In 2020, using the online video-chat service called Skype, three farm women came together to devise a way to invite the community to visit farms in the Idaho Panhandle, to purchase directly from farm stands, and discover how small farm products are being grown and made. Thus, the Panhandle Farm Corridor (PFC) was born, a collective of small North Idaho farmers from Laclede to Cataldo.

For coordinator Emily Black of Lone Mountain Farms in Athol, Idaho; secretary Betty Mobbs of Lazy JM Ranch in Hauser; and treasurer Lisa Pointer of Red Canoe Farms in Hauser, farming is everyday life. Along with 13 other PFC farmers, they are able to share and showcase their farms and farming life.

In their printable guide, available online at Panhandlefarmcorridor.com, the PFC provides location, product, and contact information for each farm so that consumers can connect with them directly, visit their farm stands, and learn more about where their food comes from. The guide also includes a farm stand map and a punch card.

Follow the PFC on Facebook for updates and events (@panhandlefarmcorridor).

Find more Provisions stories in the Food & Drink department.

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As of late May the LINC Marketplace had already seen over 1,000 orders of local food from 416 households. According to Youngblom, there are over 200 products available from 40 farms and producers with more to come in June. Grocery items range from local fruit and vegetables, value-added products like salsas and spices, dairy products, eggs, flour, meats, salmon, and bread from the Grain Shed. There is no cost to shop, but users need to first complete a quick online account set up process at Lincfoods.com/online-marketplace. “It’s been really amazing to see the support for the farmers and to be able to distribute food to the community in a safe way,” adds Youngblom.

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For a farm, offering a u-pick option has many benefits. First, it reduces labor, cost, and overhead for the farmers. Second, it eliminates the need for storing and transporting produce to be sold at a market or grocery store, while also providing it in its freshest form to customers. Finally, it allows farmers to set harvest hours and u-pick appointments that are most beneficial to growing things and to the business side of the operation.

For you, the customer, making a trip to a u-pick farm can save you money per pound, keep your dollars in your community, afford you a look at how a farmer operates, and give you and your family the opportunity to handle your food for part of its journey from the farm to your table.

Green Bluff in Spokane County, one of the most well-known u-pick spots in the Inland Northwest, is prolific with growers that offer everything from vegetables to apples to pumpkins.

However, there are plenty of other opportunities to pick your own food. Utecht Produce in Spokane Valley allows customers to come and pick okra, tomatoes, green beans, and more, by appointment only.

Carver Farms in Newman Lake, Wash., provides a u-pick harvest schedule and prices on their website. Riley Creek Blueberry Farm in Laclede, Idaho, is well known for their blueberry fields, but they also grow blackberries and raspberries.

Red Canoe Blueberry Farm in Hauser, Idaho, also has a u-pick field and lets you pick Washington cherries in season.

Whichever you choose, your u-pick day will be an adventure to savor.

Originally published in the July 2019 issue.

Visit the OTO archives for more stories about farmers’ markets.

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