Recently in Yakima Valley Category

By Yakima Valley Visitors & Convention Bureau

Nowhere else in the state can you feast on food so close to where it was grown. Love cherries? Eat one in the Yakima Valley and if you toss the pit hard enough, you'll probably hit the farm it came from. You might say that in the Valley, the source of your next meal is just a stone-fruit's throw away. And a trip to a family-owned local farm beats a visit to the grocery store any day.

If you only have eyes for organic, look no further than the Yakima Valley. According to a recent article in Edible Seattle magazine, the region is home to more than 100 organic farms -- the most in the state as of 2008. You'll find many of these organic producers at weekly weekend farmers markets in Ellensburg, Goldendale, Prosser, Sunnyside and Yakima.

Read more for a list of the farms:

By Yakima Valley Visitors & Convention Bureau

Eating local is a snap when you're surrounded by farms and orchards.

A pineapple just tastes better when it's eaten in Hawaii, and there's nothing more delicious than a pecan freshly plucked from a tree in Texas. The same is true of a peach or a pear or a ripe red tomato when enjoyed in the bountiful Yakima Valley. In this sunny region rich with orchards, farms and vineyards, it's never been easier to eat local.

More than 40 commercial crops are grown in the Yakima Valley of Washington, which enjoys sunshine 300 days a year. Farm-fresh produce is within reach almost year-round, from asparagus in April to apples and potatoes in November. Some summer months are particularly fruitful, like July, which tempts with just-picked apricots, green beans, blueberries, corn, nectarines and squash.

Even in the winter months when the fields are quiet, you can celebrate the region's agricultural industry by exploring its history. Several Yakima Valley museums and attractions are dedicated to farming and food production, such as the Central Washington Agricultural Museum in Union Gap, the American Hop Museum in Toppenish and Darigold Dairy Fair in Sunnyside.