Pierce County CSAs & CSA Video...

What is Community Supported Agriculture or CSA?  Have you heard friends or TV folks excitedly throw these letters around and you aren't quite sure what they mean?  Or maybe you are a “seasoned” CSA veteran already?  Newbies and veterans alike should enjoy this trip Pride of Pierce (http://www.prideofpiercecounty.com/farmvideos.html) took out to the farm to talk about CSA with Terry Carkner, owner of Terry’s Berries in Tacoma.

 

When you buy a CSA share from a local farm, you receive a weekly (or whatever your arrangement) box of farm fresh produce during their growing season.  The farm gets a stable financial base for the season and you get wonderfully fresh local products and a direct connection to a local farm.  Here’s an idea… share the box as well as cost and pick up duties with a family member or friend and you’ll also share in the discovery of some great new varieties of fruits and vegetables. 

You could even give the gift of CSA for the Holidays.  Wow.  What a cool gift.  This gift is an investment not only in the health and happiness of the recipient who will be munching away at the freshest foods available, but also in a healthier environment and local economy.  It's a win-win.

Schedules vary and some farms now have fall, winter, and early spring shares!  Terry’s Berries for instance, offers a fall, winter, and spring share--winter share beginning in January.  Check out their website for sign up info and product details (www.terrysberries.com).  Terra Organics, a home delivery service based in Tacoma, will also deliver a box of local products to your doorstep all year round (www.producehomedelivery.com).

 

Size, price, and options for pick up and drop off also vary among different CSAs.  For more information, including factors to consider when choosing the right CSA for you or your family, talk to a local CSA farmer or visit Puget Sound Fresh (http://www.pugetsoundfresh.org/csa.htm).

Pierce County CSAs:

 

Little Eorthe Farm    (253) 576-8950

Orting, littleorthefarm@gmail.com

 

Mosby Brothers Farms    (253) 939-9431

Puyallup/Auburn, www.mosbyfarm.com

 

Peace of the Earth Farm

Rosedale, http://www.localharvest.org/peace-of-the-earth-farm-M34663

 

Tahoma Farms   (253) 376-8604

Orting, http://www.tahomafarms.com/

 

Take Root Farm    (253) 891-FARM (3276)

Buckley, www.takerootfarm.com

 

Terry’s Berries     (253) 922-1604

Tacoma, www.terrysberries.com

 

Zestful Gardens    (253) 232-0811

Tacoma, www.zestfulgardens.org

 

Home Delivery

Terra Organics      (253) 627-1581

Tacoma, www.producehomedelivery.com

 

Other CSAs around the Puget Sound can be found at: www.pugetsoundfresh.org

Terry's Berries Winter Farm Store Hours

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You can still pick up fresh local produce throughout the winter season by making a stop at Terry's Berries farm store off of River Road towards Puyallup.  Winter hours for the farm store are Tuesday and Wednesday 10am - 6pm. They also offer a winter CSA beginning in January 2011.  More info on farm store and CSA: http://terrysberries.com/

Featured Producer: Local Hazelnuts from Filbert Acres, Puyallup

Come visit Alison and Jonathan Nichols on their farm, Filbert Acres, in Puyallup, WA and pick up some of the fall harvest of local hazelnuts.  Open Monday thru Saturday, you can stop by the farm at 6625 Pioneer Rd, just outside the main city of Puyallup. They usually open up their gate around 8:00 am and stay open until around dark.  Look for their cheery Filbert Acres and "OPEN" sign.  Then take the drive down along the trees, as stray nuts pop from under your car tires.  Oh, and don't forget to catch a view of WSU's test fields--currently full of pumpkins--and an epic view of Mt. Rainier. 

Filbert Acres is truly a unique farm with a very special local product.  More about hazelnuts here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazelnut.  How lucky are we to be able to source locally produced nuts!?!  We keep a bowl full of these with a cracker in our kitchen for a quick snack, but Ali and Jon have great recipes that will give you hazelnut inspiration if needed.

For directions and more information, visit their Puget Sound Fresh page: http://www.pugetsoundfresh.org/farm_profile.asp?farmID=438 or Local Harvest page: http://www.localharvest.org/filbert-acres-M33816

Current prices for unshelled hazels are $3.50/lb (what a deal!) and bulk discount of $3.00/lb for 30 lbs or more. You can also meet up with Jon or Ali at the Saturday Proctor Farmers Market until Nov. 20th.  How about some hazelnuts in your Thanksgiving stuffing? 

Picha's Pumpkin Patch & Slingshot, Corn Maze and More

From now until October 31st, Picha's Pumpkin Patch in Puyallup, just off of River Road is open!
 
Check out their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pichafarms
or website for more details: http://www.pichafarms.com/pumpkins.php
 

Weekdays, 3:00 – 6:00 pm, Weekends, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

Corn maze, pumpkin patch, pumpkin slingshot, gourds, cornstalks, hay bales, and more.
 
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Pumpkin patches and corn mazes are now open throughout all of Pierce County.  For a more complete list, visit the Events section on our prideofpiercecounty.com homepage starting Thursday.

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Pierce County TV News HarvestFest story

Click here to download:
HF POSTER 2010.pdf (420 KB)
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Pierce County TV News did a great story on the October 2nd HarvestFest featuring Terry Carkner of Terry's Berries.  You can see it at: http://www.piercecountytv.org/pc/abtus/ourorg/communications/pctv/pcn.htm
 
In this same episode, PCTV News also highlights the award winning Orting Farms Project to preserve 100 acres of farmland, now three new organic farms, all of which are participating in HarvestFest.  (Downloadable guide: http://www.pierce.wsu.edu/ag/harvestfest.html)

Trillium Creek Winery - Taste Wine on Key Peninsula

Get ready for a unique and delicious local wine experience at Trillium Creek Winery in Lakebay, WA.  http://www.trilliumcreekwinery.com/

Claude and Claudia Gahard, owners and winemakers, will welcome you wholeheartedly to their five acre vineyard, Alsatian Cottage Tasting room, and picnic area to taste the fruits of their labor.  They specialize in wines low in sulfites, a great fix for those who are sensitive to the sulfites found in most wines.  (Ever suffer from the post-wine headache?) 
They have nine wines available for tasting and sale: Meritage, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Muller Thurgau, Riesling, Merlot, Syrah Gris, Chardonnay, and Fruit Wine. 

Claude bottles about 18 to 20 cases of wine each week in the 1500 foot wine cellar on site.  Claudia tends the vineyard.  Together they enjoy hosting visitors.  Claude notes that coming out to taste is as much of a social thing as it is about the wine.  You can ask them questions, see where the wine is made, and really get to know the wines and the winemakers. 

The vineyard is also Salmon-Safe Certified (http://www.stewardshippartners.org/prog_salmon.html).  Salmon Safe is an Oregon-based certification program recognizing farm operations who adopt conservation practices that help restore native salmon habitat in Pacific Northwest rivers and streams. Salmon-Safe farms protect water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and overall watershed health.

Open Tuesday thru Sunday and Holidays from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., all are welcome.  Larger groups of up to around 20 can be accommodated, but call ahead so they can make arrangements.  They will even pick up boaters who dock at Longbranch Marina or Penrose State Park!  What a deal.

At a tasting you will also be able to enjoy award winning local cheeses from the Estrella Family Creamery.  At the 2010 American Cheese Society Annual Competition, Estrella Family Creamery out of Montesano (Grays Harbor County) won First in Class (smoked Italian styles) for their Weebles cheese.   They also won First in Class for their Caldwell Crick Chevrette (sheep or mixed milks).  A Second Place Award was given their Jalapeño Buttery (flavored, peppers).  

 

Ready to jump into the action?  As part of the Key Peninsula HarvestFest on October 2nd from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Trillium Creek will offer folks the chance to participate in a good ol' fashioned grape stomp!  (Ever watch the grape stopping episode from I Love Lucy?)  Here is your chance to take off your shoes, roll up your slacks, and jump in to help stomp grapes! 

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For more information on local food, farms, and events, visit our homepage at www.prideofpiercecounty.com.

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Grab some tomatoes at “The Farm” on Key Peninsula!

It is starting to get late in the season and some farms are close to, if not already, done for this season.  Out on Key Peninsula at The Farm it may only be another week or two.  The Farm primarily has plants and plant starts for sale such as Peppers, Lavender, and other herbs like Basil.  They also have some produce available.  I’ve been told that they have “Early Cascade Tomatoes” which, if you know your tomatoes, you know these are something special.  If you live out near or on Key Peninsula, you should check out The Farm, open from 10-6, and support your local growers!  

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Bluefarm Blueberries - U-Pick and Farm Stand - Pioneer Rd.

Updated NOTE: Looks like Bluefarm is closed for a couple weeks now....  Sign says back open Sept. 11th. 
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Bluefarm Blueberries has opened up their blueberry U-Pick and farm stand this year.  From around August 20 to mid-September, 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. you can visit the farm and either buy 'em ready to go or bring friends and family to pick away. Directions - 5111 Pioneer Rd East, between Tacoma and Puyallup, look for the white sign with Bluefarm on it: http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Tacoma&state=WA&address=5111+Pioneer+Way+E&zipcode=98443-2531&country=US&latitude=47.209841&longitude=-122.361295&geocode=ADDRESS.

U-Pick Blueberries = $1.50/lb
Already picked = $2.00/lb

Besides blueberries they also have local produce at their farm stand.  Today you can get sweet corn from Sumner (4 ears/$1 - what a deal!).  If you can't make it out to them, you can find their berries at Valley Farms off of River Rd.

Bluefarm is owned and operated by Andy, Debbie, and family.  They've been doing what they do for about ten years; however, the farm has existed since 1958.  According to Andy, their 4 acres of blueberries are of the, "sweet and yummy variety."  Sounds good to me!

They've got buckets for picking, but Andy did suggest that because the bushes are big and tall, you might want to bring a step ladder to reach some great berries at the top or a tall friend or relative along ;).

Happy picking! 

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For more info on local food, what's fresh this week, where to find it, events, and the Blog, visit the Pride of Pierce County homepage at www.prideofpiercecounty.com.

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Blue Willow Lavender Farm - And So Much More

Today a quick trip to the Key Peninsula and a "relaxing" visit with Blue Willow Lavender Farm....
 
With over 2,500 lavender plants and more on the way, you'll be amazed by the splendor of Blue Willow Lavender Farm--and relaxed by the smell in the air and wonderfully friendly farmers, Bill and Tracy Ketts.  What seems like a world away, Blue Willow Lavender Farm, is just a hop, skip, and a jump across the Purdy Bridge and out on Key Peninsula. 
 
Since 2008, Bill and Tracy have been planting this 15 acre lavender oasis with over 58 varieties, including many culinary lavenders as well as full garden and fruit trees.  Note: not all lavender is edible--good to know.  I learned this and so much more talking to Bill and Tracy, both incredibly knowledgeable about lavender.  Tracy showed me how they separate the lavender buds from the stems and I learned that there is a window of time when best to pick, between 10am and 2pm.  If you want to know why, I suggest you ask the resident "lavender cat" Binks... you can reach him on their website in the Ask Binks section ( = pretty great): http://www.bluewillowlavenderfarm.com/Blue_Willow_Lavender_Farm/Ask_Binks.html.  He's the feline Dear Abby of lavender, if you will, with a little assistance on the typing from Bill of course. 
 
The farm and farm store are open for visitors from Tuesday - Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  At the farm store, a 1914 built cottage, you can pick up all kinds of sweet smelling lavender products, live lavender plants, local artisan pottery and jewelry, as well as garden fresh produce like cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, and fruit picked right off the tree--chin dripping peaches and delicate yellow plums. (heirloom apples and loads of squash soon to come.) 
 
Take part in the fun at their upcoming lavender wreath making class on August 28th. (RSVP and details through their website, only 5 spots left!) or save the date for Saturday, October 2nd when they will participate in Harvestfest, a free tour of local farms throughout Pierce County!
 
You can visit Bill, Tracy, and Binks' website for more information, calendar of events, and most importantly, directions.  Another great reason to take a day trip out to the Peninsula!  www.bluewillowlavenderfarm.com.
 
 
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For more info on local farms, what's in season, and events, visit the Pride of Pierce County homepage, www.prideofpiercecounty.com
 
 
 

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Check out Duris Cucumber Farm Stand!

Today I drove down River Road in search of other ways to get fresh local products. First though, I saw (and yes this is a very shameless plug) our brand new Pride of Pierce County billboard that will be up from now through the Puyallup fair so check it out.  Anyway, back to farm stands...

About 3 miles from the I-5 exit I arrived at the Duris Cucumber Farm Stand.  They had many great fruits and veggies from their farm, other puyallup valley farms, and Eastern Washington farms.  While Duris grows a lot of great stuff, like strawberries, green beans and zucchini/squash, they are traditionally known as cucumber producers and pickling suppliers.  They have everything you need for pickling at home from fresh dill to mason jars to packaged spices and even several varieties of pickling cukes.  Duris also has a pickling demo every Saturday during the season from 9:30-11am.

For history, information on pickling demonstrations, farmstand hours, and much much more check out: http://duriscucumberfarm.com/

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