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Klesick’s Special Thanksgiving Holiday Box Week

171944_10151314383936145_1134135620_oEvery Thanksgiving holiday season, we offer an additional special Holiday Box ($36) full of traditional organic Thanksgiving meal items for your celebration. Not only can you schedule a Holiday Box to be delivered the week of Thanksgiving, but also the week before and the week after (available Nov.18-Dec. 6). You can have this box delivered along with your regular order or in place of your regular order (please specify your preference when placing your order). 

The box menu is as follows (*denotes local):

Holiday Box Menu
Granny Smith Apples, 2 lbs.*
Green Beans, 1 lb.
Cranberries, 8 oz.*
Garnet Yams, 2 lbs.
Satsumas, 2 lbs.
Carrots, 2 lbs.
Breadcubes for Stuffing, 1 lb.*
Yellow Potatoes, 3 lbs.*
Celery, 1 bunch
Yellow Onions, 1 lb.*
Acorn Squash, 1 ea.*

**Please note: . Coffee and bread orders received after this time will be scheduled for your following delivery.Coffee and bread orders for the week of Thanksgiving need to be received by noon on Thursday, November 21st

Remembering Neighbors in Need

If your celebration includes helping the less fortunate who live in our community, we would like to partner with you by giving you the oppor-tunity to purchase a discounted Holiday Donation Box for only $26, to be given to local food banks the week of Thanksgiving. Last year 127 Holiday Boxes were donated and this year we’d love to have a greater impact. The volunteers at the food banks have expressed again and again how wonderful and satisfying it is to be able to supply people with fresh produce. Please call or e-mail us to set up this donation.

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Yes on I-522

yeson522Last week, I got a call from the Everett Herald who wanted interview me for an article about I-522. This is so important to the health of future generations that, as much as I prefer not to engage in the rhetoric, I accepted. Jerry Cornfield, from the Herald, is a very good writer and accurately captured my comments in the Sunday Herald article. Ironically enough, the “No” position farmer was Andy Werkhoven, a fellow farmer and friend—we just see this issue differently.

Why does this issue have to be so divisive? This issue is simple:  if it was created in a laboratory and has had foreign DNA implanted into it, label it. The real reason comes down to profits and lots of it. Large chemical companies and manufacturers of processed foods know that “full disclosure” will have an immediate impact on their bottom lines. For them, the status quo is to be preserved at all costs. Hence, the full out blitz to confuse and place doubt in the minds of the voters. They also have their hands full trying to get enough people to the polls this year since it is a non-Presidential election cycle.

Please join me in voting “Yes” on I -522 to label genetically engineered food (I use the term “food” loosely). A “Yes” vote will have a positive impact on so many important areas:
1.    It will impact the health of our citizens, by giving consumers the information to make informed choices to avoid these types of food.
2.    It will create a competitive environment for farmers to be able to grow non-GE seeds to meet the demand for food that is GE-free.
3.    The loss of potential market share by large food processors will alter the planting of GE crops in favor of non-GE crops, (this is huge!). Sadly, profits drive most of these companies.
4.    It will be a positive change for the environment with many ecological benefits.
5.    It will also “brake” the stranglehold that Monsanto and other multinational food and chemical giants have over the USDA and Congress.

Wow, these are some lofty expectations for one ballot measure in one state. But if we can pass I-522 here in Washington State, it will force the other Washington to deal with this issue nationally. The Congress and the President of our nation should be proactive and lead in this debate, but since they are choosing not to deal with it, it is happening state by state and community by community. 

A YES vote on I-522 will begin to tilt our national food policies in the direction of safer, non-adulterated food. And that will be good for everyone.

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Pumpkin Season

SquashSugarPiePumpkin_web-500x500Fall is definitely pumpkin time. Shoot, even McDonalds and Starbucks are advertising PSL on the radio and billboards. (Just in case, you are more like me than not, PSL stands for Pumpkin Spice Latte.) Well, on the farm we grow pumpkins and lots of them—sweet pie pumpkins. This growing season was very good for all the varieties of squash. 

Last fall, I visited a pumpkin/vegetable trial from our local seed supplier. Trials evaluate plant performance and yield to benefit vegetable gardeners. At the trial, there was this new sugar pie pumpkin that was incredibly delicious and uniform in size. I am always on the lookout for great tasting vegetables and, while our tried and true small sugar pie variety was excellent, this new one caught my attention. The flavor is bar none, off the charts, with dense meaty flavor. The outside is also unique, with a light orange color and a netting overlay. It is also more uniform in size. 

Being the quintessential dreamer that I am, I jumped in whole hog and switched to this Winter Luxury variety. About six weeks ago, I called my seed representative and sent her a picture of the basketball-sized pumpkins growing in my field. (Do you know why farmers often have less hair? Because we do a lot head scratching trying to figure out what is happening with our crops, the weather, etc.) Sorry I digress, but the yield I was getting was definitely a head scratcher. This new variety, grown on my farm, out grew itself and now I have a lot of 8 to 10 pounders that won’t fit into our delivery boxes.

Want to help your farmer this week??? Feel free to order an extra pumpkin (or five ☺) for only $5 each and we will deliver it with your next order: http://www.klesickfamilyfarm.com/cart/index.php?route=product/category&type_view=&path=2&page=8

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