Pierce County Library System
Information & Imagination

Programs

Pierce County Conversations

Fermentation

Chop, salt, pack and wait. Learn the basics of fermentation and be inspired to make your own delicious, healthy, probiotic recipes at home.

Saturday, Sept. 28, 1-2:30 p.m., Parkland/Spanaway Pierce County Library, 13718 Pacific Ave. S., Tacoma
Saturday, Oct. 12, 2 p.m., South Hill Pierce County Library, 15420 Meridian E., Puyallup
Tuesday, Oct. 22, 6:30 p.m., Lakewood Pierce County Library, 6300 Wildaire Road S.W.

Preserving the Harvest

Learn some of the easiest methods of food preservation including freezing, drying, fermentation and water
bath canning. 

Tuesday, Oct. 8, 6:30 p.m., Graham Pierce County Library, 9202 224th St. E.

Canning 101

Learn the basics of canning and how to make delicious preserved fruits and vegetables, pickles and jams.

Saturday, Oct. 19, 11 a.m., Key Center Pierce County Library, 8905 Key Peninsula Hwy N.W., Lakebay
Tuesday, Nov. 12, 6-8 p.m., Eatonville Pierce County Library, 205 Center St. W.

 

Edible Gardening: Fall and Winter Gardening Learn how to plant now to harvest fresh food this fall and winter! Registration required for Parkland/Spanaway program at piercecountylibrary.org/calendar. Thursday, Sept. 12, 6-8 p.m., Parkland/Spanaway Pierce County Library, 13718 Pacific Ave. S., Tacoma Wednesday, Sept. 18, 6-8 p.m., Graham Pierce County Library, 9202 224th St. E. Edible Gardening: Composting Basics and Putting the Garden to Bed Learn how to use your garden’s organic waste to improve your soil and prepare your garden for winter. Registration required at piercecountylibrary.org/calendar. Thursday, Oct. 10, 6-8 p.m., Parkland/Spanaway Pierce County Library, 13718 Pacific Ave. S., Tacoma

 

Frugal Grocery Shopping Presented by Beverly Pogue

Learn practical ways to set a food budget, track food expenditures, reduce money spent on food and use the money you save to start paying down your debt.

Tuesday, Oct. 8, 6-8 p.m., Eatonville Pierce County Library, 205 Center St. W.
Wednesday, Oct. 30, 6:30 p.m., Lakewood Pierce County Library, 6300 Wildaire Road S.W.

The Two-Week/Three-Month Pantry Presented by Beverly Pogue

Learn to develop a Two-Week/Three-Month pantry for your own family complete with menus, recipes, inventory and pre-made shopping lists. Reduce stress today and in the future.

Thursday, Nov. 7, 6:30 p.m., Bonney Lake Pierce County Library, 18501 90th St. E.

How to Implement and Use Long-Term Food Storage Presented by Beverly Pogue

"Self-Reliance Skills for Long-Term Food Storage" is a fun and easy method individuals and families can use to work their way one-step-at-a-time into competent confidence with long-term food storage. Be smart! Learn how to save money while being better prepared for the future!

Saturday, Nov. 16, 2 p.m., Tillicum Pierce County Library, 14916 Washington Ave. S.W., Lakewood

Farm to Landfill: Cooking Up a Conversation about Food Waste

Learn from Pierce County Public Works Waste Management where food loss occurs on its way to the table, how much ends up in our landfill and what you can do to reduce waste.

Tuesday, Oct. 15, 6:30-8 p.m., Sumner Pierce County Library, 1116 Fryar Ave.

Food Deserts and Scarcity Panel

Learn about inequity of access to healthy food in Pierce County and related issues from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department and the University of Washington Tacoma. Small group discussions follow the presentation.

Saturday, Oct. 19, 2-4 p.m., Parkland/Spanaway Pierce County Library, 13718 Pacific Ave. S., Tacoma

Sticky Subject: The History and Culture of Sugar  Hear from anthropologist and sweets expert Julia Harrison how sugar went from being a rare, exotic ingredient, to becoming a dietary staple, leaving its sticky fingerprints all over the globe. From slavery and mass migration to environmental changes and nutrition, the consequences of sugar’s rise are global— and not always sweet. Wednesday, Oct. 23, 6:30 p.m., University Place Pierce County Library, 3609 Market Place W., Suite 100 Friday, Nov. 8, 4 p.m., DuPont Pierce County Library, 1540 Wilmington Drive

Food Justice Strategy Conversation

Join in a conversation with community members, grassroots organizers and advocates around the intersections of food justice, including Hilltop Urban Gardens, Springbrook Connections and the Puyallup Watershed Initiative Just and Healthy Food Systems.

Saturday, Nov. 16, 2:30-4 p.m., Lakewood Pierce County Library, 6300 Wildaire Road S.W.

 

Wisdom Café: Family Food Traditions

In the past, food traditions have played a big role in families. How does food bring your family together? How have you kept your traditions going or passed them on to the younger generations?

Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2:30-4 p.m., University Place Pierce County Library, 3609 Market Place W., Suite 100

 

Make Your Own Food Zine

Learn about the history of zine culture and food zines. Share your own recipes and stories of culture, identity, community and food through zine-making.

Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2:30-4 p.m., Lakewood Pierce County Library, 6300 Wildaire Road S.W.

 

Cook to Learn

Prepare food with your child, have fun and learn early math skills while you play! For ages 2-5 with an adult. Call the library for times.

Wednesday, Sept. 18 and Saturday, Sept. 21, Parkland/Spanaway Pierce County Library, 13718 Pacific Ave. S., Tacoma, 253-548-3304

Friday, Oct. 25, University Place Pierce County Library, 3609 Market Place W., Suite 100, 253-548-3307

Saturday, Nov. 2, Bonney Lake Pierce County Library, 18501 90th St. E., 253-548-3308

Wednesday, Nov. 6, Buckley Pierce County Library, 123 S. River Ave., 253-548-3310

Saturday, Nov. 9, Gig Harbor Pierce County Library, 4424 Point Fosdick Drive, 253-548-3305

Wednesday, Nov. 20 and Tuesday, Nov. 26, Sumner Pierce County Library, 1116 Fryar Ave., 253-548-3306

Thursday, Nov. 21, Milton/Edgewood Pierce County Library, 900 Meridian E., Suite 29, Milton, 253-548-3325

 

"Stone Soup" Storytime

Saturday, Nov. 23, 12-1 p.m., Tillicum Pierce County Library, 14916 Washington Ave. S.W., Lakewood

Come share with us during this special storytime. We will read stories about coming together to share food and create our very own pot of stone soup! 

"Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat” by Hal Herzog Read and discuss a variety of nonfiction books each month. This month’s pick is an entertaining and illuminating journey through the full spectrum of human-animal relations that will change the way we look at our relationships with other creatures. Books available at the Sumner Library Help Desk. Thursday, Nov. 14, 7-8:30 p.m., Sumner Pierce County Library, 1116 Fryar Ave.

“Forks over Knives" Cookbooks Discuss a series of books based on the Forks over Knives concept of changing your diet to a whole-food, plant-based diet and regaining better control of your health. Bring a potluck dish to share with the group based on the book's ideas. Thursday, Dec. 19, 7-8 p.m., Orting Pierce County Library, 202 Washington Ave. S.

 

Gleaning

Get hands-on gleaning experience collecting excess fresh foods to provide to those in need at the Farm at Franklin Pierce.

Saturday, Oct. 12, 9-11 a.m., 9516 Waller Road E., Tacoma

Co-ops & CSAs: localharvest.org

Breastmilk Banks: donatemilk.org

Food not Bombs Tacoma: Find them on Facebook @TacomaHomeless

Food Recover Network: foodrecoverynetwork.org

Pierce County Gleaning Project: piercecountygleaningproject.org

The Farm at Franklin Pierce: piercecd.org/276/The-Farm-at-Franklin-Pierce