It has been a busy summer for us, beginning with a cruise for me and nearly a month spent in Chicago, followed by lots of household chores as we settle into our new home. All of those obligations have given us little time to get out to explore our local area and enjoy all the cultural and outdoor experiences it has to offer. With the coming of fall and having put our biggest projects behind us, we’re looking forward to some day trips and excursions while the weather remains pleasant. Harry and I took a break from planting our backyard last Sunday to do a little “research” towards that end. Each year, Harry & David hosts a food- and winetasting event at its large retail store in Medford. Starting out as simply a fruit producer and marketer decades ago, the business today sells and ships gourmet foods, fruit and gift baskets all over the world. Their local headquarters gives us ready access to all the products they market, with the addition of a wonderful fresh produce department; a fantastic assortment of cheeses in their deli case; and a wine shop which carries a great selection of local, domestic and international vintages. The annual tasting event provides visitors a chance to try a wide assortment of the sauces, dips, baked goods, meats, fruits and sweets Harry & David sells, paired with wines (and a few beers, ales, ciders and fruit drinks) produced in Southern Oregon. The entrance fee provides you with a wine glass, ten winetasting tickets (one ticket per pour) and access to all the food you care to sample. Anyone bringing at least five canned or non-perishable food items pays a reduced amount, and all of the food goes to a local food bank. Having visited this event before, we knew what to expect, but this time we were a little more alert to noting where our favorite wines of the day were produced. Plans are to spend a day or two visiting the wineries themselves in the near future, giving us the chance to explore some of the backroads here at the same time. One we’ve definitely got on our list is Pebblestone Cellars. Harry “discovered” their wines a few years ago at this event and decided we’d serve them at our daughter’s wedding last May. The wines we tasted this year are just as delicious, too. The event also gave us a chance to check out what some of the local chefs are cooking up. Six representing some of the area’s restaurants were invited to produce an appetizer-sized offering and pair it with a locally produced beer or wine. For one ticket each, we got an insight into the skill and inventiveness of these chefs and came away with the names of establishments we want to visit soon for a delectable meal.  All-in-all, we were quite satisfied with our research and are looking forward to carrying on with our local explorations soon. –Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader