VIGA Vashon

Saying Goodbye to Mr. Paul Motoyoshi

admin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:03:42 +0000

Paul Motoyoshi served up warm smiles and delicious food at the Vashon Farmers Market. (photo: Ralph Moore)

Paul Motoyoshi, longtime Vashon resident, VIGA member and friend, passed away on January 17, 2012. He will be sorely missed, and our hearts and sympathies are with Paul’s family and friends. We wanted to share some fond remembrances of Paul. If you’d like to share a story or kind word about about Paul, we invite you to leave a comment about this special man, and our cherished friend.

“… I was crestfallen to learn of the passage of our member and strong friend of VIGA Paul Motoyoshi. Paul was a fixture of the market for many years, and one of the most welcoming and kind individuals I have encountered. While he left the island and the Market to go traveling last year it is sad to learn that he won’t be coming back. I first met Paul at the Market and last saw him there as well – he loved it good days and bad. He frequently donated his time and his skills to this organization and we should remember him well for his contributions.“ –Ryan

“My goodness; we are currently under contract to purchase Paul’s old home. We wondered about its history and its owner…the place is so very peaceful. One can tell a beautiful soul lived there and cared for the land. He is on our hearts and in our prayers.” –Lauren

“So saddened by the news of Paul’s passing. So many times his wonderful curry saved me from freezing to death at the market. Such a sweet and gentle man.” –Sherri

“When Paul told me he was moving away to travel, I felt this big loss burbling up, and yet joy that he was ready to get up and go. His constant presence at the market, the mouth-watering smells of his miso wafting through the Green on cold mornings, his constant smile … oh my, I hope his last days were sweet ones. So sad to learn he has gone.” –Janie

“I remember the first year Paul and his ex-wife Rica sold at the farmers market. They showed up one day in 2005 with some ginger plants and other interesting green things they were growing. Rica had some very creative crafts. They asked if they could set up and were so pleased to discover that people would buy what they brought. It was a week to week venture for them as they gradually realized that shoppers enjoyed them being there and I saw the shyness start to vanish as they realized they were becoming part of the market community.

No one realized that was the beginning of a wonderful, evolving relationship for all of us with Paul as we got to see his creative talents unfold year after year. I want to think that he is out there in the universe creating even more amazing stories than the ones he lived in this world.” –Karen

“I also will miss Paul, his incredibly inventive and creative personality. It was absolutely amazing to watch him create food at his table with all kinds of improvised utensils and cooking gear. That was the initial fun, watching him create unique and unusual foods, then to be handed, with his glorious smile, a dish of unbelievable flavors. My favorite was the deep fried green pepper stuffed with cheese, served hot and sloppy. I saved myself for that and his green tea latte, whipped into a froth with his little electric wisk.” –Ron

Michael Pollan: Why Eat Local?

admin — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:54:34 +0000

Three Grant Programs of Interest

admin — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 14:45:50 +0000

Deadlines for Conservation Stewardship, Organic Initiative and Seasonal High Tunnel Pilots are approaching. Take a look, you may be interested in these federal programs.

DEADLINE EXTENDED!
Conservation Stewardship Program Deadline is NOW January 27

The Conservation Stewardship Program rewards farmers for the conservation they are already doing and provides the means to do more.

Through this program farmers receive an average of $20 per acre for cropland, $18 per acre for pasture and $5 per acre for woodland, up to $200,000 over the life of the five-year contract. Farms of all types and sizes are enrolled, and payments are based on level of conservation.

To learn more, check out the Farmers’ Guide to the Conservation Stewardship Program from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC). Find additional details on this year’s program from NSAC here.

Organic Initiative Deadline is February 3

NRCS will use three sign-up cutoff dates for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Organic Initiative in 2012. Applications are due by February 3, March 30, or June 1.

The Organic Initiative provides funds for certified organic and transitioning farms to implement conservation practices. Funds of up to $20,000 per year and $80,000 during a six year period are available for farmers.

For your state contact on the Organic Initiative and other information from NRCS, click here.

Only half of the funds available through this program have been used nationwide in recent years, so contact your local NRCS office!

Get the scoop on maneuvering the application process from ATTRA.

Seasonal High Tunnel Pilot Initiative Deadline is February 3

NRCS will also use three sign-up cutoff dates for the the Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative. Applications are due by February 3, March 30, or June 1.

NRCS provides funds through the Initiative to help producers design and install high tunnels that extend the growing season without using any electrical, heating, and/or mechanical ventilation systems.

This initiative is not restricted to organic producers as it was last year in some states.

In FY 2010, this initiative funded 2,395 high tunnel projects. In FY 2011, it funded 2,035 high tunnel projects.

2012 Vashon Farmers Market OPENS April 7

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 03:09:05 +0000

April 7, 2012: Save the Date! VASHON FARMERS MARKET RETURNS!

Shopping at the Vashon Farmers Market is one sweet experience!

Strike up the band, let the festivities begin!

The Vashon Farmers Market welcomes spring with its opening day on Saturday April 7, from 10 a.m. to – 2 p.m. at the town’s Village Green.

Save the date and join us this and every Saturday for the freshest produce, friendliest smiles, sweetest confections, craftiest crafts and most delectable foods on the island.

Stay tuned for more information if you wish to be a vendor or support the Vashon Farmers Market.

Egg-o-nomics Report: Up Close and Personal

admin — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:04:35 +0000

Karen and her well-dressed chicks

There’s nothing like fresh local eggs, a truth understood by many islanders. One such local huevo-vore, Karen Biondo, dared to asked the question, just how much do we love our fresh local laying hens? In her annual Egg-o-nomics report, Karen shares her findings and fascination with the incredible edible egg, and the egg-o-nomics of supply and demand here on Vashon. Thank you Karen for frying up a fine side of info for your egg-eating, chicken-raising neighbors. -Tom Conway

Vashon Island Egg-o-nomics Report 2011

By Karen Biondo

With prices nesting around $6.50 or $7.50 for a dozen eggs, it’s surprising to believe there are still not enough eggs! Aside from the politics of organic, local, free range, vegetarian, flax-seed-eating, low-carbon foot-printing, you likely know the truth, that a truly farm fresh egg just tastes better, and because so many of us want them it is causing a crisis of eggpic proportion!

Any way I pencil it, there are just not enough eggs to satisfy the demand for these delicious buff colored orbs of nutrition (or brown, white, blue, pink…) It is the dark season for egg laying, but not for too much longer, as we continue to add one minute of light to our day (www.timeanddate.com) going forward. There is not quite enough sun in the girls’ faces and they are having to travel farther afield to find too few bugs, grubs and worms to meet their daily protein requirement for egg laying. (That said, with the mild winter we’ve had so far, I see the chickens successfully scratching up a fair number of worms from the back garden.) Yes, a light on a timer in the hen house does help some, though it’s just not the same as the cosmic rays of sunshine pouring into the pupil of a hen’s eye.

My Annual Eggonomics Report for 2011: Fun facts (data) and astute assumptions:

Data from US Census 2010: http://2010.census.gov/2010census
Vashon population = 10, 624
Number of Vashon households = 4,545
Number of people per household = 2.24
Data from USDA/Cornell University: http://usda01.library.cornell.edu/usda/current/ChickEgg/ChickEgg-02-25-2011.pdf
Average egg production in Washington State: 273 eggs per year (The range of production: Massachusetts= 323, Tennessee = 205)

Data from Eggonomics Survey:

Survey sent to: VashonALL, Vashon Poultry listserve , VIGA listserve and LaBiondo listserve
83 respondent households

= just under 2% of households or 185.92 peeps, also just under 2% of total Vashon population

Of the 83 responding households

50 households keep chickens.
Those who keep less than 12 chickens, the average number of backyard chickens = 5
The total number of eggs per week consumed per household = 1 dozen
The highest weekly egg consumption reported is 48 eggs per week for a household.

A surprising number of households had lots of chickens but ate very few eggs. One household has 40 chickens and only eats four eggs per week. Are they hoarders? (And no, you can’t go to their house and demand they sell you their extra eggs.) Okay, let’s do some math:

Karen’s Astute Assumptions

There are approximately 13 farms on Vashon Maury Islands that produce eggs for sale. Sadly and oddly, only three farmers responded to my survey. I therefore grant myself permission to make up data for the other 10 farms based on nothing more than my intuition and some historical knowledge of these farmer friends.

Total respondents chickens in residence: 780

Total chickens in residence from farmers not responding = 340 ( I bet I am within 90% accuracy)

Total chicken population on Vashon Maury Island= 1,120

1,120 hens X 273 eggs per year = 305,760 eggs per year / 52 weeks = 5,880 eggs per week or 490 dozen eggs per week .

2. This assumes all 1,120 hens are Rhode Island Reds in their prime of eight months to 18 months of age. HAH! What we lack in ethnic diversity with Vashon humans, we make up for in the variety of chickens and therefore production expectations.

3. Extrapolating from the data above to arrive at a conjectural conclusion:

Let’s say 20 % of the population of Vashon Maury Islands eat one dozen eggs per week: 2,124.8 residents eat 1 dozen eggs per week = 25,497.6 eggs per week / 12 = 2,124.8 dozen

Conclusion:

If I am anywhere near accurate in my calculation of 490 dozen eggs produced on Vashon, we are in a bigger egg crisis than I thought when I started this survey.

We need 2,124.8 dozen eggs per week.
We produce 490 dozen eggs per week.
We have a shortfall of 1,634 .8 dozen eggs!
And this is in the best of times, when the girls are busy actualizing their full potential. No wonder there are egg wars and egg napping from farm stands.

My statistics may be suspect, my math may be slightly inaccurate, but still there IS an egg shortage. It will not last forever, but it will be painful for another few months.I do have a partial solution for this eggonomic recession. Like all crisis, we need to pull together as a community. Egg Rations! If you can possibly get by with a half dozen eggs at one time, you will help another egg dependent family. I also believe every household that is able should have five hens in their backyard. They are such efficient creatures. They eat your kitchen scraps, eat cut worms and all sorts of bad bugs from the garden, give you fertilizer for the land if you are so inclined, when they are done laying, the give you soup! Another option is to eat your kale and wait ’til spring!

Happy New Year to us all. May our gardens and friendships grow abundantly!

Karen Biondo

www.labiondofarm.com

Vashon Farmers Market 2011: The Year in Photos

admin — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:42:42 +0000

The Vashon Farmers Market grew by leaps and bounds this year, with farmers and crafters offering up their best to island visitors and residents alike. We look forward to 2012 and few new surprises and look back on our great year with some wonderful photos from Ralph Moore.

Gallery 1 (more photos to come!)

VIGA Grapevine: News, Views and How-tos

admin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:29:17 +0000

Vote for Your Favorite Farmer
Here’s a chance to nominate your favorite Washington Farmers Market, Market Manager and Farmer for an award! It’s easy and fun to do. Winners will be announced at the annual Washington State Farmers Market Conference in early February, 2012.
Details are at: http://www.wafarmersmarkets.com/conference/awardsnominations.html
Deadline to nominate is: Friday, January 6, 2012
If questions call: 206-706-5198 or email info@wafarmersmarkets.com

Available: Pigs & Classes
Joe and Celina Yarkin still have Heirloom Asian Piglets available to raise or for meat for 60$ each. If you are interested but have never raised pigs before, Joe is offering a class covering: electric fencing basics, and hog fencing; housing requirements and materials; methods for moving pigs to new ground; some strategies for feeding a complete; and affordable diet and butchering options. Cost is 20$ /person refundable with purchase of 2 or more piglets. For more info contact Sun Island Farm LLC yarkinfive@gmail.com.

Where’s the Honey?
Become a Master Beekeeper; grow local honey!
To help rebuild our resource of local honey producers, Washington State University Snohomish County Extension and Beez Neez Apiary Supply team up each year to sponsor the popular apprentice level course in the Master Beekeeper Program. The five-week course provides a thorough introduction to beekeeping for novice beekeepers as well as a comprehensive refresher course for experienced apiculturists.

The first session starts Monday evenings, January 9 through February 13, 2012 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in McCollum Park at WSU Snohomish County Extension’s Cougar Auditorium, 600 128^th ST SE, Everett. The five-week course repeats Monday, February 27 through March 26, 2012.

Designed to build basic beekeeping skills, topics to be covered include bee biology, equipment, seasonal management requirements, identification, management of pests and diseases, as well as honey harvest. The overall focus will hone in on the unique challenges and benefits to beekeeping in the Pacific Northwest.
Each session will be taught by local beekeeping professionals, WSU Snohomish County Extension entomologist Dave Pehling, and Jim Tunnell, owner of Beez Neez Apiary in Snohomish.

Class size is limited and always fills quickly.There are just a few seats left for the January series. The cost for the five-week course is $70 per person. Register online at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/179866 or www.brownpapertickets.com/event/179873 for the March sessions. You can also download the form at snohomish.wsu.edu/ag/workshops/Beekeeping11.pdf and mail with your check. For registration information, contact Karie Christensen at (425) 357-6039 or e-mail christensen4@wsu.edu. For more information on the course, contact Dave Pehling, pehling@wsu.edu, (425) 357-6019.

Mother Earth News Recommends Vashon Farm Product
The December 2011/January 2012 issue of Mother Earth News recommends the broadfork made by Vashon’s own Meadow Creature LLC. Congratulations to Bob Powell and his team. Learn more about the the Vashon broadfork.

Calling All Bakers: Put Your Talents to Good Use!

admin — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:12:30 +0000

Donate to the VIGA Bake Sale!

So you think you can bake?
Of course you can!

For the next two Saturdays, Dec 3 & 10, we will be hosting a VIGA Bake Sale at the Farmers Market. Proceeds benefit EBT matching funds for our Market customers in need.

How to help: Bring your baked good(s) sweet or savory to be sold at the Market. Bake either weekend, or both!

Think holiday cookies, breads, or cupcakes…whatever pleases the eye and the palate. Please bring your goodies to the Vashon High School Commons (cafeteria) Saturday any time after 9 a.m. Like the saying goes, Nothing says lovin’ like somethin’ from oven. Thank you for helping out islanders in need. Now find that apron and fire up the stove!

(photo: Tom Conway)

Listen Up Pilgrims!There’s a New Pie Contest in Town

admin — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:26:24 +0000

Nothing says autumn like freshly baked pumpkin pie.

So you think you can bake, eh?

Well, we’re throwing downing the gauntlet, uh make that apron and oven mitt, and challenging you to a pumpkin pie bake-off this Saturday at the (indoor) Vashon Farmers Market.

Dust off the pie plate and get cookin’!

Here are the details:

Two Pumpkin categories: Traditional Pie and Pumpkin Dessert
Drop off pies by 11:30 a.m.
Location: Vashon High School Commons! Click here for map http://on.fb.me/sIx3Qp
Eligibility: Any kind soul who lives on Vashon-Maury
2010 winner is not eligible to enter, but prior winners are.
Extra points are awarded for entries that use local ingredients.

This year’s esteemed and palate-proven judges: Celina Yarkin, Megan Hastings, and Karen Dale.
Judging will be held from 11:30 to 12:15 and the winners will be announced at 12:30 p.m.

Chow down on the winning desserts and pies, and feel good about it!

After the winners are announced, slices of all entries will be sold to raise money for VIGA’s Food Stamp Matching Bucks program–a program that helps Island familes purchase healthy, local foods and brings additional funds to our Island’s farmers.

The Market will be open from 10 to 2 on Saturday.
This is your last chance to shop the market for your Thanksgiving table. Start a really special holiday tradition this year…eat local and support our Island’s farmers. We have an excellent selection of produce from delicious tradition potatoes and cooking pumkins to equally delicious unusual veggies such as celeriac and sunchokes, plus local eggs and fresh or smoked fish.

Enjoy live music from the Rock Island Ramblers from 11 to 2 p.m.
The market will also offer hot coffee and goodies from the VYFS Bake Sale.

(Photo credits: Tom Conway)

Annual Meeting: The Many Faces of VIGA

admin — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 18:06:35 +0000

Last Sunday, VIGA members portaged their best potluck dishes and farm-fresh ideas to our annual meeting held at the north-end Grange. The spirited evening included some business, a little recapping, a bounty of gratitude, a spontaneous standing ovation, a wallop of welcome, platefuls of homegrown goodness, and a whole lot of celebrating.

Take a gander, and join the group! -Tom Conway (photos: Ralph Moore)

No contest: Celina Yarkin's smile is brighter than a ray of sunshine; oh yes, and of course her family's farm had the number one vendor sales for 2011. Congratulations!

Good News: VIGA's fearless leader (and President), Merrilee Runyan, talks about the past, present and future of VIGA.

Market Manager, Alison Bockus shared the market results for 2011; simply put, best year ever!

Beaming Board Members: Merrilee Runyan, Karen Biondo, Beth Tuttle, Amy Hildebrand, Tom Conway, Sheree Tomoson, Carrie Sikorski, Bernie O'Malley, Nan Wilson. (not pictured: Joe Yarkin, Jennifer Coe, Lindsay Hart)

Utah, VIGA's newest (and no doubt cutest) member, gets an earful about the future of farming from new board member Sheree Tomoson.

Alison honors our venerable vendors of over 10 years participation in the Vashon Farmers Market.

A well-deserved standing ovation for departing Market Manager, Alison Bockus.

Market milestone: Hard to believe these "young'uns" have been selling at the market for over 10 years.

New Market Manager, Rebecca Wittman shares a few words and her excitement for the upcoming market year.