Conscious Choice Seattle: Up with the Farm

April 2004 | Evergreen Citizen

Up with the Farm

By Andrew Mulholland

While the title of executive director is impressive, Mary Embleton says not so fast. She claims her title with the Cascade Harvest Coalition is simply because she volunteered to “watch over the box of stuff” when a group of farmland activists were meeting in the late 1990s. The group was deciding about whether Western Washington needed an organization to promote farmland preservation and the promotion of locally grown foods.

Turns out we did and Embleton was just the right person—much more than a box watcher—to lead the effort. She is trained as an agricultural economist and worked as a land use planner. Perhaps her best qualification is sheer enthusiasm for saving farmland and introducing more Puget Sound consumers to the flavors and goodness of local produce and meats.

Now five years into the job, Evergreen Monthly’s Andrew Mulholland caught up with Embleton at her Seattle office for a few questions and answers. But if you are looking for her in April and throughout the growing season, check out a local farmers market. She makes a lot of them to see the fruits (and vegetables) of Cascade Harvest Coalition’s labors.

EM: Your program, Puget Sound Fresh, now operates in 12 state counties to publicize locally grown produce and meats. How does promoting locally grown food match up with your group’s original commitment to farmland preservation?

Embleton: There is a growing demand for locally grown products. Farmland isn’t going to disappear if farming becomes profitable again.

EM: What’s the biggest strength of Cascade Harvest Coaltion?

Embleton: Our farmer network. We have one program, Washington FarmLink, designed to put aspiring farmers and landowners and help build sustainable farming operations. We offer a matching program, resource center and workshops to help aspiring farmers and landowners achieve their goals.

EM: Any new programs that excite you?

Embleton: One bright spot is our “farm to cafeteria” movement. It’s a pilot program with UW. The university is increasing its purchases of products from local producers. It raises local food consciousness with college-age students. We want to eventually expand it to high schools and elementary schools. Evergreen State College is involved in a similar initiative.

EM: Where did you cultivate your passion for saving farmland?

Embleton: I grew up western Montana. My dad still grows alfalfa there. I love the whole aesthetic and mystique of open spaces.

Western Washington is different from Montana in that we have smaller, more intimate farms. But it’s all about keeping that sense of wonder and open land.

EM: You live and work in the city. Where do you buy your locally grown food?

Embleton: We actually grow a lot of our own food as part of the Pea Patch program. But I buy all of our meat from local producers at farmers markets.

EM: What do you find difficult to grow yourself? Do you supplement with farmers market purchases?

Embleton: We grow 12 different types of tomatoes and four to five different potatoes. We put in a couple kinds of onions. What I find hard to grow are corn and squash because they take up so much room. And peas. Those I find hard to grow.

EM: How do you distinguish between locally grown food and organic food? They are not always the same, of course.

Embleton: I consider locally grown food anything grown or produced in Washington. I prefer food grown in my county, even if it is not organic. My own hierarchy is the more local, the better. If it is local and organic, that’s even better.

EM: Can Cascade Harvest Coalition help convert local farmers to organic as part of its mission?

Embleton: It’s a learning process for [conventional] farmers. We start in increments. We can teach better land stewardship practices and that often leads to the decision to go organic.

Andrew Mulholland is a regular contributor to Evergreen Monthly and has vowed not to eat a single out-of-state tomato this year.

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