LINC Foods is the Inland Northwest’s Best-Kept Secret and We’re Obsessed
This week, we’re skipping the grocery store entirely and eating only from local farms. No sad lettuce that’s already wilting in the crisper or tomatoes that have traveled thousands of miles with zero flavor. And of course, NO questionable pesticides. Just real, fresh food delivered straight from the Inland Northwest’s best farmers and ranchers courtesy of Linc Foods, a local farm co-op that specializes in getting organic and ethically-raised goods right to your doorstep.
If you want to eat better, waste less, and support local farms without making it a whole production, then LINC is the move. It’s flexible, easy to pause or customize, and surprisingly affordable when you compare it to what you’d spend at the grocery store for the same quality (if you could even find it). Every week they share the best of the season with subscribers, and it feels a little like a concierge farmer’s market service and a little like a crunchy secret club that we can’t get enough of.
So, what is LINC?
LINC stands for Local Inland Northwest Cooperative – and it’s a farmer- and worker-owned co-op that connects local farms, ranches, and food makers with households like mine. Their mission? Build a stronger local food system. That means helping small farms thrive, making it easier for people to eat seasonally and locally, and keeping our money right here in the community instead of shipping it off to mega grocery chains. What isn’t to love? They’ve been doing this for restaurants and schools for a while, but now, the home delivery and weekly harvest boxes are available to home cooks in the Inland Northwest, too. You’ll feel like a locavore goddess with every box.
What comes in a LINC box?
When our LINC box show this week, I get borderline giddy. Inside is a gorgeous spread of ingredients that instantly made me want to cancel dinner plans and cook for hours. It puts me into a meditative state while my mind races through the rolodex of meal possibilities, and occasionally, begins a deep dive into recipes about more obscure and unfamiliar ingredients like garlic scapes. The endless options we have to make magic happen in our own kitchen just like a chef with a hyperlocal philosophy is over-the-top fun. Here are the most up-to-date box ingredient lists for you to check out what you get in your own box every week!
Here’s what I got:
- A beautiful whole chicken for roasting (and then making broth after)
- Grass-fed ground beef to use for tacos and lettuce wraps
- Garlic scapes (YES, the cool curly ones) for my Caesar salad dressing or pesto
- Big, crispy lettuce leaves perfect for Thai beef wraps
- Fresh eggs with warm yellow yolks from happy chickens
- Juicy tomatoes with the most intoxicating smell
- Cherries that taste like they were grown for royalty
I’ve got enough meals mapped out for the week – tacos, burgers, maybe a meatloaf, roast chicken, salad, breakfast-for-dinner… and don’t even get me started on those cherries with a splash of cream.
How to order your own box from LINC Foods
Getting started is super easy. Head over to their website, make a free account, and choose your box. You can go with their pre-packed Weekly Harvest Box or customize your own based on what you love and what’s in season.
As always, all opinions and editorial perspectives remain those of Trending Northwest.
Pickups happen at convenient hubs all over the Spokane-CDA area, or, if you’re lucky, you might be in a home delivery zone. You can skip weeks, pause, or adjust your box anytime. It’s honestly one of the most user-friendly systems I’ve used, and they show you exactly which farms your food is coming from without ever having to leave your house and brave the farmer’s market crowds.
One of the best parts about ordering from LINC Foods? They’ll deliver it right to your door for just $8. That’s less than what most of us spend on coffee runs in a single day, and instead, you get a box of hyper-fresh, local food hand-packed by people who actually care.
Why it blows the grocery store out of the water
We’ve all been burned by the grocery store before: you buy spinach, and it turns to mush in 24 hours and goes straight in the trash can because it’s been traveling for hundreds or thousands of miles. You buy “local” eggs and realize they came from south of the equator from a farm with questionable practices. You drop $200 and still feel like you’ve got nothing to eat that’s truly healthy and fresh, and it is deeply frustrating. It doesn’t have to be this way.
LINC sources everything from farms and ranches around the Inland Northwest, which means your food hasn’t traveled hundreds (or thousands) of miles to get to you. You can actually taste the difference. The lettuce is crisp, the eggs have that classic freshly-gathered rich golden yolk, and the fruit is freshly picked at the peak of the season. You’re always getting the best of what’s growing right now every week of the year without fail.
Beyond flavor, it just feels good to spend your grocery dollars in a way that supports real people in your own community. LINC’s model keeps money local, supports small farms, and reduces waste. That means no sketchy supply chains and no middlemen taking a cut. Because it’s a worker- and farmer-owned co-op, the people growing and packing your food are the same people who benefit from your order! It’s ethical, it’s sustainable, and deeply empowering as a consumer.
Why is subscribing to LINC Foods worth it?
1. It’s ridiculously fresh
Most of what you get was harvested within 24–48 hours. That’s why the lettuce is crisp, the eggs are rich, and the tomatoes actually smell like summer.
2. It’s local with a capital L
Your dollars go to farms around Spokane, Pullman, Sandpoint, and the broader Inland Northwest. That means your money supports local agriculture, not some mystery mega-corp.
3. It’s better for the planet
No long-haul trucks from California. No plastic tubs inside more plastic bags. LINC uses minimal packaging and shortens the supply chain big time.
4. It’s owned by the people who make the food
This is a farmer- and worker-owned co-op. Not a tech bro startup. Not a venture-backed company looking to scale fast and bail. These are real humans building a better food system.
5. You actually feel connected to your food
There’s something really grounding about knowing where your food came from. Like, “Hey, these eggs are from Happy Mountain Farm, just outside Cheney.” That’s a whole different vibe than “farm fresh” slapped on a grocery store label.
What it costs — and why it’s worth it
Here’s what I paid:
- Small Box (feeds 2–3 people): around $40
- Medium Box (3–4 people): $55–$65
- Large Box (4–6 people): $75–$85
The eggs, beef and chicken add-ons vary, but at the time of publishing
Is it cheaper than Walmart? No. Is it way more cost-effective than buying organic, local food at the grocery store? Absolutely. I’d rather pay local farmers than giant retailers. Plus, we’ve had zero food waste this week because it was just the right amount for our family. You can easily customize order size and frequency for any household. Everything gets used, eaten, and loved at the peak of freshness.
Meet the Farms
One of the coolest parts about LINC is that you get to know the people behind the food. You can literally read bios and stories about the farmers on the site. Some of my favorites:
- The Corner Farm (Spokane): Flowers and herbs galore!
- Kittelson Farms (Deer Park): stunning summer tomatoes and cukes
- Urban Eden Farm (Spokane): the prettiest lettuce I’ve ever seen
- Zakarison Partnership (Pullman): pasture-raised meats that are chef’s kiss
- Garry’s Meadow Fresh (near Spokane Valley): farm-fresh dairy
- Culture Breads (Spokane): small-batch sourdough heaven
It’s all about building your dream food lineup with real people who live nearby. Way more meaningful than grabbing a bag of baby carrots from a giant warehouse in Idaho Falls that shipped in from Mexico!
My Local Farm-Based Meal Plan with LINC Foods
LINC Foods sent us a box packed with incredible local ingredients from their Inland Northwest cooperative of farms and ranchers, and I’m using every bit of it to feed my family this week. Here’s how I’m stretching it into a full meal plan that’s easy, delicious, and super fresh.
Monday, we’re starting strong with Thai beef lettuce wraps using the grass-fed ground beef and those huge, beautiful lettuce leaves. I’ll throw in some garlic and a splash of tamari or soy sauce, maybe a little peanut sauce if I have it, and call it good. I’ll probably slice up some cucumbers or carrots with rice vinegar for a quick side.
Tuesday morning, it’s eggs and toast with fresh sliced tomato – one of my favorite breakfasts. For dinner, we’re going taco night with more of that ground beef, crisp lettuce, and diced tomatoes. I might blend some of the garlic scapes into a quick crema or mix them with sour cream and lime juice to spoon over the top.
Wednesday is all about a whole roast chicken – salt, pepper, butter, maybe some herbs if I have them. I’ll roast it on a sheet pan, save the bones for broth later, and serve it with a Caesar salad made with the rest of the lettuce and chopped garlic scapes blended into the dressing. Add some bread or croutons if you’re in the mood.
Thursday we’re using those bones to make broth that’s simmered low and slow with any scraps or aromatics I’ve got lying around. I will use this in quick sauces and making a comforting soup. I might throw in some noodles or rice, or even swirl in an egg at the end. This is a cozy night-in meal, especially if you serve it with toast or leftover chicken shredded on top.
Friday we’re keeping it simple and fun with breakfast-for-dinner: scrambled eggs, toast, and a side salad of tomatoes and lettuce with a quick vinaigrette. For dessert? The classic cherries and cream. Or honestly just a bowl of cherries and a smile because they don’t really need anything else.
Saturday is burger night! I’ll shape the last of the ground beef into patties and grill or pan-sear them, then stack them up with fresh AF lettuce, tomato, and whatever burger fixings we’ve got. Fries or roasted veggies on the side will make it feel complete.
Sunday is perfect for a meatloaf situation. Ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, onions, and seasoning baked until golden and served with mashed potatoes or salad. Leftovers make great sandwiches or get crumbled into a quick soup the next day.
And then throughout the week I’ll keep some boiled eggs around for easy snacks, eat more toast with tomato or garlic scape butter, and snack on cherries whenever I walk by the kitchen. The possibilities are endless, and the box made it so easy to eat local, fresh, and flavorful all week long.
TL;DR – Totally worth it.
If you’re still reading this (thank you!), here’s the takeaway: LINC Foods is the real deal. Local, fresh, delicious, and way more aligned with the way I actually want to feed my family. This week, our meals feel inspired. I know where my food came from. I feel good about how much (or little) waste I’m creating. I haven’t been this excited about cooking in a long time thanks to the quality of the products they share with us every week.
If you’ve been thinking about supporting local farms or just eating better without making it a whole thing – this is your sign to get started.