Good Stuff NW: 2024 Is a Year of Choices
Winter in Oregon is a time of incredible bounty and choice, both in terms of our food system and our day-to-day lives. Our winter farmers' markets—a total of 26 statewide as outlined in a post titled "Farmers' Markets in Winter? You Bet!"—bring us an amazing array of produce, meats, fish and value-added foods like nuts, jams, chutneys as well as grab-and-go foods made from market products.
Outdoor activities abound, from snow sports to hiking to strolling on the beach. And our political lives in this state are also full of choices, with the upcoming Oregon legislative session revving up in February and due to tackle the use of pesticides and the damage wrought upon our air, water, health and communities by factory farming, which I'll be reporting on in a series of upcoming Legislative Reports. And of course there's the national scene, with the stalemate on the Farm Bill, an extension of which is due to expire in September, and a presidential election that will determine, oh, like, whether our democracy survives intact.
So far in this new year I've written about our state's thriving farmers' market scene in winter and posted a luscious (you might even say "steamy") recipe for Dungeness Crab Mac'n'Cheese. That's in addition to last month's report on how the early opening of Oregon's Dungeness crab season (and the temporary delay of California's until January) will benefit the Oregon fleet, plus a firsthand report from Dubai on the United Nations Climate Change Conference by local author Kristin Ohlson, who was a panelist there.
In addition to upcoming legislative and political reports in 2024, you can look forward to groundbreaking guest essays from local writers, profiles of producers and projects that will make Oregon an even more delicious—and sustainable—place to live, and, of course, recipes for your table that will convince even the most skeptical reader that there is no place more flavorful than right here.
I'd like to thank the Beaverton Farmers Market, opening for its winter season on February 3, for its continuing and enthusiastic support of the source of local food news that is Good Stuff NW. As mentioned in last month's newsletter, if you or someone you know would like to discuss becoming an advertiser, feel free to get in touch—I'm always interested in talking with new partners!
Thanks for reading,
Kathleen Bauer