Shedd event results in full pantries and happy farmers and customers.

Eagerly anticipating the cornucopia of local food products inside, folks started lining up an hour early outside of the former Methodist Church in Shedd for the 2011 Fill Your Pantry Market on Saturday November 12^th.  Over 450 people attended the four-hour event, which featured 24 local food vendors.

The first Fill Your Pantry (FYP) event was hosted at A2R Farms in Benton County one year ago by the Southern Willamette Valley Bean & Grain Project and Ten Rivers Food Web. A second FYP occurred in Lane County the following spring. Organizers envisioned similar events occurring annually throughout Benton, Linn, Lincoln and Lane counties.

This year’s event was hosted by Greenwillow Grains and Willamette Seed & Grain (WS&G) in the former Methodist Church in Shedd, which was recently purchased by Greenwillow Grains. WS&G plans to house some of their processing operations here, host meetings and offer educational and other community events in the refurbished historical building. Thompson’s Mill Historical Site, just a stone’s throw east of the church, symbolizes the area’s historic link to agriculture in Linn County.

Vendors offered storage root crops, garlic, honey, frozen meat, apples, cider, goat cheese, gluten-free crackers, artisan breads and, of course dried beans and grains, the products providing the impetus for the first Fill Your Pantry event. Pre-orders were emphasized for this year’s event so farmers would know how much product to bring. Still, they had plenty on hand for those who did not pre-order, though that can’t always be guaranteed, especially if the event continues to grow.

For some customers, this was their first trip to Shedd. While organizers were concerned the distance from Corvallis would discourage some who came last year, strong attendance and pre-order sales suggested residents of east Linn County in Brownsville and Lebanon were attracted this year. Smiles abounded as people lugged 20 lb. sacks of local flour to their cars, something unthinkable for decades.

Customers weren’t the only ones happy with the event. Vendors were also enthused by the turnout, large number of pre-orders and by selling out of their products. “We didn’t bring enough cheese!” exclaimed Jan Neilson from Fraga Farms. “We thought it was just going to be a little market in Shedd. We had no idea so many people would show up.” Andrew Still and Sarah Kleeger of Open Oak Farm said it was the most significant farmers’ market of the year for them. They especially appreciated the emphasis on pre-orders, which allowed them to plan and prepare for the event. Willamette Seed & Grain sold over 2,000 lbs. of local wheat berries, oats, flax and flour.

The event also connected the local foods movement with low-income families. Linn County Gleaners served as volunteers in return for donations from many of the vendors. Rebecca Landis of Corvallis-Albany Farmers’ Market provided SNAP access to Oregon Trail card users, allowing them to buy healthful local foods at bulk prices.

Ten Rivers Food Web, the Calapooia Food Alliance, and First Alternative Co-op had displays explaining their work in supporting our local food systems.

Lively entertainment from When Picks Fly bluegrass fiddlers, followed by soothing cello music from Luke Beene, accompanied the shopping and networking event.

Details on future Fill Your Pantry events will be posted on this website and the Ten Rivers Food Web’s email listserve. In the meantime, take stock of the amount of beans, grains, flour and other storage foods you go through over the winter so you’ll be ready to make your pre-order as soon as the next harvest is in and event is announced.