SUBMITTED BY CHRISTY KORROW
Whidbey Life Magazine Guest Contributor
July 14, 2014
Hop on your bicycle or take a drive through the countryside to explore Whidbey Island’s many roadside farm stands and stores.
The new Whidbey Island Roadside Farm Stand and Farm Store Directory lists 21 farm stands, tucked into nooks and crannies throughout our island and stretching from Clinton all the way to Deception Pass. The farms range from well-established farms such as the 116-year-old Case Farm north of Oak Harbor to well-known farms such as 3 Sisters, which now has an on-farm store in Coupeville, to newer stands such as Ebb Tide Produce in Bayview and the Market Garden at the Anderson Farm right in the city limits of Langley.
The colorful new guide is a collaboration between Whidbey Island Friends of Food and Farming (WIFFF) and Goosefoot. WIFFF is a loosely-knit group of local food activists who care about increasing the prosperity of our local food economy. In February, the group convened a meeting of island farmers at the Bayview Cash Store so that local growers could share their successes and challenges. The Roadside Farm Stand and Farm Store Directory was created in response to farmers who emphasized the need for Whidbey Islanders to increase the amount of produce they purchase from local farms.
The variety of goods available at our island farm stands and farm stores is diverse, and a friendly legend indicates what might be for sale at each location, along with seasonal availability. You’ll find vegetables, meats, berries, eggs, flowers and dairy products. Pumpkin patches, you-pick berry farms and the six farmers’ markets throughout the island are also listed in the guide. Addresses of each farm stand and market are included, along with a few tips or “Rules of the Road” such as—remember to bring cash and small change, since many of the stands are honor-system-based with a secure cash box and well-marked prices.
In addition to providing us with fresh, nutritious food, the benefits of a thriving local farm and food economy are many: farmers maintain our watershed, protect land from development and provide us with food security.
The Whidbey Roadside Farm Stand and Farm Store Directory reminds us that island-grown food is available every day at our many farm stands, not just on weekends at the Farmers’ Markets. This fun tool will help guide you and your family off the beaten path while stocking up on Whidbey Island’s fresh, local bounty at the same time!
Access the directory online at: http://www.goosefoot.org/pdf/farmstands.pdf or look for the directory at your local library or Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center.
Would you like to help distribute copies of the directory? If so, please contact: Marian at mailto:info@goosefoot.org.
WIFFF members include: Judy Feldman (Greenbank Farm), Carol Flax (Clinton Thursday Market), Christy Korrow (editor and farm wife), Marian Myszkowski (Goosefoot), Vicki Robin (author) and Sandy Whiting (Goosefoot).
Find WIFFF on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/whidbeyislandfff.
Image at top: Greenbank Farm (photo courtesy of WIFFF)
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