Posted by admin on January 25, 2013
***You can still use the payment button to make your second half payments***
This year our session will begin June 26th and end October 23rd (18 weeks)
As with previous seasons, you have the option to make a full payment, or
2 half payments – as long as you have paid the full amount by July 15th.
If paying with credit card, please use ‘buy now’ options on the right side of this page.
You can also mail us a check, along with the CSA form located at the top of this web page.
(Only send us the bottom portion of the form w/ fields filled-out)
Below are the 2013 CSA pickup locations:
Sol to Seed Farm – Carnation
Bellevue/Kirkland – Bridle Trails
Seattle Eastlake – Grand Central Bakery
Seattle Belltown – Pintxo Restaurant
Issaquah Highlands – Swedish Hospital
Please email questions to: soltoseedfarm(at)gmail(dot)com
Posted by admin on December 27, 2012
One of the most overused words, in our humble opinion, is ‘Sustainable’ This seems to have become the ‘mot du jour’ when describing the kind of life we’d all like to think we’re leading. It’s one of those buzz words that makes us feel like we’re really supporting a worthwhile cause. While Sustainability is no doubt a worth while goal, can we truly be sustainable?
As farmers growing with organic principles, we also tend to be rather contradictory when it comes to garbage and things unsustainable. At the end of each season, when we walk our fields and begin the arduous task of cleaning up the farm and ‘putting it to rest’ for the winter, it always strikes us that we use far too many unsustainable products. Plastic is one of those items that is ubiquitous on almost any farm, even on those practicing organic methods. I look around our farm and see 4 greenhouses draped in plastic, and the countless beds we setup with a plastic ‘mulch’ used for weed suppression and maximizing soil temperatures. How can we even begin to consider ourselves ‘sustainable’? Then there’s the reemay (row cover) used to protect many of our plants from insect damage or provide extra warmth during colder months. Reemay is made with polypropylene or polyester, which can hardly be considered sustainable. And how about our equipment? Most of it requires diesel or gasoline for operation.
While this might seem a bit discouraging and even hopeless, there is some good news on the horizon. Many farms, including ours, are beginning to see the proverbial irony with the common goal to farm in harmony with nature, and our habitual efforts to do the exact opposite. This is why or farm has decided to make 2013 the year we begin working towards a less trashy agricultural existence. That means using biodegradable ‘plastic mulch’ (manufactured w/ non-GMO products), and reassessing what ends up in the landfill each winter by asking if that product can survive a couple more growing seasons. Even though farmers tend to be the most thrifty folks on the planet, we cannot get around the fact that some of the products we use are simply not sustainable. Our goal must be to seek out those products that put the least amount of stress on our environment. This is not easy, but it cannot be an excuse to continue farming this way.
As less destructive product options become available to farmers, it’s up to us to take the lead on utilizing these items. If you’re not sure what is available, contact your local University extension agent and find out what they are field testing. With a little knowledge and vigilance, we can truly work towards a more sustainable farming model.
Posted by admin on January 26, 2012
We are no longer accepting CSA members for this season.
You are still able to make your second 1/2 payment if you already joined.
Thank you!
Pickup Locations:
Carnation – Sol to Seed Farm
Snoqualmie Ridge
Seattle – Grand Central Cafe (Eastlake location only)
Seattle – Belltown (Pintxo)
Issaquah – Swedish Hospital Highlands
Bellevue/Kirkland – Bridle Trails Neighborhood
Please check our website often, we will continue to update locations.
Posted by admin on April 12, 2011
http://psfn.org/blog/2011/04/producer-member-highlight-sol-to-seed-farm/
Producer Member Highlight: Sol to Seed Farm
On March 16th, PSFN Project Manager, Lucy Norris visited Sol to Seed Farm in Carnation, WA and talked with Matt and Deanna Tregoning about their CSA and wildlife in the Snoqualmie Valley.
Tell us a little bit about Sol to Seed Farm.
My wife Deanna and I moved here in 2008 so this is the third year we’ve been farming this land. We both grew up in Michigan. Farming here is a long-term commitment for us and we wanted a place where we could leave a lasting impression by conserving and allowing nature to guide us. We are Certified Naturally Grown and incorporate many growing philosophies, all of which are based on organic principles. We have twenty acres but only one and half acres in production. We use no synthetics and have a strict non-GMO pledge. Most of our farm is worked with hand tools and a walk-behind tractor. We use our 4-wheel tractor only when necessary. We have a Facebook page, we Tweet, and we put flyers up at PCC and participate in farmers markets. We joined PSFN in 2009.
Tell me more about your CSA.
Our CSA shares are our product. All of the food we place in our CSA boxes during the season is from our farm. We do not source from other growers. We’re ready to sell (50) CSA shares this year (that’s 20 more than last year). We grow a bunch of different things and people are really happy with the quality and variety. We were once CSA customers so we’re always thinking of things we liked and didn’t like.
We already have verbal commitments from more than 50 people now, but it’s not real until the checks arrive. And right now is when we’re spending the most money. Every week that someone signs up we say, “Great! There’s the money to buy more seeds.” With each share we sell, that money goes directly back into the farm.
Our prices are based on two sizes of shares. One is a half share box ($400) that feeds two people who eats most meals at home. The full box ($600) is ideal for a family who plans to use vegetables in daily meals. For smaller restaurants (approx 20 tables), we suggest starting with 1 to 3 full shares per week and developing a tasting menu based on that week’s share. This works especially well for restaurants new to developing seasonal menus and farm direct purchasing. Start with CSA shares and train your staff how to use more “fresh off the farm” ingredients and less “RTE” processed foods.
What can new members expect from Sol to Seed CSA boxes this year?
New CSA members should expect lighter shares earlier in the season, but we make up for it once the harvest kicks in. Early share boxes might include Kale, Kohlrabi, Peas, Bunching Onions, Green Garlic, Arugula, Radishes and Turnips. Mid Season/Late Season boxes might include Lettuce, Beans, Carrots, Beets, Fennel, Rainbow Chard, Tomatoes, Hot and Sweet Peppers, Salad Mix, Potatoes, Summer Squash, Cucumbers, Melons, Eggplant and Corn
What makes Sol to Seed Farm’s CSA unique?
We’re able to grow lots of pantry staples as well as hard to find local produce that other farms in the Pacific Northwest struggle to grow. For example, we grow an impressive variety of standard and twenty varieties of sunflowers, thirty varieties of heirloom tomatoes including saucing/paste, slicing and cherry types. We also grow forty varieties of hot and sweet peppers and eggplants popular with chefs and serious home cooks. We small but we have absolute control over our own quality standards. We also bottle and sell our own brand of pickled jalapeno pepper rings.
It’s been another bad year for floods, has it affected your planting?
Not really. In 2009 it was really bad. That’s before we got the green houses. Our house is 8 feet off the ground, but if water ever got in the house that would be cataclysmic. Since we moved here the worst flood got up to about 4 feet below the house, so I think we’re OK. Our waterway in Snoqualmie is pretty clean so it’s more about dealing with the mud than with garbage. It’s not the Mississippi River although some of the rules about planting after a flood are based on one polluted river across the country.
Oh! There’s the first swallow… (Pauses to look as the bird flying away)
So what kinds of birds are you trying to attract over here?
Those are actually bat houses. We just put those up last year so we’ll see what happens, but there’s nothing yet. I’d like to bring in some owls, too. That’s the cool thing about living here since Salmon Safe started establishing trees early with the neighbors like Jubilee Farms all the way down the road, cleaning out the non-native plants. Wendy (from Jubilee Farms) and I really enjoy following the birds and tell each other when we see something new. She said they’ve noticed more raptors since the trees have been established. We’re just trying to attract everything we can. Birds in general seem to really thrive out here. It’s amazing in the summer, all day we’ll see hawks, falcons, kestrels, bald eagles, harriers—at least once a day you see a hawk come down and snatch up a snake or rats and carry it away. I saw a hummingbird today and so I raced out to check the bird feeders. We are also trying to attract Mason bees. We’ve got really good soil out here but a thriving bird and insect population will only make it better.
Connecting with Sol to Seed Farm
Sol to Seed Farm is now accepting applications for their 2011 CSA season. This year they plan to increase the number of CSA shares, so make sure you get your applications and payments in soon to guarantee your spot. The first share is planned for distribution on June 15th through October. In addition to our existing drop points or ‘depots’ in Issaquah Klahanie, Downtown Seattle, Bellevue Bridal Trails and at the farm in Carnation, Sol to Seed is adding one new Seattle depot, in the Maple Leaf neighborhood. Please email Matt with questions regarding the upcoming season: soltoseedfarm@gmail.com. Matt is open to adding new depot locations. Those interested in offering their commercial or residential site as a pick-up location Sol to Seed Farm is offering a 5% discount for a depot site that serves at least 4 CSA members.
For more information about Sol to Seed Farm, and to sign up for their 2011 CSA, contact Matt and Deanna Tregoning at soltoseedfarm@gmail.com or 425-273-1232. You can also visit their website at www.soltoseedfarm.com, follow them on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sol-to-Seed-Farm/222101135476 and on Twitter: soltoseedfarm.
Posted by admin on January 13, 2011
We are now accepting applications for our 2011 CSA session. Each season we have new members joining, so make sure you get your applications in soon to guarantee your spot in our upcoming CSA session. This year the first box will go out June 15th. In addition to our drop points or ‘depots’ from last year – Issaquah Klahanie, Downtown Seattle, Bellevue Bridal Trails, Seattle Maple Leaf, Monroe/Snohomish and at the farm in Carnation. Please email us with any questions regarding the upcoming season: soltoseedfarm(at)gmail(dot)com
We are always looking to add new depot locations, so if you’d like to be a pick-up location, let us know – you get a 5% discount if there are at least 4 members at your depot.
