Farmers’ Market August 2023
If you love fresh food, is there anything better than a summer farmers’ market? Here in the Willamette Valley over 200 different crops are grown, many of which are food. Right now berries and cherries are in season, peaches and nectarines are starting, and the first corn is available. One vendor travels from Hermiston, Oregon, 230 miles away. His Hermiston melons are prized for their robust flavor. Vegetable stalls abound—our favorite (shown above) has six kinds of lettuce, much fresher than that in a supermarket.
Our Saturday market is very popular, and what is so delightful are all the smiles on people’s faces. Many, including us, browse while munching on something delectable from one of the bakers’ stalls. Dogs on leashes are welcome, varieties ranging from small to enormous. Several vendors provide large bowls of water for the four-legged visitors.
We return home with provisions for a week’s meals. By Friday we’ll be determining what to buy at the next market, but our purchases always exceed the items on our list.
Barbara J. Walker, Fiber Artist
About The Author
Barbara was awarded the Master Certificate of Excellence in Handweaving from Handweavers Guild of America in 1990. She is an active member of Northwest Designer Craftartists, has been a faculty member of the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts and the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, and has taught for guilds and conferences in the United States, England, Canada, and Japan. Her work has been exhibited internationally, and two of her pieces are the only examples of ply-splitting included in Lark Books' 500 Baskets. She is an enthusiastic educator and has had numerous articles published in Strands, Complex Weavers Journal, Handwoven, Weaver’s, and Shuttle, Spindle & Dyepot. Barbara has published two books, Ply-Splitting from Drawdowns: Interpreting Weave Structures in Ply-Split Braiding in 2012 and Supplementary Warp Patterning: Turned Drafts, Embellishments & Motifs in 2016.
Barbara’s home studio overlooks the Willamette Valley in Salem, Oregon.