Friday, November 26, 2010

Hoquiam Farmers Market - Grays Harbor Farmers Market and Craft Fair

By Derek Snyder


Hoquiam and the Grays Harbor have always been good consumers of the local produce of the farmers and fisher folk of the area, and this has always been a good relationship since agriculture and commerce work side by side to sustain both. The Grays Harbor and Hoquiam town have for many generations and seasons been good sources of income for the farmers, fishermen and craftsmen who have come to supply the needs of hundreds and sometimes thousands of seasonal residents of Hoquiam and the surrounding communities who work for the millers and logging companies.

The first settlers of the land were Indian tribes that hunted and fished for their survival and the Grays Harbor forest and the rivers and coast that bordered or came through the land gave these early peoples a plentiful source of food and other items like skins and furs for clothing and bone and sinew for their various tools. The city of Hoquiam its name rather is an Indian term which meant "hungry for wood" and those who came to Grays Harbor after the brave tribes were indeed also worthy of the descriptive name.

The forest an old growth one supplied good wood and a multitude of people descended on the lumber treasure either as investors, workers or entrepreneurs seeking their fortunes from the ancient trees that dotted clustered and dotted the forest and harvest lumber they did, day in day out, working like there was no tomorrow finding little time to tend to their basic needs like the olden times, there was money to be made to provide for those needs through lumber.

As time went by in Hoquiam and Grays Harbor a lot of people came in as contract workers for the big or medium sized lumber corporations and mills and that meant they lived in logging camps that needed everything brought to them, such as food, clothing, personal products and other stuff that a lumberjack or a miller might need or not to drive them and sustain them throughout their quest for more wood.

Fish were far more bountiful before with fresh catch coming over from the coast and the fresh water species like trout and salmon come in from the various river systems all around the Olympic Peninsula, and most of not all those fish were caught by the lumber workers themselves if they can afford the time.

Now fish can still be had, especially if they are in season you will surely find a great whole fresh fish or a sumptuous fillet ready to be poached or fried in any of the fish stalls in the Grays Harbor Market and if you are already hungry and cannot wait to cook your own salmon or trout then surely there will be a small stall selling well cooked and delicious fish dishes to tickle your taste buds.

The law of supply and demand dictated the rest with the seasonal arrival of workers and lumber men and the requirements of the residents of Hoquiam and Aberdeen farmers, fisher folk and craftsmen, salesmen and entrepreneurs trooped to Hoquiam and the Grays Harbor area to get the workers to part with their hard earned dollars and it was a good venture, with most of the men and women working directly or indirectly for the lumber companies and mills needing an endless supply of things to eat, drink and use.

Grays Harbor Farmers Market and Craft Fair is one of only two Washington State farmers markets open all-year round. And you will find excellent local produce, delicious freshly baked pastries, very fresh seafood, fine chowder, even fine arts, & quality crafted items at affordable prices or even trade. Visit and partake of what the Grays Harbor Farmers Market and Craft Fair has to offer, discover new things, make new friends and taste the best of Grays Harbor and Hoquiam itself or better yet, try to bring your business to Hoquiam and be part of the good story yourself.




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