Buying Local

Buying Local

Food Hubs

Food hubs offer local food aggregation and distribution with convenient online ordering and invoicing, for schools and other institutions.

Puget Sound Food Hub has two aggregation sites: One in Mt. Vernon, and Cloud Mountain Farm Center in Everson. Sign up on the website to easily purchase food on-line from local farms, and have it delivered to your school.

Using Food Hubs to Create Sustainable FTS Programs, Vermont Agency of Agriculture, 2014. A study of four regional food hubs in Vermont demonstrating how food hubs can support farm to school and build markets for local producers.

Local Food Directories

  • Puget Sound Fresh App is a free mobile app offering quick and easy access a growing list of farms and farmers, farm products and activities in Washington State.
  • San Juan Island County Food & Farm Map is produced by the San Juan Islands Agricultural Network, which is dedicated to preserving and promoting agriculture.
  • Whatcom Food & Farm Finder is an online and printed directory of farms and food businesses in Whatcom County (and some in Skagit County) produced by Sustainable Connections. Sustainable Connections works to promote local food and connect food and farming businesses of all kinds.
  • Whidbey Island Farm Map and Guide is a brochure highlighting farms and farmers markets on Whidbey Island.

Harvest Schedules

Find out when products are in season in your area.

Food Procurement

“Fifth Season”

“Fifth Season” refers to processing and freezing bountiful local foods in season for use during the school year. For example, The Orcas Island Farm to Cafeteria Program arranges for several Island farms to deliver organic fruits, vegetables and herbs to the school kitchen in late summer. Volunteers then slice, dice, peel, process and freeze the produce to be used in school meals during the school year.   


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