Category: Community

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Save the Date!

Start your year off right and BE UNSTOPPABLE in 2018!

The NW Mind Body Spirit Connection is returning to the Lynnwood Convention Center on January 20th from 10 am to 4 pm.

Meet the region’s top experts in holistic health and well-being at this fun and interactive day of learning and inspiration. Choose from a variety classes, talks, demos and mini-workshops on topics ranging from organic farming and mindful meals to feng shui, themography and holistic brain health. Explore the exhibitor hall for a chance to sample and view product demonstrations, get a mini-reading or try reflexology or massage!

This year’s event also features a labyrinth installation, chakra fashion show, laughter yoga demo and interactive dream board.

Food and beverages will be available for purchase. Parking is free! Kids get in free. Bring a friend!

More info: NWMindBodySpirit.com. Get $5 off tickets with the code: KLESICK.

 

Farmer Tristan will be speaking on Lifestyle Changes and the Will Power Gap—Don’t Miss it!

How many times have you started to make changes to only have them sabotaged a few minutes, days or weeks later? Part of the solution to making successful changes is information and the other is understanding will power or the lack thereof. In this class, we will unpack successful strategies to win with food and life. Read more.

Stop by Klesick’s booth at NW Mind Body Spirit

Stop by Klesick’s booth at NW Mind Body Spirit Connection and meet your local produce farmer AND your local dairy farmer! Larry from Twin Brook Creamery will be joining us at this event!

 

P.S. We’ll also be raffling off a box of good, so don’t forget to enter!

 

 

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Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The Month of October is dedicated to Breast Cancer Awareness. In doing research for this article I came across this article from Everyday Health. Cancer is complicated and if you or a someone you know is battling cancer, any type of cancer, you are in a fight. I have copied and pasted the opening paragraph from the article below.

A cancer diagnosis can often be directly linked to your family medical history, your lifestyle choices, and your environment. You can’t control your family medical history, and only some aspects of your environment are up to you. But lifestyle choices like diet, weight, activity level, and smoking are yours to manage.

“Preventive measures are so heavily underutilized by people. And yet they work. Everything in moderation really works”, says Richard R. Barakat, MD, chief of the gynecology service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. (Emphasis mine)

Diseases like Cancer are heart-wrenching and emotionally, physically and financially devastating. I hate what it does to individuals and families. I know that hate is a strong word, but what Cancer does to an individual and their family is devastating.

At Klesick farms, we have a plan to come along side and help. Our Klesick Farms Cancer fighting plan is:

1.We believe in prayer. If you would like us to pray specifically for you or someone you know who is fighting Cancer (or anything else) Email [email protected]. He organizes our prayer time and customer interactions. All of us care, but Mike is gifted when it comes to caring. Or you can use this link to submit a prayer request or share your story.

2. Everything we sell is a part of the solution. We don’t carry GMO products and 95% of what we provide is fruits and vegetables. Some customers have joined together to fund a Cancer Fighter’s account, so that they don’t have to shop or think about it. Home delivery is great way to come along side and add tangible help. Call us to set up an account for a friend, co-worker or family member. 360-652-4663

3. Lastly, we have discount program for families fighting cancer or heart disease. If you are in the fight of your life, let us know so we can add the health discount to your account. If you would like to donate towards this, we will make sure your donation gets applied to a family fighting Cancer. We are here to help and be a part of the solution.

 

 

Tristan

Farmer/Health Advocate

 

 

Support Healing Through Nutrition

$5 from each purchase goes to our Healing though Nutrition program.

For Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) we are offering Fruit Baskets with Pink Ribbons for $30 delivered to you or directly to the person you want to bless.

 Click Here to add a Basket

 

 

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Hand in Hand

Being a first-generation family farm has been an amazing journey. For nearly 20 years, Joelle and I have been supplying, growing, and delivering our produce and produce from other farms. As we near Fall and the Fall harvest, I am reminded that what was a little seed a few months ago is ready for harvest now. Time flies by.

For Joelle and I, our farm has transitioned from being the young farming family to being a multigenerational farm family. Time has flown by. With each season there are so many rewards and riches to be had, but some of the most precious are the excitement and wonder of children.

Our youngest, Joanna (7), still excitedly reminds us to look at the sunset every night. She hasn’t quite figured out how to remind us to look at the sunrise, though. ? Sunsets and sunrises are spectacular, but seeing another grandson or granddaughter join the family – that is life changing.

Joelle and I are both parenting and grand parenting. The older children have gotten married and are having children and our little Joanna is now an Auntie 4 times over with one more coming in November.

A few weeks ago, we welcomed Nathan Lee Klesick to the world. I haven’t got him on the tractor yet, but it will happen sooner than I can say scalafragilisticespcalldocius. Because, well, time flies by. And before I know it that little guy will be under foot harvesting strawberries alongside his grandparents, just like his older brothers and cousins, and just like their parents did.

Seeing your third generation is a gift. Having them grow up near the farm, spend time on the farm, and experience the farm, that is priceless. Right now, those little ones are more likely to get a taste of the dirt on our farm, but that taste could very well lead to a future taste for farming.

For me, I am going to work a little slower and take a little more time to get the chores done, because I will have the third generation trying to keep pace with grandpa’s footsteps. To hear “Grandpa, Grandpa” and turn around and see a little one toddling as fast as those little legs can go is all the motivation I need to slow down, bend down, and swoop them up!

Maybe it is just me, but I think that locally grown food tastes better, because a local family on a local farm is growing it and quite possibly, as it is with our farm, another generation of future farmers, too.

 

Teaching another generation to farm,

 

Tristan

Farmer, Health Advocate

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Rain – It’s Overrated

Water. Who needs water?

We just passed a record without rain for the Seattle area that has stood since 1951. YES, 1951! My parents were wee lads and lasses back then. I wonder if global warming was the talk of the day. They were probably more concerned with the Russians coming through Canada or maybe it was how North Korea with the help of China and Russia invaded South Korea?

One could conclude that not much has changed since 1951. What are we talking about in today’s local and world events? How dry it is, North Korea, China, and Russia. Hmm, I guess I don’t have to worry about wondering what my grandparents were thinking about in the 50’s anymore. I am reliving it.

 

Oh, and of course the Modern Supermarket got a solid stronghold on the American marketplace. And our cheap food model has been exported all over the world to the detriment of local communities everywhere. What about today? We see a mini renaissance of local food outlets. Victory gardens and eating locally were still widely in use in the 50’s and lots of small farms dotted the landscape. But once again, we see the big getting bigger with Amazon buying Whole Foods and the PCC’s building another new store every year or another local farmer selling out and a larger farmer taking over.

 

But we are not seeing the local farm community keep pace; it is as if the American populace has chosen industrial food all over again, only this time it is even more convenient – you don’t even have to leave your home to get what you want!

 

In 1997, when we started a home delivery company based on a local farm and farm-direct model, quality and convenience was our niche. Back then, we knew that if we were going to make it as first-generation farmers, we needed to serve local families and that’s what we did. We chose to serve one family at a time, to provide the freshest ingredients at competitive prices. We built our farming methods around variety and quality and our business model around customer service.

 

These are the things that Joelle and I wanted for our diet – variety and quality – as well as actually being appreciated for being a customer. We extend these basic tenets to you, our customers, every day, in every interaction, whether it is through email, Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, or a phone call or when you get a box of good delivered.

 

The only reason that Klesick Farms is even a farm today is because a local family said we want the freshest, best quality, farm-direct fruits and vegetables. There was no other way for us to be able to farm unless a family like yours said “Yes” to a local farm and our delivery service.

And that is a good thing that I hope never changes, because local food only comes from local farmers and organic food only comes from organic farmers. I have the best of both worlds, I am small family farm serving local families in my community, just like it was in the 50’s.

 

May this never change.

 

Tristan

Farmer, Health Advocate

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NW Healthy Mama Farm Tour

Hi there, Klesick customers! My name is Angela Strand. It’s an honor to share with you today a little about the site I run, NW Healthy Mama and also let you in on an exciting opportunity to tour Klesick’s Farm!

NW Healthy Mama was created 2 years ago, when my love for the beautiful Pacific Northwest was paired with a passion for all things healthy and active. On NW Healthy Mama, the belief is that health is not a specific diet, but rather a frame of mind, a meal that helps our families thrive and an adventure outside with good friends. As a Mom of 3 young kids, I believe in enjoying motherhood and loving our people well. I love encouraging the families in this part of the world to get outside and have fun together!

So, what you can expect to see on NW Healthy Mama?

  • Blog posts (www.NWHealthyMama.com) are usually sent out on average 3 times a week and include topics like gardening tips, PNW hikes, day trip and camping ideas, garden tours (email me if you’d like to write about your garden or flower patch!), healthy recipes and guest posts about any of these topics. If you haven’t signed up to receive posts by email, please do so!
  • I show my face a lot and am very unedited/goofy/sometimes ridiculous on Instagram Stories so if you like bloopers and behind the scenes stuff, head over there! (Instagram @NWHealthyMama)
  • Facebook is a mix of all of this plus, it’s a place where I frequently post reader questions and let readers chime in and help each other out.

Here’s what one awesome reader says” I think that everything you say and talk about on your blog and Instagram is so refreshing and inspiring. There are many new moms and women telling us how to eat and diets to be on, etc. and it is so nice to have you telling us about opportunities to be active with your kids/family and great food to eat. It doesn’t stress me out, it makes me excited. We even bought our Christmas tree from the tree farm that you wrote about!!“

 

Here’s the AWESOME NEWS! There’s going to be a NW Healthy Mama Farm Tour at Klesick Farm and you’re invited! Have gardening or market-gardening questions? Simply want to hang out with some really great people? It’s all happening on July 8th!

 

Klesick farms has been growing and delivering organically grown fruits and vegetables for over 20 years and Tristan is excited to share what he has learned along the way as a farmer, father and small business owner.

 

 Here are the details:

What: Free Farm Tour and “Farm to Market” Q&A with Farmer Tristan Klesick

Who: Everyone!

When: July 8th from 10-11:30am

Where: Klesick Farm 24101 Miller Rd Stanwood, WA 98292

Hope to see you at the Klesick Farm on July 8th. You can find more information on NW Healthy Mama, by following along on Facebook, Instagram and on the website, NWHealthyMama.com

 

 

 

 

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Mettle

This spring has been quite the start to the farming season. Springs like this sure can test your mettle. Thankfully, we have a long growing season in the PNW!

Seriously. I just kept planting, replanting and replanting. I figured that eventually, we would get 4 days of dry weather and one of my spinach seedlings would germinate and not have to rise through a rain compacted layer of newly formed mud.

It all works out though. Because I need to plant more green beans, I will just plant that quarter acre of what was supposed to be spinach to my 3rd planting of green beans. Green beans are a bright spot on the farm. I think every one of those seeds germinated on the first planting. Who would have ever thought that would happen this year??? ME! Every time I plant something, I think it is going to be my best crop ever. ?

The other day, when I was taking my kids to school, we got behind a tractor (it’s Stanwood) and it was going as fast as it could, maybe 10 MPH. One could feel the tension rising as line of cars began to grow–5 cars, 10 cars, 15 cars. I knew that there were going to be some frustrated people. Having been in this situation many times as the tractor driver myself, the tension was palpable to me, especially on a 50 MPH road! At this point, I started talking out loud to myself and my daughters, “Oh the nerve. That tractor is slowing everyone down, going to make us late for school, probably get someone killed trying to pass them on a corner, folks swearing at him and waving with their middle finger and… we would all be a whole lot hungrier if that farmer wasn’t doing their job.” That’s when my daughters looked up from their phones, and I said, “Oh, you were listening to me.” 🙂 We waved at Nathan, the farmer, and continued on our way.

Good Food Farm Tours!

Joelle and I are hosting several events on our farm this summer. This last weekend we kicked off the first of our Summer of Fun Good Food Farm tours, and I’m pretty sure we have the best customers. We visited as we leisurely strolled through our farm talking about farming, biodiversity, and what not. A few folks got to plant spinach and beans. Others sat in a tractor for photo ops. Hope to see you at the next tour! CLICK HERE TO VIEW TOURS. Joelle and I are grateful, and consider it a privilege, to be your farmers and share our farm with you. Eating healthy and being healthy takes a little planning and effort, but so does growing healthy food–the fresher, the better. That’s why we love growing vegetables and fruit – they are the foundation to a healthy, vibrant life.

 

Cheers to your health!

Tristan Klesick, Farmer, Health Advocate

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Never Plough More Than You Can Disc in a Day

This is sage advice from a bygone era of time. Yet, like most advice that has stood the test of time, it is timeless. Essentially it means don’t start what you can’t finish. Anybody relate to that???? As a farmer in the Stillaguamish Valley who is blessed with “heavy” (more clay and less sand) soils, you learn a lot about patience. If you happen to be travelling through the valley, you will notice that the farmers are busy as anyone can be. Often, they work around the clock or use two or three tractors at a time in the same field. Of course, most are still using humans to drive the tractors, but many are using GPS systems to steer them. It is only a matter of time before driver-less farming takes hold on the mega operations.

But I digress. You might notice on your trip to the valley that the farmers sure spend a lot of time working the soil before they plant. Soil preparation is pretty foundational to what we do. But, if you were to drive by that same field a few days later, you might take a double take. You might even say, “Didn’t they just work all that soil a few days ago?” And you would be right. Because our soil is so heavy, the farmers in this valley work the top 6 inches and get it ready to plant. Then they plow it over and repeat the process. This gives them about 12 inches of deeply worked soil. Then they plant the potatoes or carrots or cabbage.

The only wrinkle in the operation is the weather. If it rains too much, we get to start all over again. And this year, we have had lots of “practice” working our soils and even replanting a few times. The other reason many farmers use multiple tractors is that if you plow too much ground up and let it sit for a couple days, the clods that are plowed up become as hard as rocks and you will spend a lot more time trying to bust up those clods. So, when a farmer plows a field, most of the time we start discing the soil immediately. Better to do a little well than a lot poorly.

Of course, if you have light (sandy) soil, none of this matters. Instead, you will spend a whole lot of time moving your irrigation. 🙂

Good Food Farm Tours

Our first farm tour is this weekend. Tours start on the hour at 10am and 11am. On this tour, we will be focusing on the orchard (apples, pears, plums) and the berries (raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and kiwi berries). Please register for a tour time here, for planning purposes. Every tour this summer will be different and will reflect the changing seasons. Looking forward to seeing you on the farm!

 

Tristan Klesick, Farmer and Health Advocate

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Summer Fun at Klesick Farms

The weather has finally turned in our favor and we are thrilled to get out and work the dirt! It’s the first step in getting delicious, healthy, organically grown produce from our farm to your dinner table! We love what we do here at Klesick Farms and we are wanting to share the wonder of it all with our amazing customers! We would love for you to join us in any one or all our farm events this summer. The great line up of events and farm tours will run from June through September! We have events including farm tours, an on-farm painting class and a local floral design class. It is an eclectic offering of fun on our farm.

June 3rd Klesick Good Food Farm Tours, 10am – 12pm (tours start on the hour) – Free event – Please register for planning purposes: REGISTER HERE!

July 8th 10am –11:30 Good Food Farm Tour with NW Healthy Mama Angela Strand – Free event – for planning purposes, please R.S.V.P. through NW Healthy Mama. Click for more info. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

July 29th ‘Mountain & field landscape’ Acrylic on canvas, 11×14 Painting Class with Nancy Hansen. Limited availability – materials provided Cost: $35/person. Registration required. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

August 12th Good Food Farm Tour 10am –noon (tours start on the hour) – Free event – Please register for planning purposes. REGISTER HERE!

August 22nd 6pm –8:30 Flower Design with Deanna Kitchen from Twig and Vine – limited availability – materials provided Cost: $65/person. Registration required. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

September 30th 10am- 4pm Squash Fest – Free event **CANCELLED**

In addition to these exciting events, stay tuned for more spontaneous adventure! Watch for “Volunteer Opportunities”. We’ll be offering random farm experiences for the entire family. You will have a chance to work alongside us as we cultivate, plant, weed and harvest! Know your farm, know your farmer, and better yet, join your farmer! Consider laying aside the everyday demands of life and come rejuvenate. Experience the quiet thrill of working with nature in all its wonder and beauty!

 

Looking forward to seeing you here on the farm,

 

Tristan and Joelle Klesick

 

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Moka Joe Coffee

This week we are introducing a new line of Coffee from Moka Joe in Anacortes. Their coffee is Organic, Fair trade, intentionally sourced and locally roasted.

Here is what Dan, the Owner of Moka Joe, forwarded to me about their company values:

“Moka Joe is a local, family owned company in Anacortes, Washington. Our goals are to provide Organic, sustainably grown, and Fair Trade coffee. We also aim to provide livable wage jobs for career oriented people. We source coffees from over 14 countries based on relationship and quality farming practices. When you purchase our Café Femenino coffees a portion of that money directly affects the farmers and their families. We believe in supporting family and community.”

At Klesick’s, we are “all in” with Dan’s mission and message. Great company focus, great coffee and intentionally making a difference in the lives of the Coffee farmers they source from.

Just like BIJA chocolates, Moka Joe works hard to source and find great products that are locally produced, but does so with an intentional focus to add financially to the lives of the producers and farmers that raise the base ingredients for great chocolate and coffee for all of us to enjoy.

I’m also excited about the switch for another reason. It will allow us to bring you even fresher coffee because we will be picking it up twice a week. That’s right. We will be going to Anacortes to get it twice a week. This accomplishes two things for you:

1. Order dates are streamlined. Same order date for Coffee and Milk. The new cutoff days to order fresh Roasted Coffee or fresh bottled Twin brooks Creamery Milk are Fridays at 8 a.m. for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday customers and Wednesdays at 8 a.m. for Friday and Saturday customers.

2. Fresher ingredients. With the change in order dates, your coffee will be as fresh as possible, just like your fresh produce and milk.

For the next 3 weeks we are going to be featuring Moka Joe 12oz. and 2lb bags of ground or whole bean coffee. We will also be adding a line of K-Cups for Keurig 2.0 machines. Order today and enjoy locally roasted coffee that tastes great and puts more money in the hands of the coffee farmers. A win-win.

SHOP MOKA JOE!

SHOP TWIN BROOK CREAMERY!

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It's All About Doing Good

The big picture is that growing organic food and being a steward of the land is just the beginning. Providing excellent customer service and incredibly fresh fruits and vegetables is also a part of the big picture. We want your family to be as healthy as possible and eat the freshest foods available. Joelle and I believe in and are committed to bettering the lives of people everywhere.

Locally, our passion manifests itself through our organic network (growers, suppliers, customers) we work with every week. Then we extend our reach into the local food bank community and our cancer/heart disease initiatives, partnering with many of you to meet these community needs.

Internationally we work with Crossway International to drill water wells in African communities. In India we support the work of She is Safe to establish women community groups that help women escape sex trafficking. They also have safe houses where the children can be placed, cared for, and educated, effectively breaking that horrible cycle.

And now, Joelle and I, are excited to add another partner and their mission to our Box of Good community (ever wonder why we call it a box of good – now you know). A few months ago, Joelle and I had a chance to sample BIJA Chocolate and spend some time with the owner. We instantly knew that we wanted to support their mission, the chocolate and ultimately the women run Chocolate Cooperatives they support.

BIJA owners Ari and Paul

For Joelle and I, we want to support businesses with a passion for quality and for making the lives of others better. BIJA Chocolates is a great addition to our product offerings. For the next two weeks, Klesick Farms is featuring BIJA Chocolate at 25% off. My favorite is the Peruvian Inca berry and Joelle likes the Wild Ginger and Cayenne. Incredible!

Peruvian women’s cooperative

Suffice it to say, their mission is near to our hearts. Please check out their story at www.bijachocolates.com and I guarantee their chocolate will taste even better.

Tristan Klesick, Farmer, Health Advocate

Photos: BIJA Chocolate. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

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Systems

Sometimes it just comes down to a system—like my morning routine. I get up at 5 a.m. (unless the dog was barking at 2, then I get up 5:15 :)) and head downstairs. This is the trickiest part of the day in our old farmhouse. The steps are small and steep, and my preference is to use the steps as steps, not a slide!

After I navigate the steps and am more awake, I put on my headphones and start listening to the Bible. At this point, I am ready for action! I get the teapot, fill it up, and turn it on. Next, I get the small pan, put in a little milk, maple syrup, coconut and Cacao powder and turn it up. Then I grind a few tablespoons of coffee from Camano Island Coffee Roasters. (Joelle, my wife, really likes the Papua New Guinea medium roast.) Now the tea pot is starting to get hot and so is the milk. I grab a coffee filter and the ceramic pour over container and put in the ground coffee (this is an important step, trust me :)) Next, I pour the milk into the cup, place the pour over container over it and start pouring the hot water.

While I am waiting for the coffee to pour through the filter, I start making the morning smoothies for the Kiddos. Just about the time the coffee is ready, the smoothies are almost ready as well. When I deliver the coffee to my wife, the first set of kiddos start to awaken and I am well on my way through a ½ dozen chapters of the Bible. I really like serving my family.

Klesick Farms operates in a similar way. Just like I want to deliver the freshest coffee to my wife every morning, I want to bring you the freshest ingredients so you can feed your family incredible produce, and drink the freshest roasted coffee and freshest milk.

Our team has spent 20 years improving our system. The goal has always been the same: get the freshest organically grown ingredients to you ASAP. When it comes to produce, we are easily 2 to 7 days fresher than the traditional grocery store model. Our coffee is roasted to order and our milk is from a family farm in Lynden who is committed to getting us the freshest milk, so we can get you the freshest milk.

We can accomplish being ultra-fresh because our passion is to serve you. We do everything on purpose. Your box of good food arrives at your door because we have a system that ensures your produce, your coffee, your milk get to your door as fresh as possible.

And, just around the corner, you will be getting locally grown produce within a few days of harvest as myself and other local growers fire up our tractors and start growing food. Fresh, healthy, convenient. That is a recipe for busy families to eat healthy and be healthy.

Farmer and Health Advocate,

Tristan Klesick

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The Moment I Became A Farmer

Warm and wet! That is how I would describe the weather around the NW corner of Washington. Most of you will concur, unless you are on vacation in Texas. Then it would be warm, wet and tornadoes! Climate change is a real deal. What is causing that change might be up for debate, but change is not.

Such change means that as a farmer, I have to mitigate risk all the time, even though by “nature” many of us farmers are risk averse (and this farmer is really risk averse.) But, because of where I live and farm, I have the opportunity to grow a great variety of crops and can even grow crops throughout the year. Toss in a greenhouse or hoop house, some propane, some artificial light and a you can make it Spring a whole lot earlier. But then, that would be more like farming in California and I have chosen to farm here.

How I remember when I first caught the farming bug. 1993 was the year and I was working in Portland Oregon at Kruger’s Specialty Produce as one of the produce guys that built displays in the produce section. Every day Organic growers would come to the store and bring in fresh lettuce, berries, and carrots. That’s when I caught the farming bug and I am afraid there is really no cure. We had a couple of kiddos and 32 sq. ft. of growing space and we were on our way. Every first-generation farmer starts with their first crop; mine was lettuce and that year I grew the most beautiful head of lettuce.

We wanted to farm so badly but needed to find an actual farm of our own. I still remember loading up the kiddos and heading to Goldendale or Tonasket or Montesano to look at a farm, but every time we came back to Snohomish County, literally when we crossed over the County line, we knew that this is where we wanted to farm, to live, and raise a family. It hasn’t been an easy journey, but oh so rewarding.

Fast forward 24 years. I am still growing the most beautiful heads of lettuce and many more vegetables and fruit. But every year, when I harvest that first head of lettuce it recreates that magical moment for me, the moment Klesick Farms was born, the moment I became a farmer.

Growing good food for your family,

Tristan Klesick

Farmer, Health Advocate

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Above Freezing

About time! Our old farmhouse has a hard time keeping the cold out. There are some places around the floor boards that you can almost hear wind blowing and there is a definite flow of cold air. Normally, I have a good supply of firewood, but…. next year I will be prepared–again!

Last year was a good growing season and I am excited about this one coming up too. I have already placed the lion’s share of my seed and transplant orders for the year. Now all that is left to do is hope my farming calendar lines up with mother nature. True confession: they rarely align, but every spring “hope springs eternal” and this year is no different. Right now, I have enough energy to farm till October. Of course; it is only January!

Vegetable Seeds

Speaking of seeds, there is a whole another segment of farmers who grow nothing but seed crops. Every single vegetable we grow comes from a seed and a farmer has to see that crop through a very long and precarious season. We pretty much use High Mowing Organic Seeds as our supplier. They grow, trial and work with a bunch of really good “seed” farmers who are committed to organic farming. Thankfully, there are seed farmers, or farmers like me would have to expend a bunch more time growing vegetables and vegetables for seed.

We also partner with High Mowing Seeds and you can order a good selection of seeds from us at our website. These are many of the varieties that I grow on my farm. I have personally picked seed that I feel will grow well in North Puget Sound. You might say they are Farmer Tristan Approved!

Local Milk

Since we are talking about farming…we also carry local milk from Twin Brook Creamery in Lynden. Every community that has thrived did so because there was a transportation system, rivers, rails or oceans for commerce and then good land for growing food. And the kind of food that sustained a community was vegetables, fruit, milk and other livestock. That is why we are so happy to partner with Larry and his family at Twin Brook Creamery. High quality milk, from a local herd, sold locally to our community. If you’re a milk drinker, then give Twin Brook’s milk a try.

At Klesick Farms, we grow only good food, source only good food from other farmers, and deliver only good food.

My name is on every box, every newsletter, every van. Every time a box of good food leaves Stanwood, where I farm, you’re getting our best.

Thank you for trusting Klesick’s with your good food choices.

Tristan Klesick,

Farmer, Health Advocate

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INSPIRE: Community Be Healthy

Klesick Farm’s first Community Be Healthy event happened at the Lynnwood Convention Center this last Saturday. Thanks to all of you who came out and stopped by to say “hello”. It was a pleasure meeting everyone. We hope everyone left INSPIRED to be healthy!

Almost 30 health promoting organizations joined us to inform and help people on their good health journey. Interesting people. Interesting organizations.

And then there were the speakers! Maria Rippo, the Green Smoothie Lady, gave a very practical talk and demonstration on making healthy smoothies. Our own Tristan Klesick also spoke sharing his passion for helping people to eat healthy. Marilyn McKenna, author of Eat Like It Matters, told us her inspiring story on how she lost 120 lbs. and changed her life through healthy eating and Sue from the Alzheimer’s Association helped us understand the importance of healthy eating for brain health.

“Thank you,” people told us, “for putting on the event.” Thank You! It’s our privilege to partner with every one of you in eating healthy.

Community Be Healthy!

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Inspire: A Community Be Healthy Event

Inspire: A Community Be Healthy Event

Coming out of the holidays can be brutal on the waist line and leaving many of us feeling less than stellar.

Is it time for an emotional and/or physical reset? I know that for myself, when I eat mostly fruits and vegetables, I just feel better and have more energy.

On Saturday January 14th, Klesick Farms and 30 other health-minded businesses will come together to share about healthy living and healthy healing. INSPIRE: A Community Be Healthy Event has been a dream of mine for a while. Last May I booked the Lynnwood Convention Center–yes, in May, during the craziness of the local growing season, I carved out some time to put in motion the framework for a health fair.– Looking back, that was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

I have met several wonderful people who are passionate about being healthy and helping people be healthy. And I am excited to introduce them to you! There is also an incredible slate of speakers, who have personally and passionately made the life changing decisions to improve their health and quality of life. And they know you can too!

* Hazel Borden, with the Alzheimer Association, will be sharing about brain health, the Mediterranean diet and Alzheimers.

* Marilyn Mckenna, Author of Eat Like It Matters, will talk about her amazing 120lb weight loss journey and how she  has kept it off for over a decade.

* Maria Rippo, Author of The Green Smoothie Challenge, will talk about how to reset/restart your health with Green Smoothies.

Lastly, I will be talking about organic farming and the trials of the current food system. For more information visit www.inspirebehealthy.com.

Mark your calendars, bring your family/friends and come, learn, and leave inspired!

Tristan Klesick

Farmer/Health Advocate

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Holiday Delivery Schedule for Weeks of 12/18 and 12/25

Holiday Delivery Schedule for Weeks of 12/18 and 12/25

*Please note that this delivery schedule spans two weeks: the week of Christmas and New Years* 

Our office will be closed Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve in observance of the holidays. Because of these closures our deliveries for both weeks are scheduled as follows:

For delivery Tuesday:

Tuesday customers and Wednesday customers in Woodinville

For delivery Wednesday:

Wednesday customers and Thursday customers in Lynnwood

For delivery Thursday:

Thursday customers and Friday customers in Marysville and Lake Stevens

For delivery Friday:

Friday customers in Arlington and Monroe and Saturday customers

 

Please remember to let us know if you will need to skip your delivery either of these weeks.

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A Local Fundraiser With Both International and Local Benefits

For the Klesick family and our farm business, being generous is an important core value and our giving tends to follow our connections to the people we know. A few years ago, the Oso mudslide happened and since I have family in Oso, we were able to give more directly to the needs of the community through my local contacts. Then there was the Pateros Fire. Once again we were able to give more directly to those most affected because of our local contacts with some farmers that supply much of the fruit we put in our boxes.

Through each of these tragedies, you, our local customers, partnered with us to make the lives of people you will never meet better. You are a generous bunch! J

And now, we have Hurricane Matthew. A few years ago, some friends from the Stanwood/Camano Island community moved to Haiti to work in an orphanage and at a local medical clinic. When Hurricane Matthew ripped through Haiti more than a few needs surfaced. Haiti is already challenged as a nation and the Hurricane was another blow to an already poor infrastructure.

As a family, we increased our giving to help them meet the local needs in the community they serve, but Maleah, our intrepid 12 y/o, wanted to do more. She reached out to Ryan and Jill Dolan directly and asked what she could to do help. Jill responded:

“Behind our home, up the mountain is the small village of Geffrard, pronounced as Jeffwa. They have one school and it fell down during the hurricane. The students have not had school since the hurricane hit our area on October 4th. There are six classrooms, with a total of 200 students.”

 

With that Maleah leapt into action and here’s how the rest of the story unfolded:

 

A NOTE FROM MALEAH KLESICK

I am partnering with Klesick Farms to raise $500 by the end of this week (12/17). They still need 130 sheets of metal roofing to complete the roof. By partnering with us, together we can help them rebuild their school.

There are two ways to give:

1. You can help by purchasing a Food Bank Box of produce for $28.00. Klesick Farms will deliver the box to the food bank for Christmas and donate $10 to the Rebuild a Roof for a School project.

2. You can donate $5.00 for each sheet of metal roofing. Donate any amount.

Please go to: www.klesickfamilyfarm.com/Haiti and let’s help this community get their kids back to school. All proceeds will go to rebuild the school roof. Any additional monies raised will be used by the Dolan family to operate the orphanage and medical clinic.

 

 

Tristan Klesick

Father of a future Community Activist