Submitted by Sustainable Connections
Sustainable Connections is excited to celebrate September Eat Local Month, a month-long celebration of eating local food and honoring those who grow, raise, harvest, and prepare it to share with this community.
One of the highlights of Eat Local Month is The Whatcom County Farm Tour. On Saturday, September 14th from 10am-4pm, seventeen farms in Whatcom County will open their (barn) doors for visitors to get a behind-the-scenes look at how food gets from the farm to their plates. This family-friendly, free event brings folks from all over the state to celebrate the unique food and farming culture of Northwest Washington. Register here for the Farm Tour. Interested farm-lovers can also support the farm by volunteering.
There are many epic adventures awaiting those on the Farm Tour. Visit Cascadia Mushroom Farm for a sneak peek into the world of mushroom cultivation. See all phases of the growing process in their year-round facility, savor some of their delicious mushrooms cooked on Tam Tam Pizza, and take home your own mushroom growing substrate if you want to cultivate your own fresh organic mushrooms at home.
Stop on in at Fair Cow’s Path Farm and have the opportunity to say hi to their animals (including goats, cows, chickens and emus!), learn about their first generation beef cattle operation and the importance of supporting local meat production, purchase their grass-fed beef and handmade body care products AND, if you’re hungry, grab a bite to eat from The Mobile Mouth Hole, a local food truck that’ll be on-site featuring beef from the farm.
Explore Home Farm and see all they have to offer their community. You’ll have the opportunity to walk their 25-acre farm, pick blue berries, and see how their pumpkin patch is growing. Head out to visit the pigs and piglets and find out about their food rescue program that keeps them fed and happy all year long, learn about the bees that pollinate their crops and provide amazing honey (at the top of every hour) with a local beekeeper, and try your hand at picking sweet corn. Kids can ride their tractor train for free and grown-ups can shop at their self-serve farm stand or summer farm store.
These are just a few of the amazing opportunities to explore, learn, and connect on the Whatcom County Farm Tour. “Whatcom County’s food and farming community is so rich and diverse,” says Jess Meyer, Sustainable Connections’ Outreach Coordinator. “The Farm Tour is a chance to experience that culture, enjoy delicious food, and appreciate how food travels from farms to our tables.”
Sustainable Connections is thrilled to be able to share so many opportunities to dive deeper into our local food movement and the agricultural and culinary worlds of Northwest Washington and Whatcom County.
More Eat Local Month info: http://sustainableconnections.org/eat-local-month/
More Farm Tour info: https://sustainableconnections.org/whatcom-county-farm-tour/
Farm Tour Registration: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/1875df3c-cb3f-4a07-bbe6-3d7f700824b7
Volunteer at the Farm Tour: https://www.tfaforms.com/5134454
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatlocalfirstnw/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eatlocalfirstnw
Featured photo courtesy of Eat Local First NW by FotoMataio