Published: Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Farming heritage
County collects photos to preserve memories
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Michael O'Leary / The Herald
Alaina Klesick, 10, heads to her father with an armful of chard she picked to fill customer orders at her family's organic farm.
MONROE - Honeybees flock to buckwheat flowers on vast farmland south of Stanwood.
Their faint buzz makes Tristan Klesick happy. He loves seeing nature at work and being part of nature.
Near the buckwheat flowers grow squash, lettuce, broccoli, green beans. The Klesick family and others have planted their seeds by hand.
The family works together on its 37-acre farm to bring organic produce and beef to local customers.
Klesick, 40, said he wants people to know how they raise crops and how they live as farmers.
"I just think there's a future for local farming and local food," he said.
Snohomish County's new plan to create a farm scrapbook excites people like Klesick. The county wants to collect farm photos to preserve the county's agricultural roots and memories.
It encourages people to post their farm photos on a bulletin board at the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe from Thursday through Sept. 4.
Any photos are welcome as long as they include a farm or farm scene and a brief description about the photo, said Laura McLeod, the county's spokeswoman.
"It's a way to connect people with places and farmland," McLeod said.
After the fair, the county says it plans to post some of the collected photos on the county's Web site.
Many people don't know about local farmers and local produce, McLeod said.
"Now it's so easy to go to a supermarket, and many folks forget about where (the food) is coming from," she said.
People, and their lives, are behind every bit of produce.
At the organic farm outside Stanwood, Klesick, his wife Joelle and their seven children - Micah, 14; Emily, 13; Aaron, 11; Alaina, 10; Andrew, 8; Maddy, 4; and Maleah, 1 - live in an old farmhouse.
The family works long hours, sweats a lot from weeding and harvesting, putting their vegetables in boxes and delivering them to people in Snohomish County and on Camano Island. Even Maleah helps out spotting ripe strawberries, Tristan Klesick said.
He said he wants to share his family photos at the farm with the county's scrapbook.
Everyone needs to eat, but many are out of touch with farmers and the farmland that produce their food, he said.
"Let's bring back our heritage," Klesick said.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
Farm photos
Snohomish County encourages people to post their farm photos on a bulletin board at the Evergreen State Fair from Thursday through Sept. 4 in Monroe.
The county plans to create a farm scrapbook from the collected photos. The Evergreen State Fairgrounds is at 14405 179th Ave. SE, Monroe.
For more information, contact Laura McLeod at 425-388-6465 or at laura.mcleod@co.snohomish.wa.us.
Their faint buzz makes Tristan Klesick happy. He loves seeing nature at work and being part of nature.
Near the buckwheat flowers grow squash, lettuce, broccoli, green beans. The Klesick family and others have planted their seeds by hand.
The family works together on its 37-acre farm to bring organic produce and beef to local customers.
Klesick, 40, said he wants people to know how they raise crops and how they live as farmers.
"I just think there's a future for local farming and local food," he said.
Snohomish County's new plan to create a farm scrapbook excites people like Klesick. The county wants to collect farm photos to preserve the county's agricultural roots and memories.
It encourages people to post their farm photos on a bulletin board at the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe from Thursday through Sept. 4.
Any photos are welcome as long as they include a farm or farm scene and a brief description about the photo, said Laura McLeod, the county's spokeswoman.
"It's a way to connect people with places and farmland," McLeod said.
After the fair, the county says it plans to post some of the collected photos on the county's Web site.
Many people don't know about local farmers and local produce, McLeod said.
"Now it's so easy to go to a supermarket, and many folks forget about where (the food) is coming from," she said.
People, and their lives, are behind every bit of produce.
At the organic farm outside Stanwood, Klesick, his wife Joelle and their seven children - Micah, 14; Emily, 13; Aaron, 11; Alaina, 10; Andrew, 8; Maddy, 4; and Maleah, 1 - live in an old farmhouse.
The family works long hours, sweats a lot from weeding and harvesting, putting their vegetables in boxes and delivering them to people in Snohomish County and on Camano Island. Even Maleah helps out spotting ripe strawberries, Tristan Klesick said.
He said he wants to share his family photos at the farm with the county's scrapbook.
Everyone needs to eat, but many are out of touch with farmers and the farmland that produce their food, he said.
"Let's bring back our heritage," Klesick said.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
Farm photos
Snohomish County encourages people to post their farm photos on a bulletin board at the Evergreen State Fair from Thursday through Sept. 4 in Monroe.
The county plans to create a farm scrapbook from the collected photos. The Evergreen State Fairgrounds is at 14405 179th Ave. SE, Monroe.
For more information, contact Laura McLeod at 425-388-6465 or at laura.mcleod@co.snohomish.wa.us.
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