Sustainable Connections is excited to celebrate September Eat Local Month, a month-long celebration of eating local food and honoring those who grow, raise, harvest, and prepare it to share with this community. All month long, Sustainable Connections will be highlighting the benefits of eating locally, as well as opportunities to enjoy food from chefs, farmers, fishers, and grocers and experience the unique flavors of our region. Eat Local Month festivities are outlined on their website at sustainableconnections.org and prizes will be given away throughout the month on social media.
Eat Local Month kicks off with Market Week from September 1-9. Farmers markets, fish markets, cheese markets, and grocers are all bountiful at the end of summer and well into fall – Market Week invites the community to enjoy and support their local market vendors! Be sure to check out Bike Northwest’s awesome Eat Local Month bike tours that start this week, as well.
The Whatcom County Farm Tour is the highlight of Farm Week. On September 16th from 10am-4pm, twelve farms in Whatcom County will open their (barn) doors for visitors to get a behind-the-scenes look at how food gets from the farm to their plate. Farms like Lydia’s Flock will offer guided tours, on-farm sales, and a chance to meet their sheep. Cloud Mountain Farm Center will kick off a fruit tree sale and have Basil, the Common Threads food truck, on-site serving up delicious local fare. Grace Harbor Creamery and Steensma Creamery are teaming up to show Farm Tour participants how yogurt and milk are processed; their combined creamery tour will be located at Grace Harbor Farms. Learn more about the Farm Tour and plan your adventure here. During Farm Week, from September 10-16, folks will have the chance to meet their farmers, learn about local agriculture, and enjoy farm activities like the Farm to Table Trails and the Whatcom County Farm Tour.
After the excitement of Farm Week, Eat Local Month keeps up the momentum with a delectable foray into Restaurant Week from September 17-23. Over 30 local restaurants will serve Eat Local Month specials (all month long, not just this week!). These specials are comprised of at least 50% local ingredients, which means that you’ll be supporting the local food system as well as enjoying delicious and unique dishes prepared by the region’s best chefs. Look for the Eat Local First fork to find food that’s made from local ingredients.
And last but certainly not least, Eat Local Month will recognize Seafood Week from September 24-30. There are many ways to celebrate the amazing flavors from the Salish Sea, including taking the Bike Northwest Fish and Chips bike tour, stopping by Lummi Seafood Market for the freshest-caught seafood, and trying new recipes.
“We’re fortunate to have so many incredible chefs and farmers in this region,” says Jess Meyer, Sustainable Connections’ Food and Farming Outreach Coordinator. “Eat Local Month is a celebration of all the connections that bring food from the farm to our plates – and the connections that bring us together.”
Sustainable Connections is thrilled to be able to share so many opportunities to dive deeper into our local food movement and the rich agricultural and culinary worlds of Northwest Washington and Whatcom County.
More Eat Local Month info: http://sustainableconnections.org/eat-local-month/
More Farm Tour info: https://sustainableconnections.org/whatcom-county-farm-tour/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatlocalfirstnw/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eatlocalfirstnw
Eat Local Month is made possible by support from Whatcom Community Foundation, Bellingham Farmers Market, Cascade Radio Group, FarmWild, Community Food Coop, Mt. Baker Care Center, Whatcom County, City of Bellingham, Aslan Brewing Company, Katheryn Moran Photography, and Heritage Bank.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Station
