SEattle Local Choice Food

WHAT IS A FOOD BOX?
The Local Choice Food Box is more than just great food. It's families getting reconnected with local farms while reducing their impact on the environment. It‘s local farmers growing fresh, organic fruits, vegetables and herbs for the families in our community.

CHOICE Some CSA's choose your food for you, others let you make a few substitutions. The Local Choice Food Box lets you choose EVERY ITEM, EVERY WEEK. No food you don't recognize or vegetables you dislike. Just fresh, local, organic food you know your family will eat. That makes the Food Box a great value. You choose it, so you know you'll use it!

LOCAL We are about as local as you can get without growing it in your garden! Our farm is in Redmond, Washington, less than 20 miles from Seattle. We are one of the few remaining farms in what was once one of the most productive agricultural valleys in the nation. Because we are so close, your food will be on the table less than 36 hours after harvest, making for fresh, great tasting meals. Low food miles and a great selection of fresh, organic food....what more could you want for your family?

What our members had to say:

"Delivered what they said they would, when they said they would and in excellent condition. I love the choices offered and the ability to make selections online for my subscription. I've tried a couple of other CSAs before this and my experience with Growing Washington has surpassed others so far."

"(Getting to choose your food each week) was a great feature. I brag about my CSA to others who don't get to choose!"

"These guys and girls really understand what excellent customer service means. The produce quality has been great and I love the variety of produce available."

"Great organization; excellent produce. I get to pick my veggies online and pick them up just two blocks from my house."

"The farmers are very friendly and informative, and the produce is spectacular."

"Everything being local and getting to choose-awesome!"

"It was wonderful to get to have a say in what we got. I have a family of five...it was nice to get to choose more than one unit of a particular item. I hardly threw anything away since I got what I ordered. I was also able to try new things like tomatillos-how fun! I made green salsa that was fabulous! "

"Consistently delicious!"

"The personal touch made all the difference."

Sign up now for the Local Choice Food Box!!

Why? Here are the Top Five reasons:

1) The Local Choice Food Box is the only CSA in Washington that lets each customer choose the local, organic vegetables that go into their box each week! You like tomatoes and carrots, put them in! Don't like broccoli? It will never show up in your box.

2) Our CSA provides only locally grown organic food. If our environment is important to you, organic is only half the battle. Food transportation does as much damage to our planet as does chemical-based agriculture. The Local Choice Food Box makes it easy for you to be sure that all your veggies and fruits come from western Washington.

3) We are planning more than 40 pick-up locations in the Seattle area, making the Local Choice Food Box as easy to get as ever!

4) Sign up by March 1 and receive a 5% discount on your order!

5) Space is limited. Signing up now assures your subscription for the entire season. Can't afford the whole share right now? That's ok! A simple deposit will hold your spot!

Here's a sample of the local, organically grown food you can choose from:
Apples
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Free-Range Eggs
Onions
Pears
Potatoes
Raspberries
Scallions
Salad Mix
Spinach
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes
Watermelons
Winter Squash
Full Crop List

Americans put almost as much fossil fuel into our refrigerators as our cars. We are consuming about 400 gallons of oil a year per citizen--about 17% of our nation's energy use--for agriculture, a close second to our vehicular use.

Getting the crop from seed to harvest takes only one fifth of the total oil used for our food. The lion's share is consumed during the trip from the farm to your plate. Each food item in a typical U.S. meal has traveled an average of 1,500 miles. In addition to direct transport, other fuel-thirsty steps include processing (drying, milling, cutting, sorting, baking) packaging, warehousing, and refrigeration. Energy calories consumed by production, packaging and shipping far outweigh the energy calories we receive from the food.

A quick way to improve food-related fuel economy would be to buy a quart of motor oil and drink it. More palatable options are available. If every U.S. citizen ate just one meal a week (any meal) composed of locally and organically raised meats and produce, we would reduce our country's oil consumption by over 1.1 million barrels or oil every week. That's not gallons, but barrels. Small changes in buying habits can make big differences. Becoming a less energy-dependent nation may just need to start with a good breakfast.

Steven L. Hopp
--Animal, Vegetable, Miracle