At Frankie & Jo’s, we believe in leading a sustainable, environmentally friendly lifestyle.
As such, we believe that organic, sustainable farming is a necessity, and that protecting our local farms is of the utmost importance. Western Washington is rich with beautiful farmland, but due to the ever-changing landscape and growing population of this area, many of these farms are in danger.
Thankfully, the people at PCC Farmland Trust are working hard to protect and support these local farms. They provide legal help to farms, make it easier for farmers to keep their land and procure new land despite increasing costs, and generally enable small farms to survive in a world that is ever more unforgiving to honest farming and agriculture. That’s why this month we decided to partner with PCC Farmland Trust, and use a different local farm for each one of our delicious seasonal flavors.
For our Almond Butter Cherry flavor, we sourced cherries from Collins Family Orchards, a fourth-generation family-run tree fruit farm in Selah, WA that was first established in 1905. Collins Family Orchards focus on bringing only the freshest, ripest, most delicious fruits to market, while still putting sustainability and responsible ecological practices as their top priorities, using only natural, organic fertilizer and insecticides. We turn their Chelan cherries into a perfectly sweet yet tart jam, which we then swirl into our house-made almond butter ice cream, along with chunks of our salty almond butter and cocoa nib fudge.
For our Blueberry Buckwheat Streusel flavor, we sourced blueberries from Bow Hill Blueberries, a farm located just northeast of Burlington. Bow Hill is a local organic farm with a long legacy. They’ve been growing blueberries on the exact same plot of land since 1947, providing not only fresh and juicy heirloom blueberries to the area, but also a lot of jobs for the locals. We blend their heirloom blueberries into our coconut milk base and mix in a buckwheat and cashew streusel for a crunchy, bright, refreshing summer treat!
We want to radically shift the way you think about ice cream, and hope to do that with flavor combinations that might not seem...typical. Local Roots Farm in Duvall, WA is helping us prove just that by providing us with their deep green, antioxidant-rich Tuscan kale for our Chocolate Kale Coconut flavor. Local Roots is a family owned farm that puts an emphasis on organic farming practices, as well as ensuring a high quality of life for their workers and working to support and enrich their local community. We blend Local Roots’ kale with our rich, chocolatey, date-sweetened coconut ice cream base and no, this ice cream isn’t green, nor does it taste like a salad, but hints at kales earthy brightness, and pairs so well with chocolate and coconut. We then drizzle and swirl date-sweetened kale caramel and jewels of chocolate coconut clusters for a sweet, smooth, complex experience.
The importance of healthy and sustainable farmland cannot be overstated. It aids in building stronger rural communities and economies, protects habitats, increases soil health, helps with water conservation, and for a local small business like Frankie & Jo’s, it helps us keep our carbon footprint as small as possible. For all of these reasons and more, in addition to using produce from these local farms, 1% of all the money you spend on our seasonal scoops and pints in the month of July will go to PCC Farmland Trust, to assist them in their efforts to save local farms and promote sustainability in our lives and in our communities. So join us in supporting local farmland, and enjoy some delicious plant-based ice cream at the same time!