Eat Local Month celebrated with locally-focused menus, farm tours

Whatcom and Skagit counties are plentiful of fresh food and local restaurants. Bellingham-based nonprofit Sustainable Connections is using September to celebrate local food as well as those who grow and prepare it.

“We’re fortunate to have so many incredible chefs and farmers in this region,” said Jess Meyer, Sustainable Connections’ food and farming outreach coordinator, in a statement. “Eat Local Month is a celebration of all the connections that bring food from the farm to our plates – and the connections that bring us together.”

The month-long celebration kicked off with restaurant week, where 19 restaurants added menu items made of at least 50 percent local ingredients. The specials will run for the rest of the month, according to a Sustainable Connections press release.

While most of the restaurants are located in Bellingham, The Vault at 277 G Street will participate with three primarily local menu items – a melon, cucumber, prosciutto and olive oil powder; a prosciutto, lettuce and tomato sandwich; and a hazelnut butter and jelly sandwich. The Vault’s ingredients include Blaine businesses Spotted Owl Farm and Bread in Blaine. 

Farm Week, from September 9 to Saturday, September 17, allows people to get an up-close look at farms during the Whatcom County Farm Tour on September 17. Over 10 farms around the county will be open for participants to meet the farmers and learn how local food is made from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. September 17, according to the release. Widnor Farms, at 1858 Badger Road in Custer, is the closest farm to the Blaine area to participate in the tour. Other farms include Lydia’s Flock, a Bellingham farm with over 120 sheep and Christ the King Foodshare and Farm, which will offer kids planting activities and free hotdogs for the first 150 attendees of the Laurel farm. 

Seafood Week will be Saturday, September 17 to Thursday, September 22. SeaFeast is a Bellingham seafood festival on September 17 that celebrates maritime culture, heritage and related industries. 

Market week allows people the opportunity to get their local farmers market from Friday, September 23 to Friday, September 30.

For more information, visit sustainableconnections.org/eat-local-month.