This Week's Locavore Delivery From Dee Creek Farm - 4.29.10

Here's this week's delivery offerings:

At the Farmers Markets this weekend: Plan on finding our chevre's and feta, as well as Cajeta and fresh lightly-pasteurized goat milk, at the Markets. If you arrive early, you'll find Dee Creek Farm eggs. You'll also find chewy goat milk caramel candies at the PSU Market on Saturday. They're teeth-stickin' good.

*****

Eggs, $5/dozen

We have plenty of eggs this week from Dee Creek Farm and Creative Outlet (certified naturally grown). Order fast for first dibs. DCF eggs are generally sold out to our "Egg CSA-ers". We also share our eggs at the Portland & Vancouver Farmers Markets. Please bring cartons back for reuse, if decent!

Dee Creek Farm Dairy Deliciousnesses, from start to finish (note our new compostable pkg'ing!)

Goat Milk, Lightly Pasteurized, $4/quart

Frozen Chevre, $4/each - Pasteurized, soft, spreadable goat cheese. Frozen from Saturday Market.

Garlic & Chive, Original, Provence, Raspberry Chipotle, Spicy Asparagus

Feta, $5/each - Fresh, Pasteurized, block or crumbles 4oz.

Vanilla Cajeta (caramel topping/dip), $5/each - Creamy vanilla caramel - made with goat milk! In coffee, on ice cream, dipping apples... Mmm! Does include raw cane sugar.

Chester, $7-$8.50 - Young washed rind Muenster-like, semi-firm, full of flavor. Soft and creamy.

Raw Local Honey, $7/pint, $12.50/quart, $19/half-gallon, $34/gallon - from Honey House Farm

Raw, local, delicious honey in glass jars. Yum!

Local Lamb - from Reister Farms

$6/lb. lamb burger - SALE this week!

$8/lb. italian ground sausage

$8 mint & feta brats

$30 - Individual size includes the following:

1lb. kabob meat, 2 shoulder steaks, 1lb burger, 1 pkg garlic feta or italian brats

$65 - Small family size ( 2 to 3 people) includes the following:

1 boneless shoulder roast, 4 shoulder steaks, 1 lbs burger, 2 shanks 2 pkg garlic/feta brats or italian

$100 - Large family size includes the following:

1 boneless leg roast, 6 shoulder steaks, 2lb. burger, 2lb. shanks, 2 pkgs garlic feta brats or italian

This is from Reister Farms in Washougal, and includes USDA processing and packaging.

Home Roasted Coffee & Hazelnuts - from Columbia River Coffee Co.

Farmers Market Blend Coffee Beans, $5.00/half-pound

Peru Organic Coffee Beans, $5.00/half-pound

Roasted Hazelnuts, $8.00/pound

These are from Steve, who you'll also find down at the Vancouver Farmers Market. He sells his coffee by the cup down there, too!

Wild & Naturally Preserved Eats - from Nature's Choice

Mushrooms, Fresh (1/4# bags)

Shiitake $3.00

Maitake $4.00

Wild Morels $6.50

Frozen Porcini $4.50 (1/4# pound)

Berries & Nuts

Frozen Huckleberries $9.00 per pound

Frozen Elderberries $6.00 per pound

Dried, Peeled, Cleaned Chestnuts $3.50 per 1/4# bag

Check out www.natureswildharvest.com for more info on these great wild gatherers, and how to use their products!

Natural Soap - $4/each

These are great soap bars made out of natural ingredients by one of our customers, Kathy. Choose from: Oatmeal/Tea Tree, Peppermint, and/or Lavender

To order, click here and specify what you would like.

Pay by cash. If necessary, checks can be made to "Dee Creek Farm"

**BRING YOUR OWN BAG**

We fill pre-orders first, then it’s first come, first served!

We do mostly pre-orders at deliveries, rather than Farmers Market style.

Please help us in this by pre-ordering what you can!

Summer & Spark

Email

Farm Phone: 360-225-9711

Cell Phone: 360-903-6956 (no service at the Farm)

Blog: http://summersperspective.wordpress.com

Happy Birthday Farmerette

I almost let this day slip by without wishing one of our hardest working farmers all the very best on her birthday today.

Happy birthday, Brenda and thank you so much for all you do for our community.

You can wish Brenda a happy belated birthday at the Battle Ground Farmers' Market this weekend.

The market will open it's 6th year at the Gardner Center on 503 and Eaton Road (199th) with two market days ! Easy access and high visibility so you will know you are at the right place!

April 24th-October 2nd Saturdays 9-3

May 7th Friday Market 2-6pm

Call (360) 576-9767 for info

For Exact Location of the market

Click Here

You can also keep up to date on the Battle Ground Farmers' Market via their new blog.

Local Chef Provides Opportunity to Meet and Eat with Local Farmers

I went to Chef Petruolo's farm dinner at Storytree Farm last year. I guarantee you'll eat a great meal and have a very memorable evening.

Local Chef Provides Opportunity to Meet and Eat with Local Farmers

Vancouver , WA – April 27, 2010 – Ever wonder where your food really comes from?

Recent reports and new television shows have brought attention to the need to increase our intake of fresh, local produce, and now is the perfect time to do so. This summer, local Chef Anna Petruolo will provide you with the perfect chance to better acquaint yourself with food and farms of Clark County, WA.

As part of her A Dinner Together Series*, Chef Petruolo has partnered with NW Organics in Ridgefield, WA and Dee Creek Farm of Woodland, WA to offer the unique opportunity to enjoy a four course meal with an intimitate evening on the farm. The dinners will be held July 10th and 24th (NW Organics) and August 14th (Dee Creek), and each evening will feature a freshly prepared meal with ingredients harvested that day. In addition, attendees will be given a farm tour and the chance to interact with the farmers and see how food is produced in Clark County. Tickets for the evening are priced at $60 per person and are available at http://www.facebook.com/l/01a02;www.adinnertogether.com You can expect to spend approximately 3 – 3 1/2 hours on the farm.

Chef Petruolo has been a longtime activist in the local food movement, and is excited to share this amazing opportunity with you. She is a member of the Clark County Food Systems Council, has done countless hours of volunteer work and turned her front yard into a neighborhood garden to be used as an educational tool as well as a food source for the residents of Fruit Valley. Her enthusiasm for and dedication to food and farms in the region will make for a very informative and enjoyable evening with friends, both new and old.

For more information, go to the website http://www.facebook.com/l/01a02;www.adinnertogether.com or call 360-694-9111

Grow Northwest Magazine - Coming to a Newsstand Near You!

A new publication focusing on food, farms and more in the great Northwest, will debut this spring.

Locally owned and operated, Grow Northwest Magazine will publish bi-monthly (six times a year), with the first issue out in early May.

The magazine will highlight the diverse offerings of farmers and food producers, all grown or made in the Northwest. "Everything from produce, dairy, meats and seafood, to items such as BBQ sauce, cereal, chocolate, ice cream and drinks," Co-Publisher Becca Schwarz Cole said. "If it’s grown or made in the Northwest, we’ll cover it."

In addition to local food and farms, the magazine will publish other features including DIY projects, sustainable living, seasonal cooking and recipes, locavore travel adventures, gardening, crafts, events, and profiles of organizations and artisans — all with a local angle.

"The Northwest has so much to offer in terms of food production, sustainable living and the DIY ethic. There is real passion here for supporting the local economy and those who grow, make, produce and create," she said. "The magazine will be a go-to guide for those people who enjoy these things and live by them."

Initially, the magazine will generally cover Whatcom, Skagit and San Juan counties. "As we grow, we will expand our coverage area. What you can find within 150 miles is staggering. We are receiving inquiries from all over the Puget Sound-North Cascades region — both producers looking to market their items and residents wanting to know more about what’s out there."

The magazine’s website will feature all of the information included in the print issues, as well as food directories by county and other features.

"Like many in the Northwest, our family is very passionate about local food, farms and artisans," she said. "We have been wanting to launch this for a couple years now, and are excited to get this off the ground. The amount of interest and support already has been amazing."

Grow Northwest Magazine is locally owned and operated by Whatcom County residents Becca Schwarz Cole and Brent Cole. The husband-wife team also publishes What’s Up! Magazine, which just celebrated its 12th anniversary, and the Foothills Gazette, started in 2005.

The free publication will be sustained by advertising, with subscriptions and donations by readers who wish to do so.

Grow Northwest Magazine is open to submissions and features ideas, and is currently seeking an advertising sales representative.

For more information, contact Grow Northwest Magazine at (360) 599-3320 or info at grownorthwest dot com. Mail can be sent to PO Box 1907 Maple Falls, WA 98266. Additional information will be published on the magazine’s website at grownorthwest.com. Anyone interested in following the magazine via Facebook can visit the Grow Northwest Magazine fan page.

Family-Friendly Wormshops - 4.24.2010 & 6.05.2010

Learn how to turn organic yard and kitchen waste into a rich garden amendment. Participants will build a worm bin to take home. Registration is open now. $20 per-family fee covers cost of bin. Pre-payment by check is required. 


360-882-4567 
http://www.columbiasprings.org/mcr
10 a.m. to noon April 24, Columbia Springs, 12602 S.E. Evergreen Highway, Vancouver.
10 a.m. to noon June 5, CASEE, 11104 N.E. 149th, Brush Prairie.

Why Yes, I Actually Do Have A Garden.

Alright. I'm getting a bit of ribbing from a few of you who don't think I ever get dirt on my hands. So to set the record straght, here are a few pictures of our garden on Earth Day.

My Flower Child

Deciduous Azaleas Blooming Nicely On Year Two

Mache In Bloom

Overwintering Torpedo Onions

If You Plant Arugula, You Will Always Have Arugula

Overwintering Leeks - Blue Solaize

About 20 Varieties of Garlic, Dutch Yellow Shallots and French Grey Shallots

The Mother of All Sage Plants

Perennial Border and Beneficial Insect Buffet

Anyone Need Some Rosemary

Belgian Fence Espalier Apples Coming Along Nicely

More Belgian Fence

More Deciduous Azalea

Oh Yeah...We're Gonna Have Some Serious Blueberries This Year

The Nine Pin Alley

Yes Dear...Momma and I Found You Under the Rhubarb Leaves

We Can Grow Lemons Here

Tomatoes Heading Out to the Hoops Very Soon

Eggplants and Six Varieties of Paprika Pepper

Chi-lies! Chil-lies! Chi-lies!

We Can Grow Kumquats Too

I Knew I should Have Planted the Squashes Later

So there you have it. I didn't get a shot of the radishes, lettuce, carrots and beets already coming up in the hoop, but I promise one soon. Happy gardening!

Food Forum 2010 - Presented By The Gorge Grown Food Network - 5.01.2010

Food Forum
Saturday, May 1st, 2010
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM

The Pioneer Center
501 NE Washington St
White Salmon, WA
Map

Gorge Grown’s Food Forum is an opportunity for Gorge residents, farmers, and decision-makers to come together and learn more about the state of our region’s food system and what needs to happen in order for Gorge farmers to succeed and for Gorge communities to eat well. Our vision: 20% of what local residents eat will come from local sources by 2020. Just 20% by 2020. What would that look like? How can we get there? It is a bold vision, one that will be supported by energy, ideas, and commitment from YOU.

Come to Food Forum to:

LEARN about our local food system - through a plenary and panel of local farmers and experts.

DEVELOP your food skills - through hands-on workshops in seed saving, composting, and more!

PARTICIPATE in the creation of Gorge Grown's 20x2020 plan. What role can you play?

This event is FREE!

Pre-registration is strongly encouraged and will guarantee you a free boxed lunch for the event. Pre-register by emailing info@gorgegrown.com or picking up a ticket at Waucoma Books, Klindts Books, Collage of the Gorge, or the Skamania County Chamber of Commerce.

Battle Ground Farmers Market Set to Open THIS WEEKEND!!

Announcing the sixth season opening of BG Farmers Market! - Date: April 24th 9-3
Location: Gardner Center Plaza on HWY 503 and 199th (AKA Eaton Rd) at the South entrance to Battle Ground Washington.
Sponsors: Battle Ground Farmers Market Association, Coldwell Banker Commercial, BG Curves, Dan's Tractor, Solar Espresso, WA State Farmers Market Association, Healthy Kids Legislation, Clark/Cowlitz Farm Bureau, Plant a Row for the Hungry, and more!

Contact: BGFM Market Manager Brenda Millar (360 576-9767 www.battlegroundfarmersmarket.org or email battlegroundfma at yahoo dot com

During our grand opening we will celebrating Earth Day, t-shirt and market buck giveaways and community based activities. Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer your gardening questions. Rojo the Llama will also be making a special appearance!

Your Battle Ground Farmers Market Wooden Tokens are redeemable only at this market thanks to the second year of the Wireless Technology Project Grant. Credit/Debit/EBT Cards are welcome as well as the up and coming WIC/Senior Produce Vouchers to be distributed at the beginning of summer. Please refer to our website for more information on vendor and product offerings!

Remember, anything fresher is still growing at the BGFM!

Hunters' Greens x 2

Jim at Hunters' Greens has a lot going on (both in the field and in his head) this time of year. And I for one am always glad to be a recipient of his mullings and musings. Here's a message from Jim regarding our local CSAs, CSA customers, and some thoughts on what you can do to directly support your CSA farmer or farmerette.

Dear Shareholders,

CSA shareholders of Clark County, your farmers may require your assistance. I address this message not just to my own CSA shareholders, but to the larger community of "supporters of
agriculture."

By way of a caveat, I have to admit that I have been neglecting my relationships with my fellow CSA farmers for the last year or two, so check with your farmers to check the relevancy of my remarks to their particular situation.

Here's the deal. The word on the wire is that CSA farmers are having trouble filling out their complement of shares this year. Various theories are circulating to explain this problem, such as: "It's the economy stupid!", and "We're just getting too many CSAs in the county." While these two factors may make the job of finding shareholders a little more difficult, I think it would be sad if our farmers despair on the basis of these theories.

But you can help! Shareholders helping out was an integral part of the original North American CSA model as it developed on the East Coast, but somehow we rugged western individualists have seemed to leave that piece out of the puzzle. As the pioneer CSA farmer in the county I stand guilty as charged as a poor role model. But even I from time to time accept a little help and even rarely, ask for it.

So the kind of help I'm asking you to offer your farmer here is in the area of marketing. For we introverted, "I'd rather be out in the field talking to my plants" farmers, marketing can be tough. And its getting to that time of year that our fields are exactly where we should be. If every CSA shareholder copied off three brochures and handed them out to likely friends or co-workers, that just might be enough to get the job done. Our latest shareholder was signed up through such an effort (Thank you Eric and Eileen, and Clay).

Are there sympathetic businesses you patronize that might lay out some brochures?

But there is another level at which CSA members might want to help. The traditional image of the help shareholders give farmers is spending an afternoon weeding or harvesting crops. But might it not make even more sense if shareholders offered help that came from their own area of expertise or labor of love. Natural born marketers might offer to help design and implement a marketing campaign, avid speakers might offer testimonials at social, trade or religious gatherings, writers could write articles for newsletters (this techno- illiterate can't even conceive of the new electronic media possibilities).

A few shining examples of this kind of help come to mind. Our own CSA member Heather Lehman (of atrocityarts.com), first offered, and then insisted on building and maintaining our web site. Heather claims we are allowing her to use us as a guinea pig, but the quality of her work and her known dedication to the local food movement bely any selfish motivation. Heather's offering has been incredible. Occasionally we show our gratitude by "allowing" her to come pick some surplus, or past prime produce that we are too exhausted to pick and market ourselves.

On a more community wide level, the work of Glenn Grossman and Sunrise O'Mahoney come to mind. Glenn's "Clark County Food and Farm" website offers a comprehensive view, with commentary, on the farm and food scene in the county. Whatever role Sunrise plays whether it is struggling to grow a food co-op, or coordinate plans for the 78th Street Farm, Sunrise always keeps an eye out for the welfare of local small farmers.

These folks have made giant contributions and no one expects that kind of "agricultural support", but maybe you have a skill that you could "guinea pig" on "your" farmer. Call her and find out.


And here's an update from the farm from Hunters' Greens:

Farm Update

The intrepid Clark County Farmerette Brenda Millar of Rosemattel's CSA looks like she may yet make good on her promise to have radishes and salad greens for the opening of her Battle Ground Farmer's Market this Saturday at the Gardner Center. The greens may qualify as micro-greens, but the radishes look like they just might size up in the next few days. To round out her tables she will also be harvesting some over-wintered collard greens, leeks, chives, pea shoots, herbs, green garlic and our undiscovered delicacy the "sweet collette." Visit her stand if you're craving the "first fruits" from this property in 2010.

Meanwhile, down in the Hunters' Greens fields, tiny baby bok choy, mustard and arugula seedlings are sprouting up between rows of tiny walla walla onion starts. The carrots were actually able to break through the rain packed soil, the next question is whether it will be soft enough for their roots to swell. Meanwhile around the green house a sea of plants in seed blocks is growing to cover Brenda's tidy plant benches. Most of these are Jim's, Brenda's remain in the green house and in little shelters she builds with various plant protection fabrics. Spinach and lettuce plants are sprouting true leaves, signaling they only await well tilled soil to drop them into so they can begin the race to June. But ah, there's the rub, unlike Brenda who scratches what she can into the cold earth, Jim insists on waiting for the precisely correct soil conditions to do his final tilling, soil amending and transplanting. Those conditions may have arrived during a brief window this week-end, but we'll never know because Jim was curled quietly in his bed sweating out the mother of all crud bugs; swine, seasonal or other, it was brutal. In his early farming days he might have crawled out to the fields, but fifteen years of experience have convinced him that it WILL work out in the end.

Observing this sense of calm juxtaposed against Brenda's frantic efforts reminds of us of the great gift of owning land with a home, free and clear. In the days of the family farm, such a gift was passed on from generation to generation, but today's new small farmers don't benefit from that tradition. It is painful to watch the Brendas and David Knauses struggle to achieve their dream in the face of daunting odds. Watch for a longer essay on this subject in our blog, Notes From the Margin.

Still Looking For A Community Garden Plot?

So as usual, the Parks & Rec Community Garden Plots are all spoken for but the garden season is really just beginning. If you weren't one of the lucky folks who scored a plot, I may have an alternative garden plot source for you. The Rose Village Neighborhood Garden has a few plot left for this season. Preference will go to residents of Rose Village, but consideration will be given to all. For more info, please contact Toree Hiebert at (360)907-5814 or toreehiebert at gmail dot com.

Dee Creek Farm Locavore Farm Delivery - 4.15.10

I have sold out of pre-ordered chicken CSA's. That said, we have only pre-sold only a portion of what's on the field, 'just in case'. This way we do not over-commit. So there should be extra's, which I'll post in emails. The first batch will not be until the last week of May (and the first week in June). Remember to bring me paper shreds for bedding if you happen to have some!

One of our young lady customers, Lana, is offering tomato starts at $2.50 for a 4" pot, $4.60 for a 6" pot. She can bring them to deliveries on the 23rd, I believe (but order from her directly). There are many great varieties. Check out her website at: http://lanastomatoes.50webs.com/index.HTM

Be sure to mention Dee Creek Farm when registering for the Rainbarrel Workshop on 5/12 - the're leaving us a little extra room for seats! Also, the Clark County Dairy Goat Association is hosting a cheese making class on May 1st at the CASEE Center in Brush Prairie. Mary Rosenblum is an amazing instructor, and a great resource! You will also get to taste a 'fleet' of cheeses! Membership is $15, which gets you into class, or you can pay for class without joining.

Check out our recent blog about the last Herbal Class, too! We're scheduling another, as that one sold out quickly! We're planning on 4/24, possibly at the Farm (preference?) Details coming! Are you interested? ~S

*****

Eggs, $5/dozen, $2.50/half-dozen
We have plenty of eggs this week from Dee Creek Farm and Creative Outlet (certified naturally grown). Order fast for first dibs. DCF eggs are generally sold out to our "Egg CSA-ers" -- if you want onboard, I can give you more info and get you started! We also share our eggs at the Portland & Vancouver Farmers Markets.

Dee Creek Farm Dairy Deliciousnesses, from start to finish
Goat Milk, Lightly Pasteurized, $4/quart
Frozen Chevre, $4/each - Pasteurized, soft, spreadable goat cheese. Frozen from Saturday Market.
Garden, Garlic & Chive, Original, Black Pepper
Feta, $5/each - Aged (sharp), Pasteurized, block or crumbles 4oz.
Cajeta (caramel topping/dip), $5/each - Creamy caramel - made with goat milk! In coffee, on ice cream, dipping apples... Mmm! Does include raw cane sugar.

Dried Things - from Mountain Rose Herbs
We put in a bulk order and I have a few things I don't need (extras). Let me know if you want to claim any of the following, for medicinal and/or food preparing uses - or whatever else! MRH is a great resource of quality, organic herbs and spices. Check them out for more info!
Arnica Flowers, $10/2oz.
Basil, $2.00/4oz.
Calendula Flowers, $3.50/2oz.
Lemon Balm, $1.50/2oz.
Nettle Leaf, $3/2+oz.
Oatstraw, $2.25/4oz.
Thyme, $2.00/2oz.

Local Lamb - from Reister Farms
$7/lb. lamb burger
$8/lb. boneless lamb roasts (2 to 4 lb roasts)
$30 - Individual size includes the following:
1lb. kabob meat, 2 shoulder steaks, 1lb burger, 1 pkg garlic feta or italian brats
$65 - Small family size ( 2 to 3 people) includes the following:
1 boneless shoulder roast, 4 shoulder steaks, 1 lbs burger, 2 shanks 2 pkg garlic/feta brats or italian
$100 - Large family size includes the following:
1 boneless leg roast, 6 shoulder steaks, 2lb. burger, 2lb. shanks, 2 pkgs garlic feta brats or italian
This is from Reister Farms in Washougal, and includes USDA processing and packaging.

Grassfed Beef - from Nadine
$4.50/lb. - ground beef
$40/ten pounds of ground beef
$62/10-lb. Roast Pkg (4 roasts)
Keeping it simple for now!


Home Roasted Coffee & Hazelnuts - from Columbia River Coffee Co.
Farmers Market Blend Coffee Beans, $5.00/half-pound
Peru Organic Coffee Beans, $6.00/half-pound
Roasted Hazelnuts, $4.00/half-pound
These are from Steve, who you'll also find down at the Vancouver Farmers Market. He sells his coffee by the cup down there, too!

Wild & Naturally Preserved Eats - from Nature's Choice -- Buy a full pound of (any mix) mushrooms and receive a 1/4# bag of dried lobster soup mushrooms FREE!
Mushrooms, Fresh (1/4# bags)
Shiitake $3.00
Maitake $4.00
Wild Morels $6.50

Mushrooms, Frozen (1/4# pack)
Porcini $4.50

Berries & Nuts
Frozen Huckleberries $9.00 per pound
Frozen Elderberries $6.00 per pound
Wild Mountain Huckleberry Jam $5.00/jar (incl's sugar)
Dried, Peeled, Cleaned Chestnuts $3.50 per 1/4# bag

Wild Greens
Fresh Siberian Miners Lettuce $3.00 (1/4# bag)
Fresh Fiddlehead Ferns $3.00 (1/4# bag)
Dried Spring Nettle leaves $12.50
Check out www.natureswildharvest.com for more info on these great wild gatherers, and how to use their products!

*****

To order, click here and specify what you would like.
Pay by cash. If necessary, checks can be made to "Dee Creek Farm"
**BRING YOUR OWN BAG**
We fill pre-orders first, then it’s first come, first served!
We do mostly pre-orders at deliveries, rather than Farmers Market style.
Please help us in this by pre-ordering what you can!

Summer & Spark
Email
Farm Phone: 360-225-9711
Cell Phone: 360-903-6956 (no service at the Farm)
Blog: http://summersperspective.wordpress.com

Rain Barrel Workshop Hosted By Dee Creek Farm - 5.12.2010

How to Build a Rain Barrel
May 12th, 6:30-8:30pm
Brush Prairie, WA - CASEE Center
11104 NE 149th St, Bldg B Room 202/205

Hosted by Dee Creek Farm

Presented by Watershed Stewards - a joint program of WSU Clark County Extension and the Clark County Clean Water Program

$35/person

This is a popular workshop, so pre-payment is required to reserve your space and rain barrel. The workshop is limited to 30 participants. The workshop cost is $35 which buys the rain barrel and fittings. Pre-payment is required at least one week before class to secure your space. Payment must be received by May 3rd to assure your spot in class. Registration is first-pay, first served. Only one rain barrel per family please.

For driving directions, please download http://clark.wsu.edu/Office-directions-maps.pdf

To reserve your space and rain barrel:
Mail a check (or drop it by in person) to WSU Extension

The check should be $35 made out to CLARK COUNTY TREASURER
Payment address:
WSU Clark County Extension
ATTN: Rain Barrel Workshop
11104 NE 149th St Bld C, Suite 100
Brush Prairie, WA 98606

Please include your name, current address and a phone number and the date of the workshop you wish to take with your check. You will receive receipt of payment a few days after we receive your check. If you do not receive a receipt of payment, email or call our office:
email: jenifer.naas@clark.wa.gov
phone: 360-397-6060 ext 7703

Please feel free to call or email with questions.

See more about rain barrels at http://clark.wsu.edu/volunteer/ws/workshops.html

Thanks and we look forward to seeing you in class!

Skamania County Seed Swap | Gorge Grown Food Network

Calling all Gorge area gardeners currently practicing or interested in learning about seed saving and seed sharing! Community volunteers are hosting a Skamania County Seed Swap at the Stevenson Community Library in Stevenson, WA. The Seed Swap is a community event, open to beginning and advanced gardeners alike, where you have the opportunity to:

Exchange seeds (and bulbs, tubers, rhizomes, etc…)
Meet and talk to other growers and seed savers
Learn how to properly save and store seeds

This informal event will begin with a potluck and time for networking with other backyard and professional growers. There will then be plenty of time for sharing seeds and continuing to network and learn about how to save and store seeds successfully. Even if you do not have seeds to swap, you are encouraged to come network, gather information, and take away some free seeds, which will be available.

Saturday, April 10, 2-4 PM
Stevenson Community Library
120 Vancouver Ave
Stevenson, WA

Barter, trade, & cookies encouraged: commercial and locally-developed seeds are welcome.

Kids' activity too - learn to make a seed necklace!

Skamania County Seed Swap | Gorge Grown Food Network

WSU Master Food Preserver Program

Has the "new" economy got ya' down? Looking for a way to get a bang for your buck, learn useful new skills and help others in your community? Well the WSU Extension Service has just the thing for you! The Master Food Preserver Program will trade you 40 hours of seriously good instruction on the ins and outs of food preservation in return for your promise to share your newfound skills with your community...and it only costs $75. Let me tell you folks, this is the best deal you're going to find ANYWHERE for a class that will teach you some of the most important self-sufficiency, home economics lessons you'll ever want/need to learn.

Here's a link to the Master Food Preserver web page

There's an information session coming up on April 23rd. Details can be found here.

Classes will be Fridays April 30th - June 11th from 9am - 3:30 pm. at the Manor Evangelical Church in Battleground.

Get signed up before they fill up!

Hunters' Greens Farm Update - 4.5.2010

When last we wrote, it was sunny and warm. We farmers must be optimists, because we were sure that weather would last all spring. So here it is in the mid-thirties, blowing and pouring, certainly this can't last forever.

One of the reasons Jim has nearly given up on season extending row covers is that they are always blowing away. He still uses burlap to cover the carrot seed, but it blew off days after it was installed and weighed down with pebbles. I guess we'll just have to take what nature brings.

Meanwhile, Brenda has been sprouting salad greens and radishes under her row covers, hoping to have them ready for the opening of the Battle Ground Farmer's Market on April 24. Good luck with that Brenda!

Both of us continue to seed things in the green house and in any warm corner we can find, Brenda on top of her refrigerator and Jim in his home made germination chamber (three shelves with six flourescents for light and two incandescents to add heat all wrapped in an insulation blanket).

Brenda and Jim have teamed up to promote CSAs through local neighborhood association newsletters and meetings. We have an article and presentation coming up here in Brush Prairie in May.


Diane & Jim Hunter
Hunters' Greens CSA
Brush Prairie, WA.
(360) 256-3788
Email
http://huntersgreens.com

Press Release: BG Farmers Market's Sixth Season Opening!

Press Release:
Announcing the sixth season opening of BG Farmers Market!

Date: April 24th 9-3

Location: Gardner Center Plaza on HWY 503 and 199th (AKA Eaton Rd) at the South entrance to Battle Ground Washington.

Sponsors: Battle Ground Farmers Market Association, Coldwell Banker Commercial, BG Curves, Dan's Tractor, Solar Espresso, WA State Farmers Market Association, Healthy Kids Legislation, Clark/Cowlitz Farm Bureau, Plant a Row for the Hungry, and more!

Contact: BGFM Market Manager Brenda Millar (360) 576-9767 www.battlegroundfarmersmarket.org or email battlegroundfma (at) yahoo.com

During our grand opening we will celebrating Earth Day, t-shirt and market buck giveaways and community based activities. Rojo the Llama will also be making a special appearance!
Your Battle Ground Farmers Market Wooden Tokens are redeemable only at this market thanks to the second year of the Wireless Technology Project Grant. Credit/Debit/EBT Cards are welcome as well as the up and coming WIC/Senior Produce Vouchers to be distributed at the beginning of summer. Please refer to our website for more information on vendor and product offerings!

Remember, anything fresher is still growing at the BGFM!

Dee Creek Farm Locavore Delivery - 4.1.2010

Here's a list of all the tasty locally produced and grown goodies you can order from Dee Creek Farm's locavore delivery service this week:

Spring is here! Eggs are coming in like there's no tomorrow, so please be sure to recycle ALL egg cartons at deliveries. Even if they're not ours, several of the other farmers can still use them. Remember, too, that Egg CSA's are due this week. We also have room for more, if interested. Bulk up for the weekend celebrations!

Rainbow Egg Farm would like to start their own egg CSA (reduced rate, committed - not 'sold out', etc) out at their place in East Vancouver. If you're interested, I can forward your interest on to them. Their hens are raised with no soy added to their diet. We'll continue supplying their eggs through deliveries as long as orders are up for them!

Maple syrup still won't be here by Thursday. Sorry for making you wait. The anticipation is killing me, too, as I've licked my pint dry. Literally, with my fingers. I couldn't help myself. Soon, tho'! I had my Maine friend bump the order up a smidgen, too, so there should be a little extra if you missed ordering. Wait for details!

Check out the great deal from Nature's Choice on fresh mushrooms & wild greens. Maybe now would be a good time to enter our recipe photo contest (which includes a pound of shiitakes), as per my most recent blog entry. Please try to e-order befor Thursday at 11am. That's been working really well! ~S

*****

Eggs, $5/dozen
We have LOTS of eggs this week: Dee Creek Farm, Creative Outlet (certified naturally grown) and Rainbow Egg Farm (soy free). Order fast for first dibs. DCF eggs are generally sold out to our "Egg CSA-ers" -- if you want onboard, I can give you more info and get you started!

Dee Creek Farm Cheeses & Deliciousnesses, from start to finish
Fresh Chevre, $5/each - Soft, spreadable goat cheese.
Original, 4.0 oz, Garlic & Chive, Provence, Black Pepper - 3.50oz.
Frozen Chevre, $4/each -Soft, spreadable goat cheese. Frozen from Saturday Market.
Garden Feta, $5/each - Aged (sharp), Pasteurized, block or crumbles 4oz.
Cajeta (caramel topping/dip), $5/each - Creamy caramel - made with goat milk! In coffee, on ice cream, dipping apples... Mmm!

Local Lamb - from Reister Farms
$8/pkg of feta mint brats (4 to a pkg)
$7/lb. lamb burger
$8/lb. boneless lamb roasts (2 to 4 lb roasts)
$30 - Individual size includes the following:
1lb. kabob meat, 2 loin chops, 1lb. burger, 1 pkg garlic feta brats
$65 - Small family size ( 2 to 3 people) includes the following:
1 boneless shoulder roast, 4 loin chops, 1 lbs burger, 1lb. steaks, 2 pkg garlic/feta brats
$100 - Large family size includes the following:
1 boneless roast, 6 loin chops, 2lb. burger, 2lb. lamb steaks, 2 pkgs garlic feta brats
This is from Reister Farms in Washougal, and includes USDA processing and packaging. Checks for this will need to be made out to them separately, as possible.

Raw Local Honey, $12/quart, $18/half-gallon - from Honey House Farm
Raw, local, delicious honey in glass jars. Yum!

Home Roasted Coffee - from Rainbow Egg Farm
Raven's Blend Espresso - Dark roast. An exceptional blend for lattes and cappuccinos, $6/half-pound
Nyeri Decaf - Bold intensity, sweet, notes of fruit, a light bodied coffee to enjoy anytime, $6/half-pound
Kona Paradise - 100% premium. Complex blend of fruit, floral aromas, choclate, cararmal & citrus. $12.50/half-pound
If we get enough orders to make their trip worth coming down, we'll get some coffee in the mix. Rainbow Egg Farm's very own special coffee varietal selected from the finest beans, and roasted weekly at the farm.

Wild & Naturally Preserved Eats - from Nature's Choice -- Buy any FULL pound of fresh mushrooms & receive one fresh wild green FREE!
Mushrooms, Fresh (1/4# bags)
Shiitake $3.00
Maitake $4.00
Wild Morels $6.50
Snow Bank False Morel $3.50
Mushrooms, Dried (2oz. bag)
Special Soup Blend, $10.00
Berries & Nuts
Frozen Huckleberries $9.00 per pound
Frozen Elderberries $6.00 per pound
Wild Mountain Huckleberry Jam $5.00/jar (incl's sugar)
Dried, Peeled, Cleaned Chestnuts $3.50 per 1/4# bag
Wild Greens
Watercress $3.00
Siberian Miners Lettuce $3.00
Fiddlehead Ferns $3.00
Check out www.natureswildharvest.com for more info on these great wild gatherers, and how to use their products.

*****

To order, click here and specify what you would like.
Pay by cash. If necessary, checks can be made to "Dee Creek Farm"
**BRING YOUR OWN BAG**
We fill pre-orders first, then it’s first come, first served!
We do mostly pre-orders at deliveries, rather than Farmers Market style.
Please help us in this by pre-ordering what you can!

Summer & Spark
Email: summer (at) deecreekfarm (dot) com
Farm Phone: 360-225-9711
Cell Phone: 360-903-6956 (no service at the Farm)
Blog: http://summersperspective.wordpress.com

News From Hunters' Greens CSA Farm

This season feels like we're getting off to a solid early start. The garlic crop looks great, more than a foot tall and virtually weed free since we weeded in January. The dry weather has allowed us to work up the fields for the spring vegetables, while we leave cover crops to continue growing on the summer vegetable ground. The first planting of peas is about an inch high, while the second planting is just poking shoots through the surface. We've planted some short rows of Walla Walla onions, and seeded two long rows of the sweet Mokum carrots. We've never got carrots in this early before. Carrots need well worked soil, and it is usually too wet to do that this early. The catalog suggests around April 1, so we fudged it a little.

Another reason for the early start is the inspiration that having another farmer on the property has provided. Jim has always envied how early Brenda Millar of Rosemattel CSA gets crops harvested, and this year we get to watch it happen. Brenda's passion seems to really be for growing things, so she is chomping at the bit the minute the sun peeks out. She already has all the ground we've allotted her tilled up with her little "pony" tiller, and is looking for spaces to interplant between the rows of existing crops. Brenda is a much more savvy composter than we are, and uses the compost as a mulch to retain water, reduce compaction and feed her plants (which explains the lovely tilth in her garden beds). Jim has never been much of a mulcher and tills organic matter into the soil, prior to planting. It will be interesting to watch our two systems side by side.

It is of course the time of anxiously waiting for new members to sign up. We're approaching half full with two months to go.

So that's the news from the farm. We'll keep you posted.

Diane & Jim Hunter, greens@huntersgreens.com
Hunters' Greens CSA, http://huntersgreens.com
Brush Prairie, WA. (360) 256-3788

Hunters' Greens CSA 2010 Shares Available NOW!

Dear Folks,

Just a quick note in case you might be interested in our 2010 Community Supported agriculture shares. Details are at huntersgreens.com. This year's shares are $450. The winter share will be $100. A couple changes from the past are that we no longer deliver to Fisher's Landing and our delivery hours in uptown Vancouver start an hour earlier at 5:00 p.m. Wednesdays.

Hoping all is well with you.

Diane & Jim Hunter, greens@huntersgreens.com
Hunters' Greens CSA, http://huntersgreens.com
Brush Prairie, WA. (360) 256-3788

Weekend Gardening & Composting Classes

Master Composter/Recycler Composting/Vermicomposting Workshop:
Learn how to turn organic yard and kitchen waste into a rich garden amendment. Registration for people 5 and older is open for family-friendly wormshops. Participants will build a worm bin to take home. $20 per family fee covers cost of bin. Pre-payment by check is required. 360-882-4567 or http://www.columbiasprings.org/mcr. n 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Columbia Springs, 12602 S.E. Evergreen Highway, Vancouver. n 10 a.m. to noon April 24, Columbia Springs, 12602 S.E. Evergreen Highway, Vancouver. n 10 a.m. to noon June 5, CASEE, 11104 N.E. 149th, Brush Prairie.

Vegetable Gardening in Clark County:
9:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday at Joan Stout Hall, Clark College. Gardeners wanting to get a head start on spring gardening will benefit from this class, which covers soils, fertility, and warm- and cool-season vegetables. The amount of space needed, chemicals and weed control will be discussed. Learn how to set up a planting calendar and find out which vegetables and seed catalogs are best for this area. Fee $35. Click here for more info.

Thinking Green about Food Clark College Cooking & Wine School Open House at Columbia Tech Center

Clark College Tech Center
18700 S.E. Mill Plain Boulevard
Vancouver, WA
March 27, 2010, 10am-2pm

MAP

In a state-of-the-art kitchen in a facility built to LEED standards, Clark College’s Cooking and Wine School is taking The Next Step in supporting environmental sustainability through a focus on community supported agriculture, also known as locavore.

The school will host a a sustainability and locavore resource fair on Saturday, March 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In addition to demonstrations on the hour, visitors will be able to talk to local farmers and learn about home composting and food preservation. The event is free and open to the public.

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Room 148
“Meet the Farmers” – a community supported agriculture fair featuring 10-12 local farmers who will provide information about their farms.
Master Composters Program – Columbia Springs Environmental Center
Vancouver “Farm Girls” – Information about food preservation at home
Kitchen Kaboodle – demonstrations of products to support home composting and food preservation

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Kitchen demonstrations

10 a.m.
“Panna Cotta” (an Italian dessert) – Chef Lucy Vaserfirer has associate degrees in culinary arts, as well as patisserie and baking, from Le Cordon Bleu at the Western Culinary Institute in Portland. She has also earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing. She is the author of the food blog, Hungry Cravings. Her first cookbook, Seared to Perfection, is scheduled to be published in 2010 by Harvard Common Press. She has served a private chef, cooking school chef at In Good Taste Cooking School in Portland, Ore. and store chef at Wild Oats Market in Lake Oswego, Ore.

11 a.m.
“Thai Salad Rolls & Spring Rolls” – Vivi Khamkeo, a native of Laos, formerly French Indochina, has spent years in France. She has operated both French and Thai restaurants in Laos and Vancouver.

Noon
“How to Roast Vegetables” – Southwest Washington Community Supported Agriculture (SWWACSA)

1 p.m.
“Fun with Gadgets” – Kitchen Kaboodle

Find more information here: http://www.clark.edu/cc/cooking/

Upcoming Seed Saving Workshop From The Seed Ambassadors & Adaptive Seeds - 5.16.2010

SEED SAVING AND SEED STEWARDSHIP: The Path to Locally Adapted Seed and True
Food Freedom

*May 16* - Instructors: Andrew Still & Sarah Kieeger of the Seed Ambassadors
Project <http://www.seedambassadors.org>and Adaptive
Seeds<http://www.adaptiveseeds.com>

*Workshop focuses:*

- -Why Save Seed: A profound act of social and ecological empowerment.
- -History of an Ancient Tradition
- -Seed Sovereignty and Food Freedom in a changing world
- -Willamette Valley as one of the best seed saving regions in the world.
- -Open Pollinated, Heritage/Heirloom, Hybrid and GMO
- -Sources: the importance of choice and diversity
- -Strategies: planning your garden for seed saving
- -Isolation: Crossers and Selfers
- -Population: Inbreeding and Outbreeding
- -Selection: Simple plant breeding for locally adapted seed
- -Harvest, Cleaning and Storage
- -Examples seed stewardship
- -Re-localizing a seed stewardship community

For all of the who, where, when. and how much follow the link to Sunbow Farm.

http://www.sunbowfarm.org/workshops.php

Spoken & Written Word Services Available From Local CSA Farmers

Hello Community Members!

On behalf of two local community supported agriculture farmers, we would like to present to you our public service outreach and article writing services at no charge! Seasonal eating on a local level is becoming more and more popular yet many folks do not know how to get in touch with the all of the options local csa farmers have to offer. We would like to share with your group/organization to illustrate a version of community supported agriculture and how that ties in to the farming viability of the Clark County areas your members may not be aware of.

Feel free to return this email or give us a call to find out how we would are able to tie in a monthly article for your monthly or quarterly newsletters and 20 minute presentation of what a CSA farm operation is. We will also include the details of efforts and benefits behind it all.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

Sincerely,

Brenda Millar and Jim Hunter
Rosemattel's and Hunters Greens CSA Farmers
(360) 576-9767