First-ever island food fair is Saturday

Find vegetable starts for your garden, meet local food producers, taste samples, and learn how to join a Community Supported Agriculture at the first annual “Spring into Island Food Fair.” The event runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 4 at the Bainbridge Island Grange Hall, 10340 Madison Ave. NE.

Find vegetable starts for your garden, meet local food producers, taste samples, and learn how to join a Community Supported Agriculture at the first annual “Spring into Island Food Fair.”

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 4 at the Bainbridge Island Grange Hall, 10340 Madison Ave. NE.

Vegetable gardeners will have the opportunity to pick from a large selection of garden starts from Bainbridge Island’s Butler Green Farms. Several varieties of kale, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuces, bok choy, chard, cabbage, beets and spinach starts will be available for purchase.

All start sales will benefit the Bainbridge Island Grange, a nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to community fellowship, education and service.

In recent years, the number of food products being made on Bainbridge Island has grown dramatically. Jams and jellies made with island-grown fruit, spice mixes using locally-grown herbs, sausage from local pigs, sauerkraut, wines, and much more are now available from area producers.

Attendees to the event will have the opportunity to meet the producers, taste their products, and purchase products to take home. Participants include Bainbridge Island Vineyards, Jake’s Pickup, Holly Lane Gardens, Sweetlife Farm and more.

Additionally, there will be information about local CSA programs.

CSAs offer a weekly share of a farm’s production in exchange for an annual fee. In addition to produce farmers such as Butler Green Farm, Farmhouse Organics, Heyday Farm, and Persephone Farm, there is also a Community Supported Shellfish Farm offering fresh oysters from island beaches.

The event is sponsored by the Bainbridge Island Grange Hall, Butler Green Farms and Sound Food.