| Hard Cider Making with Peter Mitchell: Two Classes to Choose From! |
 Mount Vernon- The Northwest Agriculture Business Center is bringing internationally-recognized cider production expert Peter Mitchell to lead intensive week-long classes in cider and perry production. Mitchell has over 25 years of practical experience in hard cider production. He is a certified UK and USA cider competition judge and an award-winning producer in his own right. If you have wanted to develop your skills in hard cider and perry making these are the classes for you. In Principles & Practice (P & P), Mitchell will cover industry foundations such as the cider market, business opportunity, orcharding, production methods and management, and quality control. The class will provide practical processing and laboratory work along with lectures. The week will also be filled with cider making workshops and a field-trip visit to commercial cideries. The format and content of the class is suitable for beginners, new businesses and existing producers (large & small-scale) alike. The Cider Production - Advanced course, Mitchell will build on the P & P course to give students an in-depth understanding of cider microbiology & chemistry along with the key aspects of technology. The class will also feature the business planning tools needed for commercial cideries. The advanced course is suitable for P & P graduates as well as experienced producers and individuals from established or growing cider businesses. Both classes will be held at the WSU NWREC in Mount Vernon, WA. They will run 8:00am - 5:00pm daily. The P &P will be October 18 - October 22, 2010 and the Cider Production - Advanced will follow from December 13 - December 17, 2010. This classes fill quickly so please let us know if you are interested. You may register for online at the NABC website, www.agbizcenter.org or contact Jake Fowler at NABC (360-336-3727). |
| Whidbey Island Brand and Pasture Raised Beef Hit The Big Time |
 On May 20th, the Whidbey Island Grown brand and Pasture Raised Beef were highlighted on the King 5 TV evening news. Local rancher Leland Long was interviewed at his ranch and did an outstanding job in discussing the program and reasons for supporting local products.
Through this new program local Whidbey Island grown beef is made available to Island residents at The Goose Community Grocer in Langley. Shoppers at The Goose have had a chance to sample the beef at two special samplings that have taken place in front of the store on March 13th and June 12th. On June 5th Whidbey Island Grown beef was sampled at the Holmes Harbor Winery as part of a weekend wine tour. Over 150 samples were provided for hungry 'tasters' that weekend.
The community has been very supportive of the program and has responded well with continuing purchases. The ranchers have delivered over 6,200 pounds of fresh beef to the store and the program is generating new revenues for local farms.
Sales of Whidbey Island Grown pasture raised beef directly support local farming on Whidbey Island and help to preserve the rural character of the Island. The program was developed with support from the Northwest Agriculture Business Center, and from Island residents wanting to assist local Island farming. All ranchers in the program are members of Whidbey Island Grown and the Puget Sound Food Network.
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| San Juan Island Grocers' Passionate Mission to Source Local Food |
 The shift toward a more localized food economy is growing. It's been established that spending money closer to home creates a multiplier effect that spreads throughout a community, increasing employment opportunities, reducing environmental impacts, and supporting local tax revenue. There are a number of retailers and food co-op's that are supporting this shift in San Juan County. The San Juan Island Food Co-op's Mission is to establish an alternative food distribution framework - a community based, democratically managed, cooperatively owned grocery store that supports local and organic production, fosters conscientious consumption, and builds community connections. Eleanor Hartman and Anna Spears of the San Juan Island Food Co-op recently attended the inaugural day of the Skagit Wholesale Market. This market is one way they are supplying the co-op with local products. "We work to bring organic, fresh, and sustainable products to our island. We place a huge emphasis on the local goods in our area and work to support the local economy," the Co-op's profile states on the Puget Sound Food Network website ( www.psfn.org). Established in 1977, Blossom Grocery provides a fantastic grocery shopping experience in the San Juan Islands. They measure the quality of their products by their food miles, certified organic status, fair trade status, producer ethics, affordability, simplicity, freshness, and suitability for islanders' needs. They are locally owned, controlled, and committed. A recent conversation with Brian Kvistad of Blossom Organic Grocery highlighted some of the issues the island residents and retailers run into. "The level of demand on the islands is small and it's difficult to source local products through existing infrastructure. With cross dock fees and minimum orders, the economy of scale just isn't there," Kvistad said. Working with the established pipelines and sometimes tracking it down himself, Kvistad is passionate in his approach. When asked why he supplies his store with local products, he responded with "It's more fun!" Indeed. Both the San Juan Island Food Co-op and Blossom Organic Grocery are members of the Puget Sound Food Network. PSFN has helped connect these supportive buyers with local farmers and food producers. Reconnecting the local buyers of fresh and value added produce with the farmers and food producers is one step in closing the food mileage gap and increasing the local food multiplier effect. For more information on these retailers or how to become a member of the Puget Sound Food Network, visit www.psfn.org. |
PSFN Partners with Skagit Food Coop. Successful Launch of the Skagit WholeSale Market Results
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 On Thursday morning June 24th, area food producers gathered in the covered parking lot of the Skagit Valley Food Co-op to sell their products to a variety of new and existing wholesale customers. In less than two hours, sixteen Skagit and surrounding area buyers, including Nell Thorn, Mt Vernon Schools and Skagit Valley Hospital, came to meet the producers, collect orders, make new purchases and establish new business contacts. Since then, we've held five markets and over 35 individual buyers have participated. The Skagit WholeSale Market is the result of a successful collaboration between Puget Sound Food Network and the Skagit Valley Food Co-op. It is the only grassroots business-to-business market of its kind in Northwest Washington. According to early feedback, market participants will continue doing commerce there every week through harvest season, interest provided. All wholesale buyers are welcome. The weekly market was designed to help area buyers and sellers decrease time and fuel costs associated with collecting and delivering products. There were a limited number of spaces to fill, so the Skagit Valley Food Co-op and Puget Sound Food Network identified an initial group of local vendors to fill spaces. PSFN members Hidden Meadow Ranch, San Juan Pasta Co, Sakuma Bros, and Fresh Breeze Organic Dairy all participated in the launch. One producer reported, "I go to farmers markets and hope to make $500, I usually make $300. Today I made $800." The Skagit WholeSale Market is a recognized a consolidation hub by both producers and buyers. We're starting small but starting something. As one producer put it, "I have heard this idea kicked around for a couple of years now and while I liked it in theory, it wasn't clear how it could be kick-started. That PSFN and the Co-op were able to get on board together indicates to me it is an idea whose time has come." For the latest Skagit WholeSale Market fresh sheet, market history and information, please visit our website at http://www.psfn.org/skagit-wholesale-market-home, and follow All FOOD Considered, a blog created by Skagit Valley Food Coop at http://skagitfoodcoop.wordpress.com This is just one of multiple Puget Sound Food Network projects. With over 121 members here in Northwest Washington, we're busy connecting farm to market. |
| Red Rooster Route's Seasonal Harvest Festivals |
 The Red Rooster Route, an association of six Arlington farms, celebrates the seasonal crops of Arlington, Washington with family-friendly festivals. The members of the Red Rooster Route open their farms to the public each year most days from April through the winter holidays, highlighting the start of each harvest with eight memorable events.
These special weekends allow consumers to network with local farmers and support family farms and their community by buying local. The next event is the Red Rooster Days on July 24th and 25th, including a Red Rooster Road Rally contest: the Grand Prize is an overnight stay at the well-appointed Medallion Hotel and sumptuous dinner at The Bistro!
Family-owned farms and association members Garden Treasures, Foster's Produce & Corn Maze, Ninety Farms, Biringer Farm (Arlington site), Bryant Blueberry Farm & Nursery and Lavender Hills Farm, offer self-guided farm tours, a variety of fun activities and farm products: kids' hay mazes, trolley rides, barn gift shops, local meats, produce, berries, flowers and nursery items, and U-pick crops that include strawberries, herbs, lavender, and heirloom tomatoes.
So far this year, the farms have already entertained visitors at both a Strawberry Festival and Lavender Festival. Now in its second year, the farms of the annual Red Rooster Route will also host a variety of events for the remainder of this season including the Blueberry Festival on July 31st, the Corn Festival during Labor Day weekend September 3-6, the Fall Festival on October 16 and 17 and the Winter Holiday Festival November 19 through December 19.
To learn more about the farms on the Red Rooster Route, view hours of operation for each farm and to download a tour map, visit the website at www.redroosterroute.com. |
| Artisan Distilling Workshop ™ |  Monday, September 27 - Tuesday September 28, 2010
The Northwest Agriculture Business Center (NABC) will host an educational workshop for producers interested in the art of craft distilling. Alexander Plank, Director of Operations at CARL Distilleries, Germany will be joined by Dr. Kris Berglund from Michigan State University and Nicolas Haase, Director of Sales for CARL Distilleries to deliver lectures and hands-on demonstrations on the basics of small-scale distillation. The trio has been coming to the Pacific Northwest for the past two years and over 100 participants have benefited from their two day program. Dr. Berglund has been a faculty member at Michigan State for over twenty years and holds the rank of University Distinguished Professor in Michigan State University's Department of Chemical Engineering and Material Science. Professor Berglund has done more than most to introduce and encourage a new value-added industry: micro-distilling, transforming Michigan into a top producer of European-style brandy. As head of MSU's artisan distilling program, founded in 1997, Professor Berglund has helped bring Michigan to a second ranking behind California in the number of artisan distilleries. The NABC is very fortunate to have the group come in with their technical knowledge available for Washington's producers. The course will feature lectures and demonstrations on a 180 liter CARL pot still at Sodo Spirits in Seattle. There will be ample opportunities for discussion and questions throughout the two-day workshop.
According to Gary Merritt, Director of Marketing for the NABC, "Trends in the wine and microbrewery industries suggest locally produced high quality products are being accepted and sought after by consumers. Fruit brandies and vodkas are opportunities and possible answers to farmers lingering question of what to do with the portion of the state's fruit crops or potatoes that can't be sold on the market." Craft distilling legislation in the State of Washington has opened up many opportunities in this exciting industry. Since the law changes approximately 20 new distilleries have popped up gaining a lot of attention from interested consumers.
For registration information and course details about theArtisan Distilling Workshop, call NABC at 360-336-3727 or visit NABC's website at www.AgBizCenter.org . Space is limited to 25 participants. |
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