Bitterroot Valley Apple Days by Abby Croteau
Corvallis may not have it’s own newspaper or fairgrounds, but its an integral part of the Bitterroot community. Corvallis is an important part of local food production and culture in the area. You just have to attend a typical Saturday farmer’s market during the summer in downtown Hamilton to see Corvallis locals in action.
Apple Days is the last farmer’s market of the summer in Hamilton that takes place the second Saturday in October. The festival is a fundraising event for Ravalli County Museum. But, besides the focus on apples and a larger crowd, it’s no different that the weekly Saturday markets.
A significant portion of the vendors and entertainers are Corvallis Residents. Two of the largest producers, Maki Farms and Mountain View Orchards, hail from the region. Both family owned businesses homesteaded the area in the early 1900s and have kept the land in the family for the last century.
Julie Swanson of Mountain View Orchards spent eight hours selling apples at the festival. She was able to sell almost an entire trailer worth of apples during the day as the largest apple vendor at the market. Swanson and her husband are third generation apple growers and have been selling their fruit at Apple Days for the last 30 years.
Maki Farms is also a crucial producer in the valley; they provide local, free-range meat at grocery store prices. They also raise lambs and provide manure for local agriculture. The Maki brothers are fourth generation ranchers, still working the same Corvallis land from over 100 years ago.
On a more individual level Rod Daniel is a one-man organic farmer who has frequented the Hamilton market for 15 years. He promotes the local movement of food growing and buying. Sita Loveridge sells vegan pastries and advertises her custom-made, energy saving curtains at the market. She adds a local, homemade flair to the market. Both individuals have been Corvallis residents for years.
Finally, it is the clubs and local talent that represent Corvallis at Apple Days in a cultural way. Bitterroot Gem and Mineral Society sets up a “dig for garnet” booth every year. Kids and old timers sort through gravel pans for tiny purple stones and save them in plastic film containers. The society hopes to interest the younger generation in rocks. The group is based out of Corvallis with a large percentage of its members from the area. Local talent would include David Ducky and his grandmother who play the accordion, the two played side by side on the stage at this years Apple Days. Ducky started playing the accordion three years ago and plays with a local band every two weeks. Ducky and his grandmother are both from Corvallis.
Corvallis may not be well known but the town remains of agricultural and cultural importance in the Bitterroot Community.