If you listen very carefully, you can hear it. The asparagus is finally popping out of the ground. Well maybe you can’t exactly hear it, but you can certainly see it. You don’t even have to live near an asparagus field. It’s popping up all over town. Boiled or steamed, quiches or frittatas, pickled, grilled, … Continued
Driving the highways and byways of the Yakima Valley, you can see it. The trees are finally waking. As the shiny new growth pushes its way through the tree tips, the flower buds fist up, just waiting to burst open into fat, full blooms. Beautiful, yes; but really, it’s just a natural byproduct of development … Continued
A hop yard is a distinctive looking piece of agriculture. Empty or full, a wire and pole trellis system 18 feet high and dozens of acres deep is a hard thing to miss on the roadside. While most folks in the world are scarcely aware of how a hop is grown, anyone from the Yakima … Continued
Now that the sun has finally decided to show up, we’re hungry. But not for the same old same, we want something with a little panache. Something as delectable and laid back as a warm spring afternoon in the Valley. Lucky for us, Winey Dogs has just what we are angling for. On 6th Avenue … Continued
A big blue sky has been an elusive sighting this winter, but on a recent morning, Gary Morford and I caught one. Gary, the owner of Green Acre Farms in the Lower Valley, has graciously agreed to let me tag along in the pick-up for a few hours while he does his daily farm survey. … Continued
We at rooted live smack-dab in the middle of apple country. When we say miles of orchard, it’s no boast. There are quite literally fruit trees in any direction from where ever you happen to find yourself here in the Yakima Valley. Depending on market trends and growing techniques, orchards are planted and replanted all … Continued
On a frozen morning in Selah, Aileen and I drive up a short hill off Selah Loop Road. Getting out of the car, we are greeted by a dog named Hope. It’s a sign. We’re hoping to see some mushrooms growing this morning here at J&M Gourmet Mushrooms. We spot Michael Bennett and he motions … Continued
It felt sci-fi. On a winter day where the white surrendered to the cold gloom and all that was left was the gray, it was no wonder. The inside of a greenhouse in the dead of winter can feel no other way. Climate-controlled 70+ degrees, moist air, and vibrant growth all around—we could have been … Continued
The meat counter went on for miles. That was my first impression. Well, maybe the second, there was some lovely colorful produce that hit me up as I first walked through the door of Carniceria Union Gap, which was pretty great as well. But that meat case—it was something to make any decent omnivore a … Continued
It wasn’t just cold, it was crazy cold. The more the mercury hovers around zero, the more it goes from feeling like winter, to downright post-apocalyptic. Out in the countryside, the monoscape of white in such a broad space just adds to that notion. But really, it’s just a Thursday in January. After taking a … Continued