WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. — "There's nothing better than a perfect strawberry," 6-year-old Madi Speolstra said before popping one in her mouth.
We're standing in one of the many patches at Barbie's Berries in Ferndale, a 30-acre farm where you can pick your own strawberries. Barbie Kraft says her farm has become a place where families can bond by the bucket load.
"They bring the kids out to get experience," she said. "They get filthy, dirty. They eat mud and they know where their fruit comes from."
That lesson is part of the Farm to Table Trails program launched this Summer by Sustainable Connections. There are nine possible loops to explore.
“The Farm to Table Trails are fun and easy ways to discover delicious food and charming locales in our region,” said Jessica Gillis, Sustainable Connections’ Food and Farming Program Manager. “Farming and fishing are such labors of love, and these trails are a chance to support our community and get a look at what it takes to get food from the farm to the table.”
We're on the Cream of the Crop tour which takes us to Custer, home of a livestock ranch called Widnor Farms.
"I'm pretty lucky," Brianna Widen said. " I have three feral little kids that get to do this alongside me, and they live a pretty wonderful life."
Widen and her family are passionate about bridging the gap between farm and consumers. Their Instagram account has nearly 40,000 followers. Once a year they host a big farm to table dinner. They also have a store on the farm that they keep open on Saturdays.
"And it stays pretty busy," she said. "My favorite part is that people get to come to the farm, actually meet their farmers, see how their livestock is raised and pick up their premium protein."
This loop features a number of farm stands. In the early part of the summer, you can stock upon colorful flowers at Cascade Blueberry Farm. Kevin Maddux says he often has to explain to visitors that blueberries themselves are a late summer crop.
"Because of supermarkets and the way we transport food around this planet globally, people just aren't aware of where food's coming from, what time of the year it's being grown and that a lot of blueberries in the stores are from the southern hemisphere," Maddux said.
In Blaine we catch up with another kind of farmer. Mark Seymour owns Drayton Harbor Oyster Company. He's propped open the door so he can haul a hundred dozen oysters in from a bed half a mile away.
"Our sea to store record is 13 minutes," Seymour said. "That means I harvested oysters from the farm, probably didn't obey the speed limit in the marina, and got oysters on ice in 13 minutes. And that's kind of who I am and who we are."
The oysters are so fresh you're going to need extra napkins.
One more can't miss restaurant on the trail is the Vault Wine Bar and Bistro.
"We will have the most seasonal fresh food in our area showcased on our menus.," Alan Finston said.
In the summertime, most of the food is sourced within 25 miles of Blaine.
One the Farm to Table Trails, you'll find a new appreciation for fresh farmed food.
Learn more and sign up here. You can also find printed maps of the Farm to Table Trails at tourism offices, participating businesses, and at other locations throughout the region.
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