21 Acres

05/01/2025

It may not look like it, but Linda’s been hard at work with the rest of the all-volunteer team making plans for at 21 Acres on May 31. We strong-armed Linda to take a well-deserved break and tell us all about the free-family fun that is scheduled for the day: food trucks, arts and craft vendors, info booths, kids’ activities and more! Learn all about it at 21acres.org.

04/24/2025

An Earth Day Epiphany: Food Comes From the Earth!

We, as humans, ask a lot of the Earth. And that's when we're being polite. Far more often, we don't ask at all, but instead demand, bluster, and take whatever we please, running up a huge tab and leaving the Earth to foot the bill.

This dine-and-dash approach to our relationship is perhaps most apparent when it comes to ... actual dining. Because what, first and foremost, do all 8.2 billion of us ask of the Earth, day in and day out? To feed us. We're a notoriously peckish bunch.

Billions of meals, every day, pulled from the Earth. From its soils, from its plants and animals, and ultimately from the people who speak the language of food: farmers. Call it an epiphany in plain sight, but this connection between the Earth and food really struck me this week as I considered meaningful actions for Earth Day. What can we as individuals do to help mend our species' frayed relationship with the home planet?

We can start with being polite at the dining table. When perusing the menu, look for farmers who ask of the Earth instead of take, who raise their crops and animals with respect and awareness of the 8+ billion burden we place on every ecosystem and food chain we touch. Buy their produce at your local farmers market; sign up for their CSA; seek out products made from the fruits of their labor (I just might know of a place where you can find such products!). Whether it's with a single apple or a whole shopping cart, let's show the Earth that at least some of us humans are willing to split the bill.

— Luke, 21 Acres Farm Market Manager

PS. We'd love to stay in touch! Sign up for our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/21acres/signup

04/21/2025

SAVE THE DATE!! Everyone's abuzz again for the 3rd Annual Pollinator Fest, Saturday, May 31st in Woodinville.

04/10/2025

Farmer Issy and the rest of our team look forward to seeing you on Saturday for A Seedy Affair! It’s a FREE all-ages event. Come find plant starts in the Farm Market, learn about seeds, participate in the 9th Annual Seed Swap and support local artisan vendors- rain or shine!



botanicals

03/26/2025

Warning: Colorful Produce Ahead!
The Market team spent much of this last week spellbound by Steel Wheel Farm’s brooding purple cauliflower. Passing by the produce table, we’d feel its call and fall into its depths like spellbound mariners, only to be pulled from the inky purple void some moments later by a concerned colleague or customer. Such are the risks of a life in farm marketry; we are ever at the call of sirens. But we, at least, knew what we signed up for.

You, on the other hand, dear friends, deserve fair warning. After long grey months, residents of these parts are especially vulnerable to sudden saturated colors in their market basket. (I dare not even show last week’s electrifying red radishes from Four Elements Farm for fear of astonishment-related injuries). So it is with a sense of civic responsibility that I offer this warning: come to the Farm Market only at your own caution. As the warmth of spring takes hold, we’ll no longer be able to hold back the vibrant colors pouring in from nearby farms. You should expect weekly deluges of brilliant, fresh produce going forward, so take heed and take necessary precautions. Sunglasses are advised.

And if you happen to pass a fellow shopper or Farm Market team member caught in the thrall of some bright, forgotten hue, gently pull them back and remind them where they are. In this perilous season, we have to look out for each other.

Thank you, and be safe.
— Luke (and Jen and Laura)

Want to know what’s new in the Market each week? Sign up for Luke’s Fresh Sheet at 21acres.org!

=climateresilience

21 Acres is a center for Sustainable Agriculture Education in Woodinville, WA. We offer food & farm-based programs, volunteer opportunities, workshops and more.

03/21/2025

Forage for wild food at 21 Acres with instructor John Kallas on Saturday, April 5 at 1:00 - see the link in his post to register.

For our friends in the Seattle area. Here are four workshops I am offering in early April 2025. Please help spread the word since it has been over a decade since I did my last workshops there. Most of my events are in NW Oregon. For more information and to register go to: https://wildfoodadventures.com/
For Videos, go here: https://wildfoodadventures.com/about/press-2/

03/21/2025

Get inspired to create art infused with pollinator garden fun for the first Pollinator Art Contest for kids and teens.

03/19/2025

You too can have a “Seedy Affair” in the Sammamish Valley!

In this case, it’s a celebration of all things seeds on the 21 Acres Farm Market patio on April 12, from planning what you’d like to grow in your garden, to selecting seeds at the Seed Swap, planting your seeds and nurturing the plants through the season, then enjoying your harvest - and maybe even saving some seeds to share and grow next year.

Plans are in the works for free, all ages fun, including family activities, info booths, artisan vendors, and more. 21 Acres farm staff will be on hand to answer your questions, too.

The Ninth Annual Sammamish Valley Seed Swap is takes==ing place at 21 Acres during March and April. These “Seedy Affairs” events are co-sponsored by 21 Acres, Sammamish Valley Alliance and Sammamish Valley Grange.

Come support these artisan craft, food and farm vendors on April 12:

Beyti Creations,
Blue Glass Farm,
Bountiful Landscapes
Cherry Valley Dairy,
Deschampsia, .botanicals
Robert Moreno Handmade Pottery
S&B Layered Creations,
Songaia Herbal Gerbils, herbal gerbils
The Creamy Crow,
Salify Tableware,
Pollinator Pathway Northwest,
JB Family Growers,

03/15/2025

Curious about how renewable energy technologies and green buildings contribute to climate action? We’re excited to welcome former 21 Acres Facility Manager, Kelly Rankich, from O’Brien360 to host our green building tour on April 5 and address these important questions. The tour will include a brief introduction to the new LEED v5 rating system’s focus on resiliency and demonstrate how green building techniques support building resilience. We’ll discuss resources available to perform your own risk assessment and identify strategies in response. Come join us — The tour is free!

02/27/2025

A prolific garden begins with well-chosen seeds!Join us on Tuesday, March 4th for a free program at 21 Acres presented by the Sammamish Valley Grange. Come early at 6:00 p.m. and help us kick-off the 9th Annual Seed Swap located outside the 21 Acres Farm Market entrance - bring seeds to share, if you can, and be ready to swap.

Part of our “Seedy Affairs” lineup of events, the presentation, “All About Seeds for Farming and Gardening,” begins indoors at 7 p.m. and features presenters Rosy Smit, the Agriculture Program Coordinator with WSU Snohomish County Extension, and Ansley Roberts, 21 Acres Farm Manager. Topics to be covered include: choosing the best seeds, how to get started, best growing practices, and transplant tips. Learn how to grow your vegetables successfully and save some money, too!

The program is free and open to all ages. Registration in advance is encouraged, but not required. More info here: https://21acres.org/event/all-about-seeds-for-farming-gardening-free-presentation/

21 Acres is located at 13701 NE 171st St, Woodinville, WA.

02/22/2025

Hey King County area farmers! 21 Acres is excited to host the Washington Young Farmers Coalition Farm Club potluck social on Friday, Feb. 28th from 6 to 8 pm. You’re invited to gather with your fellow farmers and advocates to socialize, talk shop and check in on each other. Hope you can join the fun! Please RSVP at washingtonyoungfarmers.org/events