Everett, Wash.
Published: Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Special delivery

Farm fresh fruits and vegetables right to your doorstep

By Sarah Jackson / Herald Writer

 Spring is here.

Soon you'll be able to find an abundance of locally grown food by visiting farmers markets, U-pick operations, farm stands and many grocery stores for the ultimate in freshness.

But did you know you can also buy subscriptions for baskets of produce and, thanks to a growing number of delivery services, get local produce delivered directly to your door?

Well, you can, and if your New Year's resolution was to eat more fruits and vegetables, this might be a chance to reinvigorate your plan or just get back on the wagon.

Community supported agriculture is a way for customers to reserve seasonal produce from local farms, usually before the crops are planted. When the season's harvest begins, subscribers can pick up their locally grown goodies every week at the farm or at a designated pick-up point.

Some delivery services in Snohomish County are including the season's fresh and local fruits and vegetables in their inventory too, making eating right and eating locally even easier, without a single trip to the grocery store.

Today we highlight three of the ways to add local fruits and vegetables to your table this season.

Small Potatoes Urban Delivery

Who: Abbi's Northwest, an Everett distributor of local food, has teamed up with Small Potatoes Urban Delivery, or SPUD, of Seattle, an online grocery store and delivery service, to offer seasonal, local produce boxes called the Farm Connection. Abbi Little of Abbi's Northwest, who ran the Pike Place Market produce basket program last year, will also offer the box deliveries to workplaces and other drop-off points where there are multiple subscribers, similar to her program last year.

What you'll get: Each box will include seasonal fruits and vegetables from a variety of local farmers, primarily from Western Washington.

SPUD is also a year-round full-service grocer, selling local dairy products, meat, bread, snacks and household products with a minimum of 50 percent of the goods coming from Washington or northern Oregon. Farmers in warmer regions such as California and Mexico provide tropical fruit as well as vegetables in the off-season. Items listed on SPUD's Web site are labeled with the source and how many miles the item traveled to reach the company's Seattle warehouse.

Delivery area: SPUD, founded in Canada, serves much of the I-5 corridor, including most urban areas of Snohomish County.

When: The Farm Connection box deliveries will start in May and run through September. Regular SPUD deliveries are year-round. Snohomish County's delivery day is typically Thursday.

Cost: The Farm Connection small box contains at least 10 items and costs $33 a week, while the large box is at least 12 items and costs $45 a week. Customers can subscribe for four weeks at a time or for the entire season. Home delivery customers do not need to be home to receive their boxes.

Information: Sign up for The Farm Connection at www.abbisnorthwest.com or www.spud.com or call 425-258-2220.

Organic Produce Shoppe

Who: The Klesick Family Farm in Stanwood has offered year-round home and office delivery of fruits and vegetables for the past eight years under the name Organic Produce Shoppe. Tristan and Joelle Klesick and their eight children live on the farm with 8 acres planted with seasonal crops.

What you'll get: Seasonal berries and a variety of vegetables come from the Klesick farm along with contributions from other Western Washington farmers. Cherries, peaches, apricots, plums and nectarines come from Eastern Washington. Weekly delivery options include a vegetable box, a fruit box, a small box (fruits and vegetables for a family of two) or a family box (ideal for a family of four). You can add extra vegetable and fruit items as well as local honey, bread and coffee. Farmers in warmer regions such as California and Mexico provide tropical fruit as well as vegetables in the off-season. Grass-fed beef is available on a seasonal basis in quarter-, half- or whole-cow shares paid in advance. Customers do not need to be home to receive their boxes.

Delivery area: Most of Snohomish County, Camano Island, Anacortes and Mount Vernon are covered by the service.

When: Delivery days vary Monday through Thursday depending on your location. One-time and every-other-week deliveries are also available.

Cost: Boxes are $22, except the family box, which costs $29.

Information: Sign up at www.organicproduceshoppe.com or call 360-629-5350.

The Root Connection

Who: This 20-year-old farm between Woodinville and Redmond was one of the first community supported agriculture farms in the United States when Claire Thomas started it on a quarter-acre in 1987. Today it's 22 acres with eight acres providing produce basket vegetable shares to more than 400 subscribers every year. In February, a group of subscribers purchased the produce basket business as part of the Roots of Our Times Cooperative. Thomas still owns half the land; the other half has been leased since 1999 from FARM, a farm-preservation group also known as Farm Acquisition, Research and Management.

What you'll get: Lettuce, broccoli, cucumbers, radishes, kale, spinach, chard, summer squash, green beans, carrots, tomatoes, pumpkins, corn, potatoes, turnips, cabbages and more. All subscribers are welcome seven days a week to harvest from the farm's U-pick flower and herb garden.

Delivery area: Pick-up points are in Lynnwood, Seattle and at the farm.

When: Produce arrives at drop points every week on Wednesdays from June through October. Farm pick up is Wednesday through Saturday.

Cost: It's $477 (about $22 a week for 22 weeks) for a regular share with weekly deliveries (enough to feed two to four people) or $774 (about $35 a week for 22 weeks) for a large share with weekly deliveries (enough to feed four to eight people). Subscribers pay a deposit at signup and then pay in full by April 15 to help finance the crops. Payment plans are also available with final payments due by July 15. Winter vegetable shares are available November through May for $40 a week.

Information: Sign up at www.rootconnection.com or call 425-881-1006.

Reporter Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037 or sjackson@heraldnet.com.

More resources

Pioneer Organics of Seattle also offers year-round home delivery of produce and natural groceries in parts of Snohomish County, including some items from local growers. See www.pioneerorganics.com or 877-632-3424.

Tiny's Organic is the year-round, home-delivery arm of Tiny's Orchard, a farm in East Wenatchee specializing in stone fruit such as peaches, plums, nectarines and cherries. Tiny's participates in 30 farmers markets in the region and offers home delivery service of fruits and vegetables from Tacoma to Everett. Tiny's includes as much local produce as possible from Washington when it's in season. Go to www.ilovetiny.com or call 866-358-8469.

Willie Green's Organic Farm in Monroe will not offer summer produce baskets this year, but the farm will continue its winter basket program for $20 to $35 a week later this year, featuring lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, carrots, turnips, parsnips, winter squash and more. Check the farm's Web site in late summer at www.williegreens.org for updates or call 425-485-4128.

Full Circle Farm of Carnation offers produce basket service to many locations, including pick-up points in Mill Creek, Bothell, Woodinville and Duvall. Go to www.fullcirclefarm.com or call 425-333-4677.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA