If you’re looking for farm-to-table options, try these suggestions!

Summer has arrived and across the region farmers markets are popping up to provide produce, dairy, baked goods and meats at their peak freshness. That pepper you toss into your bag was ripened in the field, those eggs come from pasture-foraging hens, and the beef for your barbecue is pasture fed. It’s a special opportunity to buy directly from the producer and to educate ourselves on where our food comes from. The anonymous food you might by at a grocery store suddenly gains an identity.

So, as you’re strolling through the stalls of your local farmers market, relish the fact that you’re helping reduce carbon emissions (your salad greens traveled mere miles as opposed to hundreds or thousands), consuming less plastic (berry cartons are compostable and look lovely compared to the plastic shells found at supermarkets), and are supporting family farms, which are on the decline each year. The live music and the grilled Polynesian chicken skewers you’ll often find are just cherries on top of summer’s sweetest cake.

There are open-air markets all over the county. Here’s when and where you can find them:

Tuesdays

La Grande Farmers Market, Tuesdays, 3 to 6 p.m., and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon, Max Square on the corner of Fourth and Adams in downtown La Grande.

Athena Tuesday Market, Tuesdays through July, 4 to 7 p.m., Dugger Park on Main Street.

Irrigon Farmers Market, Tuesdays 7 to 9 p.m., Highway 730, next to City Hall.

Wednesdays

Milton-Freewater Farmers Market, Wednesdays, 4 to 7 p.m., Orchard Park.

Thursdays

Maxwell Market, Thursdays, 4 to 7 p.m., Maxwell Siding Event Center, 255 S. First Place, Hermiston

Fridays

Pendleton Farmers Market, Fridays, 4 to 7 p.m., 300 block of South Main Street, Pendleton.

If accessing your local farmers market proves difficult, produce stands and Community Supported Agriculture are both fantastic ways to take advantage of the season’s bounty. Whether you prefer to pick up your fresh, local produce or have it delivered, farmers across the region are always looking for ways to get their goods from farm to table.

Peach Tree Coffee and Produce, Highway 730 in Umatilla, weekdays, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekends, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Keep a close eye out for melon and Walla Walla sweet onions in season at this shady spot.

Bellinger Produce, South Highway 395 in Hermiston, open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. A long-time produce and specialty food spot that offers ice cream, lunch, and coffee.

Hermiston Melon Company Harvest Boxes. These coveted produce boxes contain some of the sweetest melons you’ll ever taste. Check the company’s Facebook page to see if they are still accepting orders. Distributed weekly at Smitty’s Hardware, 1845 N. First St., Hermiston, Tuesdays, 4 to 7 p.m.

Edwards Farm, 85124 Highway 339 in Milton-Freewater, opens at 9 a.m. everyday, until 5 p.m. on weekends, 6 p.m. weekdays (noon on Wed.). You’ll find fresh apples, peaches, plums, and other fruit straight from the tree.

Val’s Veggies (CSA, delivery). Pick from a veggie, egg, berry, or salad share. Pickup available in Hermiston, Baker City, La Grande, and in Mission at the Cayuse Technology Center. Monday deliveries to Echo, Hermiston, Pendleton, and Stanfield.

Do you like to pick your own blueberries? Here are three of the larger farms in the county. Most are open in the mornings and early evenings; call ahead to check their hours:

Bluewind Berry Farm, 52937 County Road, Milton-Freewater, 541-861-0909. Look for a big Blueberries sign by the entrance near the gazebo.

K & K Blueberries, 29555 Minnehaha Road, Hermiston, 541-567-3146. Blueberry season typically runs through mid-July.

Lampson Blueberries, 54738 Day Road, Milton-Freewater, 541-938-4711. Offers non-sprayed blueberries, with varieties that ripen at different times across the season.

And here are a few more local vendors who deserve a shout-out:

Pat n Tam’s Beef: Pasture-fed beef from a local producer in Stanfield. Choose from individual cuts, ground beef, or jerky.

Aichele Farms: Berries locally grown in Umatilla County. Look for their turquoise cartons at all local markets.

Key Family Fruits: Fresh stone fruits, grown in Milton-Freewater.

Umapine Creamery: Farmstead cheese, locally sourced from Brevon Farm in Milton-Freewater.

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Alex Hobbs, based in Irrigon, is a former educator turned full-time homeschooling mother of two boys, age 8 and 10.