Puget Sound Fresh
Puget Sound Fresh is the region’s premier consumer education and product identification program. Puget Sound Fresh educates consumers in 12 counties about the health and environmental benefits of buying and eating locally grown. The Puget Sound Fresh logo symbolizes the important contribution that local food and farms make to the quality of life in our region. Local farms provide not only the best, freshest products, but help maintain the welcome open spaces that make life in the Puget Sound region so special.
“Puget Sound Fresh” describes any product grown, raised or harvested in one of the 12 counties that
touch Puget Sound -- Clallam, Jefferson, Mason, Kitsap, Thurston, Pierce, King, Island, San Juan, Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom. As part of the program, locally grown products are labeled with a Puget Sound Fresh sticker or banner. Other farm products not considered “fresh” can be labeled with the “Puget Sound Grown” logo. This includes wines grown and produced in the Puget Sound Appellation, Christmas Trees, the growing variety of nursery products and more. The logo was also designed to be customized, providing the opportunity to more specifically brand a farm, community or geographic area within the larger Puget Sound region. The Puget Sound Fresh Select Kitsap logo was the first to be developed and marketed.
The program encourages area grocery stores, farmers markets, restaurants and other retailers to source and promote local produce and farm products by using the Puget Sound Fresh logo. Currently, nearly 90 farmers markets in the region sell “Puget Sound Fresh” products. Local grocery stores featuring Puget Sound Fresh include PCC Natural Markets, Metropolitan Market, Central Co-op's Madison Market, Safeway, QFC, Whole Foods and Haggen/Top Foods.
The Puget Sound Fresh Farm Guide, the region’s largest local farm finder, is a great tool for both farmers and consumers. 100,000 copies are printed and distributed throughout the region each year. You can find the Guide at local libraries, farm stands, Farmers Markets, and a variety of other community locations and at community events. We also produce and distribute a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Farm Directory. Both can be found in PDF format on the Puget Sound Fresh website – www.pugetsoundfresh.org.
The What's Fresh NOW! email newsletter is your guide to finding out what's fresh at local farmers' markets this week including fruits, vegetables, flowers, eggs, meat, poultry, farmstead cheeses, dairy products, wines, ciders, herbs, shellfish, seafood, dried fruits, honey and a variety of artisinal proudcts. Learn more about local farmers in the 'farm spotlight', get tasty recipes for using fresh, local ingredients, and find out about exciting upcoming events throughout the region. To sign up, email mark@cascadeharvest.org.
The Puget Sound Fresh website – maintained in partnership with King County and the King Conservation District – is a fantastic tool for finding local farms and local farm products. The searchable database gives you lots of flexibility in searching by farm product, organic certification, u-pick opportunities, wholesale, location, farmers market, special farm-related events and much more. For Puget Sound area farmers, annual membership in the Coalition includes a listing on the Puget Sound Fresh web page.
If you’d like to find out more about the program, getting listed in the Farm Guide, CSA Directory or on the web site, using the logo on farm products, or other program components, please call us at 206-632-0606 or email mary@cascadeharvest.org.