Category: Box of Good

I have the privilege of saying good morning to Mt. Pilchuck and the Three Fingers every morning. The sunsets are obscured by the tree lines, but the mornings in the valley are stunning. I have been getting up early for so many years that sleeping in looks like 5:15am!  That 4-5 a.m. start happens to be the quietest part of the day; a time to read my Bible, gather my thoughts and mentally prepare for the day ahead. This morning reminded me of how my early to rise habits can be breathtakingly satisfying. For a good part of the year everyone in our household gets to see the sunrise, especially during the fall and winter months. This time of year, as we dutifully march towards the solstice, you need to get up pretty early to catch the yellow orb as it peeks over the peaks.  

The increasing day length is one of the NW advantages in the farm world. A lot of crops really respond to increasing day length and WARMTH. Lately, we have been missing the warmth! It has been a good year for spinach and peas, but the early green beans, cucumbers and tomatoes –meh??? I think they are hunkering down, building some roots and “praying” for a few more degrees on the thermometer. Personally, I would be happy with a few more degrees, too. 

This week we are harvesting our experimental crop of pea vines. Did you know that pea vines are considered a delicacy? Most of the peas we planted are Sugar Snap peas and even the kids know that they better not eat the shoots off those! We’ll be eagerly waiting the Sugar Snaps.  But we put in a variety specifically to harvest as shoots.  I must admit I’m half tempted to string the whole patch and wait for another month and then harvest them as full pods. This variety is called Oregon Sugar Pod 2. It’s a giant snow pea variety.  They are also ideally suited for bunching as pea vines. I will probably end up somewhere in the middle and harvest most of them as pea vines and keep a small test plot to trellis. The pea leaves and tendrils are tender and full of nutritional fiber. They’re an excellent addition in salads, eaten raw or stir fried.  

Trying new things like this is fun and keeps it interesting! Over the years we’ve tried a lot of different things.  We’re first generation farmers so let’s just say, we’ve done a lot of trial and error!  Add the fact that each soil type is unique and subject to different advantages and disadvantages, and you could say we’ve fumbled through figuring out what works best for our farm. With our soil being heavy and clayish it doesn’t grow the prettiest carrots.  Carrots do better in sandier soil where they can easily grow into the loose soil. We have purchased carrots from Ralph’s Greenhouse in Mount Vernon for 20+ years!  They have great soil for carrots and they do an amazing job growing delicious varieties!  

We love the fact that we can bring you great local produce from all around the PNW and we can all do what we do best! 

-Tristan  

The Covid19 situation has me thinking about various forms of preparedness.  But first, I’d like to take a minute to acknowledge those that have recently faced serious illness, lost loved ones, or have experienced serious loss from economic shut down. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of you.

Who knows what the future holds and how it will affect us as individuals and as a community?  It’s wise to prepare for crisis in whatever ways we can.  I’m thinking about emergency preparedness in general and plan to double check our essential supplies so that in future crisis I won’t be caught off-guard and have to scramble to find them.  But also, I’m thinking about how to immerse our family in a healthy lifestyle to create a good foundation to withstand and prepare us for whatever comes our way! 

Eating healthy is a paramount strategy to fighting off sickness and lifestyle diseases. We know there are some aspects of health that we can’t control.  But those will likely not hit us as hard if we are proactive in what we can control! Let’s start with our mindset!  We can take charge of our physical, emotional and spiritual health and be mindful of our stress levels and attitudes!  We can control the amounts of sugar, alcohol, and exercise we partake in.  We can neglect or nurture our body with the nutrition it needs to be its best.  We have choices and those choices have impacts negative or positive.

Many contemplate living a healthy lifestyle but due to various reasons just don’t take the steps to make it happen.  It’s easy to put off nutritious eating habits, but radical change becomes motivating when faced with serious health issues. It’s better to be proactive and not wait until faced with a health crisis to embrace healthy habits. 

Which gets me thinking about our food security and community preparedness. With the recent health crisis, we were reminded of how fragile our food system is.  When this country went into lockdown mode, I was on the phone sourcing produce, changing menus daily, looking for values and variety to help feed the families we serve. Many items were difficult to source for several weeks. Thankfully, with our long-standing relationships in the produce industry, we were given favor and I think our customers barely noticed!  There were a few items people had to go without for a short bit, but it worked out to be a minor inconvenience.  

Just like a personal health scare can be a wakeup call, this felt like a wakeup call to prioritize and invest in local food security.  Let’s be proactive, not reactive. If sourced food, from distant places, becomes scarce, for any unfathomable reason, having access to local food is critical!  We need to have local farmland and farmers available to grow extra food for our own community.  Our season in the PNW is limited due to the weather and cooler climate, so even more resources would need to be available to grow enough to store and use throughout the colder seasons!  Local infrastructure must be viable and in place for there to be true food security. 

We are thankful for each of you and your support as we continue our mission to grow, source and deliver quality organically grown fruit and vegetables and be a voice for local farmland preservation. 

The more local families that eat locally grown food, the stronger our local farm community will be. . . and please remember to support ALL local businesses!

-Tristan  

This week we’re increasing our plantings and our weeding! The weather windows are favorable to really start getting things checked off our list! If you follow us on FB or Instagram, you can see what we’re up to. This last weekend we started moving towards a big push to get our fall crops in. We planted a couple thousand winter squash starts, which will find their way into your Box of Good in SEPTEMBER and OCTOBER. We are focusing on staples like pie pumpkins and acorn squash, adding Honey Boat (a delicata-type squash) and a butternut variety.  At our house we especially love butternut squash! It’s delicious both roasted and as a creamy soup!  The nice thing about our home delivery model is that we can source and enjoy butternut from other farms throughout the year, and also enjoy it locally when available.  We love having delicious variety year-round and also growing vegetables and supporting local farms!

This week we’re harvesting our chives and paring them with carrots from Something Good farm along with some new crop California yellow potatoes. Sweet carrots, quartered potatoes, a little butter or olive oil and chives. So good!  Give it a try and let us know what you think!  

Our peas are growing like crazy and it’s time to build our trellis for both our sugar snap and snow peas. Without a trellis the plants would become all tangled up among themselves and be impossible to pick.  Some years the peas grow 8 feet tall. Those are good years! 🙂 The peas are looking great and healthy now, but hot weather can stress peas, which prefer cool weather. Bottom line, we won’t count our chickens till they hatch or in this case, we won’t count our peas before the harvest! But I am excited about those peas! ?

…And flowers! Lots of flower seeds have been planted with the help of our kiddos and grandkids!  We live and work on the farm and let’s face it, farm season is filled with lots of hard work!  All the beautiful colors of summer flowers are inspiring!   

Lastly, I wanted to say, “thank you” for your kindness and generosity to our farm, packing and delivery team. They are always cheerful, hard workers, but they have worked especially hard during this season to get good quality organic produce to our community, while keeping everyone safe!  Your generous tips and kind notes have been much appreciated by our staff!  

Sincerely,

Tristan  

Spring Has Sprung  

Over the last few weeks, the weather has been a mix of warm, cold, wet, really wet, and hot! For the most part a typical spring! 

Local products are starting to trickle in and before you know it, we’ll be immersed in the full-blown local season. This week and last week we’ve headed up to Mt. Vernon to pick up local, just harvested spinach, and asparagus. Local carrots, kale, and chard are next!  And, before you know it, peas, cherries, and a full bounty of NW produce will be harvested and delivered in your Box of Good.  Remember that all items featured in our boxes are available as add-on item if you’d like more of something.  Consider ordering extra of your favorite in-season produce while it’s available! 

Are you a home gardener during the local season?  We love hearing your gardening stories and encourage you to give it a try if you think it’s something you’d enjoy!  Lettuce is a common home garden vegetable.  Earlier this week, I answered the phone and customer, Rebecca, asked if she could somehow pass on the lettuce this week, because she’s swimming in lettuce from her own garden. My answer? Of course! We have a few ways to handle this request.  

-First option is to set up and use our “never-send” option. We can set a never-send for any item, and when that item, in this case lettuce, is on the box menu you have chosen, we’ll take it out and replace it with a similar item of the same value.  $1 per never send will be added to your box price to cover the additional processing and handling of swapping items. 

-Second option, switch to a different box, like the fruit box or the fruit and vegetable box. Both of these boxes do not have lettuce, so switching to either of these boxes will help her avoid receiving MORE lettuce. 

-Third option, Rebecca can order the specific items she would like for her family by building her own box and we’ll custom pack it for her. 

-Fourth option is a hybrid and the one she ultimately chose. The solution for her was to order a fruit and vegetable box and add radishes, tomatoes and cucumbers to her order. This solution helped her get fruit and cooking vegetables, no lettuce, and then she added her choice of additional salad items to go with her own lettuce. 

Everyone’s family dynamics, circumstances, and preferences are unique! From years of serving many different families we have learned how to help our customers get just the right portions and selection to make the most of their delivery and make their work best for them! Don’t hesitate to call or email us if you have questions, or you find yourself running out of your favorite items or find a few items piling up. Together, we can strategize and find the perfect weekly mix of fresh, nutritious, organic produce for your family! 

Enjoy the spring (whatever the weather is doing)! 

Tristan 

With so many new families joining us recently, we would like to introduce ourselves. We are Tristan and Joelle Klesick and we farm, with our family, on 37 acres in the beautiful Stillaguamish Valley in Stanwood, Washington. Here at Klesick Family Farm we grow about 5 acres of fruit and vegetables. The rest of our acreage is used to rotate our crops or is planted to grass, which is harvested as hay for local animals. 

Throughout the summer we’ll grow garlic, chives, cucumbers, chard, summer squash, winter squash, peas, beans, beets, kale, and more. On our farm we have raspberries, strawberries, and grapes growing, along with 100+ apple, pear, and Asian pear trees. We begin working the ground, as spring rolls around and the soil begins to warm.   We farm during the spring and summer months until late fall when the weather begins freezing. The PNW vegetable farm season typically runs from April until October.  

In addition to farming during the local season, we own and operate Klesick’s Organic Produce Home Delivery where we deliver our Box of Good. During the summer, our boxes are filled with fruits and vegetables from PNW farms, including ours! Our produce items are always as local as possible, and then supplemented with fresh, organic produce from warmer climates. We also like to feature items that are not available locally, like bananas, pineapple and oranges.  As an added convenience, organic grocery staples and meat items are also available to our customers. 

We’ve been both delivering and farming for 23+ years! We’re glad we can source great quality organic produce items, and also share the local harvest! We love what we get to do!  We’re a local home delivery company and a local farm

Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for health inspiration, foodie information and to see what’s happening on the farm!   
 

Tristan and Joelle

Wow! How did that happen? I just found out that it’s Easter this Sunday!  This last month has surely been a whirlwind!  Am I the only one that’s lost track of time?  I even look forward to Easter!  I find comfort in its message of hope.   

This international “pause” on life has given many of us an opportunity to reflect.  Hope is a great thing to reflect on during all this uncertainty.  Farmers are experts in hope.  Think about it; we take a little bitty seed and expect it to germinate, sprout, grow, produce fruit, and then harvest and share!  Unbelievable, really!  So many miraculous factors play into the whole process.    

I will admit that even though farmers are generally very hopeful and optimistic people, we do sometimes experience the unexpected, disappointment, and even hardship.  It might come in the form of bad seed that doesn’t germinate, pests that destroy crops, or weather that interferes with harvest.  There are a myriad of problems that can, and do, happen, in which case I give myself permission to grieve my losses and sometimes even get mad at the circumstances.  I reflect and think about whether there was something that I would do differently next time and sometimes there’s a valuable lesson to be learned.  But sometimes the circumstances are out of my control and I just need to know I did the best I could. 

Whatever the reason for hardship, it usually comes with a time to pause, grieve and reflect.  Oddly enough, when reflecting includes finding things to be thankful for, it leads to an optimistic future. That’s where the next seed of hope is found, and the next crop is planted, or a new season begins.   

Have you ever wanted to be a farmer?  Okay, so maybe not.  But you might need a seed of hope right now.  Maybe you’re doing okay, and you need to offer a seed to your neighbor (from 6 feet away, of course).  Plant a seed, water it, look for sunshine, dream of it sprouting, growing and producing fruit!  During this time of uncertainty, it’s okay to pause, grieve and reflect, but allow hope to bring you into the next season.   

We are thankful for each of you and wish you a happy Easter as we celebrate the message of eternal hope! 

-Tristan and Joelle

Everyone is looking for a firm footing. Each of our paths have a little “looser” rock to navigate than normal, requiring us to be aware of our surroundings and to plan each step carefully.   

And wouldn’t a normal walk in nature, down the street, or around town be nice; where we could exchange pleasantries and greet one another with a smile and a hug? But for now, we’ll digitally connect with friends and extended family, spend quality time with those at home, and look for ways to bring normalcy to our path!  

As we’re all keenly aware, our typical shopping habits are non-existent right now! As people look for ways to meet their family’s food needs, while avoiding the grocery stores, home delivery has become a way to navigate. We have been delivering produce to local homes for 20+ years, but never have we been more honored to serve our community in this special time of need. 

At Klesick Farms we have added several hundred new families and 4 new routes to our service in the last few weeks. To our long-time customers, we appreciate your patience as your delivery time may have changed as we accommodate the new families.  We will be arriving between 8am – dark. (smile) Don’t hesitate to call or email if you have any questions about your delivery. And as one customer commented after calling, “It’s so nice to have someone answer the phone instead of an automated menu to choose from.”  Yes! We do our best to get to all our calls as they come in, but if your call goes to voicemail, know that we’ll try to get right back to you!  

You matter, and your story matters.  Each of our paths are unique, but we share this journey.  Food has always been a source of connection.  Some of us are extreme foodies, health fanatics, and wanting to support local!  Some of us are just looking for a way to get fresh produce, while homebound (and we hope you’ll end up loving it and becoming some of our biggest fans!)  All of you take comfort in knowing that you’re feeding your family well and are providing a little stable ground during a time of uncertainty.  Good food is comfort food.  Gather around the meal table and cherish the people in your home.  Share your highs and lows of the day and think of the things you’re thankful for.  It will give you a moment to catch your breath, while nourishing your body and soul!  

Again, we are honored that you’ve joined our Box of Good community and it’s our hope that when your box comes it will feel like a big hug (if you’re a hugger that is)!  We love to be inspired by one another by sharing recipes and yummy, beautiful produce-filled creations!  Use our Facebook or Instagram page and let’s connect!   

And by the way, our team is incredible! The office staff, packers and drivers have all worked extra-long hours and have cheerfully done their part to provide our customers with the best possible experience and the highest quality. Thank you for allowing our family and our team to serve your family.  

Tristan and Joelle

We’d like to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves to the hundreds of new families that have signed up in the last few weeks. We are Tristan and Joelle Klesick, a local family living, and working on our farm in Stanwood.  We’ve been sourcing, growing, and delivering fresh organic produce for 23 years in our community. We believe that fruit and vegetables are vital to health and only deliver organically grown high-quality produce. Over the years we have developed loyal relationships in the food industry, and because of those relationships we have been able to serve additional families during this tenuous time. 

I am so proud of our packing team (Joanna, Tasha, John, Maleah, and Stephen).  This week they just kept working and working and working to keep up, as we added 50, 75 or 100 new families to our delivery service each day. The driving team (Nate, Stephen, Hanna and Preston) must have wings on their shoes. And last Saturday, we had to split a route because there was no way it would all fit in our vans. 

Alaina and I manned the phones, took orders, placed orders, answered emails, and worked long after the team was gone to make sure we would have the produce to be able to deliver to families the next day. And wouldn’t you know it, our grocery supplier called at 3pm on Friday and said, “See you Saturday instead!” Because they too are experiencing extra ordinary demand and couldn’t keep up. We needed those groceries for Saturday orders, but…  We appreciate your patience!

Even for a seasoned produce veteran as myself, I have never experienced such volatility in produce supply and pricing. This is happening for a few reasons.

First is the COVID-19 and self-quarantining that has been asked of our communities. And with the uncertainty, the extra ordinary demand from every corner of our country has placed a lot of unplanned stress on the produce/food system. Please remember, growing vegetables requires 2 to 3 months of lead time to ramp up, and no one was expecting this!

Secondly, this time of year is always a difficult season for the produce industry. The “salad bowl” of America is leaving Arizona and transitioning back to California. And to complicate matters, it has been raining nonstop in California and Mexico, impacting harvesting schedules.

This really is an unruly storm condition given COVID-19 uncertainty, and the rain in our southern growing regions.

I’d like to explain pricing, especially if you are new to our service.  For the last 23 years we have always provided our customers with high quality produce at fair pricing.  This will not change!  But naturally, as wholesale prices increase for individual items, retail prices need to increase, as well. Given the extreme volatility of product and pricing, we are actively working with our suppliers in order to get families the best pricing possible during this time. When a customized order is placed the price listed reflects the current price, but prices may change between the day your order was placed and when you receive your delivery. Pricing on our pre-selected boxes will remain the same, but the menus may flux daily, as needed, based on availability and value.  So, even though we pre-publish our menus, know that they are subject to change, but the value will always be the same.

We are honored to serve your family during this time of uncertainty.  Thank you!

–Tristan

We’d like to take a moment to address the COVID-19 concern.   

The US FDA has put out this statement regarding food handling and the virus.  “We are not aware of any reports at this time of human illnesses that suggest COVID-19 can be transmitted by food or food packaging. However, it is always important to follow good hygiene practices (i.e., wash hands and surfaces often, separate raw meat from other foods, cook to the right temperature, and refrigerate foods promptly) when handling or preparing foods.” 

Please be assured that we are meticulously following the CDC’s guidelines. We are implementing all our usual sanitation practices and our employees are going above and beyond our strict standards to keep all our loved ones safe.   

What Can You Do to Keep Yourself and Your Family Healthy? 

The CDC guidelines:  

• Take everyday preventive actions to stay healthy. 
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick. 
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. 
• Stay home when you are sick. 
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. 
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe. 
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. 
• Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures. 
• Stay informed. CDC’s COVID-19 Situation Summary will be updated regularly as information becomes available. 

We would encourage you to follow the CDC guidelines for avoiding sickness, and also purpose to provide your body with immune boosting support. Staying positive, exercising, taking quality supplements and eating lots organic fruits and vegetables are all important and empowering strategies to implement during this season!

Coming together prayerfully with our community,

-Tristan and Joelle Klesick

“The peas are coming on strong.   My nine-year-old son, Micah has beaten his dad with the first blossoms of the season.  Come to think about it his carrots are coming on sooner than mine, too. Around here there’s a healthy amount of weeding to do, and it is just plain work.  Some can be done with hoes, but a good portion is done by hand.  A few weeks ago the kids and I made a game of it.  We all started weeding and then after a bit, I would yell “tag” and then everyone would start running, very carefully of course, and I would try and catch them.  It was a “hoot”.  The other day we had some more weeding to do and the first thing Emily asked was, “Can we play that tag game, again?”  ~Tristan, May, 2000 

“I love Sugar Snap Peas. We like to grow big juicy peas that are bursting with flavor.  I remember one year when we farmed in Snohomish and Andrew was about 2 years old (that was 6 years ago, my oh my!!!!!).  Anyway, that little rascal had wandered off to the garden, without us knowing it.  After a headcount and a short panic, we went looking for him.  Guess where we found him?  He was smack in the middle of the Sugar Snap Peas, holding on to two fistfuls of peas and he had one in his mouth.  The whole scene was quite a sight!  We were all relieved and decided to sit down and join him for a nice evening snack.  And when we were done, Andrew got to ride back home in Dad’s arms.”  ~Tristan, May 2006

There’s something special about looking back and reading the newsletters my dad wrote to our customers over the last 22 plus years. There are so many fun memories I cherish. I was blessed to grow up with parents who were family-focused and passionate about health and farming! And now I don’t take for granite being able to bring MY kids to the farm and watch them enjoy all that grows during the summer. Hadlee, (4) is so excited for summer!  At each glimpse of sunshine, she excitedly asks if it’s summertime yet. She remembers last year running out into the fields and eating strawberries, raspberries, peas, and just about anything she could get her hands on.  She would often use the bottom of her dress like a basket and bring her finds to the house to share.  I think I can speak for all of the grandkids and say that one of the best things about summer is being able to go to grandma and grandpa’s house -AKA- “the farm”. This will be our 5-month-old son, Bazil’s first summer, and Hadlee is so excited to show him everything that grows on the farm. It brings me joy seeing my little ones enjoy the farm; from the pea patch to watching the sunset. I only hope we can continue to teach this generation, at a young age, the importance of organic farming, eating healthy foods and just simply enjoying the freedom of frolicking in the great outdoors! 

Thank you for allowing our family to bring you organic produce over all these years!  We appreciate each one of you!

–Alaina Klesick

I have been contemplating many changes on the farm. For the last several years our apples and pears, always have a good fruit set, but for some reason the Italian Prunes, aren’t as happy here. Italian Prunes are mostly self-fertile, meaning that they do not need an additional plum variety to cross pollinate.  

Our plum blossoms are awesome, the trees are loaded with white flowers. But they start blossoming earlier than the apple and pear trees. The new weather pattern seems to be warmer earlier, waking up the trees followed by a cold snap. The new weather pattern for our farm appears to be not as favorable for early plum blossoms and fruit set.  

I love Italian Prunes, but when they don’t pollinate and set fruit it is disheartening. Then the trees switch to growth mode and instead of growing fruit, they grow more WOOD! And as much as I love pruning and its peacefulness, pruning to prune is not a productive use of a farmer’s time.  

We have been getting a crop every 3 to 4 years. I could spray pollen, but even that requires pollinators to spread it from tree to tree. And I am the type of farmer that works with nature and, if I need to manufacture an environment to grow something, I am less willing to do it. There are plenty of other crops that like to grow around here. 

I think if my farm was on a hill, the plums may pollinate better. Farming in the valley bottoms is colder and damper and, maybe, the reason they are less conducive to an early fruit set. When Gary Lund at S & S Mowing was out this winter to mow the blackberries around the fence line, (no Roundup used around here) I asked him, “do you have bucket attachment for that mower?” If you know Gary, he got that smile and asked me, “Why?” At that moment the die was cast and the next day he dug up all 36 trees. Ten years of work gone in a few hours and all that was left was a pile of branches that would make every beaver west of the Mississippi green with ENVY! 

When you farm, making choices like this come down to dollars and common sense. This year I am going to grow lettuce and cucumbers where the plums trees once graced our farm. It is good, a new chapter if you will.  

And our first seedlings of lettuce are already up and will be ready to go out at the end of March. Let the growing begin! 

-Tristan 

We love hearing the enthusiasm from our customers when they receive their Box of Good! We often hear: “It’s like Christmas and feels like opening a gift of health!” Some people tell us they eat more nutritiously when they get a box delivered, and their kids will even try new things! Customers appreciate that we take the guesswork out of finding high quality, organic, in season produce, and love the convenience of having it delivered right to their door! 

We want our customers to carry out that excitement throughout the week, while they use their fresh produce! So, it’s important to know how to best store your produce and how to plan to use it.  This week we’re including a link to our Helpful Produce Storage Tips.  We’ve found a few storage bags that we love, so we’ve made them available to our customers.  We now offer organic cotton produce storage bags as well as biodegradable produce bags.  Both are great, environmentally friendly, options for keeping your produce fresh longer.   

We’d like to also mention that, in order to increase longevity of your produce, it’s important that you unpack your box shortly after receiving it.  Don’t let it sit on the counter for an extended period of time.  As you unpack your items, assess what items should be used early in the week, and which items have a longer shelf life.  For example, oranges will last longer than berries, so plan to use the berries first.  Tender greens will not last as long as broccoli, so plan to use the greens earlier in the week.  Check your fruit for its readiness.  Ripe fruit can usually go in the fridge to slow down the process or, if fruit is unripe, you’ll want to set it on the counter.  Some items like carrot s, broccoli, or cauliflower can easily be cut up and stored in a sealed container making them easy to use raw as a snack, or to make a quick side dish.  Greens store well in the organic cloth bags and can be washed ahead of time but must be thoroughly dried before storing. If using biodegradable plastic bags for greens, wrap them in a paper towel before placing in the bag.  Proper attention and storage of your fresh produce will keep you enthusiastic about eating healthy from your Box of Good! 

Be sure to check out our Produce Storage Tips link below for helpful information about specific items! 

Klesicks.com/how-to-store-your-box/

Or click the storage link at the top of the klesicks.com homepage.

-Tristan and Joelle Klesick

The feel-good messaging has been loud from venture capital funded mega companies encouraging consumers to purchase produce that is ugly or imperfect in order to address our country’s food waste epidemic.  However, an efficient system already exists to use blemished products. It goes to our food banks or is used for frozen foods, canned goods, juices, pet foods, and every type of processed food you can imagine.  

We’d like to share some of the long-term benefits of choosing to support local farms and businesses, and the environmental and benevolent impact it has in our own communities. Consider the Box of Good.

We are passionate about keeping local farmland viable!  Through the platform we’ve been given in our business, along with community involvement and countless volunteer hours, we’ve been able to play a pivotal role in impacting future generations, through farmland preservation initiatives, right in our own Stillaguamish and Snohomish Valleys. (Ask us about this if you’d like to know more!)

The number of for-profit family farms is shrinking at an alarming rate! We need local farms. In the PNW commercial fruit and vegetable farming in the winter is nearly impossible, however, the home delivery business model makes it possible for us to farm and source local in the spring, summer, and fall, then outside source in the winter. This model keeps local farmland in production, which helps maintain future food security and habitat spaces.

In addition to farming in this community, we are honored to partner with our customers to help meet the local needs of those experiencing financial hardship. Before we started donating to our local food bank, 23 years ago, they told us they almost exclusively supplied canned food for their customers, and only a few produce items. Last year alone, in partnership with our customers, over $32,000 worth of high-quality organic produce was donated to 12 local food banks! Our imperfect produce also goes to the food bank twice a week. NOTHING goes to waste!  We supply trimmings to local animal farmers, and we also compost in order to provide additional soil nutrients for next year’s crops! It’s a win for everyone!

Included in your Box of Good is our weekly newsletter providing information about our farm, farming and land use issues, PNW agriculture, understanding our government food policies, nutrition, the how and why of healthy eating, inspiration for healthy living, recipes, and tips for preparing your produce.  We love sharing our passion for farming, healthy living and community!

Our produce is always certified organic because that’s what we believe in!  When ordering from Klesick’s, produce will be fresh, carefully selected, and handled with care, both in our packing facility, and in our own delivery vans while en route to your home. Orders can either be simply placed online, or our helpful office staff is available to work with you to create the perfect box for your family. We are always happy to address any concerns or answer any questions!

At Klesick’s we offer high quality and nutrient dense home-delivered organic produce at competitive pricing!  We are a local farm and a local business with a heart for the people and the community we live in. We are honored when you choose us to supply you with not just a box of produce, but with a Box of Good!

-Tristan and Joelle Klesick

Unlike any period of time in the past, we have access to countless food options, as well as unlimited information on how that food works within our bodies. We know more now about specific nutrients, what purpose they serve inside of our bodies, which foods contain them, and how to eat in order to help target our specific ailments or needs. And while there are certainly all kinds of new and inventive options for processed, sugary, and packaged foods, more and more people are choosing to leave those on the shelves and opt for healthier options for their families.

The reason? When you know better, you do better!

At the same time, there are things about our food culture that still baffle me. Such as recently, when a new set of policies were proposed to update the USDA food system for American public schools. Among other things within this proposal, there were new guidelines suggested for classifying foods offered to students with their meals. One such change would allow for hash brown patties to now be classified as an option for fruit in a school-offered meal.

That may surprise you, but it is only a portion of the proposal that looks to minimize food waste in schools by recategorizing foods and ultimately, removing or reducing a great deal of healthy options for students. However, while I’m saddened to see this proposed as an option for the children in our school system, I am not all that surprised. Our nation’s food system is struggling and is in desperate need of some help!

This is why I think Klesick’s is such an important part of our local Western Washington community. When we see how the “standard American diet” is failing our nation’s overall health, we have the ability to make better choices right here at home. We can make healthier lifestyle choices, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or going for a walk on our lunch break. We can choose to drink water over other beverage options that are laden with sugar or artificial ingredients. We can choose to incorporate more whole fruits and vegetables into our diet and limit our intake of processed items. And in an era where convenience is key, what better way to do that than to have an affordable box of organic produce delivered to your door?

As a mom of three young boys, I am thankful to have access to quality fruits and vegetables to fill their bellies and sustain their bodies. It is a challenge to nourish little people and ensure that they are offered the best that I can give them, but it is worth it. It is my hope that we don’t find ourselves discouraged about the big food decisions in our world that we cannot control, but instead feel empowered about the small choices we can make at home. They truly do make all the difference!

-Emily Marie Klesick

Hey, Klesick customers, Alaina here! I am excited to announce our brand-new “Family on the Go” box. We know life can get busy, so we wanted to create a simple box of good that allows your family to still eat healthy while doing all the things!

This assorted box has easy to eat fruit and vegetables that can simply be washed and cut, and ready to serve throughout the week! This box avoids items that typically take more time to prep or cook. The Family on the Go box has higher volumes of fruit and will consistently have easy to eat vegetables! A sample of a Family on the Go box would include approximately 10 apples, 8 pears, 8 oranges, 3lbs bananas, carrots, broccoli, cucumbers and celery. So, if life keeps you moving and it’s difficult to find time to meal prep, you don’t have to sacrifice feeding your family nutrient rich foods!  If you want your kiddos to get fresh fruit and vegetables, this might be the perfect box for you. The items in this box are simple and easy to take in the car, use for school lunches, or to throw together a quick snack or meal!

I always find my little one eats healthier when I chop up all the items and have them ready to eat. On the day I get my box I set aside 20 minutes to chop up the veggies, so they are ready for the whole week. This box takes little to no prep time to get healthy food ready for the whole week.

Also, one other thing I wanted to highlight! You may have noticed on the back of your newsletters there have been more recipes. We wanted to start highlighting a variety of ways you can use your box, aside from the typical one recipe. The recipes will start being posted on Friday for the upcoming week, so you can always go to klesicks.com, click the blog tab and then click the “Recipes” option. You can check out the recipes before your box comes and add on any extra items you may like to include in your order. I will be adding some of my favorite recipes to the back, as well.

And most importantly, THANK YOU for choosing to support local and for choosing fresh organic produce. We are thankful for every one of you, and here at Klesick’s, we are always here for YOU. We are happy to help you when it comes to customizing your own box, substituting items out of your box, adding items onto your order, or just figuring out what works for your family! We are just a quick call or email away. ?

-Alaina

Last week I wrote about seasons, farming, and cover crops. It would be very easy to make a similar analogy about our health.  

Planning is happening all the time. It is also overlapping, with multiple stages and events. One of those activities is eating. How do you plan for fueling your body? What is your eating strategy? Isn’t eating one of the most confusing things to figure out? Paleo, Keto, Plant based, Truly Plant based, Vegan, Vegetarian, Dr. Atkins, eat for your blood type, Mediterranean, High Fat, Low Fat, Fruit only, Starch only, No sugar, No carbs… when to eat, how much to eat, and how long to fast. 

It is flat out confusing. I do believe that eating plants is the most important part of the diet. But we sell plant-based food. Some meat proteins, but mostly plants. Big surprise that I would think that plants should be a large portion or your diet. But not just any plants. Plants that are recognizable and minimally processed, not food made in a factory or laboratory.   

High fructose corn syrup is plant based, much of it from GMO corn. Does that make it healthy? Eating mostly plants that we prepare ourselves is healthier than the premade, sweetened, and salted versions at the store or restaurants. I am not even sure how food manufacturers are even able get that much salt into bowl of soup! Of course, there are exceptions, but if America is going to change its health trajectory, it is going to have to change the way it eats. Exercise, while important, is not going to be the solution. The solution to our health crisis is at the fork. It is what we eat that will make Americans healthy again. 

Thankfully, in America we still have the freedom to eat what we want, most of what we are being offered as food is edible, but is it healthy? Klesick Farms started out 23 years ago offering organically grown fruit and vegetables. Today, we are still offering organically grown fruit and vegetables, but we also offer an assortment of organic groceries and grass-fed, organic, or wild meat. Healthy eating is an option, the hard part is getting our beliefs, our behavior, and our schedule to line up. Easier said than done.  

We are here to help support your health goals and, at the same time, help the environment by growing sourcing and delivering organically grown food to your home.  

Thankfully we still have the freedom to eat what we want, when we want. Thank you for choosing Klesick Farms as your partner in health. 

-Tristan

It is winter in the NW. For those of us who have been juggling kiddos, school closures, and late starts, it sure is nice to get back to cold, wet, and gray! Although the white, while a challenge to navigate, is beautiful, and our region is dependent upon sufficient snowpack to keep our watersheds happy and functioning properly. 

I am really proud of our team and their commitment to pack and safely deliver your boxes of good! The packing team made it every day and our driving team chained up when necessary, and safely delivered 95% of the orders. A few of you live on the less travelled and moderately travelled roads and we couldn’t quite get there, sorry. 

On the farm, this weather is just fine. We take it in stride because we mostly focus on the Spring, Summer, and Fall seasons. The only crops actively growing are our cover crops and garlic. The garlic is happy as a clam, not sure what that means, but it is a NW saying. They have poked through the mulch and are about 3-4 inches tall.

This year we are experimenting with a new mulching material. Normally we use organic wheat straw, but this year we added leaves from our walnut trees. Our farm produces walnut leaves in MASS! Normally they end up in the compost and then spread on the fields in the spring, but this year we raked them up and spread them out on top of the garlic. The work to gather and spread the leaves is comparable to the work to purchase, pick up, bring to the farm, and spread the wheat straw.  I will be evaluating how they decompose, weed suppression, moisture retention, and soil structure under each mulch. So far, I am pleasantly surprised. 

The cover crops we plant are to nourish the soil, hold nutrients in the plants, and protect the soil from compaction. Cover crops are a vital part to farming, but they do have their limitations. We use them on 90% of our soils and leave that remaining 10% “open” or “uncovered.” One of the purposes of a cover crop is to prevent the leaching of nutrients like Nitrogen or Phosphorous out of the root zone, and also out of the aquifers or watersheds. Think the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.  

Why do I not cover crop the remaining 10%? Through experience, I have learned that cover crops also have a downside. In a wet spring, they can grow, REALLY GROW, and once the weather warms and I can get into the field to till them in, it will take a few weeks for them to break down. The soil bacteria are busy breaking down the cover crop and won’t get to work on growing vegetables for a little while longer. So, we intentionally leave that 10% uncovered for our early plantings of peas and lettuce. It’s just that simple! 

Stay warm, 

-Tristan