The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Dear Editor,

This is a thank you letter to the Waitsburg School District, cafeteria staff, school officials and local farmers for a terrific lunch last Thursday, October 2. My friend and I called ahead for reservations for an early lunch and were not disappointed!

The menu was expansive! Fresh potato salad with spuds and other veggies from Deer Pond Garden in Dayton and freshas can-be salad greens also from Deer Pond. A yummy burger on home made Country Cupboard buns made from wheat flour raised on Eric and Elizabeth Thorn's farms. Fresh local goat cheese from Montiellet Fromagerie to top my burger - with a choice of feta or glorious gouda! And that was just the beginning!

At a long table outside of where hot food is served, were many choices of fresh, locally produced fruits and vegetables; kale chips, carrots of a variety of sizes and colors, sliced cruchy kolarabi and my all-time favorite, golden and regular beets. There were fresh tomatoes and sliced onions for the burgers. A wonderful cream cheese spread was also offered for vegetables and served with wholewheat crackers.

The fruit choices were voluminous! A variety of pears and apples from Warren Orchards' and late summer peaches, sweet as can be. A special spread (cinnamon and nutmeg?) was available to top the sliced fruit. Lastly, for those with a sweet tooth, Mrs. Montgomery, Waitsburg school staff, is now known for the honey and bees she and her husband keep in town. A taste of honey on a slizzle stick was the right amount of sweet to a nutritious, fun and very local school lunch.

Best of all, we joined Waitsburg's first graders dining and enjoyed great conversation with the kids while pigging out on locally sourced food. Can we make a reservation for two next week, same time? Lisa Naylor Dayton