whatcom Archives - Community Food Co-op

Ask The Nutritionist: Balanced Snacks for a Happy Kid

healthy snacks arranged on a yellow background

The crazy busy summer living is now behind us as we start up the new school year. In place of last minute camping trips or impromptu bike rides around Galbraith, schedules and routines fill our day. Life is busy but in a different way.

As a dietitian, and as a parent, I know having hearty, nutritious snacks on hand, makes for an easier, smoother day. A balanced snack helps keep blood sugars stable, “hanger” at bay, and therefore a more energetic and happy kiddo.

By choosing snacks that contain a good source of fiber, protein, and fat, you can prevent the blood sugar roller coaster and the dreaded emotions that come along with it.

However, not all snacks are created equal. Snacks that are just naked carbs, like crackers, chips, even a plain piece of fruit, can quickly lead to a blood sugar spike followed by a blood sugar drop, and usually the consequential meltdown. By choosing snacks that contain a good source of fiber, protein, and fat, you can prevent the blood sugar roller coaster and the dreaded emotions that come along with it, keeping you, your kiddo, and everyone else happy.

Here are some good examples:

½ apple (fiber) and cheddar cheese (protein & fat)
Carrots (fiber) and hummus (protein & fat)
Berries (fiber) and yogurt (protein & fat)
½ firm banana (fiber) and peanut butter (protein & fat)
Bell pepper (fiber) and hard-boiled egg (protein & fat)
Cucumber (fiber) and smoked salmon (protein & fat)
Whole grain bread (fiber) and liver pate (protein & fat)

Another good example are my Back to School Power Bites. Not only are they allergen friendly, but they taste like a treat—a little sweet and a little salty. They are rich in fiber, and pack a good punch of protein and fat to help balance blood sugars.

back to school snack bites next to a kids lunch box and backpack

INGREDIENTS

2 firm medium bananas, mashed (~3/4 cup)
3 tablespoons salted nut/seed butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon Redmond’s sea salt
2 tablespoons coconut flour
2 tablespoons almond flour
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1 teaspoon chia seeds
2 teaspoons baking powder
Optional: mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter or oil a mini muffin tin. Set aside.

Meanwhile in a medium bowl mash the two bananas and stir in the nut/seed butter, honey, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir until well combined.

In a separate bowl mix together the coconut flour, almond flour, ground flaxseed, chia seeds, and baking powder. Make sure to break apart any lumps. Transfer the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix with a spoon until well combined. If you want to add chocolate chips stir them in afterwards.

Transfer to the oiled muffin tin and bake for 25 minute or until golden brown and inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before eating. Store in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Makes 12 mini muffins. Nutrition per Muffin: 63kcal, 8g carbs, 2g fiber, 2g protein, 3g fat.

Selva Wohlgemuth, meal planning instructor

By Selva Wohlgemuth, Co-op News Contributor

Selva Wohlgemuth is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and owner of Happy Belly Nutrition in Bellingham, Washington. She specializes in gut health and has an in-depth knowledge of women's health. She is an avid outdoorswoman and mother.

Hopewell Farm

by Dave Straub, Cordata produce department

Buckets of freshly harvested Hopewell Farm organic blueberries await their final destination—our produce departments and your tummies.

Recently a co-worker asked me, “If you could only eat one kind of fruit for the rest of your life, what would it be?” I was quiet for a moment, looked deep into my soul, and then said, “Blueberries.” Hypothetical questions don’t usually have correct answers, but we both knew I nailed that one.

Blueberries are nutritious, taste amazing on everything from ice cream to salmon, and are historically one of the most local foods available.

People in these parts have feasted on them for thousands of years, and if you’ve hiked the North Cascades in September when the trails are lined with ripe huckleberries then you’ve probably enjoyed this local bounty as well.

These days we don’t have to brave the mountain wilderness for fresh produce, thanks to Pete Dykstra of Hopewell Farm and his 16 acres of blueberry bushes nestled at the base of Sumas Mountain. I journeyed out to this picturesque field and walked the rows already abundant with dainty bell-shaped flowers that will become my breakfast. While there I chatted with Lisa Dykstra, Hopewell’s sales rep and the youngest of four Dykstra generations to farm this land.

As we talked I got a sense of how diversified Hopewell Farm has become over the years due largely to the prodigious efforts and entrepreneurial spirit of Pete.

Besides their famous blueberries and carrots, they grow a variety of other vegetables, medicinal herbs, and seed crops. They operate a dairy farm and grow their own silage for the cows that in turn produce compost for the fields. They even maintain wild habitat for beneficial predators such as hawks, kestrels, and owls.

The evidence of their holistic approach was all around me ...

... honey bees buzzed in their hives at the end of every row, happy cows played beyond the fence line, and Lisa spoke glowingly about being on the forefront of progressive efforts.

Hopewell is certified organic, GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) certified, and receives outstanding scores for worker satisfaction. In Pete’s own words this means, “The fields are healthy, they produce great crops, and there is life in the soil.”

And if you’re wondering what all this means for you, my patient Co-op shopper, it means the most delicious blueberries you are likely to eat this summer—fresh, hand-picked, and delivered farmer direct to our shelves for your culinary pleasure.

Farm Fund Spotlight: Cedarville Farm

by Laura Steiger, Outreach Team

The Cedarville Farm crew harvests and bundles spinach at the certified organic farm located near Deming. After bundling, the spinach will be washed and packed for delivery—perhaps to Cedarville’s 150+ CSA subscribers or to one of the farm’s many wholesale accounts. The final destination may even be the Co-op’s certified organic produce departments..

If you’ve lived in Whatcom County for any length of time, you have likely eaten food grown at Cedarville Farm.

Since 1988, Mike and Kim Finger have been working the loamy soil at their farm along the banks of the Nooksack River just west of Deming, and the Community Food Co-op has been proud to sell their fine produce in our stores since that very first year.

“Mike has been a pure joy to talk to and communicate with through the years. Mike and Kim have twice invited our entire produce team out to tour the farm and see how the things we sell are grown and harvested,” said Dave Sands, Downtown produce manager.

In addition to supplying the Co-op, Mike has several retail and wholesale accounts, participates in the Bellingham Farmers Market, and runs a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program serving 150+ members.

Among Cedarville Farm’s accomplishments is being one of the first of three Whatcom County farms to be certified organic.

Among Cedarville Farm’s accomplishments is being one of the first of three Whatcom County farms to be certified organic (Cedarville is number 36 in the state) and, in 1992, establishing the first CSA program north of Seattle (they still have a few original CSA members).

Mike and his farm crew grow about 40 crops including a variety of salad and cooking greens, alliums (varieties of onion and garlic), vegetables galore, tomatoes, and herbs. They also raise broiler chickens, turkeys, and maintain a flock of pastured hens for eggs.

In April 2015, the Co-op Farm Fund secured a low-interest loan for Cedarville Farm in partnership with Industrial Credit Union (ICU). This is the third of six low-interest loans secured by the Farm Fund in partnership with ICU, building on the Farm Fund’s original revolving loan program. The new program allows farms to take out larger loans up to $12,000, build a credit history with ICU—another local, cooperatively run organization—and helps farms tackle impactful on-farm projects that increase resiliency and build the capacity to provide more local food for the Co-op.

As any home gardener knows, weeds are your nemesis and whatever you can do to get ahead of them saves a lot of work in the long run. The same is true on an organic farm, only on a larger scale.

Cedarville Farm used their Co-op Farm Fund secured loan to combat its weedy nemesis.

Cedarville Farm used their Co-op Farm Fund secured loan to combat its weedy nemesis with the purchase of two pieces of cultivation equipment that will dramatically improve the consistency and efficiency of weed control and free staff for the delicate hand labor that simply can’t be accomplished by machine.

Mike purchased a well-cared-for 1970s International Cub cultivating tractor that was used by the Montana State University Extension Service to seed trial crops in Corvallis, Montana. Did you know there was a Corvallis in Montana? Neither did Mike, and he had originally made arrangements to pick up the tractor at the Corvallis that most of us are familiar with in Oregon, but that’s another story.

The cultivating tractor, which hasn’t been manufactured since the early 1980s, is still popular with farmers for two reasons. 1. Its simple, straightforward design makes it easy to maintain and repair on the farm. 2. It is specifically constructed to provide a direct view to the ground, so farmers can precisely navigate between rows without accidentally taking out any precious crops.

Mike’s other purchase was a propane bed flamer aptly branded “Red Dragon” that annihilates weeds with fire.

He is still on the lookout for one more addition to his weeding arsenal—a tractor-mounted inter-row cultivator.

The Co-op’s Farm Fund is happy to play whatever role we can to help Cedarville Farm grow even more farm-fresh food.

As Dave said, “Mike is very generous with his time and his smiles, and we love Cedarville Farm for that reason, among many.”

Donate to the Co-op’s Farm Fund at any register to join us in growing local, sustainable agriculture and supporting local farmers like Mike Finger of Cedarville Farm.

Co-op’s Farm Fund: Let’s Grow It!

by Laura Ridenour, Farm Fund chair and Co-op Board director

The Farm Fund helps us live our values. Our Community Food Co-op is committed to being a cornerstone of the local food economy, ensuring that our community and region is capable of feeding itself.

A rising consciousness about food has swept our community and the world. GMOs. Climate change. Farmworker rights. Organic and sustainable farming. Pollinator decline. Local resilience and sovereignty. These and many other factors have caused people to look more carefully at the food they eat—where it comes from, how it is grown, and who is growing it.

As a result, people want to buy more local food.

As farmers meet the increased demand for local food, the Community Food Co-op’s Farm Fund has grown from humble beginnings to a nationally-recognized model.

Since 2000, the Farm Fund, with donations from the Co-op operations budget and Co-op member-owners, has circulated over $204,215 for Farm Fund grants and revolving loans benefiting more than 60 farms and food/farming organizations.

The Farm Fund helps us live our values.

Our Community Food Co-op is committed to being a cornerstone of the local food economy, ensuring that our community and region is capable of feeding itself. Collaborating in the development of a vibrant local and regional food production and distribution system is one of the six core goals of our Co-op’s strategic plan.

The Farm Fund, run by a Co-op staff member and a volunteer committee of member-owners connected to the farming community, is a unique and powerful way to meet the needs of beginning and small farm businesses as we collectively work toward these goals.

For example, Whatcom County’s small farmers have reported that the barriers to reduce costs and compete in the wholesale market include two main issues: access to capital for equipment, land, or infrastructure, and a need for resources to navigate the various processes and learning curves related to expansion into new markets. The Farm Fund helps small farms reduce these barriers.

Donating to the Farm Fund gives community members the opportunity to invest in the future of the farms and farmers that provide our food.

Want local food? Support local farms!

Make a donation to the Farm Fund and become a “Farm Fund-er” today. Through the Farm Fund, you have an opportunity to support our local farming community and help to ensure viable small farm businesses are able to thrive. Donate online or at any Co-op register.

And buy local whenever you shop to support local farms and food producers.

Learn More About the Farm Fund

Questions about the Co-op Farm Fund? Email Mardi Solomon, Farm Fund administrator, or call her at 360-734-8158, ext. 311. Learn more, watch a video about the Farm Fund, or make a donation at Farm Fund page.

Next Step Grant Update: Boldly Grown Farm

by Laura Steiger, Outreach Team

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Amy Frye of Boldly Grown Farm working in the field. The farm has successfully filled demand for more local winter produce by growing storage crops like beets, winter squash, and pumpkins.

Photo by Nathan Doyle

Earlier this year, the Co-op Farm Fund, with support from the Sustainable Whatcom Fund of Whatcom Community Foundation, launched the Next Step Project.

The project was able to direct $25,500 in grants to six local farms scaling up to supply the local wholesale market.

One of those farms is Boldly Grown Farm in Skagit Valley.

Boldly Grown Farm is one of 14 farms operating at Viva Farms (a nonprofit small-business farm incubator in Skagit Valley). Its current focus is growing storage crops—winter squash, carrots, beets, cabbage, onions, and more—to extend the availability of local food into the winter months. It also grows flowers for sale and to provide pollinator habitat. In future years, Boldly Grown Farm plans to incorporate grains and pastured poultry, creating a diverse and resilient farm system.

Boldly Grown Farm was founded in 2015 by husband-and-wife team Jacob Slosberg and Amy Frye. Both have personal relationships to farming—Amy grew up next door to her grandparent’s farm in Minnesota and Jacob discovered his love of farming on a tenth grade trip to Costa Rica. The couple met at the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at the University of British Columbia where Jacob was in charge of managing all the annual vegetables and pasture-raised poultry and Amy was the Director.

Given their complementary skill-sets, they experienced a very strong start in their first year of farming; harvesting 20,000 pounds of food from one acre. There were many hits and one miss along the way—carrots were wildly successful and they couldn’t keep up with demand, while onions got in the ground too late and mostly fizzled out.

The couple had a strong network of friends and family who pitched in to help the startup farm. During the final carrot harvest in mid-December, Amy and Jacob, along with several farmer friends, found themselves working late into the night, calf-deep in mud, taking turns getting stuck and helping pull each other out of the muck. “There may have been a good amount of both cursing and laughing involved. This year, I’m sure, will have its own successes and challenges—it’s a constant learning process. Farming is very humbling in that way.” said Amy.

From the beginning, Jacob and Amy identified a niche market in the demand for extended season local produce.

Don’t we all long for flavorful, local, organic produce in the winter months? This past season they harvested carrots into December and cabbage into January. With other crops like beets and winter squash in storage from earlier in the year, they were providing produce through mid-February before selling out.

For the 2016 growing season, the couple added an additional two acres, which will triple the farm’s production and allow for more diversification and trialing a small amount of hoop-house crops such as heirloom tomatoes, purple globe eggplant, and red peppers. “We are passionate and ambitious! We want to feed a lot of people and ensure that a greater portion of the population has ready access to healthy and sustainably grown produce,” said Amy.

Next Step grant funds will be used to purchase a rinse conveyor

Next Step grant funds will be used to purchase a rinse conveyor that will improve efficiency of washing root crops, such as carrots and beets, and can also be used for hydrocooling crops like broccoli (an important step for storage and shelf life). The conveyor soaks roots before washing so they only need to go through the system once, thereby increasing efficiency and saving labor. The conveyor’s recirculation system will also reduce water use.

Boldly Grown is a perfect example of the farms the Next Step Project was created for—farms that are ready to take the next step to scale up for the wholesale market, but need assistance with a specific input to make the leap.

On Jacob and Amy’s farm it was the purchase of the rinse conveyor; other Next Step farms are using funds to invest in packing and processing facilities, purchase a refrigerated delivery vehicle, and expand crop diversity with new harvest equipment.

The Co-op is thrilled to launch this new program and watch as more local farms take the Next Step to meet demand for even more local, sustainable, organic food.

LEARN MORE at boldlygrownfarm.com and follow Boldly Grown Farm on
Facebook and Instagram.

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Jacob Slosberg of Boldly Grown Farm carefully navigates through crops while using the field cultivator purchased with a Co-op Farm Fund grant.

Farm Fund Grant Update: Viva Farms

by Laura Steiger, Outreach Team

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Amy Frye of Boldly Grown Farm (see back page) prepares her field for planting with Viva Farm’s new field cultivator that was purchased with a Co-op Farm Fund grant. The field cultivator is shared with all 14 farmers working land at Viva Farms, and is more environmentally sustainable and efficient than using a rototiller.

Photo courtesy of Viva Farms.

Started in 2009, Viva Farm’s mission is to launch a new generation of farmers.

In the 2016 grant cycle, the Co-op Farm Fund issued $8,000 in grants to seven inspiring proposals. If you tried your hand at playing the Farm Fund Game in the April Co-op News, you may recall the diversity of the funded projects. They tackled issues related to grazing management in a changing climate, formation of a new tool co-op, purchase and training for a multi-farm portable sheep shearing system, and four more innovative ideas. We are excited to watch these projects come to fruition in the coming year and to share their success stories with you.

One project that is already cultivating positive results is at Viva Farms, a nonprofit, small business farm incubator located in Skagit Valley. Its mission is to support aspiring and limited-resource farmers to overcome barriers to farm ownership by providing bilingual training in holistic and organic farming practices and management, and much needed access to land, infrastructure, equipment, marketing, and capital.

Viva Farms received a Co-op Farm Fund grant to purchase a new field cultivator. The implement was purchased from Farmer’s Equipment Co. in Lynden where the farm received a nonprofit discount, further leveraging its Farm Fund grant. Hooray for local businesses!

Several farmers at Viva have already had great success using the new field cultivator, which prepares soil for planting without the need for rototilling. Rob Smith, Viva Farms operations and incubator director, described the cultivator as “a missing link in our ‘toolkit’ that allows us to work up a field in a more efficient, timely, and sustainable manner.”

Efficient because the field cultivator is much faster to use in the field, and with fewer mechanical parts, it is less likely to break down and requires less maintenance. All these factors result in less downtime in the field, fewer costly repairs, and overall labor savings.

Sustainable because it is gentler on the soil structure, known in farmer lingo as the “tilth.” A rototiller, on the other hand, can create soil compaction or pulverize the soil resulting in hardpan that impairs drainage and plant growth. Also, because rototillers are powered implements, they use more fuel to operate than the cultivator that is simply pulled behind a tractor.

This improvement in efficiency and sustainability allows farmers more time to, well, farm, and will hopefully result in greater productivity and eventually more deliveries of local food to the Co-op’s produce departments. Throughout the growing season Viva, and the 14 independent farmers currently working the land and sharing equipment with Viva, provide certified organic vegetables, herbs, and berries to the Puget Sound Food Hub, which serves many Whatcom County food businesses.

In the same way that the Co-op is committed to the principal of cooperation among cooperatives, the farmers on-site at Viva Farms are building community and learning from each other. Rob said: “Despite working on their own independent operations, the farmers help support each other for success. This all happens across language and cultural barriers—finding out what is shared between all farmers, and all humans, really.”

For the first time, Viva Farms is at 100 percent capacity and will look into expanding in 2017. Rob wants to spread the word about what Viva Farms is accomplishing, and tell people that it wouldn’t be possible without the farmers and a network of community partners.

That network includes every Co-op shopper who has contributed to the Farm Fund and chooses to purchase local produce from the Co-op—Whatcom County’s only community-owned grocery store.

Learn more at vivafarms.org

Farm Fund Spotlight: Growing Garden

by Jean Rogers, Farm Fund Adminstrator

greenhouse interior community food co-op

Mike Long (right) is bringing new ideas to the farm: planning to extend the growing season, add more bunched and packaged herbs, and add a new line of dried culinary and medicinal herbs. Brent Harrison (left) will continue to offer guidance and a veteran presence as the farm takes a leap in size and scale.

The Growing Garden is preparing to continue its impressive legacy by combining a solidly established farm with the innovative ideas of a young farmer, backed by the Co-op Farm Fund and the community.

the Growing Garden, one of the longest-operating organic farms in Whatcom County, is also one of the most beloved

If you’ve ever brought home fresh, local basil, dill, mint, and other herbs from the Co-op’s produce department, you know why the Growing Garden, one of the longest-operating organic farms in Whatcom County, is also one of the most beloved.

Owner Brent Harrison—pivotal in local, organic market development for over 30 years—has been supplying the Co-op with herbs, tomatoes, and veggies since 1983.

Receiving a Next Step grant from the Co-op Farm Fund couldn’t have arrived at a better time for the future of the farm, as Brent is turning over the business to young farmer Mike Long, who has been managing the farm for the last six years.

Listening to Brent and Mike talk together, as they surveyed the existing greenhouses and fields, it’s obvious that there is a strong thread of continuity in their values and approach to the land. Brent said, “Michael can keep the farm alive. It’s a lot of work and you get compensated, but not to the level of a lot of other occupations. You have to value the lifestyle, a lot, and then you’re well rewarded.” Mike agreed, “Just being able to come and hang out with plants and bees and really cool farmer owners that got me into this, it’s like I’m just in my dream spot. Brent had the energy to build all this from scratch. I couldn’t get to this level of trying new things if it weren’t for a really core, solid foundation.”

Mike and his wife Molly recently purchased a 5-acre farm that is certified organic as a second site for the Growing Garden. The Next Step grant will be put to use at both sites to add a greenhouse, upgrade the existing packing shed in preparation for the next 20 to 30 years, and to build a new, USDA-certified packing facility. A cooler and possibly a solar dryer are also in the plans.

Mike has observed an increased demand over the last decade for herbs, tomatoes, and cucumbers. “We just need to zero in and boost our production a bit so we can meet those demands,” he said. Adding dried herbs is a way the farm can create a market for something they already have a lot of—herbs that need to get cut back anyway will now be marketable.

Both Brent and Mike see the Next Step Project boosting the vitality of small local farms.

Brent stressed the need for farms to scale up gradually, “I think this thing’s fabulous for the local producers and some of those may jump to a larger scale. But first it’s designed to pick up the small producer to be an efficient local producer, and that’s a big step.”

What we can be sure of is that we can look forward to all the wonderful produce we’ve been accustomed to from the Growing Garden, and an exciting array of delicious and healthful new products as the farm continues its journey as a mainstay of local organic farming.

Ask The Nutritionist: Balanced Snacks for a Happy Kid

Here are some good examples:

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

By Selva Wohlgemuth, Co-op News Contributor

Hopewell Farm

by Dave Straub, Cordata produce department

Farm Fund Spotlight: Cedarville Farm

by Laura Steiger, Outreach Team

If you’ve lived in Whatcom County for any length of time, you have likely eaten food grown at Cedarville Farm.

Co-op’s Farm Fund: Let’s Grow It!

by Laura Ridenour, Farm Fund chair and Co-op Board director

The Farm Fund helps us live our values.

Want local food? Support local farms!

Learn More About the Farm Fund

Next Step Grant Update: Boldly Grown Farm

by Laura Steiger, Outreach Team

Farm Fund Grant Update: Viva Farms

by Laura Steiger, Outreach Team

Farm Fund Spotlight: Growing Garden

by Jean Rogers, Farm Fund Adminstrator

Farm Fund Recipient: Ebb & Flow Herb Farm

Local Farm Feature: Flynn Farms

Appreciation for the Co-op Farm Fund. Donate today!

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