Author: Tristan Klesick

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The Story Behind a Box of Good

After my last article about the changes on the farm and at the business, I received a few emails encouraging us to keep up the good work. Back in the 90s (yes, we have been at home delivery for that long) we started out using paper grocery bags, lined with a plastic T-shirt bag for the “wet” produce. While that was a good solution for 50 customers, it wasn’t the best way to pack fragile items like tomatoes or peaches.

So we moved on to waxed boxes with a liner and put all the extra items purchased into plastic bags. Those waxed boxes lasted for 20 or 30 deliveries, which at that time seemed like an environmentally friendly decision, simply because we were buying less boxes. However, there was always this nagging feeling every time you had to dispose of one because it had to go to the landfill.

We were sensitive to the waxed box, plastic liner and plastic bag issues. We knew that there were companies in California in the home delivery industry who were using plastic bins to deliver their produce. The idea of using bins did eliminate the need for plastic bags, but it also supported the plastic industry quite a bit more than we were comfortable with, and we would have to make a very large investment upfront. For us there were a few apparent issues with this option: where does one store all of those plastic bins (1000s), all the damaged/unusable ones would still go to the landfill, and how much water and sanitizer would you need to use every week?

That last item was the kicker for us. Having to wash and sanitize every bin every week seemed like an incredible waste of water, soap, and bleach-type products. I would still feel like I would need to use a plastic liner because it wouldn’t feel sanitary enough for me to put your produce in a plastic bin. I still shudder when I think of this – yuck!

Mind you, we were a growing company with lots of little ones running around the farm (a.k.a., we were sleep deprived), but in one of our more lucid moments, we decided to go with a cardboard version of our box and stay with a liner and the plastic bags. This decision allowed us to recycle the boxes at the end of their usefulness, often using the older boxes one last time to send produce to the food banks.

One of our core principles is to be good stewards of the land and our natural resources. Because of this we are constantly evaluating our processes to better serve you as well as to benefit the environment. With those principles driving our discussion, we decided that using the recyclable cardboard boxes with a liner saves on landfill waste, plastic, water and chemical usage, and is a sanitary option. Is it perfect? No, but it has a minimal impact on the environment and is a sanitary way to distribute fresh produce.

Next week, I will go into our reasoning on plastic and how our company uses less than buying produce at the grocery store.

Thanks for supporting our good food network!

 

tristan-sign

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Share the Good plus a Cookbook Sweepstakes!

Share the Good!

(Jan 11-Mar 14)

Refer a friend and get your next box at 25% OFF!*

Plus, we’ll enter you into our raffle for a FREE cookbook! (see below)

Have your friend mention “4 for 3” and we’ll give them their 4th box FREE!*

*Must be currently getting a box to receive 25% off. Offer does not apply to meat orders. Referral must purchase a delivery for referral to qualify.

*4th box free applies to boxes of equal or lesser value, up to $45.

 

Cookbook Sweepstakes!

We have come across a handful of great cookbooks, and will be doing some prize giveaways over the next couple of weeks.

The first raffle will happen on Thursday, 1/29/15 at noon. In order to qualify for the raffle, all you have to do is…talk about your box of good. Tell your friends, family, business associates about the organic veggies that you get delivered from Klesick. Send them to this page if they want more info: http://www.klesickfamilyfarm.com/how-it-works-2/ and if they sign up for a deliveries, and give us your name as the person who told them about us, your name will automatically be entered into this drawing!

 

Facebook Giveaway! 

Updated 2/4/15

We’re giving away another copy of Date Night In, signed by the author! Share your menu on our Facebook post that you would actually create for your date night in. Best menu wins!

Props go to menus that are: simple, creative, and contain ingredients from your box of good.

Participants must be current customers to qualify for the cookbook sweepstakes. Limit, one entry per customer. Participants may enter the drawing through Monday, 2/9/15, and the winner will be announced the next day on Facebook.

This prize is a signed copy of Ashley Rodriguez’s new cookbook, Date Night In: More than 120 Recipes to Nourish Your Relationship.

Watch the trailer, here:

Date Night In Book Trailer from Not Without Salt on Vimeo.

In two week’s we’ll do another drawing, this time for the cookbook, Artisanal Gluten-Free Cooking: 275 Great-Tasting, From-Scratch Recipes from Around the World, Perfect for Every Meal and for Anyone on a Gluten-Free Diet – and Even Those Who Aren’t – this book has some fantastic recipes for eating your Klesick veggies!

We’ll do two more drawings in Febuary, as well as one in March, with more great cookbooks, so keep sharing and stay tuned! The more people you refer, the more chances you have of winning, plus you’ll get 25% off your box for each person you refer!

Shoot our office an email or give us a call if you would like some brochures to help spread the word.

Thank you for sharing the good!!

Your friends at the Klesick Family Farm

360-652-4663

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Change

Change is afoot here at the Klesick Family Farm. The first change happened last weekend. I was blessed to walk our oldest daughter, Emily, down the aisle! Making that walk is an incredibly emotional moment in a father’s life. In the last two summers, Micah got married, Aaron got married, and now Emily is married. It is a little different, giving away a daughter than it is receiving a new daughter into our family. After all, this is my little girl, who I’d always known would find the love of her life and decide to get married, but it happened way faster than I ever imagined! Joelle and I are very excited for Keiran to join our family and to hand over to him one of our greatest treasures, so that they can begin their journey together.

For those of us who are parents, our children are our most precious crop. We pour our lives into them, teaching them, giving to them, and believing in them. A wedding is a culmination of all of these AND you get a new family member. Emily’s wedding was pretty special.

Another much smaller change that we have made at the Klesick family house and on the farm is to cut out plastic wrap. It has taken a little adjusting, but we are making it work. It is just so easy and efficient to use plastic wrap. But here we are, three weeks into the New Year, and voila, the trash is less full and we have discovered there is life after plastic wrap. Who would’ve have known!

We have located all of our bowls that “had” lids and purchased a set of silicone lids and a few sets of the clear plastic bowl covers. We have mostly used the clear plastic bowl covers because most of the larger main meals like soup or roasts already have lids for the pans we cook in. The silicone lids are excellent for covering salad type bowls. One thing I have noticed is that we rarely cover anything on a plate anymore, whereas before we would routinely use plastic wrap for covering a plate of leftovers.

We are also switching to a re-useable pallet wrap for our business. This move alone will save one garbage can of plastic going to the landfill a week. Another environmentally friendly move we are considering is switching to emailed invoices.

Let us know how your family or business re-uses every day items to benefit the environment.  You can email us or share your ideas on FB, twitter or Instagram!

Thanks for supporting our good food network!
tristan-sign

 

 

 

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What We Eat Matters

Before I begin, I would like to share an excerpt from “Citizenship in a Republic,” by Theodore RooseveIt, April 23, 1910.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. 

As I think about the market place that Klesick Family Farm serves, I feel much like this famous portion of Theodore Roosevelt’s speech. As a small farmer and small business owner, it can feel daunting to engage in this battle for good food. Good food that nourishes our bodies and is grown in a way that can heal our land and environment or build upon good stewardship.

Our nation at the turn of the 1900s was having a heated debate about Conservation and Stewardship. Those two concepts are used interchangeably today, but they are distinctly different. Conservationists were advocating for no use, to let nature function alone. An example of this would be our National Park System, and John Muir would be a proponent of this thinking. Stewardship advocates would want to see working landscapes that are actively managed for the benefit of the public. An example of this would be salmon fisheries, federal grazing permits on national lands or timber harvest in the national forests.

But when I survey the horizon today, I see less conservation and stewardship to benefit the public. I see well-oiled and well- connected multinational and national food, chemical, and large farms (food factories) protecting  their private interests. And at every turn these groups are blocking my access, our access, to change. We need to change the food system for the good of all, for the health of all.

So we find ourselves in the arena with you, battling for the health of our nation and for common sense to prevail in Congress. We are turning the tide. Every organic purchase sends a clear and definitive reminder that we are engaging in another food system that is a benefit to the environment, the nation’s health and family health.

Thanks for supporting our good food network.

 

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Begin, Again

I recently came across something that I wrote on the first day on 2014. That day didn’t set off to a great start. My oldest, Baron, ended up in an emergency walk-in clinic with an earache that was causing him to shriek in pain. I wrote of the events of the day and how I started to see them as a bad omen for the year. “If this is how the first day of the year started then what’s the rest going to be?” I asked myself.

Thankfully, I quickly stopped that train of thought and realized that, first of all, aches and pains are a part of life and often a reminder of how grateful I am to have most of our days filled with healthy bodies and, secondly, as much as I love a clean start, I don’t need the calendar to tell me when to start. I can simply begin again and again and again.

The same can be said for making and then subsequently breaking resolutions. I’ve made them in the past then broke them shortly after and allowed the guilt I felt from not living those resolutions to hide the fact that each day is a day to start fresh – each hour even. There then is no pressure to hide from failed resolutions because each slip up is simply an opportunity to begin, again. There’s great freedom in that.

When the need arises to begin again, I’d love to suggest you do so with this simple carrot salad. Shredded carrots are dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and a few warming spices that hint towards winter because we need whatever we can to feel the warmth in these months. There’s also a bit of red chile which really warms; the amount is really up to you. It’s a welcomed bit of freshness in the season of long-simmered stews, cream-filled braises, and cupsful of hot chocolate. None of which are bad things, mind you.

While I’m not one for resolutions, I’m okay with seeking more grace in 2015 – for ourselves, for each other, and for the freedom to see each day as a new beginning. May that resolve guide us to more health, joy, and love in the coming year.

by Ashley Rodriguez                                                                           

Chef, food blogger, author and full-time mom. You can read more of her writings at www.notwithoutsalt.com

 

Fresh Carrot Salad                        

This recipe comes from my brand new cookbook, Date Night In, which was the work of resolving to spend more time dating my husband in the comfort of our home. know picnics and winter aren’t synonymous, but I do tend to think of picnicking when I eat this salad. I’m particularly fond of the gentle wisp of cinnamon in the salad that’s warming without making the carrots taste too sweet. Add more jalapeño if you like heat.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

3⁄4 teaspoon ground coriander

1⁄8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1⁄2 teaspoon sweet paprika (smoked or regular)

1⁄2 fresh red jalapeño pepper, seeded and very thinly sliced

1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt

8 ounces / 230 g carrots, grated (2 to 21⁄2 cups)

1⁄2 cup / 15 g chopped fresh cilantro

 

Directions:

Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, coriander, cinnamon, paprika, red jalapeño, and salt. Toss the dressing with grated carrots and cilantro.

This salad can be made 1 day in advance; I’d advise adding the cilantro just before serving to keep it fresh looking.

Date Night In Book Trailer from Not Without Salt on Vimeo.

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Change is 80% Behavior and 20% Mental

If you believe in something that is realistically attainable and have the right attitude (mindset) coupled with realistic goals, you more often than not will be successful at reaching the prize. The challenge comes when our head knowledge (knowing the right thing to do) hasn’t become heart knowledge.

For instance, EVERYONE knows that eating more fruits and vegetables is the right thing to do. Nobody argues this fact. Yet this fact has a hard time travelling the 12 inches from our brain to our heart. Sadly, it usually takes a few rounds in a boxing match with a health issue like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, or obesity to provide enough motivation to travel the 12 inches. Those 12 inches are the hardest to travel in every area of our lives, whether it is food, finances, exercise, reading, or not texting while driving.

Or take the world of finance. EVERYONE knows that it is better to start your retirement planning earlier than later.  For example, if you start investing $167/mo ($2k/yr) in mutual funds (avg. rate of return 12%) at age 19, and do that till you are 26 and then stop (investing a total of 16k), at 65 you will have $2.3 million—Wow, 16k becomes $2.3 million! Ahhh, the miracle of time and compound interest! But if you are a late bloomer and start saving $167/mo at age 27 until the age of 65, at 65 you will have $1.5 million. Even though the second person invested 78k, they never caught up! (Adapted from DaveRamsey.com)

It is the same with eating fruits and vegetables. Starting earlier here, however, pays immediate health dividends (unlike finances), with a large payout in our retirement years (like finances). Time is definitely on the side of our children and the 20- and 30-somethings. If they embrace eating well, they will reap a more vibrant and healthy life for years to come. But for the over 40 crowd, we better get after the goal of eating better NOW!

Most of us reading this newsletter have already travelled that first 12 inches because we are getting a box of good, but each of us probably has room to improve our health! How about a goal to do one more thing this week that will improve your health now and in 20 and 30 and 40 years! It could be something as simple as one more glass of water or one less glass of soda. It could be eating a salad a day or going for a brisk walk (even when it is raining!)

Right now, you have already thought of one or two things. Do them and travel those 12 inches for yourself and your family. It will be worth the effort. The sooner you get started, the healthier you will be.

 

tristan-sign

 

 

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The Year in Review 2014

The Year in Review                                                                                                                 

Supporting Local Farms:  Since the inception of our home delivery business in 1999, we have always focused on purchasing our fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmers first. Every week we contact our farmer friends to find out what they currently have available for our boxes. If we need to find more produce, we then source it from farms outside our area. As your personal farmer, I really appreciate your dedication to the local farm community. With your purchases this year, you have blessed several local farm families:

Apple Cart Fruit, Bartella Farm, Bunny Lane Fruit, Earth Conscious Organics, Blue Heron Farm, Edible Acres, Filaree Farms, Garden Treasures, Hazel Blue Acres, Hedlin Farm, Highwater Farm, Horse-Drawn Produce, Living Rain Farm, Middleton Organic Specialty Foods, Neff Farm, Northwest Greens Farm, Okanogan Producers Marketing Association, Madden Family Orchard, Ponderosa Orchards, Ralph’s Greenhouses, Rent’s Due Ranch, Skagit Flats Farm, Skagit Valley Farm, Viva Farms, and Klesick Family Farm.

Helping Local People:  Another core principle at Klesick Family Farm is to give back to our community. One of the ways we do this is by offering our customers the opportunity to donate a box of good to local area food banks. We currently support food banks in Anacortes, Camano Island, Edmonds, Everett, Lake Stevens, Marysville, Monroe, Oak Harbor, and Stanwood. For every four boxes donated by our customers, we donate an additional box. This year, with the generous support of our customers, Klesick Family Farm delivered over 971 boxes of good (approximately $25,000 worth of quality organic fruits and vegetables) to local area food banks! This number includes the donation of 122 Thanksgiving Holiday Boxes and 33 Christmas Blessing Boxes.

Partnering With Our Customers: this year we also contributed over $7,700 to the Oso mudslide relief and $3,800 to the Pateros fire relief.

There is no way our farm could meet these needs without your help. This is one of the most satisfying aspects of our business. I love meeting local needs with local resources! Thank you for partnering with us.

If you would like to join us in helping provide quality organic produce to local food banks, either give us a call or order a food bank box under the Boxes category of the Product page of our website.

Thank you for a great 2014! We look forward to next year!

 

tristan-sign

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Merry Christmas!

 

Merry Christmas!

From all of us here at Klesick Family Farm,

A warm and merry Christmas to you and yours this holiday season!

 

“Glad tidings we bring to you and your kin;

Glad tidings for Christmas and a happy New Year!”

 

New Years Week Changes

Alternate Delivery Schedule:

We will be on an alternate delivery schedule the week of New Years. Please check your email for your alternate delivery day. Please contact our office if you are unsure as to which day your delivery will be on next week.

Revised Ordering Deadlines:

If you plan to add or change an order for the week of New Years, please note our revised ordering deadlines:

  • Our office will be closed January 1st-2nd in observance of the holiday.
  • Coffee Orders: Due 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday before the holiday week.
  • Bakery Orders: Due noon on Wednesday before the holiday week.
  • All Other Orders: Due 8:00 a.m. on Sunday of the holiday week.
  • Will You Need to Skip a Delivery? Please let us know as soon as possible.

Orders/changes received after the above deadlines will be scheduled for your subsequent delivery day. Ordering deadlines will revert to normal after the holiday week.

 

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A Merry Christmas Story

Merry Christmas

 

A four-year-old boy was asked to return thanks before Christmas dinner. The family members bowed their heads in expectation. He began his prayer, thanking God for all his friends, naming them one by one. Then he thanked God for Mommy, Daddy, brother, sister, Grandma, Grandpa, and all his aunts and uncles. Then he began to thank God for the food.


He gave thanks for the turkey, the dressing, the fruit salad, the cranberry sauce, the pies, the cakes, even the Cool Whip. Then he paused, and everyone waited … and waited. After a long silence, the young fellow looked up at his mother and asked, “If I thank God for the broccoli, won’t he know that I’m lying?”

 

Well, I guess that little boy hasn’t tried organic broccoli!  (Smile)  In all seriousness, we are tickled to hear all of the comments that we get from our customers with little ones that beg for seconds of broccoli!  Starting the children off at a young age with a love of vegetables and healthy eating habits will benefit them for a lifetime. Give them the gift that will not go out of style, get tattered or torn or break the first day.  Someday they’ll thank you for it!

 

Have an enjoyable Christmas and don’t forget to slow down enough to remember all of the things that you have to be thankful for and thank the Giver of all good gifts!

 

Your friends at the Klesick Family Farm

 

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Holiday Week Changes

Holiday Week Changes

Alternate Delivery Schedule:

We will be on an alternate delivery schedule the weeks of Christmas and New Years. Please watch your email for your revised delivery day.

Revised Ordering Deadlines:

If you plan to add or change an order for the weeks of Christmas and/or New Years, please note our revised ordering deadlines:

  • Our office will be closed 12/25-26 and 1/1-2 in observance of the holidays.
  • Coffee Orders:Due 5:00 p.m. on Thursday before the holiday week.
  • Bakery Orders:Due noon on Friday before the holiday week.
  • All Other Orders:Due 8:00 a.m. on Sunday of the holiday week.
  • Will You Need to Skip a Delivery?Please let us know as soon as possible.

Orders/changes received after the above deadlines will be scheduled for your subsequent delivery day. Ordering deadlines will revert to normal after the holiday weeks.