Cascade Harvest Coalition

This past Saturday, Cascade Harvest Coalition, its volunteers and partners collected hundreds of pledges to Eat Local for Thanksgiving. Each person pledged to include at least one locally grown food on their Thanksgiving table and earned the chance to win a locally-raised Heritage turkey and other great prizes.

Take the pledge now at www.EatLocalforThanksgiving.org

Third Place Commons Farmers Market tells us what's fresh this week:

The South 47 Farm. "Honey Treat" yellow corn; Sunshine, Pink Banana, and Blue Banana winter squash; fall greens, mustard, kale, collards, and shiso; and fresh-cut herbs, basil, sage, thyme, and more.

Tiny’s Organic. Flavor Heart Pluots; Sun & Indian Blood peaches; and Arctic Snow nectarines.

Martin Family Orchards. Fall apples.

Hand Farmed Foods. Spaghetti squash; cauliflower; and fresh spinach.

Fooducopia. Rosy Raspberry vinegar.

Sidhu Farms. Fresh berries.

Scenic, bucolic and farm-friendly Skagit Valley - the countryside beckons (as do Clysedale horses and alpacas) at the 11th Annual Skagit Valley Festival of Family Farms on Saturday & Sunday, October 3 and 4, 10am to 4 pm.

Just 60 miles north of Seattle, spend the weekend tasting, touring and exploring a bakers dozen (that would be 13) family farms. Say howdy to big, beefy cows or sweet sheep, snack on free samples of cider, corn on the cob, ice cream and yum, BBQ oysters.

Kids get to race veggie cars or crabs, meet Squirty Gertie, the artifical cow, make veggie art, fiber crafts and build scarecrows or ride a pony. Grownups can visit Eagle Haven Winery for wine tasting.

Or, put your pedal to the metal, and do the Skagit Valley Farm Pedal a 20 or 35 mile bicycle ride on biker-friendly (flat, little traffic) terrain. Your ride departs Schuh Farms at 10 am and visits 10 farms, plus a special driver picks up your farm purchases and brings them back to Schuh Farms, so no schlepping is required on your part.

Participating farms include Taylor Shellfish Farm, Golden Glen Creamery, Jensen & Sons Dairy, Sakuma Bros. Farms & Market Stand, Double O Ranch, Martiny Suffolks, Hedlin Family Farm, La Conner Flats, Gordon Skagit Farms, Schuh Farms, Cascadian Farm, Alpaca Partners, Hemlock Highlands Ranch, Eagle Haven Winery and Perkins Apple Orchard. 

Make the farm connection with this weekend's "crop" of self-guided farm tours and harvest celebrations.

Harvest Jubilee 8 AM - 10 PM
Saturday, September 19

Explore the agricultural richness of the Northwest corner of SnohomishCounty and Camano Island with a leisurely day visiting 24 family farms and an abundance of activities for all ages. Festival hub in downtown Stanwood includes an old-fashioned farm breakfast, afternoon BBQ, savor fresh local eats, shop for produce, plants and crafts, enjoy live
music, and evening barn dances. Be sure and pick up a passport for kids to win a prize; they’ll also get a kick out of tractor rides, theatre, critter races, games and prizes.

Tour of Clark County Farms 10 AM - 3 PM
Saturday, September 19

Make the farm connection with a visit to 14 local farms throughout picturesque Clark County. Greet friendly chickens, donkeys and goats, taste heirloom tomatoes, onions and honey, indulge in the beauty of over 450 varieties of U-cut Dahlias, indulge in scrumptious lavender treats, take home tasty jams, jellies and pies, tap your toes to live bluegrass music.

WSU Jefferson County Farm Tour 10 AM - 4 PM
Sunday, September 20

See and taste the best of Jefferson County with 13 local farms. Love pedal power? Join the Tour Des Fermes and see the sights by bike while reducing your carbon footprint. If you’re interested in spinning, weaving and other crafts, check out the Fiber Farm Loop, focusing on four local farms producing fiber from sheep and llamas.

Cascade Harvest Coalition’s farmers market Fresh Bucks coupon promotion with Anacortes, Shelton and Phinney Farmers Markets in today’s Seattle Times Retail Report!  See the Tidbits section at http://s7y.us/17vc