Farmers markets are a great way to connect directly with the people who grow our food. You can ask them how to prepare unfamiliar items, taste, even get inspired by the people shopping next to you.

It's hard not to get caught up in the festive atmosphere of friends encountering each other, musicians, exuberant colors, rich aromas and breakfast on the grill. Wanna-be gardeners find themselves reaching for plant starts, vowing to grow such beautiful food themselves. Seeing a bouquet of fresh flowers mingle in a shopper's basket with a "bouquet" of salad greens, leeks and beet tops, a chunk of fresh cheese and loaf of artisan bread brings out our inner chef.

The Farmers' Markets in Corvallis and Albany (www.locallygrown.org) are well-known and extremely popular. Here are two others to check out when you head east or west.

Kings Valley Farmers' Market

WHEN: 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays

WHERE: Kings Valley Community Center at the corner of Highway 223 and Maxfield Creek Road

Featured: Fresh produce, baked goods, crafts and music; a garage sale will be held the last Sunday of each month; bring stuff to sell or buy stuff

INFORMATION: Carol Shiftly, 541-203-1253

Brownsville Farmers' Market

WHEN: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays

WHERE: 305 N. Main St.

Featured: Local produce, eggs, baked goods, crafts and musicians in a relaxed small-town atmosphere; learn more about this small community's big effort at meeting their own food needs at the Calapooia

Web site: www.gocfa.org.

Fava beans

Favas are almost magical beans. A staple in Europe, North Africa and West Asia for millennia, we're fortunate to live in a temperate climate where they can be grown. Not only are they good food for people, the plant is great for soil because it sends roots deep, fixing nitrogen for the next crop.

Fava varieties run from pale green to deep chestnut in color. If purchased as fresh stalks (or harvested from your garden), remove the beans from the pods, then plunge them into rapidly boiling water and cook for about 20 minutes. Drain and rinse them, and the outer skins will come off easily. Yes, it's a bit of work, but well worth the effort for this seasonal treat.

They can be used in soups, dips, main dishes, salads - recipes abound. My favorite is to combine them with cooked, cubed potatoes, sliced or roasted peppers, thinly-sliced onion, fresh or dried tomato chunks and drizzle with a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice and oregano. Sometimes I crumble fresh feta or goat cheese on top. The cooked beans can be frozen and retrieved when tomatoes and fresh peppers are in season for a mostly-local, totally delicious summer meal.

Another option is to let the beans dry and use them in winter soups.

Favas are showing up at farmers markets now. Ask the farmer about her favorite way to prepare them, then scoop up an armful of these curious stalks and get busy.

You can contact Chris Peterson at localfood@peak.org.