Category: In the News

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Come on out and Join Us!

Spend an enjoyable and opportune evening connecting with those who grow, produce, and source the food you eat—from our farms to your table. Meet some of the stewards of our land, whose hands work the soil with care to provide our communities and future generations with wholesome food. Get to know some of our vendors, who take this wholesome food and masterfully craft it into healthy products for our families. Visit with the Klesick Family Farm team and discover the fun group of people behind your box of good. You will come away connected—it will no longer be just food, but you will remember the smiles and warm handshakes of those who share your care for our land and our food.

Event Schedule ~ “An Evening with Your Farmers”

6:45 Doors Open
• Organic Hors d’oeuvres:  Sliced Seasonal Fruit and Berries, Apple Blossom Honey and Raspberry Whipped Yogurt Mousse, Bruschetta and Flat Bread Station, Served with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a Variety of Toasted Flat Breads, Specialty toppings include: Roasted Pepper Hummus, Roasted Garlic and Tomato, Boursin Cheese, Olive Tapenade
• Selection of Organic Wine, Beer and Ciders 
• Visit with Your Growers
• Photo Slide Show
 
7:15 Welcome ~ Tristan Klesick
• Farmer Introductions
• The KFF Team: The people behind your box of good 
• Door Prizes
 
7:45 Guest Speaker ~ Jon Scholl, President, American Farmland Trust
• The American Farm Bill and Conservation
• Assortment of Mini Desserts from Essential Baking Company
 
8:15 Ken Akopiantz, Horse Drawn Produce Lopez Island
• GMO Free San Juans, A Victory for Farmers
 
8:25 pm Assorted Mini Dessert Samplers – Essential Bakery
• More Farmer Introductions
• Door prizes
• Farmer Connections
 
9:30 Farewell
 
Further Event Details:
Saturday, February 2nd 
7:00 – 9:30 p.m.
 
Comcast Arena at Everett
in the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center, Ballroom 1
2000 Hewitt Ave, 
Everett, WA 98201
 
Adults only; Business/informal attire; $30 per person; Place your reservation online, under the Non-Food category on our Products page, or by giving our office a call.
 
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The Nutritional Power of Pumpkins

by Maylin Rodriguez-Paez, RN
 
Pumpkins are not just Halloween decorations — they’re also total nutritional powerhouses. 
 
In fact, both the flesh and the seeds of pumpkins contain a number of beneficial nutrients that can help prevent disease and promote health. 
 
So before you trash the remains of that freshly carved pumpkin you’ve put on your porch for Halloween, consider giving both the flesh and the seeds a try.
 
Don’t be surprised if your taste buds and body thank you for tricking them into a new treat-of-choice.

Pumpkins are a Figure-Friendly Food

If you’re watching your weight, you should definitely work pumpkin in your diet. And no, we’re not just talking about pumpkin pie.
 
The orange “meat” is very low in calories (30 calories per cup) and carbs, with about 8 grams per serving1. It’s also rich in fiber, which helps to fill you up.
 
Pumpkin works great as a side dish with your favorite meals and has fewer calories than a serving of rice or potatoes.

Pumpkins are Rich in Antioxidants

The nutrient content of pumpkins, specifically in terms of antioxidants, is another great reason to start eating them. Here are two key antioxidants that make pumpkins such an excellent choice.
 

1. Carotenoids

The pumpkin’s beautiful orange color is due to beta-carotene, a disease-preventing antioxidant. You should make it a point to get enough daily.
 
Diets rich in beta-carotene may protect against cancer2 and heart disease3. Also, it plays an important role in the skin, where it helps to guard against sun damage.4
 
Other carotenoids found in pumpkin flesh include zeaxanthin and lutein,1 which enhance vision.5 

2. Gamma-Tocopherol

Pumpkin seeds are a great source of gamma-tocopherol,6 a potent form of vitamin E.
 
Gamma-tocopherol plays different roles in the human body. Scientists have discovered that it protects the brain from Alzheimer’s disease.7 In addition it’s been shown to prevent LDL oxidation, a risk factor for heart disease.8

Pumpkins Contain Lignans — Powerful Anti-Cancer Compounds 

Pumpkin seeds contain lignans,9 which are estrogen-like compounds that are good for your body. Lignans are “weak estrogens” that favorably bind to estrogen receptors to help protect against cancerous growths.
 
Studies indicate that a diet rich in lignans may prevent different types of cancers, including cancers of the prostate10 and colon.11 
 
One study found that eating pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and soybeans (all rich in lignans) was associated with a lower risk of breast cancer.12

Pumpkins Protect Prostate Tissue

Pumpkin seed extract blocks the activity of 5-alpha reductase,13 an enzyme that converts testosterone into DHT (dihydrotestosterone), a very potent form of testosterone.
 
DHT causes prostate tissue to grow and is implicated in conditions like prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia (non-cancerous prostate growth), and even male pattern baldness. Levels tend to be elevated in aging men.
 
One study showed that men with benign prostatic hyperplasia had improvements in urinary flow and frequency after taking pumpkin seed extract.14 
Recipe: Curried Pumpkin Soup
This fall make it a point to try pumpkin in a few different ways. For example, here's a recipe for a delicious pumpkin soup that will give your taste buds a serious treat, courtesy of the website Epicurious.
 
Ingredients:
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped (2 cups) 
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger 
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin 
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander 
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 
• 3/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes 
• 2 (15-oz) cans solid-pack pumpkin (3 1/2 cups) or fresh pumpkin puree
• 4 cups water 
• 1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (12 fl oz) 
• 1 (14-oz) can unsweetened coconut milk (not low-fat) 
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds 
• 8 fresh curry leaves 
 
Preparation:
Cook onions in butter in a wide, 6-quart, heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add cumin, coriander, and cardamom and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in salt, red pepper flakes, pumpkin, water, broth, and coconut milk and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Purée soup in batches in a blender until smooth, transferring to a large bowl, and return soup to pot. Keep soup warm over low heat.
 
Heat oil in a small, heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot. Then cook mustard seeds until they begin to pop, about 15 seconds. Add curry leaves and cook 5 seconds. Then pour mixture into pumpkin soup. Stir until combined well and season soup with salt.
 
Happy Halloween, everyone – enjoy!
 
References:
1. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2600/2
2. Molecules. 2012 Mar 14;17(3):3202-42.
3. Ann Epidemiol. 1995 Jul;5(4):255-60.
4. Dermatology. 2010;221(2):160-71. 
5. Eur J Ophthalmol. 2012 Mar-Apr;22(2):216-25.
6. Z Lebensm Unters Forsch. 1996 Apr;202(4):275-8.
7. Nitric Oxide. 2002 Mar;6(2):221-7.
8. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol Ther. 1999 Oct;4(4):219-226.
9. J Agric Food Chem. 2003 Feb 26;51(5):1181-8.
10. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2006 Dec;31(24):2021-5, 2093.
11. Carcinogenesis. 1996 Jun;17(6):1343-8.
12. Nutr Cancer. 2012;64(5):652-65. 
13. Nutr Res Pract. 2009 Winter; 3(4): 323–327.
14. Br J Urol. 1990 Dec;66(6):639-41.
 
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Jeffery Smith is coming to the San Juan Islands.  Jeffery has lead the way in exposing the health risks of GMO’s. “Eating genetically modified food is gambling with every bite.” In his new book, Genetic Roulette, Jeffery shatters the biotech industry's claim that genetically modified (GM) foods are safe.
 
Jeffery Smith on San Juan and Lopez. Jeffery will be presenting on the evening of the September 17th on San Juan followed by an afternoon and evening presentation on Lopez on the 18th. He will also be presenting on September 19th on Orcas.
 
This is a great opportunity to further our efforts to pass Initiative 2012-4 and keep San Juan County GMO-Free.
 
 
 
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Best CSA Farm in the State

Klesick’s vegetable delivery service takes top honor
By SARAH ARNEY
Staff Reporter for Stanwood Camano News
A new website promoting local agriculture, CSAFarms.com, named Stanwood’s Klesick Family Farm the state’s best community supported agriculture (CSA) farm last week.

“It’s an honor,” said owner Tristan Klesick from Spokane Thursday, where he was attending a conference on healthy food. However, he said that his business is not strictly a CSA.
Technically, he said, community supported agriculture means that clients pay the farmer in advance for a season of fresh-grown produce from his farm. “We’re a bit of a hybrid,” he said. Oranges do come from Florida, while bananas and avocados are from Mexico. Still, everything is organic. Klesick said it’s not possible to grow produce in the Stilly Valley all year long, but he is planning to extend the growing season with new hot houses. He said hot houses could help extend the season for broccoli and lettuce. “Being in the flood plain is an issue,” he said.
Once it floods, we can’t sell the produce.” Currently, an all Northwest box at this time of year would include squash, parsnips, and potatoes, as well as apples, and pears from Eastern Washington, but no greens. “Tristan’s philosophy is to buy local as much as possible,” said Jim Coleman, manager of the packing plant.
For Cody Barrus, co-founder of CSAFarms.com, that was not a critical issue. With more than 185 CSAs in Washington, it was a tough choice to pick one, Barrus said. “When the dust settled, it was agreed that Klesick Family Farm was indeed the best,” he said. Barrus added that his list of 185 farms includes several farms that are not strictly CSA’s but they all stand by the CDS values of fresh and local first. “The Klesick Family Farm’s mission is to grow and deliver nutrient-dense food for consumers who value local. healthy and sustainably-farmed foods.” Barrus said. CSAFarms.com was founded in 2011 by Cody Barrus along with Denny Chapin and James Schergen.
Klesick has been growing vegetables on his 37-acre family farm on Miller Road since 1997. He employs more than 25 people, including six family members. “Some have grown out of it, he said” he said. His mission is to provide good healthy food for people and make their lives either. “As consumers, there are very few things that we can control in this world, but what we can control is what we put in our bodies,” Klesick said. “If we can help a family eat healthier, we have done our job.” To that end, in Spokane, Klesick was learning about the biology of bacteria and fungus. “It’s a refresher course for me,” said Klesick, who added that he is excited about the Port Susan Food and Farming Center in the works for Stanwood. “Stanwood is unique in its effort to create a local food system,” he said.
A client in Lake Stevens, Kerri Hale Russell, is a fan of Klesick. “They’ll deliver right to your door if you live most anywhere in Snohomish County, and the price is definitely right,” Russell said. Runners up in the competition were Helsing Junction Farm in Rochester, Schreiber and Sons Farm near Pasco, Jubilee Farm, and The Root Connection, the state’s first CSA.
This article was published by the Stanwood Camano News. Used with permission

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Organic, Conventional, and Chemical

I was reading in one of my farm papers and I was drawn to an article about biotech sugar beets and how this massive farm company (19,000 acres) was so thankful that the USDA had deregulated GMO sugar beets. I have actually met the president of this farm company a few years ago, which is also why the article caught my attention. I have been following the GMO debacle for years. What really set me thinking was a new shift in thinking.

In the past, farmers have been categorized as either conventional (those that use synthetic chemicals) or organic (those that don’t). But this president was also thankful that the USDA allowed GMO sugar beets, because one of his field managers said, and I paraphrase, “I was going to quit if I had to go back to conventional farming.” What this means to me is we have moved from two types of farming paradigms to three. We now have organic, conventional, and chemical farmers now! That field manager didn’t want to go back to using plows, discs and mechanical weeding, he just wants to plant, spray, and harvest. Talk about having to reread and reread and reread that statement. I am so grieved by this thinking. We are moving farther and farther away from the ability to farm without Monsanto’s GMO laced poison crops. Sure there are pockets of farmers like ourselves, but there are literally hundreds of millions of acres of acres now being farmed chemically and using GMO crops that it will be harder and harder to turn the tide on this trend.

We need to win this battle for good food. There are two ways to win this fight. First, don’t buy GMO products. This alone would cause these companies to change farming practices. Right now the money is too good to change. Hit them in the pocketbook and we will see change. And second, labeling. MANDATORY LABELING of GMO foods will “encourage” farmers, processors, and marketers to change more quickly when the public shies away from GMO products.

Future generations of people deserve the right to eat real food, from seeds that are not injected with pesticides and herbicides, grown in soil that is alive and fertile. That is what we believe and that is how we farm.

Thanks for being co-laborers in this fight for good food.

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What a Hit!

Alright, truth be told, I didn’t know what to expect when I announced to my team that we were going to have a Squash Fest. Having never hosted an event like this and with such short notice, I was thoroughly blessed to see so many of our customers on Friday and Saturday. An even bigger shocker to me was the turnout of seniors and super seniors.

In my mind, I imagined several young families coming out to “see” where their box of good comes from. While young families did show up, it was our “more mature” customers who wanted to buy squash, and lots of it. We even had repeat shoppers. Three customers in particular came back the second day for more of their favorites. As a farmer, it really blessed my heart to know they wanted more of the food that I grow and that it was worth the second trip in order to “stock up.”

Saturday was also a production day for us, so we had a crew out harvesting squash and bunching spinach. With all the activity of my crew working, customers picking, and tractors in the field, one customer commented that the picturesque scene remind her of Norman Rockwell’s artistry.

To help sort and accumulate the pumpkins into nice piles, I enlisted the help of a few young strapping boys. My crew, after handling several thousands of pounds of squash, was thankful for their help. So, thank you Caden and Chase for your help. And, of course, thank you Brenda for bringing your boys out to the farm.

For those of you who couldn’t make it, we harvested lots of squash that we will be sending your way over the next few months.

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Cover Crops, Soil Fertility, and Labeling

We have planted all of our open ground to cover crops this fall. Cover cropping is the practice of covering your fields or gardens with a living crop. It can be wheat, vetch, rye, peas, clover, and even weeds. The purpose is to maintain organic matter in the soil, which helps hold nutrients in the growing zone areas of the soil. Another purpose is to prevent erosion.  Down here where it floods, a lot of bare soil can move around quickly, but ground that is covered rarely erodes.  Also, the cover crop will take nutrients up into the growing plant and hold those nutrients all winter in the plant, preventing them from leaching away in the soil.

In particular, with our rainy winters, nutrients can migrate out of the upper six inches of soil and be lost. The loss of nutrients is a big deal because those nutrients represent lost money to the farmer and in the spring more fertilizer will need to be purchased to replace what nutrients leached away. But even more importantly, our environment is impacted when minerals are leached away and end up in rivers, streams, lakes, the ocean, and even work their way down to aquifers. And polluting our drinking waters with excessive agricultural chemicals and nutrients is not wise.

While farming can be a culprit for water table issues, in areas like the Puget Sound  our urban neighbors have a huge impact with the use of lawn and garden fertilizers and chemicals. Sadly, agriculture usually gets targeted for this issue because a lot of the urban chemical use is upstream of farmers and is filtered through the flood plains on their way to the ocean. Another reason the regulators sometimes blame farmers for water pollution is because, quite frankly, farmers represent less votes (approximately 1% nationally) than urban corridors.

On our farm we plant cover crops so we can grow healthier food, prevent erosion and feed our soil microbiology in the spring.  Without healthy soil, you can’t have healthy food. And if American’s health issues are an indication, American farmers should change their farming methods!

I think we could change the health of the American food supply by doing two simple things: first, start requiring labeling for GMO foods and secondly, before any farm subsidy is given out, the farmer needs to demonstrate that their soil fertility is being maintained by submitting soil samples. By doing these two things we would radically change the direction of our food supply for the better.

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Imagine Children's Museum Harvest Festival, Oct. 8, 2011

We are so excited that Klesick Family Farm has been invited to participate as the resident organic farm during the Imagine Children’s Museum’s Harvest Festival scheduled for Saturday October 8, 2011.

What is the Harvest Festival?

From April to June, Imagine Children’s Museum hands out free seeds (pumpkin, zucchini, sunflower) for their program “Kids in the Garden,” which encourages families to get in the dirt together and plant a garden. One of the main components of the Harvest Festival is to ask children to bring in something they have grown in the garden and we display these “fruits of labor” in grand style. In addition to the “what have grown display” there will be harvest games, veggie art, vegetable science with our resident Dr. Science and just simple wonderful inside harvest fun.

Here at Klesick Family Farm, we have a wonderful representation of organic farming, and we will be  sharing our knowledge with visitors at the Harvest Festival. We encourage all of our fans and customers to come to the Harvest Festival to learn more about local organic farming!

For more information on the Harvest Festival, please visit the Imagine Children’s Museum website here!

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Savoring Summer

If you listen closely, you can just start to hear it. It’s the voice of fall whispering. She calls out through the cool mornings and evenings, through the few leaves starting to drop, and through the subconscious longing for apples, pumpkins and warm foods.

For now, I’m not listening. I’m tuning out her voice and soaking in these last beautiful sun-filled days. One of these days I’ll wake up with eagerness to make our annual trip to the orchard. I’ll be dreaming of pumpkin pie and kids in costumes seeking out treats. But not now.

Currently, I’m still enjoying bathing suits, iced tea, and simple meals that taste of summer. The kind of meal where you quickly run in from outside not knowing what to make, but finding yourself with plenty of produce, you have dinner ready in an instant. The one where you forage through your pantry grabbing at a few staples, your imagination going wild and your stomach rumbling in anticipation. These meals are like delicious Kodak moments that I tuck away into an edible memory bank, knowing that I will long for these tastes about six months from now.

I reach for a can of white beans and a jar of sun-dried tomatoes. I grab a zucchini, which I always have on hand and often don’t know what to do with the current bounty. A quick trip outside to my little garden and I have a small handful of rosemary. I open the can, rinse the beans, add a few hefty spoonfuls of the tomatoes and the flavorful oil that comes with it. The rosemary gets a tender mince and all is tasted and adjusted with salt and pepper. On top, a vegetable peeler slices perfectly thin and elegantly long strips of zucchini. If I happen to have feta, goat cheese, or Parmesan on hand, that gets tossed in as well. A hearty tug on a loaf of crusty bread and dinner is served.

All the while the splashing outside continues. The iced tea flows freely and we savor the last burst of heat, the sounds of gleeful laughter ringing throughout the neighborhood, and the tastes of summer. Soon there will be fall, I’m almost ready.

by Ashley Rodriguez

Chef, food blogger, and full-time mom. Read more of her writings at www.notwithoutsalt.com

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Old-Fashioned Farm Celebration! August 20, 2011

You are invited to come out to Klesick Family Farm for our annual old-fashioned farm celebration this Saturday! A fun and wholesome event for the entire family! Free admission!


Meet the people behind your “Box of Good” and celebrate the season with us. We will enjoy a fun-filled day with live music, wagon rides, a pioneer play area, face painting, tug-o-war, a balloon toss, a gunny sack race, a pie-eating contest, volleyball, wiffle ball, raffle prizes, farm walks with Tristan, good food, an espresso stand, and a produce stand. Bring a kite to fly, as we’ll have the room. Please bring your own picnic blanket or chairs.

The weather is going to be great, so jump in the car and enjoy the drive to our little spot in the picturesque Stillaguamish River valley!

Saturday, August 20th

10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

24101 Miller Rd

Stanwood, WA 98292

Schedule of Events

10:00     Let the Fun Begin!

10:30     Demonstration: Potato Digging

11:00     Raffle  –  Farm Walk: Orchard, Vegetable, Cover Crop

11:30     Raffle  –  Music: Ben Booher (at the Hay Maze)

12:00     Demonstration: Juicer & Dehydrator

12:30     Raffle  –  Games: Tug-o-War, Balloon Toss, Gunny Sack Race, Pie Eating Contest

1:15        Raffle  –  Music: Ryan Foxley (at the Hay Maze)

2:15        Raffle  –  Farm Walk: Vegetable, Permaculture, Cover Crop, Beef

2:45        Demonstration:  Making Hay & Potato Digging

3:30        Raffle  –  Music: Spencer Clem (at the Hay Maze)

4:00        Ciao!

Please call us if you have any questions: 360-652-4663

We look forward to seeing you!