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Sweet Potato, Red Lentil, and Peanut Stew
Sweet Potato, Red Lentil, and Peanut Stew
Roasted Pumpkin Soup
Roasted Pumpkin Soup
Pork Chops with Apples and Bacon
Pork Chops with Apples and Bacon
Vegetarian Zucchini Bake
Vegetarian Zucchini Bake

VEGETARIAN ZUCCHINI BAKE

My mom sent me this recipe years ago after visiting Nova Scotia.  It's proven to be a winner and I've used it every summer since when it's you know what time ...  zucchini season!  I've changed it oh-so-slightly to my taste in which I've made *notations of below.

Interns Cate and Lilly.jpg
Welcome Cate and Lilly

Here, they also have witnessed firsthand the patience and commitment the farmers have made to the long, slow process of developing a loyal customer base and building relational trust with customers, neighbors and other farmers.

Asian Lettuce Wraps.jpg
Asian Lettuce Wraps 
Baby Lamb with Penny.jpg
Homeschoolers TOUR Winney Farm
Heather as teacher.jpg
Odyssey Nature and Garden Club to Food Forest
Rhubarb Shrub Recipe
Rhubarb Shrub Recipe

Rhubarb Shrub Recipe

by Autrumn Giles and Serious Eats 
Tart rhubarb practically begs to celebrated in a shrub. Two pounds of rhubarb may seem like a lot, but a large amount is necessary to have a good concentrated rhubarb flavor in the final product. You can use your shrub with seltzer, or mix into a cocktail.

Dolores's Rhubarb Cake
Dolores's Rhubarb Cake

Here is a rendition of Dolores’s Rhubarb Cake by Jane Brody from the Good Food Cook Book.  This is a super moist low-rise cake that reminds me a little of cheese cake with out the cheese.  Jane Brody made changes to the original recipe to increase the nutrient value and decrease the sugar and calories in the original recipe.  I have made some additional changes (noted) keeping up with the times.

Vegetarian Zucchini Bake
Vegetarian Zucchini Bake

VEGETARIAN ZUCCHINI BAKE

My mom sent me this recipe years ago after visiting Nova Scotia.  It's proven to be a winner and I've used it every summer since when it's you know what time ...  zucchini season!  I've changed it oh-so-slightly to my taste in which I've made *notations of below.

Everything’s Better with Gravy.
Everything’s Better with Gravy.

Thanksgiving IS gravy. Second only to aged boozy eggnog in its importance on my holiday table. For my husband, turkey, stuffing, potatoes, flaky yeast rolls, even Brussels sprouts and cranberries are mere vehicles by which gravy is transported from plate to palate. One day a year, it is a food group of its own.

Local Farmer Profile: John Martin Chang
Local Farmer Profile: John Martin Chang

..In the early days John sold his crops at Farmers’ Market and through community-supported agriculture subscriptions. He realized pretty quickly that he was not going to be able to earn a living as a farmer. Undeterred, he continued on with a career in technology and dedicated his farm to growing food to donate to food banks. It is a tenet of John’s that all people, including those struggling financially, should have fresh, nutritious food for themselves and their families.

Little Bug-Eyed Creature—Friend or Foe?
Little Bug-Eyed Creature—Friend or Foe?
Cider Release Party Was a Huge Success and Soggy Fun!!
Cider Release Party Was a Huge Success and Soggy Fun!!
Zachary Fulton
Zachary Fulton
Farmer Profile: Karen Selvar
Farmer Stories - Part Two: Tayler
Farmer Stories - Part Two: Tayler
Day 4 - Fig-Infused Black Manhattan handcrafted by Matt Glenn
Day 4 - Fig-Infused Black Manhattan handcrafted by Matt Glenn

Friends of the Farms Fall 2020 Fundraising Drive: Day 4 Friends of the Farms Executive Director, Heather Burger, and Highside Distilling Co-owner Matt Glenn shake up a Fig Infused Black Manhattan. A farm-to-cup cocktail inspired by locally sourced ingredients, celebrating Day 4 of the Friends of the Farms Fall Fundraising Drive. Raise a glass and join us in celebrating local farms, food, and cocktails!

Keep it local by supporting farming!

Day 3 - Matt Glenn demonstrates how to make the Bitter Beet!
Day 3 - Matt Glenn demonstrates how to make the Bitter Beet!

Friends of the Farms Executive Director, Heather Burger, and Highside Distilling Co-owner Matt Glenn shake up a Bitter Beet. A farm-to-cup cocktail inspired by locally sourced ingredients, celebrating Day 3 of the Friends of the Farms Fall Fundraising Drive.

Raise a glass and join us in celebrating local farms, food, and cocktails!

Please support local farming. Donate today!

Day 2 - Matt Glenn shakes us up a Plum Negroni
Day 2 - Matt Glenn shakes us up a Plum Negroni

Friends of the Farms Executive Director, Heather Burger, and Highside Distilling Co-owner Matt Glenn shake up a Plum Negroni. A farm-to-cup cocktail inspired by locally sourced ingredients, celebrating Day 2 of the Friends of the Farms Fall Fundraising Drive. Raise a glass and join us in celebrating local farms, food, and cocktails!

Your gift will be put to work for our intern housing project.

Day 1 - Matt Glenn Mixes up a Blueberry Thyme Fizz
Day 1 - Matt Glenn Mixes up a Blueberry Thyme Fizz

Friends of the Farms Fall 2020 Fundraising Drive: Day 1 Friends of the Farms Executive Director, Heather Burger, and Highside Distilling Co-owner Matt Glenn shake up a Blueberry Thyme Fizz. A farm-to-cup cocktail inspired by locally sourced ingredients, celebrating Day 1 of the Friends of the Farms Fall Fundraising Drive. Raise a glass and join us in celebrating local farms, food, and cocktails!

Help us support our local farmers! Donate here today!

Backyard Farmer June ...but still relevant in August!
Backyard Farmer June ...but still relevant in August!

I have memories of my mom walking thru the garden during the mornings in her bathrobe with an old rusty kitchen knife that she had bent in the shape of an ‘L’. Her knife was a designated killing weapon intended for slugs; without hesitation.

What's for lunch?
What's for lunch?

We're thinking BIG
about the future of school lunches on Bainbridge Island and want to hear
your thoughts!

Check out our short video,
and give 3 minutes of
your time on our

School Lunches Survey!

Backyard Farmer
Backyard Farmer

Gardening truly is a journey of discoveries.

Some people say they have a black thumb and don’t garden, but I wonder if it has more to do with what your specific planting situation is? Growing garden vegetables is not a slam dunk: soil type & ph, sunlight and water are important factors. If you’re going to invest in growing your own produce, focus on putting the right plant in the right place, at the right time. You may find your “black” thumb is garden dirt and a green thumb is underneath!

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March 2020 NewsLetter
A Conversation with Brendan McGill of Hitchcock, and Friends of the Farms.
A Conversation with Brendan McGill of Hitchcock, and Friends of the Farms.

Food and Farming

A Conversation with Brendan McGill of Hitchcock, and Friends of the Farms.

By Erin Hill


Erin: Who do you farm with?

Brendan: Our company farm is a collaboration with Kevin Block, who used to be Sol Farm. That’s our venture, financially. Kevin was someone that I bought pigs from, and worked with, and at one point he proposed that if we were to take over financial control that would allow him to get up to scale, meet certain size requirements so that he could not have to wait tables part time which made it really hard to chase the pigs around. We get endless, beautiful, best pork in the world out of the effort of doing this together. We lease his old property, he lives and works there on the farm… We have limited vegetable production there too, so we’re looking at getting a couple of WOOFers this summer.

E: Does all of what Kevin produces go to you? 

WE'RE LOOKING FOR HOUSING FOR FARM INTERNS!

SSpring is here, and with it comes many new hands to help seed, transplant, weed and pick our incredible locally grown food! This work is often done by young farmers learning the trade from experienced master farmers in our community.

Friends of the Farms feels lucky to make housing available for eight farm interns and young farmers each year. But 2019 is an especially fruitful year and some of the farmers in our community are looking for additional intern housing…

Local Farm Food and Your Own Amazon Rainforest
Local Farm Food and Your Own Amazon Rainforest

…It has to do with you and the Amazon Rainforest.
Alright, kind of…
I assume you haven’t missed all the hype in the news about gut health and the microbiome.

Did you know that in a healthy human there are over 100 trillion microbial cells that live in our digestive system?  That equals about 3 to 5 pounds.
Most of the microbes consist of the bacteria, viruses and fungi.
A healthy microbiome has significantly more biodiversity than the Amazon rainforest.
Incredible, right?

SPRING RECIPE & NETTLE HUNTING
SPRING RECIPE & NETTLE HUNTING

How to harvest nettles, as documented by two Friends of the Farms Board Members at the M&E Property on Bainbridge Island in March of this year, 2019:

  1. Gird thy loins. And ankles. And wrists. And basically any exposed skin, or even skin covered with light clothing. Just, be impenetrable. Long sleeves and pants are a good place to start.

  2. Grab some gloves. No, not those. Not those either. Full on plastic or latex gloves are best. Yup, the ones from your kitchen sink that reach to your elbows.

  3. Read on!

Please make a donation today to support our work on behalf of local farms and food.