One of the focus areas for UUC's Green Sanctuary team has healthy, sustainable food. A locavore is someone who eats food grown or produced locally. The concept is becoming increasingly popular for many reasons: the nutritional superiority of fresher food; the 1,000+ miles that the average US meal travels to our plate (emitting carbon dioxide all the way); the dependence of large-scale industrial farming on petroleum, toxic chemicals, and antibiotics; the unnatural and unhappy lives of many livestock animals; and the loss of genetic diversity in our produce and livestock.

We are learning and thinking deeply about the food that sustains us. We each approach this in different ways, but try to support each other and have some fun!

Local food sources

• Farmers markets
• General local food sources and locavorism
• Dairy (milk, cheese, butter)
• Meat & eggs
• Seafood
• Dried beans, lentils & peas
• Soy products
• Grains & Nuts
• Beverages
• Oils & fats
• Meals, ready to eat
• Food handling, processing and preserving
  

Do you have a resource to add? Let us know!

Farmers Markets (back to index)

• More about the Broadway, Columbia City, Lake City, Magnolia, Phinney, University and West Seattle markets
• More about the Ballard, Fremont, Madrona, Queen Anne and Wallingford markets

Saturdays:

• Magnolia (10am - 2pm, June - Oct.): From West Dravus St., left on 30th Ave W., then right onto West Barrett St. Take a left on 34th, go about 1/3 mile
• University District (9am - 2pm, Year-round): University Heights Center

Sundays:

• Ballard (10am-3 pm, year-round): Bottom of 22nd past Leary
• Broadway (11am - 3pm, May - Nov): Broadway, Thomas and 10th Ave. East
• Fremont (10-5 summer, 10-4 winter): 34th & Phinney
• West Seattle (10am - 2pm, Year-round): California Ave SW and SW Alaska

Tuesdays:

• Renton (3 - 7pm, June - Sept.): Renton Piazza, 3rd and Burnett

Wednesdays:

• Columbia City (3pm-7pm, April - Oct.)
• Wallingford (3pm-7pm, May - Sept.): Wallingford Center

Thursdays:

• Lake City (3pm - 7pm, June - Oct.): Next to library at NE 125th & 28th Ave NE)
• Queen Anne (3pm-7pm, June - Sept.): Queen Anne Playfield

Fridays:

• Madison Madrona (3pm-7pm, May - Sept.): MLK at Union
• Phinney (3pm - 7pm, May - Oct.): Phinney Neighborhood Center

General local food sources and locavorism (back to index)

• More local food listings at Sustainable Ballard’s 100-Mile Diet and Puget Sound Fresh
• Eat Local: Sells locally produced full meals and some ingredients.
• 100-Mile Diet (the original)
• Locavores (the originals)
• Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Dairy (back to index)

• The many local farmers markets feature numerous dairy venders (and some also sell online, from their farms, or from grocery stores), including: Appel Farms (Ferndale), Estrella Creamery (Montesano), Port Madison Farms (Bainbridge – goat cheeses), Samish Bay Cheese, (Bow), Sea Breeze Farm (Vashon).
• Beecher’s Cheese – available at PCC, QFC, and at their store in Pike Place Market
• Cheese-making supplies: The Cellar Homebrew

Meat & Eggs (back to index)

• Local eggs are readily available in stores and farmers markets
• Bob’s Quality Meats, 4861 Rainier Ave S; third-generation family meat market, local pasture-raised/organic meat, eggs and butter.
• Samish Bay Cheese (Bow) - Also available at PCC.
• Sea Breeze Farm (Vashon) - Pasture-raised meat, eggs, dairy. Ballard, University and West Seattle farmers markets.
• Skagit River Ranch (Sedro Wooley) - Organic beef, pork, chicken, eggs. Found at Madison Market, farmers markets.

Seafood (back to index)

• Mutual Fish, family run since 1947
• Taylor Shellfish Farm (Shelton) - Oysters, clams, mussels Ballard and University farmers markets

Dried beans, lentils & peas (back to index)

• Lentils & dried peas: PCC sells some grown in the Palouse region of Washington/Idaho
• Alvarez Farms: sells various dried beans via farmers and Pike Place markets

Soy products (back to index)

The owner of local tofu factory Chuminh Tofu says she has not found a source of soybeans grown in Washington state. If tofu made here meets your local food criteria:

• Chuminh Tofu, 6754 Martin Luther King Jr Way S, 206-723-4273, also sold at Uwajimaya
• Northwest Tofu, 1913 S Jackson St, (206) 328-8320

Grains & Nuts (back to index)

Most local bakeries and flour mills use Montana-grown wheat, but there are some sources for Washington-grown grain.

• Bluebird Grain Farms (Winthrop) - Emmer/farro, white & red wheat, rye, flaxseed, all organic. Whole grains, flours, cereal blends. Available for purchase online or at Eat Local on Queen Anne.
• Stone-Buhr Northwest-Grown All-Purpose Flour (Washington wheat) and Fairhaven (Washington rye, Montana wheat) brands are available in some grocery stores.
• The Central Market in Shoreline allows you to grind your own fresh flour from Montana wheat.
• Nuts: Holmquist Farm (hazelnuts)

Beverages (back to index)

• Juice/cider: Rock Ridge Orchards sells a variety of ciders via farmers markets. Tree Top brand apple juice uses Washington apples (but isn’t organic).
• Lots of beer and wine is produced in Washington.

Oils & fats (back to index)

• Local honey is available in most grocery stores and farmers markets
• Hazelnut oil: Holmquist Farm

Meals, ready to eat (back to index)

• Eat Local Sells locally produced full meals for home heating, and some ingredients

Food handling, processing & preserving (back to index)

• Canning supplies: McLendon Hardware
• Cheese-making supplies: The Cellar Homebrew