EDITOR’S NOTE growNORTHWEST Time to grow, and happy holidays! "Kind words can be short and easy life, while supporting those in the December 2019 to speak, but their echoes are truly community and doing more for Volume 10, Number 8 endless." –Mother Teresa yourself. It was important to focus on the local goodness we have here P.O. Box 414 e launched Grow North- in our northwest corner, share Everson, WA 98247 the many stories and information phone: (360) 398-1155 west from our kitchen email: [email protected] table in early 2010, around us, and how to be sup- online: www.grownorthwest.com Wmy baby daughter in my lap and portive, involved, and inspired if my toddler son running around. I so called to. A lot has happened Grow Northwest is locally owned laugh when looking back on this since that first issue (quick note: and operated by Becca Schwarz Cole because logically it wouldn't seem I'm still often working from our and Brent Cole. The magazine is pub- like the best time to start a new kitchen table, and we grew to have lished 11 times a year. No content can three children running around, be reproduced without the expressed business – the exhaustion, other written consent of the publishers. Copy- work and family responsibilities, the oldest of which is now 13 years right ©2010-2019. the risks, and no financial backing. old and 4 inches taller than me, Subscriptions are available by Then I laugh some more because and growing taller every day) but mail for $36 per year (11 issues). Grow Northwest circulates copies through apparently it was the right time, Grow's mission remains the same. Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, and and felt so at the time. I have been As we move and grow into beyond. For advertising information, working in publishing since I was a 2020 – our 10th anniversary – it or to submit press releases, events and other materials, please send to teenager, and besides working on a is time for Grow to transition into [email protected] or call farm or in a restaurant it's the only a non-profit organization. This is (360) 398-1155. All opinions expressed work I've known and enjoyed. It a bittersweet decision; Grow has in Grow Northwest are the opinions of always been a family labor of love, the individuals expressing them and made sense to go for it. Sometimes not necessarily the opinions of Grow you just need to plant your seeds yet the potential for this newspaper Northwest. and see what comes of it. to survive in today's market is far I wanted to create a paper that greater as a non-profit. I shared CO-PUBLISHER / EDITOR / celebrates the simpler things in with you all last Spring the paper DESIGN DIRECTOR is struggling financially and we'll Becca Schwarz Cole be needing to take a new approach to access more funding in the CO-PUBLISHER / form of grants and fundraisers. BUSINESS MANAGER It's time to take a risk, just like we Brent Cole did back in 2010. Grow Northwest will continue moving forward and CONTRIBUTING WRITERS hopefully including other commu- Michael Jaross nity efforts and projects we have Chelsy Mesman long envisioned, just standing on Melissa Stewart the legs of a non-profit rather than a bare-bones family business. And, CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS if Grow happens to fall in the pro- Claudia Anderson cess, we made a good run as best Trisha Brink we could with what we had. Julie Hagen Carol Kilgore Moving forward, please note we Ganjana Ngamsnit do not print in the month of Janu- Barbara Smith ary, and we will resume publication in February. Our February issue ADVERTISING will be ready for the Country Liv- Becca Schwarz Cole ing Expo on Saturday, Jan. 25. This is a favorite event and we always CIRCULATION enjoy talking to readers, and old David Johnson, Brent Cole and new friends! Please stop by our booth and say hello, pick up some JUNIOR GROWERS free items, and enter our drawing Harrison Cole for a basket of amazing books and seeds. If you're new to this event, OFFICE SUPPORT consider spending the day and Harrison, Ruby, Autumn, Lulu, learning lots! Fred, Georgia Wishing you all a happy holiday season and new year, and hope ON THE COVER you relish the simple joys and little Chicken and holiday wreath, things. I thank you, always, for photo by Claudia Anderson your support of these pages. We look forward to the coming year, and will see you next in February. Happy growing, Becca 2 grow NORTHWEST December 2019 IN THIS ISSUE DECEMBER 2019 • Volume 10, Number 8 On the Side 4 Field Notes: Related news, business and happenings 10 Local Life: Photo submissions from readers 11 Hives in the winter: What's happening in the cold season 14 Events: Community calendar 17 Junior Growers: Kids page 18 Marketplace: Local buyer’s 5 guide & service directory 19 Bookshelf: The 12 days of cookbooks, and more Community 5 Holiday happenings: Enjoy these festive events 6 The Local Dirt: Farm and business bits 11 Cooking 8 Jolly jars: Gift giving ideas 9 Christmas morning: Coffee, cookies, and casserole Craft & Home 12 Handmade holiday: Make ornament memories 12 WINTER PUBLISHING SCHEDULE January 2020: No issue published February 2020: Deadline is Jan. 20 Papers will first be be distributed at the Country Living Expo in Stanwood on Jan. 25. March 2020: Deadline is Feb. 22 To place an advertisement or submit information, call (360) 398-1155 or e-mail [email protected] December 2019 grow NORTHWEST 3 Field Notes A brief look at related news, business and happenings San Juan Islands Ag Summit coming up ORCAS ISLAND – The San Juan Islands Agricultural Summit, hosted Country Living Expo returns Jan. 25; by WSU San Juan County Extension Office, will be Saturday and Sun- day, Feb. 7-8. This year Orcas Island will host the annual summit at 175 classes available to choose from Camp Orkila, including more than 150 local farmers, food producers, businesses, and advocates gathered for a weekend of education, inspiration and community. Applications for scholarship or a work- STANWOOD – The Country Living Expo & Cattlemen’s Win- trade are available. Early bird registration ends Jan. 5; tickets are terschool returns Saturday, Jan. 25 at Stanwood High School. $60-$150. For questions, contact us a [email protected] or call Registration is now open, with 175 classes available, including (360) 370-7667. To register, see https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2020- 30 brand new classes. Participants can choose five sessions, san-juan-islands-agricultural-summit-registration-83063574387. visit with local and regional vendors during the large trade show, enjoy a prime rib or vegetarian lunch, and more. A full list of sessions is available online at https://extension.wsu.edu/ Farm to Table Trade Meeting set skagit/CountryLivingExpo/. BELLINGHAM – The NW Washington Farm to Table Trade Meeting, Conway Feed will again sponsor the Chicken and Duck Egg presented by Sustainable Connections, will be held Tuesday, Feb. 25 Weigh Off. Entries are open to everyone. The egg can come at Bellingham Technical College. The meeting provides a day-long from your own flock, purchased eggs, or anywhere you can conference for farmers, buyers, producers, distributors and others come up with a larger-than-expected chicken or duck egg. The to meet and connect, as well as workshops, one-on-one producer- winner of the largest egg receives 100 pounds of Conway Feed buyer consultations, expo, and lunch prepared by Bellingham Tech- all natural layer pellets. The Fiber Palooza, now in its fourth nical College’s Culinary Arts Program and chefs from the Northwest year, awards prizes in all fiber categories – so gather some fiber Washington Chefs Collective. The event will be 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. from your favorite sheep, alpaca, llama, rabbit or goat to enter in Settlemyer Hall. Registration is open now. Early bird registration into the show. through Jan. 17 is $45 (member) $55 (general). For more informa- The early bird registration cost is $75 for adults through tion, contact Sara Southerland at [email protected] or call (360) December and a subsidized student rate of $10 for students 647-7093 x 114. between the ages of 12-18. For those not needing the subsidy the student rate is $40. To register, and for more information, Berardi releases FoodWISE book see https://extension.wsu.edu/skagit/CountryLivingExpo/. Fol- BELLINGHAM – Gigi Berardi, a long-time resident and professor at low the Facebook page for updates and information. Western Washington University, is releasing a new book, titled Food- Cindy Tobeck, at right, will lead a class on growing giant WISE: A Whole Systems Guide to Sustainable and Delicious Food pumpkins. COURTESY PHOTO Choices. Published by North Atlantic Books, Berardi's book outlines approaches to informed food choices, agriculture, and more. She teaches food and geography classes domestically and internation- ally, and maintains the popular food blog FoodWISE. Food “Wise” they can use to help finance and grow a new enterprise or expand stands for: whole, informed, sustainable and experienced-based Cultivating Success course starting an existing farm-based business. Facilitating the course including thinking. “We all eat, but we make different choices about what to EVERETT – WSU Snohomish County Extension, in partnership with Bobbi Lindemulder, cattle rancher and District Operations Program eat and how," Berardi said. Snohomish Conservation District, will offer Cultivating Success: Ag- Manager for the Snohomish Conservation District and Kate Ryan, The book launch will be Jan. 14, 2020, at 6:30 p.m.