September is Eat Local Month on Whidbey
Published 1:30 am Friday, August 29, 2025
Whidbey Island Grown Cooperative is holding its fifth annual “Eat Local Month” in September, according to a press release.
The special event is a celebration of food, farming and community in Island County during the biggest harvest month of September. It’s an opportunity to connect with the many aspects of the local food system, from farmers and food producers to chefs and food artists, local businesses and each other.
Learn about agriculture, home gardening, and flower arranging at farm tours, classes and markets. Visit farmers markets, farm stands, stores and the Food Hub for food and treats grown, raised and processed on Whidbey Island. Enjoy expertly prepared dishes at restaurants that source ingredients locally. Bring the whole family out to festivals and harvest events on Whidbey and Camano islands. Learn about the impacts and importance of the local food system.
“We want to inspire our local community and our visitors to see September as a time for eating local food, whether you’re cooking up a homemade meal or eating out,” said Shannon Bly, WIGC executive director. “Whidbey producers have so much to offer, and Eat Local Month is the chance to go out and explore our local food offerings.”
Eat Local Month will include such events as the Mutiny Bay Blues Farm Tour, Greenbank Harvest Faire, Camano CiderFest, Whidbey Cider Festival, CornFest, cooking classes, flower arranging workshops, local tastings, farmers market activities and more. For more information, visit whidbeyislandgrown.com/eat-local-month.
The website offers maps, directories and even QR codes to help people explore four regions on Island County. Each region has a directory of local food and farm themed stops, making it easy to plan a farm and food-filled adventure. Be a hometown tourist and explore new parts of the islands that we call home.
Businesses on the trail are marked with Farm & Food Trail window clings and yard signs, and include farmstands, farmers markets, retail shops, restaurants, taprooms, cideries, markets, events and more.
On Aug. 31, Mutiny Bay Blues Blueberry Farm will host its fifth farm tour, including a tour of their 20-acre blueberry farm with a chance to pick your own blueberries, and a tour of Rowdy Sprout Farm’s vegetable farm, ending at the farm’s commercial kitchen where Whidbey Island Ice Cream chocolate blueberry bars await attendees.
Whidbey Farm & Market will open for the season on Sept. 19 with the fourth annual CornFest event. In addition to the market’s local food ice cream, and other locally made products, there will be family friendly activities like a corn hole tournament and a corn maze.
On Sept. 6, the Greenbank Harvest Faire is a celebration of the agricultural heritage of the farm, with vendors, food, hay rides and tours, as well as shopping at the farm’s local shops and strolls through the WSU Extension Master Gardeners’ display garden.
Whidbey Cider Fest and Camano CiderFest bookend Eat Local Month, featuring artisan cideries, food trucks, music, and community in beautiful locations. Whidbey CiderFest returns to Pacific Rim Institute on Sept. 20.
The WIGC Food Hub is an online marketplace where over 50 local producers sell their fresh, local products, makes deliveries to markets like the Goose Grocer, Greenbank Pantry, 3 Sisters Market, Star Store, Langley Kitchen, Whidbey Provisions, Oystercatcher, Goldie’s, Osprey Fish Co. and Captain Whidbey.
WIGC is a multi-stakeholder cooperative made up of producers, buyers, and community members on Whidbey Island. Our mission is to foster a thriving local food system by expanding market opportunities for farmers, producers, and artisans, enhancing access for consumers, and celebrating the abundance of Whidbey Island agriculture.
