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Thursday, October 5, 2006
1 Tank/1 Trip: Fields are ripe for visitors
The harvest moon will rise late Friday, a sign that King County farmers will once again join forces Saturday to lure city slickers onto their lands, and hopefully into their stands.
For the past seven years, sustainable farmers have picked a fall day to highlight their crops and natural approach to farming. This year Saturday is the day when top Seattle chefs will teach folks how to whip up Pine Nut Bruschetta and Butternut Squash Fritters, kids can get lost in a corn maze, and everyone can find out who grows the beans and carrots they could have on their table.
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 | Meryl Schenker / P-I | |
| Evert Broderick gives a hayride at The South 47 Farm. In the front seats are River King, 6, left, of Goldbar and Ethan Crawford, 3, of Seattle. | ||
Families can drive 30 minutes south, east or west to take hayrides, pick pumpkins, taste gourmet food and check out this season's harvest of fruits and veggies.
"It's about sustainable agriculture. But it's really more about connecting people with their food system and giving people a really tangible picture," said Andrea Meyer, who runs the 2006 Harvest Celebration Farm Tour for Washington State University Extension.
For example, if you are curious about who grows the organic produce that is becoming popular with families, Full Circle Farm is a good place to start.
The 8-year-old spread is a 40-minute drive from Seattle that starts on Interstate 90, winds through the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, then Fall City and ends at a faded, three-plank, gray sign on a country road.
There is no mistaking that Full Circle is a working farm. Irrigation pipes are stacked by the farm's 200 acres, which run down to the Snoqualmie River. The fields are bisected by neat rows of lettuce, kale, herbs, trellised beans, fennel and other crops.
A faded 97-year-old red barn anchors the operation. It is home to the assembly line where workers pack brown boxes with organic produce and then send those boxes to local homes.
On Saturday, the Full Circle line won't be running. Instead, kids can take hayrides through its fields, maybe pull up a carrot or check out the herb and flower garden.
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| Meryl Schenker / P-I | |
| A gourd display at South 47 is a colorful reminder of the changing seasons. | ||
Of course, the biggest hit with toddlers will be the farm's 21 tractors, and, parents take note, 16 of the machines run on restaurant grease that the farm converts to fuel in its biodiesel hut.
While the kids check out heavy machinery, mom and dad can learn how Full Circle is bringing back native produce, such as Ozette Potatoes. Or they can just munch on Jimmy Nardello Sweet Peppers, a Native American crop that grows on the farm.
Those with more refined palates can watch Johnathan Sundstrom, chef at hip central Seattle eatery Lark, cook the farm's seasonal crop.
If you want more kid-friendly options, drive four miles south on Fall City-Carnation Road to Fall City Farms.
Your kids can stuff scarecrows, check out Ethel the donkey, Rick and Lucy the pygmy goat couple, and taste the ultimate flavor of fall, cider.
On the way home, visitors can swing by Shongchao's Farm and Children's Garden to pick up dry or fresh flowers, vegetables and herbs on its 28 acres. The garden sits less than two miles northwest of Fall City Farms.
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| Meryl Schenker / P-I | |
| Sydney King, 5, of Port Orchard laughs after feeding a pygmy goat at The South 47 Farm. | ||
If you are still hungry after munching fresh grilled corn and sauteed veggies you can stop by Fall City's Raging River Cafe and Club for a $7.95 Raging Turkey sandwich on your way back to I-90.
For a caffeine boost, drive into nearby Jett in Java, a roadside coffee stand.
These farms represent a small slice of three harvest loops, covering 25 farms that people can visit on Saturday's Harvest Tour.
To taste what is coming up through the local dirt, Seattleites can check out an east route, a south version or a Vashon Island loop.
The concept behind the tour is to take consumers beyond organic produce, which is almost old-hat these days, and help them understand what healthy local foods are available, said Meyer, the tour director.
"The next wave is ... about shopping locally and just really understanding what it means to buy high-quality food," Meyer said. "The organic label -- that is not the end of the road."
If you want to stay a little closer to home, visit The South 47 Farm, less than 30 minutes from downtown Seattle.
As visitors drive along Redmond's 124th Street, they literally drop from suburban sprawl into The South 47 spread, which is hedged in by office parks, a driving range and townhouses.
This urban fringe farm offers a more intimate experience, where farmers encourage people to pluck heirloom tomatoes and pumpkins off the vine, or just stroll through their 47 acres.
"It's kind of a sneaky way parents get their kids to eat veggies," said Christine Dubois, who handles communications for the farm. "The food is so much better this way."
On Saturday, kids also will be drawn to the farm's pygmy goats, Story Telling Steve, the Raging Zephrys band, and, of course, the Crops of Americas corn maze.
If walkers resist the temptation to take the shortcut, the fastest path out of the maze is about a mile. To make the trip a little easier and educational, Farmer Roger, aka Roger Calhoon, has posted a series of farm trivia questions along the way.
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| Meryl Schenker / P-I | |
| Caid Lico, 4, of Bothell holds his mother’s hat on a hayride with his parents, Renee and Rick Lico. | ||
While the Harvest Tour runs only this Saturday, many farmers will be hard at work through December. That means families can pick their pumpkins, eat their homemade donuts or just take walks through their fields during much of the fall.
IF YOU GO
People can head south, east or west to check out this year's Harvest Celebration Farm Tour.
To get started on directions, check out the end of the 2006 Harvest Celebration Farm Tour Guide, www.king.wsu.edu/foodandfarms/documents/FarmTourGuide.pdf.
Becky Selengut (Seasonal Cornucopia) -- 11 a.m., Fall City Farm
Johnathan Sundstrom (Lark) -- Noon, Full Circle Farm
Sean Hartley (Palace Kitchen) -- 12:45 p.m., Jubilee Farm
Jennifer Adler (PCC Cooks and Realize Health) -- 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Ames Creek Farm
Pranee Halverson (PCC Cooks and I Love Thai) -- 1- 4:30 p.m., Ames Creek Farm
Seth Caswell (Stumbling Goat Bistro) -- 1:30 p.m., Oxbow Farm
Gary Asmus (Remlinger Farms) -- 3:30 p.m., Remlinger Farms
Kathy Casey (Dish D'Lish and Kathy Casey Food Studios) -- 1 p.m., The South 47 Farm
Christine Keff (Flying Fish) -- 1 p.m., Whistling Train Farm
Julie Wuesthoff (Slow Food Seattle) -- 2 p.m., Neely Mansion
Julie Andres (La Medusa Restaurant) -- 3 p.m., Rockridge Orchards
Steve Smrstik (35th Street Bistro) -- 1 p.m., Sea Breeze Farm
Gabriel Claycamp (Culinary Communion) -- Noon, K-Jo Farm
For more information check out www.king.wsu.edu/foodandfarms/2006farms.html
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