Amy Moreno-Sills and Agustin Moreno launched a Community-Supported Agriculture Program, where people can buy a share in the farm in exchange for fresh, organic vegetables every week.
Many people purchase veggies from grocery stores. Some even get them delivered right to their doorstep.
There’s also the option of picking them up right from where they’re grown and harvested.
The Moreno family owns Four Elements Farm at 14308 Military Road in the Puyallup Valley. This summer, Amy Moreno-Sills and Agustin Moreno launched a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program, where people can buy a share in the farm in exchange for fresh, organic vegetables every week.
“You come out to the farm and get the best pick of the harvest,” Moreno-Sills said. “We get to meet the community.”
Each box can include cabbage, lettuce, cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots, kale, onions and radishes, which Amy and Agustin grow on 16 acres of their 123-acre farm. Small shares are $25 per week, while large shares are $35 per week. The CSA season stretches from June through October, and members can join any time.
“We like to make it really accessible,” Moreno-Sills said.
Moreno-Sills, 42, grew up in Indiana before moving to Washington to attend The Evergreen State College. It was there that she took a class in the practice of Sustainable Agriculture, and she was hooked.
“I discovered my passion,” she said. “It’s part of my identity now. It’s a labor of love, that’s for sure.”
Moreno grew up in the Michoacan state of Mexico. He has memories of his family growing and harvesting its own food, including peppers, corns for tortillas and beans.
But it wasn’t until he moved to Washington to work on a farm in King County that farming became his passion, too.
“When I came here I was like, ‘Oh — there’s a lot more (to grow),’” said Moreno, 34.
The two met while working on a 200-acre organic farm in the Snoqualmie Valley. In 2016, they started their own family farm with the name Four Elements Farm.
“It’s a combination of the four elements and their connection with farming,” she said. “And then we have four people in our family.”
When they started the farm, the couple knew they wanted to do more than just wholesale — they wanted to connect to people on the community level, as they’re community members themselves. Their children, 9-year-old Gabriela and 5-year-old Hector, attend Shaw Road Elementary School.
“What we offer is a little bit different, which is more of an experience,” Moreno-Sills said.
Aside from taking part in the CSA, people can come to the farm’s “U-Pick” blueberry patch to pick their own blueberries for $2.50 per pound. The blueberry bushes, totaling 6 acres, were first planted during World War II.
“People want to know where their food comes from,” Moreno-Sills said. “ … We get folks spending hours here.”
Enumclaw resident Billie Saylor and Kent resident April Coen came to Four Elements Farm last week in search of blueberries.
“My daughter lives in Puyallup and I come out here all the time,” Saylor said. “The kids, they love them. I wanted to come bring the grandkids out and pick (blueberries).”
“It’s nice to get them fresh off the farm,” added Coen.
This month, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recognized four farms in the country, included Four Elements Farm, for National Farmers Market Week. Four Elements Farm participates in Orting’s Farmers Market from 3 to 7 p.m. every Friday at North Park at 101 Washington Ave. The market ends Sept. 1.
“It’s the farmers markets that give consumers access to products,” said Cassie Bable, public affairs specialist for USDA’s Farm Service Agency. “From talking to Amy it sounds like she really wants (community members) to come to the farm.”
Moreno-Sills said that the blueberry bloom was late this year, and that blueberries can still be picked through the end of the month.
For more information, visit fourelementsfarm.com.