As we browsed through the vegetable stands, the banjo and kazoo music of Rick Meyers mesmerized us all. This one-man band plays many instruments — including the musical saw which he placed on his lap and used a bow to stroke the entire song, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

The fresh produce is the primary draw — healthy, huge pots of basil for only $2; beautiful dark green beans; abundant red leaf lettuce at $1 a head; new red potatoes; pints of blueberries and raspberries; bins of dark maroon bing cherries at $2.50 a pound; and piles of bright orange carrots.

Filling my bags full of produce, I felt like a kid in a candy shop. The carrot I bit into was so delicious that I turned around and bought more.

Home-grown produce is so much better than grocery store produce. It’s fresher, healthier, and tastier. Plus, you get to support local farms and become a more conscientious consumer, saving gas, energy, and the environment. The Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program is a wonderful fast-growing trend in Oregon.

Bill and Janice Schiedler own Gardenripe, a farm near Silverton that provides the CSA program. I met their daughter Cheri and farm intern Josh at their booth at the Canby Market, and they explained the CSA program. Supporters buy a share of the upcoming harvest. Then, the farms use this money to operate the farm and grow the crops, distributing a share of the harvest to each shareholder when the crops are ripe. At Gardenripe, a share costs $450. From June 16 through Oct. 17, Gardenripe delivers produce boxes to its shareholders each week. The boxes are full of fruits, vegetables, and herbs that were reaped during that week on the farm. Gardenripe also includes several flats of berries. When tomatoes ripen, shareholders can pick up 50 pounds of tomatoes, along with peppers, onions, and garlic—all the makings for salsa.

Another CSA provider is Sungold Farms, located in Forest Grove. My friend Stacy signed up for their Harvest Box program back in May for only $324 and has loved it. Unlike Gardenripe, Sungold has the shareholders pick up their own boxes.

Owner, Vicki Hertel, provides lively and fun weekly newsletters and recipes with ingredients using the produce contained in that week’s harvest box. Both Sungold and Gardenripe have great web sites where you can learn more about their programs (www.gardenripe.com and www.sungoldfarm.com ).

It is fun creating meals around the fresh buys from the Farmers’ Markets or from the vegetables in your own garden. I tend to keep my meals simple in the summer, not only because I want to avoid the heat in the kitchen, but because fresh veggies don’t need a lot of work to bring out their flavor.

After the Canby Market, I used the fresh potatoes, green beans, and red-leaf lettuce for a warm Green Bean and Chicken Salad. It’s a cinch to make. Grill chicken breasts on the barbeque, basting them with Newman’s Own Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing and then cutting the chicken into long slices. Steam the baby red potatoes and fresh green beans until tender and then toss them in the Newman’s dressing. Place the chicken, potatoes, and green beans on a bed of red lettuce or mixed greens. Keep the dressing nearby for those who like a little more on top.

Farmers’ Markets will be around for several more weeks. I plan to hit as many as I can and relish in all of those fresh veggies — maybe I’ll see you there.

recipes

n 2 medium-small zucchini, thinly sliced

4 bunches (4 cups loosely packed) fresh basil, stemmed and coarsely chopped

3-4 ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced

¾ cup (or less) shredded kasseri, gruyere or swiss cheese

¾ cup (or less) shredded Monterey jack or pepper jack cheese

¼ cup (or less) fruity extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil shallow (about 2 inches deep) ovenproof serving dish. Place the zucchini slices over the bottom and press chopped basil leaves firmly over the zucchini (the basil will cook down the way spinach does).

Arrange the tomato slices over the basil. Then scatter the cheese evenly over the tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil and bake about 35 minutes, until hot through and cheeses are melted.