was set up, what products were available, and to gain an understanding of how farm-direct purchasing could work.” Brought together by PSFN, local farmers made connections with local businesses and sold bulk quantities of fruits, meats, vegetables, breads direct-wholesale. The 2011 season, which ended on August 31, was held in the parking lot of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Central District/Capital Hill. Commercial and institutional buyers, including SPS Nutrition Services, received “weekly fresh sheets” to see what products were offered at wholesale prices and volumes. Buyers then considered if (and how) these products might fit within their meal programs.

It was SPS Central Kitchen Operations Manager, Randall Guzzardo and Mr. Boutin who met face-to-face with farmer Shelly Muzzall and discussed 3 Sisters’ grass-fed hotdogs with packs in hand. This first meeting sparked negotiations that led to SPS featuring 3 Sisters’ hotdogs on today’s school lunch menu. After Mr. Boutin’s departure from SPS, it was Wendy Weyer who stepped in and continued talks with 3 Sisters, and placed the first order. The Muzzall’s are excited about this first sale to Seattle Public Schools and hopes to have more opportunities to sell their all natural, grass-fed beef franks in school districts across the Puget Sound region.

One lunch featuring 3 Sisters Cattle Co beef franks and Carpinito Brothers salad greens

PSFN visited two elementary schools in the Wallingford/Fremont neighborhoods including BF Day School and John Stanford International School. 3 Sisters grass-fed beef franks were steamed and served on whole wheat buns made by Seattle’s own Franz Bakery. The hotdogs were a hit! At John Stanford the hot dogs were sold out during the final lunch stampede, a teacher gave 3 Sisters the “thumbs-up” and another student came back and asked for a second hot dog!

The lunch line at John Stanford International School

In the spirit of Taste Washington Day, the menu showcased some of Washington’s finest produce, dairy, meat including PSFN member Carpinito Brothers of Kent who supplied the salad greens and Shepherd’s Grain Farm who supplied the flour for a popular dessert: chocolate brownies.

Learn more about 3 Sisters Cattle Co.

3 Sisters Cattle Co. has Natural, Uncured Beef Franks and Pepperoni made with Whidbey Island’s own local grass-fed beef! Their premium grass-fed cuts represent your fresh-air, rural community. They are a healthy, homegrown alternative to national brands. Contact Shelly at (360) 675-2136 / shelly@3sistersbeef.com. Plymouth Poultry is their distributor.

To learn more about PSFN membership benefits including weekly fresh sheets, seasonal wholesale markets, and other strategic marketing assistance please contact info@psfn.org or visit PSFN’s website.

Posted by Lucy Norris on September 28th, 2011

NABC Welcomes New AmeriCorps Member!

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Please join us in welcoming our newest AmeriCorps volunteer, Carolyn Goodrich. Carolyn has accepted the position of Special Projects and Research Coordinator with NABC.

Carolyn will be responsible for a comprehensive evaluation of US based food networking sites, evaluation of USDA designated food innovation sites, as well as NABC database development. She will also support NABC’s multiple USDA Rural Cooperative Development efforts and promote understanding and use of the cooperative business model for marketing and distribution of agricultural products.

Carolyn brings non-profit program management and leadership skills developed while directing animal welfare programs in Washington and California. She holds a bachelors degree in Zoology from Oregon State University. Carolyn is interested in community programs that provide food access and education to underserved populations as well as those that support small-scale sustainable farms.

Carolyn is also a co-owner/operater of Aslan’s How Organics, a certified organic farm in the Skagit Valley. The farm’s CSA model offers work shares and accepts EBT/WIC in an effort to increase access to organic produce for lower income consumers. This year, through a partnership with the local YMCA Oasis Teen Shelter (and a Puget Sound Food Network connection), homeless youth volunteered on the farm in exchange for a CSA share to help feed shelter residents.

We’re very glad to have Carolyn on board!

Carolyn can be reached at carolyn.goodrich@agbizcenter.org / (360) 336-3727

Both Carolyn and Emma Brewster, PSFN’s AmeriCorps Member, serve with on the SCORE AmeriCorps Team housed by the Skagit County Community Action Agency in Mount Vernon.

Posted by Emma Brewster on September 28th, 2011

PSFN Welcomes Back AmeriCorps Member in New Role

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PSFN is pleased to announce the return of Emma Brewster for a second AmeriCorps term. Emma has been serving as PSFN’s Farm to Community Coordinator, focusing primarily on the CPPW Farm to Table Project with Seattle and King County. This project aims to connect locally-produced fresh fruits and vegetables from PSFN member producers to typically underserved consumers through institutional markets, including free or subsidized child care and senior meal programs. The F2T project is a 20-month project, and PSFN has been happy to have Emma on board for the first ten and a half months of the project, helping to get the purchasing model and infrastructure up and running. Now that the F2T project is half finished and there’s less foundational work to be done with meal partners, Emma is transitioning roles within PSFN as she begins a second AmeriCorps term of service. As PSFN’s Communications & Outreach Coordinator this year, Emma will continue to work part time on the Farm to Table project, seeing it through to its completion in June 2012, and will take on a broader outreach role with PSFN.

As PSFN’s Communications & Outreach Coordinator, Emma will lead PSFN’s external communications including PSFN’s weekly Live Market Fresh Sheet, quarterly newsletters, this blog, and social media outlets including Facebook and Twitter. Emma will help coordinate press and media relations and manage publicity about PSFN and our parent organization, the Northwest Agriculture Business Center (NABC). If you are a PSFN member with an event to promote or have other news or resources to share, send them Emma’s way!

Within her duties of Communications & Outreach Coordinator, Emma will also be serving as a Regional Field Organizer with The Real Food Challenge, a national program of The Food Project. The Real Food Challenge works to support the purchase, distribution, and consumption of “Real Food” – food that is locally produced and community based, and produced in ways that are fair to humans, humane to animals, and ecologically sound – on college an university campuses nation-wide. Emma will be working with campuses all over Washington to develop strong student leaders who will work with their college or university dining services to help increase the purchase of Real Food.

While PSFN’s mission focuses on increasing the production, distribution and consumption of regionally produced food in NW Washington, specifically, PSFN sees this partnership with the Real Food Challenge as an opportunity to build on our foundation of working with institutional and larger commercial buyers to connect producers with additional viable institutional customers in our region. Additionally, the Real Food Challenge has a broader aim of helping to tackle rising obesity rates in the U.S. by both changing the food served in dining halls on campuses, and by using the purchasing shift and regional infrastructure development inherent to local and alternative sourcing to support the regional distribution of, and market for, fresh, healthful, locally-produced products to all communities. This commitment partners well with the work Emma and PSFN have been doing with Public Health – Seattle & King County through the Farm to Table project under the Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant program. Because of its innovative approach to public health solutions, The Real Food Challenge was recently nominated for a Vh1 Do Something award. Check out this video from the awards ceremony to see the role Real Food Challenge plays in public heath enhancement in our communities.

We’re happy to have Emma on board for another term of service, and are eager to explore market opportunities for PSFN members through her expanded outreach work. Welcome back, Emma!

Emma is a member of the SCORE AmeriCorps team, housed by the Skagit County Community Action Agency.

Posted by Emma Brewster on September 6th, 2011