The Southern Willamette Valley Bean and Grain Project was organized five years ago after it was noted that no locally-grown staples were available at the local food co-op. Harry MacCormack of Sunbow Farm bought samples of what was available at the Co-op and planted them to see if they could be grown here. Many proved viable.

Apple season is here again, which always reminds me of one of my first aquaintences at the Corvallis Farmer’s Market.  Before I knew her name, I called Anita Azarenko “the apple lady” and looked for her on fall Saturdays.  I was smitten with the organic Liberty apples I bought from her each week, crunchy and bursting with sweet-tart flavor.
A lot has changed on the local foods front over the past 10 years, but Anita is still selling apples at the market on fall Saturdays.  She and her husband David  Landis …

The Southern Willamette Valley Bean and Grain Project hosted two farm tours in mid-August.  Attendees were treated to views of ripening crops, stories from farmers, wonderful meals with many locally-grown and organic ingredients, and live music.  Coming away from these events, it struck me that each season, project organizers continue to solve problems, make progress, and move ahead toward local self-reliance.  The grand goal of providing the Willamette Valley with locally grown and processed organic staples (beans, grains, and edible seeds) moves closer to reality every year.
The big news this …

When you get chefs and bakers together to tour farms and see ingredients they aren’t used to getting locally, ideas flow like butter on hot corn on the cob. They discuss texture, pairings, and seasonings as they taste things like green garbanzos in the middle of a field, hummus under the shade of a tree or taste pastries made with freshly-ground local wheat.
On August 2nd, dozens of Willamette Valley bakers and chefs spent the afternoon touring Stalford Farm near Tangent, A2R Farms south of Corvallis and Hunton Farms south of …