North Olympic Peninsula Urban Foraging

The Olympic Peninsula is home to abundant natural beauty–the Hoh rainforest, the Olympic mountains, the Pacific coast. It is also home to a sort of agrarian renaissance, with an impressive diversity of farms, from livestock to orchards to vineyards.

Here are a few notable spots between Chimacum and Port Angeles on the north peninsula:

Chimacum Corner Farmstand
Awesome farm stand and natural foods store with a heavy focus on local farmers and producers. They have a full selection of fresh, frozen, and dry goods as well as beer and wine. On Sundays they host the Chimacum Farmer’s Market. (9122 Rhody Drive Chimacum, Open Daily, 360.732.0107)

Chimacum Farmers’ Market
Small market with a nice selection of vendors to cover all the basics: produce, meat, dairy, and bread. With food carts and live music every week, this is a sweet spot on a Sunday. (Chimacum Corner Farmstand, Sundays, June – October)

Port Townsend Farmers’ Market
An awesome market for a small town: all the food groups are covered, plus great prepared foods, body products, crafts, and live music. (Tyler St between Lawrence St & Clay St Port Townsend, Sundays, April – December)

Get-a-bles
This store has a nice collection of local goods, plus knickknacks and crafty-type things. Stop in here for picnic provisions before a hike or boat outing. (810 Water St Port Townsend, Open Daily, 360.385.5560)

Cidery Tasting Rooms
There are two cider makers in Port Townsend, Alpenfire and Eaglemount, that comprise a nascent community that is small (for now) but scrappy, endearing, and personable. Their tasting rooms are not the sleek, well-appointed tasting rooms of established Washington wineries, but the people pouring your tastes are the same people who are tending the orchards and working the cider press. For example, after you’ve sampled the ciders and chatted with the farmers, they might leave to hop on a tractor and move some rocks (or any other number of tasks essential to producing great cider).

Eaglemount Wine and Cider
(2350 Eaglemount Road Port Townsend, Seasonal hours or by appointment, 360.732.4084)

Alpenfire Cidery
The tasting room at Alpenfire is charming and adorable. On some days they’re offering pizza from the outdoor wood fired grill. Alpenfire also produces a couple of apple cider vinegars. (220 Pocket Lane Port Townsend, Friday – Sunday, 360. 379.8915)

Nash’s Organic Produce
Nash’s is an awesome farm-sourced grocery store with a full range of fresh, frozen, and pantry items, lots of local products, and great produce, much of which comes from their 450-acre working farm. Nash’s raises organic veggies, fruits, grains, seeds, and pastured eggs and pork. (4681 Sequim-Dungeness Way Sequim, Tuesday – Sunday, 360.681.6274)

Alder Wood Bistro
The most notable restaurant on the north peninsula. Alder Wood Bistro is so serious about locality and seasonality that they designate menu items by proximity: local (Sequim-Dungeness Valley), 100-mile radius, and regional (WA, OR, CA or BC). Just as importantly, the food is solid. (139 W Alder St Sequim, Tuesday – Saturday dinner, 360.683.4321)

Additional North Olympic Peninsula resources:

Port Townsend
Port Townsend Food Co-op
414 Kearny St
Open Daily
T: 360.385.2883

Aldrich’s Market
940 Lawrence St
Open Daily
T: 360.385.0500

Sequim
Sequim Open Aire Market
Cedar Street, between 2nd Ave & Sequim Ave
Saturdays, May – October

The Red Rooster Grocery
134 1/2 W Washington St
Open Daily
T: 360.681.2004

Port Angeles
Port Angeles Farmers’ Market
Corner of Front St & Lincoln St
Saturdays, Year-round

Country Aire Natural Foods
200 W 1st St
Open Daily
T: 360.452.7175

Good To Go! Natural Grocery
1105 S Eunice St
Monday – Saturday
T: 360.457.1857Post

Written by Justin Marx

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