Women play key roles in commercial fishing and fishing communities, and we’re sharing a few of their stories, including what drew them to the profession, what term they prefer to be called (fisherwoman? Fisherman? Fisherperson? Fisher?!), the sustainability interwoven...
November 21, 2024 – Cloud Mountain Farm Center (CMFC), an agricultural program within Sustainable Connections (SC), will be channeling its focus and refining its programs in 2025. CMFC is an educational farm center located in Everson, Washington that has been a part...
Left to right: Jenna Deane, Suzi Tanski and Java, Matt Pelan, Delaney Skordal November 6, 2024 – Sustainable Connections (SC) is thrilled to announce new positions and a new leadership team. These strategic changes will strengthen the organization’s capacity to...
Autumnal delights abound at the Bellingham Farmers Market, like this apple cider from Cloud Mountain Farm Center This Thanksgiving season, we’re feeling grateful for the land and seas that provide us with nourishing food, the folks who steward them, and our...
Located in downtown Bellingham, Cof& is a welcoming space where the coffee is strong, the food is exceptional, and the folks who run it are a family with a passion for sharing their coffee and cuisine with this community. Oscar Quintero moved to the United States...
Wandke Accessibility, a local business with an international reach, advocates for accessibility for all, offering services that “empower businesses and organizations that are ready to incorporate access and inclusion of disabled people into their best practices.” In...
We’re thrilled to share that Bellewood Farms, a beloved family-owned farm nestled in the heart of Whatcom County, has received national recognition as one of the top apple orchards in the country! Featured in USA Today’s “10 Best Apple Orchards” list for 2024, this is...
Whatcom County residents will have the chance to learn where their seafood comes from during a new waterfront festival at the end of September. Day on the Bay will feature tours of fishing vessels, waterfront industries and talks on how the environment and waterfront...
BELLINGHAM, Wash. — On Sept. 28, Day on the Bay will invite the community to explore and engage with Bellingham’s active waterfront. Day on the Bay is a joint collaboration with Sustainable Connections’ Eat Local Month, Bellingham SeaFeast, and Working Waterfront...
WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Whatcom County has celebrated Eat Local Month for over a decade, but this year the governor has declared Eat Local Month a statewide festivity. As people all over Washington honor what it means to eat locally, we are reminded...
Puget Sound Food Hub: The Bridge on the Journey from Farm to Table If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you’ve likely heard the phrase “farm-to-table”. The words are commonplace now, often indicating a meal with locally-sourced ingredients or a particular...
Washington’s annual Eat Local Month is back, celebrating local restaurants, farmers and cooks in Bellingham throughout September. “Eat Local Month celebrates the bounty of Washington’s local food with events and experiences throughout the state, including farm tours,...
The last weeks of summer and early weeks of fall offer some of the best times to seek out good eats on easy drives around the state. Gov. Inslee has declared September 2024 “Eat Local Month” in Washington state, celebrating Washington’s agriculture, fisheries and food...
OLYMPIA Wash. — Eat Local First and Sustainable Connections are excited to announce that Washington State has declared September 2024 ‘Eat Local Month’. This declaration affirms and honors the diverse and vibrant community of farmers, fishermen, and food artisans who...
Washington has declared September as Eat Local Month in the state, according to a press release from Eat Local First. Eat Local Month will celebrate the local farmers, fishermen, and food artisans that make food cultivated in Washington memorable and sustainable. To...
Home Farm is a family-run farm in Birch Bay dedicated to bringing good food and good fun to their community. They’re passionate about providing education about where food comes from, whether that’s through their u-pick blueberries, pumpkin patch, farm stand, or...
Northern Whatcom County offers gorgeous vistas, delicious berries, and fun for the whole family. Not to mention, it’s a whole lot more peaceful than bustling Bellingham! The Farm to Table Trails are an exciting way to explore this region. Start your day at Barbie’s...
Summer in Northwest Washington is magical and memorable for many reasons. One of our favorite things about this season? The absolute abundance of berries! Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries (as well as other varieties of drupeleted delights)...
Full Bloom Farm is a small family-owned and -operated farm offering a wide variety of produce, pastured chicken eggs, flowers, solar-evaporated sea salt, and dry goods sold in their farm stand on Lummi Island. Their farm stand embodies Lummi Island’s culture of...
Nestled in the South Fork Valley on Highway 9, you’ll find Mama’s Garden, a unique farm stand offering local produce, meats, honey, flowers, maple syrup, and more to their community. At the heart of Mama’s Garden is a deep commitment to integrity, quality, and care. ...
Northwest Washington is home to a rich and resilient food system. Bordered by the Cascades to the east and the Salish Sea to the west, this region’s lands and seas are stewarded by farmers, fishermen, ranchers, and makers. Anyone who’s been to a farmers market or...
Local Food, Local Money, and the Power of Storytelling This story was first published by SoulCraft All Stars. “How we eat can change the world,” said visionary Alice Waters. At first, that statement may seem idealistic or exaggerated, but as we’ve seen through Alice’s...
Crave Catering is a Bellingham-based catering business with a focus on local, chef-inspired food for all manner of events: intimate and large-scale weddings; reception celebrations; benchmark occasions; corporate events; non-profit functions; general family dining;...
Tucked behind The RE Store in Bellingham WA is a Freedge. What exactly is a Freedge, you might ask? It’s a community refrigerator packed with free, nutritious food – and it’s open to all. This particular Freedge is the result of a partnership between The RE Store and...
The Portal is Whatcom County’s container village hub, located at the heart of the Downtown Bellingham’s Waterfront. It currently features six local businesses creatively operating out of shipping containers including Kulshan Brewery and a rotating retail shop for...
The 2023 Washington State Legislative Session recently passed missing middle housing legislation, which legalized the building of a variety of homes in all zones across Washington State. What does this mean for Whatcom County? And do we even need it? As Bellingham...
Tele Aadsen is a female commercial fisherman and writer, connecting people to salmon through the stories she shares and the fish she catches. She knows first-hand how the power of storytelling shapes our relationships to the food we eat and the folks who grow, raise,...
Whatcom County is home to a rich and resilient food system. Bordered by the Cascades to the east and the Salish Sea to the west, this region’s lands and seas are stewarded by farmers, fisherfolk, ranchers, and artisans. And while farming is often a solitary...
Nestled near the Skagit Valley Airport and Cairnspring Mills in the heart of the Skagit Valley, you’ll find a hidden gem of a bakery. Water Tank Bakery creates wholesome bread, cookies, and other treats, prioritizing local ingredients and the process of long...
As one year closes and another begins, we take this time to reflect and integrate all we’ve learned over the last twelve months. Or at least… we try! There can be quite a pressure to make and keep New Years’ resolutions, which is why we want to think about how...
Photo courtesy Katie Pencke and Matthew McDermott, courtesy of Alluvial Farms On a cold morning in late October, the pigs at Alluvial Farms in Everson are sleeping, roaming the pasture, and eating – a fairly typical day in the lives of these animals. Farmers Katie...
Boldly Grown Farm There’s a chill in the air and the rains are here – autumn has finally come to Northwest Washington. And while we’re relishing in the chance to break out our favorite teas and coziest sweaters, we can’t help but reminisce about glorious summer days...
Plantage, a meal subscription service in Bellingham, serves delicious, nourishing meals to their clients. All their food is plant-based, sourced with care, and aligns with the values of the business – sustainability, transparency, and integrity. All this serves to...
Stephanie Barmann and Jesse Nickerson are the farmers and fermenters behind Barmann Cellars in Everson WA, a low-intervention winery and cidery utilizing regeneratively-farmed estate fruit. Everything they craft, tend, and share is done with deep care and intention,...
Calling all coffee adventurers and Sasquatch enthusiasts! There have been reports of Sasquatch sightings at numerous coffee shops around town. Experts agree that Sasquatch is a coffee fanatic. So, grab your mugs and join us as we embark on a Sasquatch-inspired Coffee...
Terry Phair sits looking out over the Salish Sea, the ocean that’s the foundation of his life and business. The water is calm, but beneath the surface live fish, shellfish, and seafood that provide Terry, and more than a hundred other tribal fishers, with food and...
The Bellingham Farmers Market is a beloved local destination where community comes together to uplift and support local farmers, makers, and food businesses. Having just celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2022, the market is now looking forward and dreaming about how...
Located in Everson WA, Mariposa Farm grows organic produce and berries under the care and expertise of Joaquin and Lis Lopez. They share their harvests at farmers markets, stores, food banks, and through their CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Above all, the food...
Located in Custer WA, Grace Harbor Farms is a family farm that is known and beloved for their all-natural cream top milk, yogurt, kefir, cultured buttermilk, and goat milk. The care and passion that they put into their products is a family value passed down through...
Spring is in the air, and with it comes gathering, celebration, and connection. And there’s no better way to welcome in a new season than by eating a delicious meal in good company – all while learning about the folks who grow and produce our food. This year,...
Located on 117 acres in Whatcom County, Oostema Farmstead is a working Wagyu Cattle farm raising their herd using sustainable and natural methods. Lisa and Glen Oostema’s love for farming shows in the food they produce, as well as the way they share their experience...
Brandywine Kitchen, a beloved restaurant in downtown Bellingham, has always brought local food to the community in delicious and thoughtful ways. Now under the sole ownership of Azizi Tookas, and after the challenges of the pandemic, Brandywine is exploring creative...
It’s spring! And while Sasquatch loves foraging for nettles and chickweed as much as the next Bigfoot, there’s only one food they truly crave during this season – sandwiches! Luckily for Sasquatch, and for you, spring is also when the Sandwich Showdown commences. What...
Located on 40 acres of Sauk-Suiattle, Upper Skagit, and Stillaguamish lands, Long Hearing Farm grows food to nourish their community and neighbors, listening to the past as well as to the future. As farmer-owner Elizabeth Bragg puts it, “Our mission at Long Hearing...
Whatcom County is home to rich and abundant ecosystems, a passionate food and farming community, and engaged citizens. Why, then, do so many people in the local food system still struggle to grow, raise, access, and afford healthy and nutritious food? Why, and how,...
BELLINGHAM, WA, January 19, 2023 – Sustainable Connections invites all food businesses, artisans, and growers to the NW Washington Farm-to-Table Trade Meeting on February 7th, 2023. The Farm-to-Table Trade Meeting brings together farmers, fishers, food artisans,...
Winter is here, and with it come shorter days, colder nights, and the desire to hibernate until spring returns. While it’s tempting to wish the dark season away, it can be a potent time to tend to our wellness – as individuals and as a community. “Self-care” is...
As we settle into the heart of winter, it’s easy to look out over the fields of Whatcom County and wonder how it’s possible to eat anything seasonally this time of year. Even though the time of unlimited tomatoes has passed, there are still plenty of creative ways to...
If you look up “pasty” in the dictionary, you’ll find an entry that reads something like this: Pasty (pass-tee) n. | Savory hand pie originating in Cornwall England. A hearty meal miners took down to the tin mines. Holly Bevan-Bumford, owner of Holly’s Meat Pies,...
BELLINGHAM, WA, November 17, 2022 – Join Sustainable Connections and Sasquatch as they share 10 ways to show your local love this holiday season. 1) Attend a local event! This community is bursting with holiday markets and celebrations. Peruse local vendors’...
Tucked into the Mount Baker foothills, Small Acres Farm grows vibrant and nourishing food using renewable energy and sustainability practices – and their impact on this community is anything but small. Chris Henderson and Mia Devine, co-owners and farmers, have grown...
The South Whidbey Community Center is an inclusive space for the South Whidbey community to gather, learn, and create. It’s a place where people come together to make positive change, and that can be clearly seen in their recent heat pump project. “The campus itself...
Blaine, Washington is a beautiful town nestled against the Canadian border and the Salish Sea. While it’s known for its proximity to our friendly neighbors to the north and its marina, it’s quickly making a name for itself on the casual fine dining scene, in large...
August 31 2022, Bellingham WA – Sustainable Connections is excited to celebrate September Eat Local Month, a month-long celebration of eating local food and those who grow, raise, harvest, and prepare it to share with this community. All month long, Sustainable...
The Whatcom Community Foundation’s (WCF) vision is that everyone who lives here thrives. And with every project they take on, resources they share, and relationships they build, that vision is one step closer to becoming a reality. Nowhere is that more evident than in...
What began as two sheep in Lydia and Jared Strand’s backyard in Seattle has become Lydia’s Flock, a local farm with a flock of 120+ sheep and a deep desire to build a more sustainable and transparent food system. Lydia and Jared’s journey as shepherds began in 2008....
Chef Matthew Boudousquie was born and raised in New Orleans, and though he finds himself thousands of miles away from his place of origin, he brings it alive through his food. The Bistro at Shuksan features Southern farm-to-table fare that honors Matthew’s culinary...
Summer’s bounty is in full swing, and nowhere is that more evident than at your local farm stand. Farm stands are a unique and special part of the farm-to-table journey – it’s about as close as you can get to straight-out-of-the-ground fruit and veggies! Farm stands...
Sarah Chan, owner and chef at Calypso Kitchen, knows how food can tell a story. And the food that comes out of her kitchen tells one rich with flavor, commitment to local farms, and deep compassion. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Sarah is passionate about...
Summer is the season when the good folks of Bellingham and Whatcom County head to the mountains, seas, and breweries to soak up some well-earned sun and good times. After a long winter and spring (we see you, La Nina), it’s time to enjoy, explore, and Drink Local...
Seeking Health is a local organization with a big impact, both on the lives of the people they touch and in the community they call home. Founded by Dr. Ben Lynch in 2011, Seeking Health is a vitamin and supplement company that creates products to support their...
Nestled next to the Nooksack River in Everson, Daydream Farm is just that – a dream come true for owners, farmers, and friends Emma Arnold and Maddy Chitwood. Daydream Farm is a low/no-till farm growing diversified vegetables for their 50-person CSA and the...
Flowers speak a universal language of love, beauty, and care. And Humble Bouquet’s garden-to-vase floral business communicates even more: a deep appreciation for community and respect for the Earth. Owner and florist Laura Wheeler is passionate about sharing her love...
A delicious plate of food isn’t just a meal, it’s a story. That’s because food doesn’t just magically appear in the store or in your home. There are countless people who work from dawn to dusk – a true labor of love – to build a...
There are infinite ways to celebrate Mother’s Day – as many ways as there are kinds of mothers, in fact. This Mother’s Day, Sasquatch wants to highlight all the opportunities to honor mothers, maternal figures, and Mother Earth too, of course! Sasquatch’s mom...
The practice of giving gifts is one that celebrates true reciprocity – both the giver and giftee receive something special. Perhaps no one exemplifies this better than local business Madrona Gifts, who has turned occasions like birthdays and holidays into...
San Juan Island is a vibrant, tight-knit community that builds interdependent relationships between those who live there and the beautiful natural world that has drawn so many to call this place home. Friday Harbor Marketplace is a mainstay of this community, and...
A house is a physical building to live in, of course, but it’s also so much more. It’s a place to raise families, to age, to welcome friends and neighbors, and express your personality. A1DesignBuild creates homes with all these things in mind. A1DesignBuild is a...
A lot of things in life are best shared over a beer, so why not a CSA share? Signing up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share is a great way to support your local farmer and ensure that you’ll have a box of delicious, locally grown products week after...
BELLINGHAM, WA, March 5, 2022 – Sustainable Connections is thrilled to welcome six new team members and celebrate additional promotions within their current staff. The organization celebrates it’s 20th anniversary this year and plans to work with local businesses,...
The Center for Spiritual Living (CSL) in Bellingham, WA, is a place where a spiritual community grows and flourishes beneath a canopy of second-growth trees. It’s also a place where values are put into action. The mission of CSL is to provide a place for people on a...
Tiffany Bell, in her own words, “does a little bit of everything.” She’s a farmer, mother, wife, soup-maker, and an advocate to get your mammogram. She and her husband own and run Ten Fold Farm, an 8.9-acre farm right on the outskirts of Bellingham, Washington. Ten...
While the temperatures may be chilly, Sasquatch’s heart is anything but! In fact, after a winter of handing out Think Local First gift cards (and then a long, cozy hibernation), Sasquatch is more full of love for their community than ever before. Luckily for them,...
Sometimes, the best gifts are ones that you can’t wrap, you can only experience! And what better way to share joy and wonder than helping kids’ dreams come to life with Majestic Adventures?! Majestic Adventures is a local organization with youth programs...
Whatcom County is home to some of the most vibrant artists and art institutions in the world – and yes, we’re including Paris and New York in that list! The area’s natural beauty, creative lifestyle opportunities, and strong community has given rise...
When we say local and natural beauty, you might imagine the majestic mountains of Whatcom County, or perhaps Bellingham Bay on a particularly sunny winter’s day. And you’d be right, but that’s not what we’re talking about. We’re talking...
Recent floods in Whatcom County have devastated area farms, homes, and communities. The recovery process is difficult, but as a community we are here to support and uplift one other. Listed below are opportunities to donate, as well as help available for farms and...
“She’s as busy as a bee!” It’s a common expression, one that describes a person who loves doing a thousand things at once. And yes, bees are known for their work ethic and the delectable result of their labor – there’s nothing more delicious than a dollop of...
Food tells a story, and at Storia Cucina, it’s a tale you’ll want to savor with a house-made cocktail and a mouthwatering plate of cacio e pepe. Owner and chef Jonathan Cicotti chose the name Storia Cucina, which translates from Italian to kitchen story, to reflect...
September Eat Local Month was a delicious and inspiring celebration of local food. All month long, Sustainable Connections highlighted the farms, fishers, grocers, markets, chefs, and restaurants of Whatcom, Skagit, Island, and San Juan counties. Participants...
Food is connection. Whether that’s families gathering around a kitchen table, farmers harvesting from their fields, or friends getting together at their favorite restaurant, nothing brings people together quite like a meal. And every meal that we’ve ever...
Drink Local First with Sasquatch’s Sips What’s Sasquatch sippin’ on these days? Well, if our mysterious and furry friend is anything like us, they’ve got no shortage of options! Summer is in full, glorious swing in Bellingham and Whatcom County. We’ve...
Farmer’s Bounty Bloody Mary If you stop by a Whatcom County farmers market in July, prepare yourself for absolute delight and wonder. That’s because the land’s agricultural abundance is on full display – tomatoes nestle in among spicy peppers,...
Rose-All-Day Sangria The days are long and the weather is what we’ve been waiting for all year long. It seems like there’s something to celebrate around every corner, whether that’s a major life event or simply breathing in fresh, clean air in the...
Strawberry-Basil Sparkler This sparkler is the *royal wedding* of sweet and savory. It’s fresh, vibrant, and of course, everything is made infinitely more delicious with Whatcom-grown strawberries in the peak of summer. If you’re in a creative or...
Low-Waste Libations Doing good tastes good. At least, it can when you’re drinking some low-waste libations that use ingredients that might otherwise head to the compost or even the *gasp* trash. 30-40% of food in America is wasted. Not only does this...
After a long day spent playing or working in the sunshine, there’s nothing like a refreshing beverage in your hand. Bonus points for filling up your glass with local produce and products that not only support your body but also support the vibrant agricultural...
Twin Sisters Markets: For Community, By Community by Annika Sampson You might know the Twin Sisters as the distinctive double peaks that tower on the Whatcom County horizon. They’re also the namesake of Twin Sisters Markets, a collaborative effort to bring healthy,...
