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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Hi there!
This is wonderful! Just curious, though … is this meat and produce organic? Are pesticides used on Whidbey farms? Is the meat raised humanely, grass fed with no antibiotics? These are such crucial elements to share with the community since conscious, clean eating is of utmost importance in today’s world. If Whidbey offers this through its own farms, I would be over the moon!
With love,
A future Whidbey resident 🙂
Stacey;
Those are all important questions, thanks for asking them. They underscore the importance of knowing where your food is coming from and who is producing it. We have a variety and abundance of farms and food producers on Whidbey that include both organic and conventional growers and producers. This directory can help you look up more information on each market and farmer and you can use their contact information to find out more specifics. It’s great to have a source for this information, I hope it’ll help you get “over the moon!” — Sue Taves, Publisher, WLM
Hi Sue!
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply! I thought I would receive an email if you did (but I didn’t), so I’m very glad I came back to the site and found your thoughtful response!
When my girlfriend and I finally get to Whidbey, we’ll be super excited to visit the various stands in the directory, hopeful to find lots of organics and non-GMO foods to put us over the moon!
Stacey;
I’m so glad you checked back, the system is supposed to notify you of comments via email but I guess it was taking a nap that day. Glad you checked and I hope to run into you at one of the great farm stands or farmer’s markets on Whidbey.
Thanks, Sue! I hope so too! 🙂