From Farm to Fork – New Partner!
One of the best things about spring is the fresh flowers and food available. To help you get the most out of the season, The Whole U added a new partner to its Farm to Fork program, where local farmers and vendors offer University of Washington’s faculty and staff a discounted rate on their produce. How awesome is this? Well it gets even better. You can go online and pre-order your box of goodies and pick them up a convenient location near to where you work or live.
Let me introduce our partners:
BOISTFORT VALLEY FARM
Boistfort Valley Farm just joined our network and is offering a 10% discount for their CSA. I was so impressed with their willingness to provide a discount, as farmers have a very tight margin to work with. Have twice monthly (or weekly in summer) boxes of their freshest and best produce delivered right to your neighborhood. You can also find them at the following farmers market locations, restaurants, and stores: Ballard Farmers Market, Olympia Farmers Market, Chehalis Farmers Market, Olympia Food Co-ops, The Mark, Ray’s Boathouse, Eat Local, Kaspar’s Catering and Events, and Art of the Table.
Check out this cute video of a family opening up their produce box for the week:
When researching potential farmers, their “about us” section moved me and gives you a snap shot of their farm’s mission:
The longer I farm, the more I realize that farming is a magical experience. It requires a great deal of faith in the soil, in the seasons,
in the seeds, and in ourselves. We plant and transplant, weed and water, and hope for the best. We are not so much producers as caretakers. The weather does what it wants, the plants respond accordingly, the equipment either agrees with us or it doesn’t, and we do what we can to make everything go smoothly. It is an awesome and humbling experience.
Here in the Northwest, we have a long, mild growing season that accommodates hundreds of varieties of crops. Our direct sales, through CSA and farmers’ markets, allow us to showcase the vegetables and fruits that grow in our region. Because we grow vegetables specifically for consumption (not shipping or shelf life), we have the freedom to grow the tastiest varieties available. Our produce arrives at market very fresh and in season, which maximizes flavor and nutritional quality. We also enjoy a direct connection with our customers, allowing us an ongoing dialogue about our produce and our farm.
FULL CIRCLE
Our other vendor is Full Circle, who has been an incredible partner. They provided 1,000 apples for our Guinness World Record event, 500 apples for our Scavenger Hunt, and all of the produce for our Cooking Demonstration with UW dining. Full Circle is committed to the UW community not only through sponsoring our events, but also by providing a 10% discount with their online farmers market.
Their mission is to change the food system. Check out their video from their Founder and Chief Farmer:
Full Circle has a drop off site near the Plaza Café. If that location is convenient for you make sure you sign up for it, or you can have the produce delivered directly to your home.
Sign up NOW to try one of our Farm to Fork partners and receive the 10% discount! Do you have a favorite farmer who may be interested in our discount network? If so, email me and I can follow up!