By Leader Staff

In February, the Port Townsend Food Co-op awarded its first Farmer Fund Grants to six local farms, using funds collected from its point-of-sale Change for Change program. The grants support a range of projects, from kraut production to indigenous farming practices, that the Co-op believes will increase resilience and bring more good food to the community.

"We are thrilled to support these innovative and dedicated local farmers through our Farmer Fund grants," said Kenna Eaton, general manager at the Port Townsend Food Co-op. "These grants represent our collective commitment to building a resilient and equitable food system that benefits both producers and consumers alike."

The Co-op was able to give grants to these farms because its new register prompt, which was updated in last November increased donations to the Farmer Fund from $1,700 in eight months to $10,000 in one month.

The latest round of fund recipients includes Woodbridge Farm, The Longhouse for the People’s First Food project, Goosefoot Farm, Hopscotch Farm and Cannery, Midori Farm, and White Lotus Farm.

On Woodbridge Farm in Chimacum Valley, Peter Mustin grows flowers, produce, and chickens. The 24-acre farm was not tended for many years, so Mustin has been working to gradually bring more acres into cultivation. He needs a tractor attachment to remove rocks and smooth the land, and the Co-op grant will enable him to purchase a rake riddle bucket. Look for Woodbridge at the Chimacum Farmers Market.

The Longhouse for the People’s First Food project is an effort to restore Indigenous foodways by planting native edible plants in order to learn and teach traditional methods of growing, processing, and serving these foods. They are building a longhouse in Quilcene where they plan to celebrate local food relationships and share traditional knowledge. Funds from the grant will be used to rent equipment for preparing garden beds and to purchase plants and tools.

Goosefoot Farm is a collective farm in Chimacum, formed to reduce food insecurity in Jefferson County. Their mission is to provide free, high-quality organic produce, and in 2023, they distributed more than 16,000 pounds of produce. Goosefoot began in 2019 with help from Finnriver and the Tri-Area Food Bank, and their work has been collaborative with nonprofits, neighboring farms, and volunteers with and without experience in farming. They will use grant money to purchase organic vegetable seeds and farm amendments and for essential repairs and maintenance for their farm truck and tractor.

At Hopscotch Farm, Meghan Mix grows heirloom produce to sell at the Farmers Market, local groceries, and in CSAs. She also processes her farm’s bounty into shelf-stable jars of pickles, jam, and relish, one batch at a time. She farms using no-till methods as well as other practices that improve the soil and require few “off-farm” inputs or fossil fuels. Mix currently preps all her vegetables by hand, and as her business has grown, this work has become very time-consuming, so she will use her grant to buy a Robot Coupe Vegetable Preparation Machine. 

Midori Farms grows a myriad of organic produce, from basics like potatoes and onions to less-common vegetables like bitter greens, squashes, and radicchios. Hanako Myers and Marko Colby are also known for their award-winning range of krauts, from Kimchi to Curtido to leek and more. Making kraut takes a lot of garlic and peeling garlic is a very time-consuming task, so Myers and Colby will use their grant to purchase a garlic peeling machine.

Natalie and Niall Motson of White Lotus Farm left their engineering careers to immerse in and become part of the Olympic Peninsula’s vibrant food system. Over the last six years, they have gradually expanded their production from eggs, cut flowers, and bread, to lamb and wool, in addition to offering farm stays and an event venue. They work with other local farms such as Chimacum Valley Grainery for their organic flour, and Space Twins Provisions, land tenants who grow vegetables with the no-till method. White Lotus Farm planned to use their grant to buy a bread slicer, but their circumstances changed and they will now be using funds for much-needed repairs to the roof of their bakery.

The Food Co-op is a full-service, member-owned cooperative organic foods market established in 1972.