Destinations: Skagit Valley farms are bursting with bright, plump, and juicy berries this season

Photo courtesy Genuine Skagit Valley / Blake Vanfield

Genuine Skagit Valley's Farmstand Fresh, a summer-long celebration highlighting growers and food producers from across the region, has highlighted a few of the farms below where folks can spend a day in the country filling up their buckets at the many U-Pick spots.

U-Pick Farms

Schuh Farms | U-Pick Berries
Schuh Farms: A more than 60-year-old Skagit Valley family farm that provides fresh produce, pies, baked goods, fresh fruit shakes, canned goods, eggs, plant starts, flowering baskets, and fresh flower bouquets.

Triple Berry Swirl Ice Cream
Photo by Tristin Reiken

Hedlin Farms | U-Pick Blueberries
Hedlin Farms: A 3rd and 4th Generation farm growing organic and conventional produce on about 500 acres just outside the town of La Conner.

Recipe Idea: Triple Berry Swirl Ice Cream.

Bow Hill Blueberries | U-Pick Blueberries
Bow Hill Blueberries: Established in 1947, Bow Hill Blueberries is the site of the oldest family-run blueberry farm in Skagit Valley.

Recipe Idea: Blueberry Lavender Simple Syrup.

Farmstand Fresh Thru August 31, 2023

As part of Genuine Skagit Valley's Farmstand Fresh, nearly 20 produce stands and farm stores brimming with freshly-picked berries, locally-grown beets, green beans, sugar snap peas, organic beef, pasture-raised pork, shellfish, artisan cheeses, scratch-baked goods, daffodils, dahlias, tender greens, sweet corn, and dozens more crops, welcome visitors all summer long.

GSV members' products bear a federally-registered 'Genuine Skagit Valley' certification mark, signifying that the product was grown entirely in the Skagit Valley.

A list of the participants can be found here.

Blueberry Lavender Syrup
Photo by Tristin Rieken

RECIPES
A link to the recipes above and more Skagit Valley Farmstand Fresh recipes can be found here

Besides produce, Farmstead Fresh offers activities and experiences

Here are just a few of the family-friendly (or summer day date!) ways to soak in Farmstand Fresh this season:

• Race the rows of blueberries at Bow Hill Blueberries.
• Visit the sheep, donkeys, and ducks at Harmony Fields.
• Sip on a berry shake or smoothie at Schuh Farms.
• Pack a cooler and have each family member choose what items they want to pop in it (and what they want to snack on for the drive home!)
• Stroll through the flowers and fill a bucket with your favorites at Blackburn Gardens.

Getting There

GSV's "Explore" page allows visitors to customize their search and map out specific types of farms.

As part of Farmstand Fresh, visitors can enjoy the following:

Chef Chat/Pro Tips
Register for a free 15-minute Zoom session with a local chef featuring tips and tricks on cooking and preserving your farmstand fare

TO REGISTER: Scan QR code on signage at participating farm stands.

Schuh Farms Mount Vernon
Photo courtesy Genuine Skagit Valley / Blake Vanfield

Dinner Certificate
Qualify to win a $25 gift certificate to an area restaurant

TO ENTER: Scan QR code on signage at participating farm stands.

FREE Child + Chef Zoom Session

Skagit Valley-based cookbook author, cooking enthusiast, and founder of Young Urban Modern Chefs (Y.U.M. Chefs), Leah Brooks, is offering free Zoom sessions for children six years and up as well as a chance to win a signed copy of her cookbook during the Farmstand Fresh promotion.

To participate in any of the above experiences, visitors can sign up at Farmstand Fresh locations listed here