Whidbey’s Delicious Bounty
By Charlotte Rose Bear, MS, CN
In every city and every town there is an underground local food network. It’s just a matter of knowing where to look for the interconnected web of farmers, vendors, producers, makers, and managers. Local food does not exist in a vacuum. It thrives and depends upon community.
As a rule, more rural communities tend to boast abundant farm stands and farm stores. More urban environments will often have a robust and diverse weekly market and, if you’re lucky, a good food cooperative. Luckily, for us islanders and those who visit our shores, Whidbey is a cornucopia of goodness with a local food network far from being underground. With farm stands, farm stores, an online cooperative, and multiple markets across the island, we have everything we need to tap in and prosper in the abundance of fresh, nutritious bounty.
I am fortunate enough to live a short distance from the Bayview Farmers Market. One sunny, Saturday morning, my husband and I stopped at a neighbor’s homestead partway down the route to the market—it’s chicken pick-up day. We walk up the driveway, mingling with our new neighbors, “oo-ing” and “ah-ing” at the pink and
