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 highlight the benefits of eating locally. They will also share opportunities to enjoy food from chefs, farmers, fishers, and grocers and experience the unique flavors of our region.
Eat Local Month kicks off with Restaurant Week from September 1-8. 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 symbol on local menus to find food that’s made from local ingredients.
The Whatcom County Farm Tour is a beloved highlight of Farm Week. On September 14th from 10am-4pm, sixteen 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 Small Acres will offer farm tours, on-farm sales, and a demonstration of Luffa sponge processing. At Fair Cow’s Path, you’ll be able to say hello to some of their animals (including cows, goats, geese, chickens, and emus), learn about their first-generation beef cattle operation, purchase their grass-fed beef and handmade body care products, and grab a bite to eat from the Mobile Mouth Hole, a local food truck featuring beef from their farm. Learn more about the Farm Tour and plan your adventure here. During Farm Week, from September 9-15, 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.
From September 16-22, celebrate Market Week. 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! Visit Sustainable Connections’ booth at the Bellingham Farmers Market on September 21 for local food samples and to enter to win their market giveaway.
And last but certainly not least, Eat Local Month will recognize Seafood Week from September 23-30. This year, Sustainable Connections, Bellingham SeaFeast, and the Whatcom Working Waterfront Coalition are partnering to launch an all-new event, Day on the Bay. During Day on the Bay, on September 28, folks will learn about Bellingham’s rich maritime culture, fishing industry, and business community on Bellingham Bay. This self-guided event allows folks to stop at more than 12 locations along the Bay to meet fishers, tour boats, visit the touch tanks, learn to crab, see historical pictures, check out the Hannah Project and so much more!
“We’re fortunate to have so many incredible chefs, farmers, and fishermen 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 and sea 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 the rich agricultural, aquacultural, 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/
More Day on the Bay info: https://sustainableconnections.org/events/day-on-the-bay/
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Photo of Bar Cicotti courtesy of Kristina Gray