Makah Ozette Potatoes Growing All Over Seattle and Beyond
Elizabeth and Francis of Faith Beyond Farm with Slow Food Co-Chair Austin Becker
This year, we’ve generated a lot of buzz around our Makah Ozette potato presidium. Last month, our presidium coordinator, Gerry Warren, hatched a plan to increase the amount of potatoes available in the marketplace for the community, and our Chapter purchased 550 pounds of organic seed.
The majority of seed was delivered to local farmers by Slow Food Co-chair Austin Becker. These delicious spuds are already in the ground at Steel Wheel Farm in Fall City, Faith Beyond Farm near Enumclaw and Orange Star Farm in Monroe. We’ll keep you posted throughout the growing season as to their final destinations so you can find them in local markets and restaurants.
It was our distinct honor to donate 80 pounds of seed to local nonprofit organizations. Thirty pounds were delivered to the beautiful Nisqually Community Garden in Dupont, where the Makah Ozette will be one of five varieties to feed their community this year. Grace Ann Byrd, Field Tech and corn whisperer, has offered Slow Food Seattle a tour of their magical garden this summer. Stay tuned for details.
The remaining 50 pounds were delivered to Na’ah Illahee Fund, a nonprofit promoting Native female-centered leadership programs. Seed was planted in the Daybreak Star Preschool garden and Na’ah Illahee’s community garden. At NIF’s office warming party, Executive Director Susan Balbas shared seed and growing instructions with attending community members. Susan also gave out small bags of seed to many of the nearly 300 attendees at last weekend’s Living Breath of wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ Symposium, among whom were Jeff Savage (artist/wild rice grower) and Janice Fairbanks Ph.D. of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Minnesota.
It’s truly exciting to see so many new growers of the Makah Ozette! If you are growing this amazing potato, we’d love to hear about it. Please share your photos and tag us on social media. @slowfoodsea #makahozette
Article contributed by Kim Abrams-Marshall