Ames Creek Farm tour: peak of the season

by Kristin Vogel, Office and Outreach Coordinator
PCC Farmland Trust

This article was originally published in September 2008

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There is something about being on the farm in September. The crops are at their peak and we’re all happily drowning in tomatoes, cucumbers, beans and apples. But there’s a certain other kind of buzz that is at its height this month.

Grasshoppers and cicadas literally buzz in the grasses and lazy bumblebees coast by on a late summer breeze. Then there’s the light in September — the angle of the sun starts to make everything feel more golden and lethargic, and the farm itself feels as though it’s taking one last slow, and savored breath before the long exhale of autumn.

We’d love for you to experience the beauty of Ames Creek Farm this September. Please join us on Saturday, September 27, for our third annual tour in connection with the King County Harvest Celebration Farm Tour.

There are many important and timely reasons to be a donor to the PCC Farmland Trust, and to be an active part of the crucial work in “saving local organic farmland forever.” But it’s also important to celebrate the harvest season, eat delicious food, reflect on how far we’ve come, and say hello to the chickens!

This year on the tour: farmers will sell produce, steps away from where it was grown; PCC Cooks’ instructors will demonstrate and sample innovative and healthy ways of preparing the bounty of the season; kids can romp, play, go on hayrides and sample foods at the PCC Kid Picks Mobile.

There also will be opportunities to learn about the work of the farmland trust and other partner organizations, a chance to talk to the Ames Creek farmers, and — new in 2008 — live music!

This year’s farm tour is made possible by the generous support of the Boeing Company, Talking Rain, and Case Design and Project Management.

For more information, please see the Harvest Celebration Farm Tour.

Also in this issue

Insights by Goldie: Natural sweeteners: Sweet enough!

When asked to recommend “the healthiest sweetener,” I always cringe because it sounds like a seeker looking for the Holy Grail. I hate to break it to them, but in my view a) it’s the wrong quest and b) there is no one “best” sweetener.

PCC opens ninth store in Edmonds

One of the most wonderful things about opening a new store is joining a new community and getting to know the people. We expect our newest store in Edmonds will attract many new members, but thousands of members already live in the north end.

Pesticides and food

What pesticides are used on what food crops? What residues remain when the crops go to market and how risky are those residues? And what about the vulnerable amongst us — are we fully protecting pregnant women, infants and children, and the elderly? Worrisome evidence that even minute levels of pesticides in food can impair human development has driven demand for organic foods.