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

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)

Puyallup Fair opens Friday, Sept 10 @ 10 a.m.

Tomorrow I'm going to take a moment to try to catch the cattle drive and parade that marks the opening of the 2010 Puyallup Fair (http://www.thefair.com/rodeo/parade.php).  Yes folks, a real cattle drive down Meridian. That's what's happened in the past.  Was it last year or the year before, when the cows or a cow tried to run into Safeway, or something like that?  Anyway, if you aren't up for the excitement of watching cattle be herded down a highway, the Fair opens this Friday (with free admission from 10 a.m. until noon). 
 
It's great to go to the Fair to enjoy the scones, Krusty Pups, Vitamix demonstrations, and rides; however, don't miss all the great agricultural exhibits and shows.  The Fair has been part of the long tradition and local history of farming here in our region and Puyallup Valley.  This is the 110th year of the Fair!  Read through the history, http://www.thefair.com/utility/about-us/history.php, to find out some amazing facts about how the Fair began, how it was developed, how the grounds were changed and used over the years, and what's been popular over the past 11 decades.  Check out the fruit and vegetable competitions, the giant pumpkins, the beef cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, poultry, rabbits and more.  Competitors come for all around the state (some even come from around the nation) to enter their very best livestock or products. 
 
Visit the Fair online for a daily schedule of events: http://www.thefair.com/puyallup-fair/fair-planner.php
 
See you at the cattle drive!

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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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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Terry’s Berries Wins the Volcano Weekly’s Best CSA in Tacoma Award

Last Week’s Volcano came out with their annual Best of Tacoma Readers’ Poll.  Terry’s Berries was featured as Tacoma’s Best CSA.  Among other places winning various awards was Dave’s Meat and Produce, Metropolitan Market, Marlene’s Market and Deli, and the Broadway Farmers Market.  Of course these aren’t the only good places to find local produce; for info on these and the other great places in Pierce County to get local food check out our website, www.prideofpiercecounty.com.  For more information on Terry's Berries, check out their website, http://www.terrysberries.com/. 

 

Picha Farms: Get your first taste of local strawberries

Hankering for a first taste of this year's local strawberries? 

Picha Farms has opened their berry stand and U-Pick in the Puyallup Valley.  They open up at 8:00 am and usually go until they are sold out for the day in early afternoon.  Directions and more info at Picha's website: http://www.pichafarms.com/berries.php. 

Folks are out in numbers picking away.  These are not your grocery store variety, bred for the long haul from many miles away, these are delicate, juicy, and sweet little (and big) things, sitting patiently, waiting for your fingers to pluck them off the plant.  Today the going rate for U-Pick price for strawberries was $1.35/lb.

If you aren't able or ready to venture out in the field yourself, pick up a cup, half flat, or full flat at the stand.  Today prices were listed as (potentially subject to change):

cup = $2.00

half flat = $10.50

full flat = $19.00

They say the strawberries should be here until around the 4th of July and then raspberries will be next up and should be ready for picking around the beginning of July (gosh, that's next week).

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Mmmmmm Berries
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U-Pickers in Action