The McMinnville Farmers' Market opened on Thursday. It was pouring rain for half of the afternoon, but that didn't stop the eager market shoppers and local politicians from coming out to see what's happening in downtown McMinnville.
The first day of the farmers market is always exciting. We get to see people we haven't seen for six months. Friends come up and say hello. Hugs all around. It is as much fun for the vendors as it is for the patrons. McMinnville is our local market. These are our neighbors. We love the size of the market, as well as the mix of vendors. This year Briar Rose Creamery is on the steering committee, devoting some of our time to this wonderful market.
The afternoon of the market was busy in spite of the rain showers. We had lots of customers eager to try our new cheeses. I noticed a photographer was busy snapping pictures of patrons at various booths. Nothing unusual. The market is a great place to take pictures. Briar Rose Creamery's booth is located near the corner of 3rd Street (Main Street) and NE Cowls Street. We're conveniently placed next to the wine tasting booth. A different Yamhill County winery is featured every week. Love the fact that Oregon liquor laws allow wine tasting at farmers markets.
Around 3pm, a group of women were looking at wine selections offered by this week's winery, Twist Wine Company. They were accompanied by the photographer and a reporter. The entourage moved on to our booth and were curious about our cheeses. One of the women introduced us to our newly elected congresswoman, Suzanne Bonamici. We shook her hand and told the group a bit about our creamery and the fact that everything is made right here in Dundee. Jim and I walked the women through a cheese tasting, starting with our fresh chevres and giving suggestions on how to use each one. We then guided them through the aged cheeses, explaining the different cheeses that we have available. They like our cheeses and our congresswoman bought a piece of Iris, my washed-rinded, semi-soft goat cheese. Yay!
Here is a link to the article published this weekend in the Yamhill Valley News-Register:
Article: Bonamici visit Mac Market Opening
