Besides warm weather, summer trips, and struggling to manage the overgrown garden, summer is the time when you can shop local and fresh at one of the six Farmers Markets in the Gorge.
There you can find a wide array of seasonal fruit and vegetables, locally raised meat and eggs, honey, preserves, pastries, breads, cheeses, and more. You can also find unique crafts and gifts created by local artists. And at many Farmers Markets you can enjoy live music!
If you are planning to shop at a Farmers Market, here are several quick reminders to make the most of your experience.
1. Plan ahead by identifying what you need. You can check out the market’s website or Facebook page. Or just have fun browsing. I know you will find something to take home - homemade sourdough bread, maybe?
2. Bring a bag, preferably one that can go on your shoulder to keep your hands free. And a mini cooler for highly perishable items to keep them from wilting on your way home. When you leave, you don’t want to look like a circus performer juggling your newly purchased fresh meats and vegetables!
3. Ask questions and get to know your local farmers. Take the opportunity to learn more about the food and how it is grown.
4. Try something new. Challenge yourself to try at least one new food item. How about the nutrient-dense Bok Choy or Arugula?
5. Make a farm-to-table meal by using everything you bought to prepare a tasty, locally grown meal. And don’t forget the pastries.
By visiting a Farmers Market, you are buying fresh—sometimes picked the same day instead of being shipped hundreds of miles —at comparable prices to your local grocery stores, while supporting your local agricultural community.
To find information about the Farmers Markets in the Gorge, go online to https://gorgegrown.com. But for those of you who can’t, here is a quick listing of the times and places for all six Farmers Markets in the Gorge.
Hood River: Saturdays, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm; 5th and Columbia
The Dalles: Saturdays, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm; downtown City Park,
White Salmon: Tuesdays, 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm; White Salmon’s City Park.
Stevenson: Saturdays, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm; 140 S. Cascade Ave.
Mercado del Valle Farmers Market: Thursdays, June 18, July 2 and 16, August 6 and 20, September 3, from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm in downtown Odell.
Trout Lake: Sundays, July 26, September 20; Hours: 10 am - 2 pm at the Trout Lake Grange.
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Brain Tease: This pattern and sequence puzzle helps train your brain in pattern recognition, prediction, and rule discovery. See if you can find the pattern.
What letter comes next? A, C, F, J, O, ?
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The name of the musical group that included Davy Jones, Peter Tork, Michael Nesmith, and Micky Dolenz, the only surviving member, and that starred in their own television series, was “Hey, Hey, We’re The Monkees”. I received correct answers from Trisha Walker, Stephen Woolpert, Sam Bilyeu, Mike McFarlane, Donna Mollet, Doug Nelson, Becky Podvent, Robert Liberty, Rose Schulz, Rhonda Spies, Shelley Hinatsu, Lana Tepfer, Kirby Neumann-Rae, Dave Lutgens, Patti Jo McCarthy, and Judy Kiser, who saw The Monkees in Portland in 1967, and is this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket!
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Last week, while playing bingo on the beach with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, I missed Debbie Medina and Bruce Johnson.
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This week let’s jump from music to a person who was a writer, public speaker, teacher, and a pioneer of self-improvement classes. For this week’s “Remember When question, who was the author of How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936), a bestseller that’s still popular today? Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-980-4645, or send it with How to Stop Worrying and Start Living written in 1948.
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Well, it’s been another week, wondering why—and why not. Until we meet again, stay cool and be prepared for a hot, dry summer.
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This is my once-a-month reminder of the nutritious home-delivered and in-person meals throughout the Gorge, available at noon Monday through Friday, unless otherwise noted.
Seniors of Mosier Valley (541-980-1157) – Wednesdays with music on 2nd and 4th Wednesdays; Dufur - Wednesdays at noon at 320 NE 2nd Street;
Hood River Valley Adult Center (541-386-2060); Sherman County Senior and Community Center (541-565-3191); The Dalles Meals-on-Wheels (541-298-8333).
For meal sites in Washington, call Klickitat County Senior Services at the Goldendale office (509-773-3757) or the White Salmon office (509-493-3068). In Skamania County, call Senior Services (509-427-3990).
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“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
— Robert Brault
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