Tilth Celebrates New Farm Stand
On June 9, 2021, South Whidbey Tilth members along with members of the University of Washington Design/Build Team met to celebrate the completion of a new farm stand at the entrance to the Tilth campus on Thompson Road.
A key part of Tilth’s mission is making locally grown food more available to the community. Because the Tilth Farmers’ Market season ends mid-October, and apples, pears and nuts ripen in the late fall, Tilth members looked for a way to attract and welcome more visitors year-round with a beautiful entrance. The farm stand, a pollinator-friendly hedgerow, and an information kiosk are part of the plan.
Whidbey resident Steve Badanes has been a regular customer at the Tilth Farmers’ Market for years. He is also a professor of architecture at the University of Washington and runs the Neighbor-hood Design/Build Studio there. When Steve got wind of the farm stand idea, he suggested it as a project for students at the Design/Build Studio.
Students started the farm stand design in 2020, working entirely online, but could not meet to build the structure because of the pandemic. The 2021 class took up the project and refined the design, incorporating feedback from Tilth members. The stand is constructed with cedar slats in a trellis-like structure. While looking light and airy, it is actually sturdy because of the lattice-work corner blocks. The roof overhang towards the south was increased to protect from strong winds. The roof is made from tinted polycarbonate, also appearing light while being sturdy.
The materials for the farm stand were sourced from local family-owned businesses, including Hanson’s Building Supply on Whidbey Island. Students met to build the structure at the studio in Seattle, then came to Tilth in late May to lay the foundation and raise the structure.
After so much pandemic-related confinement and a lot of screen time, students were delighted to be working together outdoors.
The plan is for the stand to be open every day that there is no Tilth market, offering self-service and payment using the honor system. The operation will be refined as Tilth learns how to best equip the farm stand to get as much produce to people as possible, and as new ideas for sellable goods come in.
Tilth has raised over $11,000 to pay for the farm stand and is looking to raise $4,000 more to add a cold-storage unit and signage.
Many thanks those on the Tilth Farm Stand Committee for their hard work: Prescott, lead, with Kirstin Clauson, Ida Gianopulos, Don Krafft, Anza Muenchow, David Prisbrey, Fred Rouge, Lynae Slinden and Melissa Young.