Photo courtesy: istock.com/akiinsta212

Plant the seeds now to taste flavors of summer’s bounty at food festivals throughout Oregon and Idaho. By uplifting regional traditions, or amplifying the flavor of bespoke bounties, these gatherings bring together the best of local producers. Choose a location and long weekend to become a contemporary hunter gatherer: Bring a shopping bag to fill with foods, libations or art and an empty stomach to fill with regional specialties such as crab a the Newport Seafood & Wine Festival. “So much Dungeness crab is harvested and processed locally that it’s a vital part of our economy and a big part of Newport’s identity,” said Maggie Conrad, the festival’s event director. Here’s a starter course of some of the food festivals taking place this spring and summer that celebrate the fieldfound abundance in Oregon and Idaho.