This meal was created with love and intention, it took years to prepare, months to grow, and hours and hours to harvest. As I plated each course and set them in front of our friends that gathered at the table underneath the pines on our farm, I felt fulfilled and proud of my role as a farmer, of the community that I am a part of, and the willingness of my friends to trust us with feeding them and theirs.

As we enter into a season of traditional thankfulness and festivity, I’m hoping that we all accept the invitation to change our lenses. Like Second Harvest, and Northwest Harvest, I hope we’ll back up and see the need for systemic and policy changes in the realm of food justice, and see where we can make a difference as individuals.

Gather was created by Jessica Garza and Alexandra Hoskins, with the desire to create a community of women who ran small businesses rooted in agriculture, or sold and developed western goods. This fall Gather will be hosting its first Market in the Mountains at Moose Valley Ranch in beautiful Springdale, WA, sharing the peace and majesty of rural life with a side of live music, quality wares and food trucks.

Chuck Reininger started making wine at home in the early 90’s, channeling his passion for nature into the craft while paying particular attention to soil conditions and climate which can greatly influence the quality of the product in the bottle. His early dedication paid off as Reininger was one of the first 10 bonded wineries in the region.

Ask a farmer how many jobs they do each day and they will likely rattle them off one by one. The same can be said about winemakers. And brewers. And artists. There's nothing easy about entrepreneurship, but up on Green Bluff, the folks at Wildland Cooperative are approaching their new business the only way they know how—together.