North and Central Whidbey farmers markets go out with bang

Although the annual Harvest Fest in Coupeville celebrates the end of another harvest season, some farmers will continue to be out in their fields for several more weeks.

By Ron Newberry • October 7, 2014 7:02 pm
Children from Lindsey Helm’s second grade class at Coupeville Elementary School get creative with a Hubbard squash and other produce in making a witch that greets visitors at the school. The assignment falls in line with The Haunting of Coupeville theme.
Children from Lindsey Helm’s second grade class at Coupeville Elementary School get creative with a Hubbard squash and other produce in making a witch that greets visitors at the school. The assignment falls in line with The Haunting of Coupeville theme.

Although the annual Harvest Fest in Coupeville celebrates the end of another harvest season, some farmers will continue to be out in their fields for several more weeks.

“It will go through till the hard frost,” said Valerie Reuther of Rosehip Farm in Coupeville, adding that that usually doesn’t happen until the first week of December.

“It just keeps going until we get a week when it doesn’t get above freezing.”

Still, Saturday’s Harvest Fest marks the end of the farmers markets this year on North and Central Whidbey.

The Oak Harbor Farmers Market ended a 20-week run last week, while Coupeville finishes a 27-week stretch Saturday. It missed a week during the Coupeville Arts & Crafts Festival in August.

Following tradition, Coupeville likes to go out big.

On tap Saturday are the Harvest Fest Relay Races and the Whidbey Island Giant Pumpkin Contest.

The relay races, a fundraiser for Gifts from the Heart Food Bank, start at noon, followed by the weigh-off for the giant pumpkin contest.

The nature of the relay races isn’t disclosed until shortly before the competition begins.

Rosehip is among the teams participating.

“In the past, we’ve caught fish, milked cows, bobbed for apples and thrown pies at somebody’s face,” Reuther said. “We don’t have any idea what the relay is this year.”

Awards will be given for best time, most money raised and for people’s choice.

The Giant Pumpkin Contest is in its 19th year.

The unseasonably warm weather on Whidbey this year has been good to pumpkins too, according to Lee Roof, the event’s organizer.

Whidbey residents from Clinton to Oak Harbor will bring giant gourds.

The record is a 1,016-pounder grown by Coupeville’s Phil Renninger.Renninger and Roof often vye for largest pumpkin honors.

A panel of judges also will award prizes for the ugliest and prettiest pumpkins as well as largest zucchini.

“We may have some really big ones this year as the weather was quite good,” Roof said.

Peg Tennant, who manages both the Oak Harbor and Coupeville farmers markets, said gross sales for the Coupeville market look to be similar to last year, whereas Oak Harbor finished ahead of 2013.

Still, Tennant said attendance in Oak Harbor dropped off in September once kids went back to school and produce sales could have been better.

“We are trying to figure out how to deal with the September dropoff,” Tennant said. “We’re in the process of evaluating and coming up with ideas.”

Apart from the Oak Harbor and Coupeville markets, Hummingbird Farm Nursery and Gardens will be hosting an Oak Harbor Winter Market from Oct. 18 through Dec. 20. That market will take place on those Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For information on that market, contact lori@hummingbirdfarmnursery.com or 360-941-7470.