What, When, How, & Where ...

What, When, How and Where . . .  for Preserving 

Whether you are experienced at preserving food, or this is your first season of stocking the pantry, we are fortunate that in most regions of the country we have access to many sources of good local produce and more ways to do that appear every year. 

In this article we’ll be discussing some of those avenues and sharing some of the sources of each in Pierce CountyWashington.  Please note that where I cite individuals, businesses, or organizations it is because I’ve personally had experience with them.  I am sure there are many, many, more out there and we’d love to hear your suggestions and experiences.  

What

CFPA's goal continues to be to strengthen local food systems by supporting local farmers, producers, and by working to make high quality, nutritious, and affordable food available to everyone 

When

Although the weather patterns shift from year to year, the seasons are consistent enough for the development of some Seasonal Guides. Here is just such information from the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA)


Fruits, Legume, and Herbs:

Pickyourown.org  has a slightly different take in their Washington State Typical Crop Ripening Dates/Harvest Calendar: https://pickyourown.org/WAharvestcalendar.htm

How & Where

There are a multitude of ways to source the produce you need as fresh ingredients when stocking your pantry for year-round opportunities.
  • Direct from Farmers
  • Farmer's Markets
  • Discount Retail
  • Personal  & Community Gardens
  • Sharing Groups
  • Barter Groups
  • Shared Resources
  • Gleaning Programs

Direct from Farmers
Four different products made with excess red onions
Photo courtesy of Tori Brewster

This can take several forms, Community Sponsored Agriculture (CSA), Farm Stands, You-Pick, or all three.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
 Basically: a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public of an upcoming season’s crop . Typically, they receive a box of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season. For more information on the rewards for both the farmer and the consumer and the different variations of CSA, check out https://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/ 

Some CSAs offer other products like nuts, meats, cheese, preserves and even baked goods.  And some deliver the product all at once when it is ready. An example of one that I work with is Dinner Time Farm  that raises for sale whole and half hogs. They take a deposit and then monthly payments starting in February/March. The hog are processed, frozen and available for pick-up around mid-September.   Shares are sold out for 2021 but contact Gavin Dinnel at dinnertimefarm at gmail dot com to get on the mailing list to be notified for 2022.
 
Farm Stands
Some farms have their own facilities and sell directly to the public. Some of the ones CFPA has worked with include: Duris Cucumber and Strawberry Farm, Sterinos Farm, and Spooners Berries, 

You-Pick
Many are accessible for berries and tree fruit. Pick Your Own.org has an extensive list for Washington at https://www.pickyourown.org/WA.htm 

Farmers Markets

What is a farmers market? A farmers market is a public and recurring assembly of farmers or their representatives selling the food that they produced directly to consumers. (From https://farmersmarketcoalition.org/education/qanda/)

Due to the new safety considerations required by the COVID-19 pandemic, many Farmers markets are encouraging and supporting“Pre-Ordering” where customers contact the farmers and other vendors, ordering in advance so the market becomes a pick-up site.


Discount Retail


Valley Liquidation. Prices and selection vary based on stock so it pays to follow their Facebook page to stay on top of specials. I’ve been able to get pounds of roma tomatoes for under 70 cents a pound.  They also have a different discount for every day of the week including Military on Mondays, and Seniors 55+ on Tuesdays. https://www.facebook.com/ValleyLiquidation9813/

Gardens

Personal Gardens Includes neighbors sharing gardens, and church gardens. Who do you know? Who can you ask?
image courtesy of Harvest Pierce County
Community Gardens We are lucky in Pierce County to have tremendous number of community gardens.  Many of the gardens have the support of Harvest Pierce County, a program of the Pierce Conservation District. They have a website which listing a multitude of gardens throughout Pierce County. There are gardening opportunities in many gardens for all levels of abilities  https://piercecd.org/194/Community-Gardens


Buying Groups
“An association of companies or individuals who use their combined purchasing power to achieve the best prices from suppliers” - Collins Dictionary

One well established one is Eat Local Pierce  County https://www.eatlocalpiercecounty.org/vendors.html

Sharing Groups

Food is Free, while geared to individuals and families, sometimes reports large amounts of a product coming in.  Like a recent exchange of potatoes and onions from Eastern Washington, shown in this report by King 5 News.

It is worthwhile supporting their work and following their Facebook page to see when there might be excess.   https://www.facebook.com/foodisfreetacoma/

This looks like an ongoing project 

photo from Fair Tradin' Barter event
Barter Groups
Recent events have really limited in person events with many groups moving online. An example of a group I’ve worked with is Fair Tradin’ Online Barter.  But there are many more out there large and small. https://www.facebook.com/FairTradin/
Try a simple browser search, or search on social media to find one in your neighborhood.


Shared Resources

Swan Creek Park Food Forest
Find out more from their home page https://swancreekparkfoodforest.weebly.com/about.html

Curran Apple Orchard
Sponsor and care for a tree and get the apples http://www.curranappleorchard.com/adopt-a-tree

Charlotte’s Blueberry Park
image courtesy of Harvest Pierce County

Gleaning Programs

Harvest Pierce County runs The Gleaning Project,  a volunteer powered program that works to reduce local produce waste, provide more fresh food to those in need, and build community. Glean Teams harvest from both farms and backyard fruit trees, then share the bounty with local food banks, shelters, and families in need. Volunteers also take a portion home as a thank you for all their hard work!    https://piercecd.org/196/Gleaning-Project


                                   
Updated 6.6.2021
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