Worthy enough? Meet me at the crux of cuckoo and cultivation. Farmers Market @ Worthy Brewing.

Worthy Brewing has a new Farmers Market this season and I’m all about gardening, farming, helping each other build sustainable trade systems for life, locally…. it’s a revolution (or really, a return).

But I’m a fan of Worthy for more than this market, it’s the revolution they themselves are building. One of re-wilding, connecting to the earth, and supporting the cuckoos!

You see, they fit right into my Ken Kesey tour of Oregon. Where else can you tell a story while leaning on a bar made of state mental hospital wood?

Do I need to mention the observatory? yes but first, the market.

Starting Sunday, April 26th at 10 AM and running every Sunday through June 14th

Farm fresh produce and handmade products straight from the local producers.

The patio is dog friendly, there will be live music and food,beer, wine, and cocktails.

I spent the first sunday, a windy day on the East side, wandering around the market and saying hello to each vendor. Giant pastries, farm fresh eggs, strawberries, handmade ceramics, delightful herbs, dog treats, gluten free goodies, heath and wellness, bees….the list goes on.

All of these vendors are our neighbors and are using are growing local products and bringing them fresh into one spot. I love all the markets going on this year and think they are the best way to stay fresh and support one another. Together, we got this!

Yay markets! even better when they have great drinks and music too.

Ok on to the crazy stuff. Worthy moved here in Bend, Oregon in 2013. I was still in the beer world then and sort of excited…I had no idea the energy and projects here would build over a decade and become a really awesome place to visit (and speak about).

Lets start with the coolest part, the wood that makes up the tables and bar here is directly sourced from the Oregon State Mental Hospital. Even some of the nails are used. So that energy, has been transported (preserved) here. I came to see the wood long before my own psychiatric stay, because I was a Ken Kesey fan but also because my own great grandfather had electroshock therapy there in the 1960’s.

Little did I know, I would have my own Kesey-could-have-written-it adventure through Oregon (space and time) to end up here, writing to an audience that actually shows up and reads what I write. For a girl who was once told to shut up or take a shot that made me silent…..

gives me a lot of joy, every story continues, through the dark, just don’t give up.

I like the culture cultivated at Worthy. It’s intentional and a testament to how we can work together with the past, present, the future, and our minds…

By embracing the unconventional and pairing it with laughter and the power of the earth (and love) we can accomplish big things, big dreams.

There is a tribute to Kesey and LSD blotter art made by his brother in the bathrooms. Further, the psychedelic bus, pops up next to pictures of Jack Nicholson as Randle Mc Murphy and Nurse Ratchet.

It’s silly, right? In Oregon…crazy is cool.

The food here is pretty good too. A lot of it is sourced from the sustainable, organic gardens located on campus. Their mission is to connect people to our natural world.

I like the nod to One Flew Over the cuckoos nest on the menu as well as the wood fired pizzas. Of course, they have award winning beer and mocktails.

Back to the Hopservatory, an observatory above the brewery that opens to the public. In fact, it is the only known brewery anywhere to have an observatory.

Swirling mosaics, galleries of stars…

On to the garden, right behind the brewery. It is open to walk through and see how life can blossom and bloom here in the high desert sunshine. There are edible plants galore, chickens, and compost. oh and BEES.

I love it here. I love all of this. Dark skies, growing life into food for all, creating spaces where community can come together and feed each other. With beer, music, and solar panels.  It’s all good.

From the garden they have spring plant sales, the farmer’s market is fresh and supports local, the patio is dog friendly, there is music, ART, and they like crazy people and crazy things.

Worthy? Yes, I am!

Worthy Brewing is located on the East side of Bend

495 NE Bellevue Dr, Bend, OR 97701