A Day in the Life: McMinnville Farmers Market

It’s Wednesday morning at 7:30am, the day is already heating up and the air is full of the smell of warm grass. My employee and I are filling wash tubs in the still-chilly barn and counting out twist ties, preparing to start harvest for the McMinnville Farmers Market the following day. We pick huge piles of kale and chard, crates of salad mix, armloads of heavy beets, bins of squash, and so much more throughout the morning. In the evening after the heat breaks, I return to the field with my clippers and the mosquitoes to harvest buckets of fresh blooms that I’ll arrange into our market bouquets. All day Wednesday we pick, wash, pack, and load all of our goods into our walk-in cooler, ensuring the best quality possible for our devoted local customers & market visitors too. Thursday morning before market we arrive at the farm early to squeeze in a bit more harvest, bag greens, and make bouquets. We load the van at 9:30 and head to town to start set up.

Walking into a summer Oregon farmers market that is already set up and ready to greet you is a joyful experience: tall stacks of roots, pints of berries, baskets of cherries, bags of fresh greens (and of course some goats cheese samples and wine tastings) are all laid out and ready for you. For us farmers, we are already on day two and hour five of our weekly farmer’s market hustle when we greet our first customer of the day at noon. Market is a long but delightful weekly event for us.

The McMinnville Farmers Market is a true gem. For such a small town, we have a great variety of vendors: you can find just about everything you could want, from fresh veggies to seasonal bouquets, flats of berries, pork, eggs, beef, cheese, wine, jam, and even delicious prepared food made by some of the best chefs in town. I’d recommend coming to market hungry, but without a specific list of items you’re looking for. Instead, ask at each booth what’s best that week! The farmers and other vendors will be happy to share their pick of the week, and likely can point you to a great recipe too. Fear not fennel or patty pan squash! We’re here to help you enjoy the delights of the season. See you at market!

-Beth Satterwhite, Farmer at Even Pull Farm

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