Saara

We currently use Homebase https://app.joinhomebase.com which you could use for free for basic timeclock and schedule functionality. It has a few quirks that make it tricky for us so we're looking at Hot Schedules https://www.hotschedules.com/ for next summer. Both have crew messaging which is a great feature and online scheduling.

Just to clarify, we gross about $350k per 4 month/season. We need to be able to run cards fast. Square is not there. We own our own terminals, but we just need to update so we're not getting screwed by our current provider. We're also bank-shopping since a certain American bank wants to charge us for making cash deposits over $10k. Another clarification, we're in the food service industry. We net approximately $20. No k's.

Hey DeliGirl! I've been researching the POS subject for a couple of years now and have not found an affordable "perfect" solution yet. We have a seasonal bakery/deli/pizzeria and a candy shop. Two different halves of the business, but we need a POS solution that can support both. They are out there, but they average about $20k. Since we only operate about 4-5 months/year, we can't justify that sort of outlay. Currently I'm keeping an eye on Android-based solutions and am hoping that they will develop quickly to become robust enough to support us in the next couple of years. Meanwhile we muddle along with 3 ancient registers in the candy shop and 1 newer Sharp on the cafe side. This year we're trying to get a new merchant services account set up before we open for Easter sales in ... a week. Hmm ... maybe not. One of our chocolatier friends is relatively happy with the iPad-based ShopKeep system. Since we have to build pizza orders, it won't quite work for us, but it seems to be working, is affordable, and is updated regularly. That was about $1500 for hardware and software per station if I recall correctly. He's running it in two shops. Anyway, you're not alone in your search. Please keep posting here with your findings. I will do my part as well. http://www.merchantmaverick.com/ has some good reviews on POS (and merchant services), but I don't see DinerWare on there. Let us know if you get a ballpark figure from them.

When I started keeping chickens, I researched this since I needed to know how long I could "overwinter" the eggs while the hens weren't laying regularly. The definitive research is at Mother Earth News How to Store Fresh Eggs I do keep my eggs refrigerated even though they are unwashed, but if I'm taking eggs on a sailing trip, I make sure to not refrigerate those eggs and then I don't have to worry about taking up precious cooler space on the boat. However, I wouldn't store eggs that have been washed and/or refrigerated on the counter. Well, unless I need to "age" the eggs for hard-boiled. I'll leave fresher eggs out for a day or two. Otherwise you can't get the shells off!

I'm here and haven't been expended yet! Things have been a bit hectic since my own business (drafting) has picked up a bit so we've been essentially spending long weekends at the shop painting, cleaning and organizing and then a few days here at home working and doing laundry. Compounding my problems is a broken hinge on my laptop so I haven't been able to drag it around with me. Hoping to get that fixed here someday. Since I last wrote, a few things have happened: We went to the FSA food show in Seattle. It was very informative and gave me some good exposure to that end. We got to do a lot of tasting and it was nice to find out who was really behind the various lines (Signature, Elite, Madrona Market, etc.). Found some better tortillas and tomato sauce for starters. Also identified quite a few local suppliers and several products we don't want to get near. Installed Star Solutions (FSA) which will allow me to do online ordering, some inventory management, and recipe costing. Free! I can add in products that we get elsewhere too so it's a great tool to have when we get down to menu pricing. I had been looking at packages that were very costly so I was pleased to find that they offered this. It has some history too so I can see what had been ordered in the past. At least some items. Have been painting, cleaning, organizing, and generally taking care of (or at least noting!) deferred maintenance. We've been able to store some unused equipment, remove some terminally broken stuff and start shopping for new-to-us replacements. We're hoping to eke out more space in storage so everything isn't just a jumble. Buy stock in Costco shelving units now. We just converted an antique cooler into a permanent hot box for chocolate which makes it so they don't have to switch over freezer units to that task in the off season. Baked a morning with the baker. It was a good learning experience for me in using the big equipment and baking on that scale. I didn't master anything, but I feel confident that I could do a bake session by myself if I needed to since she has good recipes and notes. I also think she'll be staying on next season so that leaves me 4 days of baking per week to fill in. We've been open on weekends and generally doing fine on sunny days and not so great on rainy ones. Got the Christmas candy fliers made up and mailed out! My father-out-law is supposed to be working on the online order form. I'm waiting to get control of the website so I can move it to a proper host with merchant services, etc. Meanwhile I've set up a Wordpress blog just to be doing something on that front. I've been looking into some management training/classes at the local colleges. Trying to find something with a price and schedule that suits. I did learn to use the cash register this weekend ... sort of. The list of things to learn seems to grow daily! We've been talking with a local (to our house) pizzeria owner and getting some great mentoring and advice from her. We've also been reading trade mags and websites and getting all the free education that we can. We hope to attend the Pizza Expo with her some year. Stress level is up, sleep level is down, but things are moving along. In February, we start bunny season so we hope to have most of the painting done by then. Hoping to get some time then to focus on the recipes, menu boards and supply side. Thanks for the suggestions of stromboli, topped focaccia and savory pastries. I had been thinking of a Canadian sausage roll too since we're so close to the border. I'm trying to dampen my enthusiasm for adding to the menu right now. But on that note, pizza by the slice or personal size? By the slice doesn't seem to move quickly enough ... In other news, the pullets have started laying!

Thank you for your comments! All have been noted. I think I definitely need to find myself a management course. Sorry for the late reply, we took off for a candy convention and it's all been a whirlwind since then with lots of work up at the shop and plenty in my drafting business as well. It was great to meet chocolatiers from the area and further afield. Lots of support in this industry! Since I last posted, we've had a good look at the books and records for the past decade. The "candy side" numbers are good, but the "cafe side" are, frankly, frightening. COGS = payroll, for one. I will be writing out a business and marketing plan. I hadn't originally planned on it, but it will be useful for us in consolidating our ideas and also communicating the details to his parents and key employees. Naturally, we want their input as well. I think it will also be useful to set a time limit for making the cafe profitable. I'm not really sure how long it will take to turn this ship around. It is currently branded as a nostalgic family destination with homemade products. There is an excellent logo and tagline, and I would like to expand their use more particularly incorporating the logo shape into some products (cookies, dog biscuits, chocolate). There is a color scheme. Mostly just some organization and cohesive in-store labeling is needed. And a logo cookie cutter which I've already requested from the boyfriend. Currently, there is no inventory, recipe book (there is a binder, but there are only about 5 recipes), recipe pricing, sales tracking, price lists or, really, much of anything. I am working on those items as well as reworking the menu a bit. Once I get that done, I can print a new menu and paint a legible menu board. I believe that simply baking daily will help profits substantially. Currently, many customers simply walk out when faced with an empty bake case. I also want to replace wraps with sub sandwiches. Tortillas are not made in house, but rolls are. There has also been inconsistency in the sides so I will be "cafe chef" (their words) and make sure there is stock available so someone doesn't go buy grocery store macaroni salad, for example. With documented recipes, I can hopefully pick an employee and train them as well. One thing that hasn't been done for some reason is promoting the quality of the ingredients used. Since there is no indication, my assumption had been that purchased items (e.g. deli meats) were of the more inexpensive tier. They're actually quite nice and some are even from a local quality sausage company. If *I* didn't know that, then it seems unlikely that many customers do either. The locals know that the whole wheat bread is made from flour that is fresh ground, but probably not that it is local and organic. Tourists certainly don't. Additionally, we want to source more locally (a small farm is already lined up) and generally promote that aspect. Receiving the occasional plop of Reser's salad on your plate doesn't help, however. The competition is interesting. There is a cafe right across the street that seems quite intent on stealing ideas (although his father has been doing some mimicking himself). They're much smaller and seem to be plastered with corporate logos and products (Ivar's, SBC, Dreyer's, Hebrew National, etc.). They have wraps and hotdogs, which is another reason I want to pull those off the menu. They open and close earlier so we can co-exist peacefully since they have stopped sending their customers over to use the bathroom and park along the front of our shop finally. There are a few other cafes along the beach drive, but everyone seems to have a slightly different niche. Our shop is the unique and vibrant one and predictability can be had elsewhere for those that wish it. There is a Subway about 10 miles away in a neighboring town and a Little Caesar's at the other end of the community. Here is some decade-old census info: Total housing units 5,105 Occupied housing units 2,125 Vacant housing units 2,980 (This number is large since they are predominantly vacation rentals) Owner-occupied housing units 1,614 Renter-occupied housing units 511 Since I want to intersperse the boring (spreadsheets, demographics, financial distress) with the creative and interesting, I would like some brainstorming on the construction of the menu board. I had originally thought to do chalkboard paint with paint pens, but the other cafe has a chalkboard menu. Am I too close to their concept? What else can I do? Oh and is it possible to make a good margin on pizza?

... bakery, deli, and pizzeria! My boyfriend's parents have a chocolate/candy shop and adjunct bakery/deli/pizzeria in a small beach community that they've been operating for 38 years. They're on both sides of 70 and have been wanting to retire for a few years. Since the shop includes a building and property, it has proven to be a difficult business to appraise and sell. After much deliberation, we have decided to take it on instead of allowing it to be closed down. We're just in the preliminary stages of figuring things out, but we'll be transitioning into it over 5 years (or whatever works out) and working our way into an ownership position. We don't have any cash for this so it'll be a combination of sweat equity and inheritance. Accountants and lawyers, etc. are and will be consulted. Currently the business is primarily the "candy side" which does wholesale Easter chocolates and opens for business in May and closes on Labor Day. Hours are 11am-10pm. For the past couple of years, the season has extended to about October being open on the weekends with the addition of espresso and limited baked goods. This is the half that 'makes money' and supports the rest. Most candies are made in house with the exception of a few items such as licorice, jellybeans, etc. There is also ice cream, snow cones, cotton candy and popcorn (reg. & cheese). The "cafe side" is also open seasonally and the same hours. The bakery portion has 3 bake days per week with cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, cookies, turnovers, brownies, and a few breads. The whole wheat is ground fresh from organic wheat for the 100% whole wheat bread. Most of the baked goods are made in house although the brownies are from a mix (Ghiradelli) and the turnovers are frozen puff pastry. There's a dough sheeter, a 20 qt. & 60 qt. Hobarts, a proofing box and a 1908 Edison electric deck oven. There is espresso (Cimballi) and the coffee is roasted in-house by his father. Well, on the back porch. The hope is to get a proper fluid air bed roaster soon. During the day, sandwiches are served and at 5pm pizza on homemade dough. There are about 30-40 seasonal part-time employees with some that have worked there for decades. There is a designated candy maker although during Easter production everyone chips in and most candy side employees are taught some basics such as dipping. My boyfriend grew up in the business and used to be the candy maker and equipment maintenance man. He's been out of it for the past 20 years, but has continued to service some of the old relics. He's an engineer so is well-suited to the latter. I also work in engineering (drafting) and an a passionate home cook and baker. Since the business is operating on a shoestring and now will need to support two families, I will probably be taking on the baker's duties and cooking for the cafe (salads, dressings, pizza sauce, and possibly adding some baked special dinner items) and eventually the books. My boyfriend will be candy making, employee management and customer schmoozing. His parents will be the public face until they expire, we hope. The easy changes are to add bake days which will add traffic to the cafe/bakery side. I'd like to add an artisan sourdough loaf and hold some dough refrigerated for baking off when needed. We're hoping to add a larger ice cream freezer to the cafe side to ease some of that bottleneck on the candy side and draw in people. The menu needs some simplification and, most importantly, needs to be more readable. It also needs a little updating. There are a lot of retirees who appreciate a good bland turkey sandwich or wrap, but there's also vacationers from Seattle who might enjoy some chipotle mayo or tapenade. We need to add some zip without getting too urban or yuppie. Either way, we're at first going to be restricted to inexpensive edits with larger changes coming down the road. This off-season, we'll be painting, repairing, doing inventory, and learning the books and systems. Easter season will plunge us into candy making and I'll have some teaching from a professional baker locally. I will also get a chance to trail the current baker one of these weekends. So what I need to know is what works well as an inventory system. We have discussed a min/max system with simple shelf tags. We also need to track costs with a price book and be able to generate a shopping list. Accounting is in Quickbooks so I had been thinking that there might be an iPhone app out there that could keep a shopping and price list. What works? Is that too complex? There is currently a lot of waste and shopping is somewhat haphazard. Suppliers are Cash & Carry (bulk retailer), Costco, Guittard and Foodservice. The candy side is fine, but the cafe side needs a lot of work in this area. What else should we focus on learning? Should we get some sort of management training? My boyfriend has done project management, but I've been a solo business for the past 14 years. His parents were teachers, and, well, parents, so they're more experienced in that realm than we are. Generally, the long term employees are happy that we're coming on board, but a couple of shift managers are feeling a bit put out. We're being hailed as saviors with some of our obvious ideas that they've been trying to implement for years so that is somewhat understandable. We need to keep feathers smoothed, but also not allow childish territoriality. Sorry this is so long, but it's a bit overwhelming. I know I'll have more questions and am really looking forward to hearing some input from professionals. I would like to turn it into a place that I'd be proud to pimp on eGullet.

In 2007, I will eat even more foods directly purchased from local ranchers and farmers. I will finally make doughnuts fried in lard that I rendered myself, but not too often. I will also render tallow for french fries. I will find morels, chantarelles and boletes in the forest! I will learn how to make my own puff pastry. This is the year I will try to grow more of our own food. I will, however, realize that I cannot win to the slugs with some things and enjoy the greens, carrots and radishes from the CSA box and not feel like a failure about it. I will taste more new wild foods that we can forage ourselves. I will use my preserving equipment (pressure and water bath canners, steam juicer, dehydrator, smokers and vacuum sealer) more than I do to save our seasonal bounty (and money). I will give the cookbooks that I don't regularly use to our local library. I will remind him that I love him more often. We will hike more and pick enough nettles, mushrooms, rosehips, berries, and other small forest denizens for our winter larder. My kid will not greet people by sniffing them inappropriately, or not, since that's what dogs of a certain size tend to do. I will continue to apologize profusely and do my best to prevent it. I will teach myself how to make charcuterie. I will continue to advocate supporting our family farms. I will read more novels and less non-fiction.

Nutcracker I have one in this style that was made in France and purchased for me in Germany. I love it! It cracks all the nuts, even hazelnuts, without spraying nuts and shells all over. It has a good record of cracking the shell and leaving the nut whole as well. Not too much force is required for even hard nuts. I highly recommend this type of nutcracker, but I have no experience with that particular brand or that online store.

Pizza Factory is what it is so if you like that then I don't imagine it's any different than any other Pizza Factory in the nation. Village is good standard pizza. At least when I last had it. I remember going there when I was in high school which is ... umm ... 20+ years ago so they're doing something right! Would be my choice of the two. Hong Kong is typical greasy Cantonese American, more focus is on the cocktail lounge. Haven't tried Lucky Chopsticks. I think it might have been replaced by something else similar in the same location. It's next to Compass Wines which Rockdoggydog mentioned. There's a Thai takeout place on 31st & Commercial which I've heard good things about, but haven't tried. Esteban's is good for Mexican-American. They have a takeout/burrito type store on 27th (?) and a regular restaurant in the middle of the 14th block. Navigation tip: Commercial Avenue is about 35th Street at the top where you turn off the highway and descends heading north to 1st at the Port docks. Driving Commercial back and forth as a teen was called "dragging the gut".

Good news! Cliff Mass just promised a warmish, dryish month to come so the tomatoes still have some hope. I hope the same holds true for here in the foothills, but I'm not putting my raingear away. I'll be sowing favas next month in an attempt to get a spring crop and condition the soil a bit. I still have half my spuds in the ground as well. I'll be digging them as soon as it's not so muddy. If sowing now, you don't need to do anything for them although heavy mulching would be a good idea. They won't come up until spring.

If you have the room you can also cut the tomatoes at the base and hang them upside down in the windows. I had "tomato drapes" one fall when we had an early frost. Most of the tomatoes ripened quite nicely. The method may not be a good idea if you entertain a lot.

Don't give up on the tomatoes yet! All mine were green until last week and now they've suddenly been ripening. This is the first year at the new place (been here 3) that I've actually had tomatoes ripen. It's exciting. Last year I made an Indian green tomato chutney which turned out quite nice. It was a great alternative to fried green tomatoes. Sounds like you've put in quite a bit. I hope it all grows well for you! This is my first year that I'm really attempting anything so I'll just have to see. I think I'll plant more spinach too while it's still warm enough to germinate. Seems like there might be a bit of a shortage of that for a bit.

Last week I planted out cauliflower and kale under a cloche. I still have to set out broccoli and chard in the same manner. Mustard greens, radishes, parsnips, lettuce and carrots have come up. I'm waiting to see if some later seeded carrots will germinate in my season extender greenhouse. I'll also be bringing inside my chile plants (2 seasons old now) and an eggplant that is just now flowering. I've freshly seeded some basil pots to bring in. I'm considering sowing some favas now for next year and I'll be planting some garlic soon as well. The promise of an El Nino winter has me thinking about trying a few things just to see what happens.

Gere-a-deli at the corner of 5th & Commercial. Excellent sandwiches and treats for both kid and parent tastes. They're only open during the day so keep that in mind. Grab a menu and next time you can call your order in ahead. I was just having a Supremo craving the other day.

We were recommended Canadice which is a pink dessert grape. I planted it this spring (after overwintering it in a pot) and it's taking off so far. Nothing to report yet on the grape front, but so far so good for the vine. We're zone 6 so it should be fine in the warmer coastal regions.

Skip Seattle?! No need for that! Just arrange to impose upon Abra et al for a couple of extra days and see all the Seattle that you want from the comfort of a base on Bainbridge! It's a mere 35 minute ferry ride away which you could do as a walk-on passenger, with a bicycle or with your car. You might spend a few bucks on ferry fares but you'd be saving a lot of money on hotels. In any case, none of the distances are so great that you can't just pop down to Seattle at any time really. I'm glad that I could be of some help with your planning!

Well, who knew that it would take me a week to go to the farmer's market. For provisioning your day of hiking and seeing the sights in the North Cascades, I recommend a visit to the Cinnamon Twisp Bakery in Twisp. Right next door is a natural foods grocery which I didn't unfortunately get to visit last time as it was closed. Winthrop has a nice bakery as well called The Rocking Horse. I would suggest picking up a bottle of 2003 Lost River Cabernet at one of the groceries. If you get lucky, their tasting room might be open just outside of town as you head up to the mountains. I wouldn't recommend Sun Mountain Lodge if you're budgetting at all. Breakfast starts at $16'ish and dinners seem to be averaging $35-$40/plate. The menu is viewable in the window right next to Sheri's. It's a lovely restaurant and I've always had delicious food there, but the prices have practically doubled in the past few years. However, the Buckaroo Breakfast is a good value and includes horseback riding! Once you come down out of the mountains, skip the Buffalo Run and eat at Clark's Cabins (with all the bunnies!) in Marblemount. The food is inexpensive and it is redolent with the history of the area. It's just typical American fare, but nicely done. Naturally, it's a good time to stop for ice cream at the Cascadian Farm Stand between Marblemount and Rockport. In September they will also have organic fruit and vegetables for sale. Delicious blueberries and heirloom tomatoes! If you make it as far as Concrete without having eaten, I recommend Annie's Pizza in the blue building next to the grocery store. If you intend to have an American pizza, Annie makes some of the best! The Cajun Grill up in town had been a bit spotty in quality when we were last eating there with any regularity. Perhaps we can "take one for the team" and go see how they're doing now. The problems were over the winter when our local restaurants are dependent on local traffic so it's possible they have improved. As you continue west, a good place to get more groceries is the Skagit Food Co-op in downtown Mount Vernon. They have excellent selection and you don't need to be a member to shop there. You should continue west to Bow-Edison and visit the Farm to Market Bakery, Slough Food and the Breadfarm. There are several nice cafes there and Edison is a great foodie town. If you like oysters and the like Taylor Shellfish Farm has an outpost nearby in Samish Bay. I would agree with the others that La Conner would be a treat preferable to Bellingham. I would also concur with taking the ferry from Keystone to Port Townsend to get to the peninsula. You could ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria and then come back either via Tsawwassen (BC) or Anacortes or just drive down to Bainbridge depending on when in your itinerary you visit the peninsula. The Calico Cupboard is a great spot for breakfast or lunch in either Mount Vernon, La Conner or Anacortes! Take the back roads to/from La Conner and stop at Snow Goose and the Rexville Grocery. On the peninsula, there's a great co-op in Port Townsend and Sunny Farms just outside of Sequim in case you've run out of groceries again. (That page also has a link to some hiking in the North Olympics.) The most important thing that you need for your journey, however, is a good atlas! Benchmark makes the best one for the state! It's the same price online as in any stores although you can have someone pick one up for you at Costco for just a bit cheaper. I'm sure that it could be arranged. Anyway, I will probably think of more suggestions so I'll post them here when I think of them. We do lots of back road driving and camping and you'll be in many of our regular stomping grounds. Something to consider is to see if you can borrow a thermoelectric cooler for your trip. No need to buy ice and eat wet food that way. It's much cheaper than eating every meal in a restaurant and in some of the areas, you'll be wanting to picnic anyway. Thanks for the opportunity to share some of our favorite places with you!

Wonderful itinerary! Bring good driving shoes. In Twisp, go to the Methow Valley Brewing/Twisp River Pub for some nice beer and good food and possibly music on the right night. In Winthrop, don't miss Topo (if it hasn't been sold yet) for very good Asian. The Rocking Horse Bakery is also good plus the mandatory ice cream cone at Sheri's. (I will be commenting more fully on these in the Winthrop thread when I have some time.) I *live* in the North Cascades so I can guide you a bit there, and perhaps make some suggestions for Bellingham. Right now I have to run off though. You'll have a wonderful whirlwind tour!

Heheh. Well, I am infinitely more squeamish about chemicals vs. things derived from nature. I mean, I eat sauasage, don't I? Isn't standard red food coloring erythrosine, however, and not carmine?

Too late now, but I was going to suggest using carmine instead of food coloring. Cochineal from Natural Pigments Carmine is used to color Campari and, at least, the Grenadine liqueur that I purchase. I avoid artificial colorings and flavorings when I can, but have no problem eating bugs, I guess. Being from the PNW, I've never seen a Red Velvet Cake either, but should I ever get the urge to bake one, be assured if you're offered a piece, that it will be bug cake!

Add my 153 to the collective collection! I think I need to do some dusting.

Well, the plates looked pretty, but that was about it. I had halibut with a macadamia crust, citrus beurre blanc and pineapple chutney. The chutney tasted like pineapple upside down cake and didn't have any tang. Too sweet. The halibut was good otherwise. My honey had the strip steak in bourbon-peppercorn sauce over garlic mashed. The potatoes were good, but there was a big wad of gristle in the steak and the saucing was meager. He said he was disappointed and he's not even fussy! Incidentally, he started feeling sick last night, but we haven't been able to determine why. It's probably not their doing. My mom had the molasses pecan-crusted halibut which was okay. She was satisfied. In their favor, the meat portions were very generous, but they all could have used more sauce. I have pictures which I can post later. The bread was brown 'n serve even though they have La Vie en Rose right across the street! The staff could use a little training. They were certainly friendly, but lacked polish and knowledge. Our plates came out one at a time with fairly long waits in between. I spent quite some time fiddling around with my plate in front of me waiting until the others came out. It sort of seemed like they should have sent them out in a different order as well (my mom, me, then my partner - not me, my partner, and lastly my mom). This wasn't the waitress's fault, however, as she was apparently wrongly informed that plates were ready. When it came to the dessert list, she rattled it off including cream [sic] brulee and couldn't adequately describe some of the others and had not tasted them. She described the Grand Marnier torte as pie crust filled with chocolate mousse flavored with orange. Her description made me change my mind about ordering it. Keith had the creme brulee and I ordered a sherry and my mother a port and coffee. The creme brulee was cold and seemed to have been carmelized at some earlier time. It had some gritty quality to it. Frozen? Didn't taste creamy and had no flavor. She brought out my mother's port and half a glass of sherry for me. Apparently that was the last of it, so she charged only half price ($5). Mmmkay. I declined to order anything else. She had to be reminded of the coffee. In her defense, it was fairly busy at the time and she didn't seem to have much help. All in all, we're not going back. This was our first try of the restaurant since we were able to go out on some night other than a Monday (my mother's evening off) so it had been on the list for a while. The Star Bar is an excellent choice and I've had one dinner there and hope to have more. We've also been to Cafe Adrift. Our regular has always been Sasso's (before that La Petite) so it's been nice to have other options. Sasso's is good, but frankly we've just eaten there too much. I guess I should have put this into a new thread, but I didn't think I was going to ramble on so. Funnily, I have other complaints, but I'll be done for now. Oh and we had reservations for 7pm so it wasn't quite as early bird as my timing seemed.

Aaah ... well, thank you for not being a rich Californian. You do have a week so you'll be able to take in Chuckanut Drive and its associated treats. Both Whatcom and Skagit counties are littered with small wineries, creameries, and organic farmers. Since you'll probably be making a meal or two, check out Vis Seafoods on James Street. Another great local producer is Hempler's and their sausage and pork products are available at most local retailers including the local grocery chain Haggen's. If you want more help with where to look for actual housing, PM me your email and we can discuss that off eGullet. I'll keep adding foodie suggestions as I come up with them here of course. For now I'm off to dinner in Anacortes at the Majestic.

After another cup of coffee I may have more suggestions, but here are a few off the top of my head: Saturday Market, Railroad Ave downtown, 10am-3pm Wednesday Market, Village Green Fairhaven, 3pm-7pm Bellingham Community Food Co-op, N. Forest St, 8am-9pm (not everything is organic so be mindful if that's important) Barganica, State Street (organic discount, haven't visited but am planning on it) Spice Hut, Kellogg Rd, (market spice tea!) Just east of B-ham is Deming where you can find Mount Baker Vineyards and have a little taste of various reasonable wines. If you go there, head south on Hwy 9 and go to Everybody's Store in Van Zandt. If you head north a bit, you can visit Pleasant Valley Dairy in Ferndale. If you go that far, you might as well go to the C Shop in Birch Bay. (Full disclosure: The C Shop belongs to my honey's parents.) If you do head south on Chuckanut Drive you will have a spectacular view and end up in Bow which offers many possibilities. I usually visit The BreadFarm, Slough Food, and the Farm to Market Bakery. Then I dump off my purchases and have a beer at the Longhorn Saloon. Connect the dots! I have a bazillion suggestions for Skagit County, but I'll shut up now since Bellingham is the focus. There are many options up there and I'm sure someone will come up with more. If you go down Chuckanut, head east on Cook Road and pick up some berries at Sakuma's Market Stand. The strawberries weren't quite sweet yet two weeks ago, but they should be good any time now. You can head back up I-5 and pit stop at Samson Estates Winery near Lynden for some award-winning wine. Lynden is an interesting Dutch town to visit as well. How many weeks were you planning on staying? We didn't even get to restaurant suggestions. Edited for errant plurality.