Bees do it.

Cross-pollination, that is. It makes for healthy plant communities.

Who better to follow their example than farmers' market vendors? Cross pollination-in this case, using each other's products-makes for healthy food creations, not to mention great-tasting ones.

Sink your teeth into a Fleur de Lis Bakery filled croissant or crostata and you're tasting peaches, berries, or other fruit from the market, the result of baker Greg Mistell's making the rounds, tasting-and buying-from a variety of vendors. Russell's Bread uses fruit from fellow vendors, too. Crepes from The Village Crepery envelop not only the market's fruit, but also Winter Green Farm's basil, Gales Meadow's tomatoes, and various produce from DeMartini Family Farms. Bread from the market undergirds samples of Dante's Garden Pesto.

Samples from Oregon Gourmet Cheeses sit atop apple slices from Kiyokawa Family Orchards. "Some people said, 'This cheese is wonderful, but what do I do with it?'" explains cheesemaker Brian Richter.  "Well, here's an example, and it's a delicious combination." Pairing the apples with his cheese is also a way that he can support the market, he adds.

Sometimes what goes around, comes around. Brian uses the market's apples to showcase his cheese, and Greg Mistell uses Oregon Gourmet Cheeses fromage blanc in Fleur de Lis' Bakery cheesecake, saying it provides wonderful flavor and texture.

Most of our shoppers have their own ways of cross-pollinating. Something from this farm, something from another, a special cheese, a certain bread-and, voila, a meal that's hard to beat and that helps support our local farmers. It's the bees knees!

 - Lianne Bannow, HFM Volunteer

Featured Vendor: Happy Harvest Farm

Raised on a berry farm, Jeff Rosenblad of Happy Harvest in Mt. Angel, Oregon has been farming since college. He now sells his produce at six farmers' markets, to upscale restaurants and catering companies, and to area schools.

Happy Harvest was one of the first farms to participate in a state-funded program that brings together local farmers and schools to place fresh produce on school lunch menus. Currently about 10 percent of Happy Harvest's sales are through this successful program, which has recently expanded. 

From late spring to mid-December, Jeff is busy growing and harvesting his crops, then selling and delivering them to schools, restaurants, and markets. During the off season, he gets ready for the next year, making necessary repairs and purchases.     

With the help of a small seasonal staff and his two young sons, who are apparently following in their father's footsteps, Jeff grows about twenty-five acres of berries and other crops, some in greenhouses. He uses sustainable methods, like drip irrigation, to conserve water and plastic mulch to curb weed growth. Jeff's plans for Happy Harvest include adding four acres of greenhouses and increasing his participation in the school lunch program. 

Regular customers at the Hollywood Farmers' Market appreciate Happy Harvest for its berries - blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, marionberries, boysenberries, and blackberries - and other produce including tomatoes, cantaloupe, watermelon, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peppers, lettuce, peas, and green beans.

- Lee Smith, HFM Volunteer