Crustacean Celebration: Killer Cakes

It's just one of those things I'm compelled to do. Like the old Lays potato chips line, "Bet you can't eat just one." Or like trying to stop at just one page of cute kitty pictures on I Can Has Cheezburger, it just can't be done.

The delicious mixture.

What am I going on about?

Crab cakes. When I see them on a menu, I have to order them. I'm on a continual quest to find a crab cake that's the freshest, crabbier-than-thou thing I've ever put in my mouth, that's juicy and succulent with just the slightest hint of scallion or celeriac or whatever's been mixed in to pump up the flavor.

Almost ready…

So when I heard that Mark Bittman had a killer recipe for these plump little pillows of delight, and that they were simple to make, I had to try them. And darn if they weren't all their PR said they'd be. So if you're looking for the ideal app for your holiday table or just have a yen for some crustaceous goodness, look no further.

And, by the way, if you're fortunate enough to have one or two left over (or stashed them away before putting them on the table), they're terrific reheated in the oven and topped with a poached egg for breakfast. Just sayin'.

Dungeness Crab Cakes
Adapted from Mark Bittman's indispensable How to Cook Everything
1 lb. fresh lump crabmeat (make sure all cartilage is removed)
1 egg
1/4 c. minced red bell pepper
1/2 c. scallion
1/4 c. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. plain bread crumbs, or as needed
1 c. flour for dredging
1 tsp. curry powder (optional)
2 Tbsp. peanut, olive or vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. butter (or use all oil)
Lemon wedges for garnish

Mix together crabmeat, egg, bell pepper, scallion, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper. Add sufficient bread crumbs to bind the mixture just enough to form into cakes. Start with two tablespoons and use more if you need it.

Refrigerate the mixture until you are ready to use it. (It will be easier to shape if you refrigerate it for 30 minutes or more, but is ready to go when you finish mixing.)

Season flour with salt, pepper (and curry if you like, but with good fresh crab it seems like gilding the lily). Preheat a large skillet, preferably non-stick, over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the oil and butter and heat until the butter foam subsides. Shape the crabmeat into six cakes, carefully dredge each in the flour, and cook, adjusting the heat as necessary and turning once (very gently), until golden brown on both sides. Total cooking time will be about ten minutes or less. Serve with lemon wedges.

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Check out these other examples of the crabby-licious goodness that is the Crustacean Celebration at GoodStuffNW: pasta with crab and radicchio; hot artichoke and crab dip; crab crostini; and a company-worthy crab-filled cioppino.

Merry Christmas Every One!

This little ditty from Rosie Thomas is my new favorite in the Christmas rotation. I dare you not to start dancing around the kitchen!

Crustacean Celebration: Dippity Do!

There was a popular hair product when I was a teenager called Dippity Do. It promised, as hair products still seem to do, to make the human equivalent of a bald cat magically transform into a pampered Persian.

Its translucent day-glo colors (pink and green for regular and extra-hold, respectively) and unforgettably awful smell made dipping into a fresh jar an experience both sensuous and revolting. Then smearing it on your hair and rolling the strands onto juice can-sized rollers which, if you were lucky and had a hair dryer or, if you weren't and had to sleep on them till your hair dried, was emblematic of the pursuit of beauty at all costs. Especially since the beauty part didn't usually turn out exactly as one might have hoped.

And the food at the holiday parties one attended after that gauntlet of preparations seemed to cause the same reactions of sensuousness and revulsion, though the colors were (only somewhat) more subdued. Velveeta cheese squares on saltines topped with a pimento olive slice. Cheese balls molded from gummy, flavorless cheese-like substances and rolled in chopped walnuts that looked like something that had plummeted from the sky. And who could forget the dry little meatballs covered in barely reconstituted cream of mushroom soup, not to mention the day-glo Vienna sausages?

But there were gems scattered among the lumps of coal on those tables that I remember fondly and still crave at this time of year, particularly the dips consumed with crunchy, salty potato chips. They were usually simple, creamy and whipped up in moments. I ran into a descendant of those classics not long ago and thought now might be the perfect time to share it, with holiday parties coming up that might benefit from a jewel on the table.

Hot Artichoke and Crab Dip
From New Seasons Market

1 14-oz. can artichoke hearts (Trader Joe's brand are a great value)
1/4 c. capers
6 oz. crab meat (fresh is better and cheaper if you buy a whole crab and crack it yourself, but canned works, too)
1 c. parmesan, finely grated
1 c. mayonnaise

Drain and chop artichokes. If using canned crab, drain well and combine with artichokes, capers, cheese and mayonnaise. Put in baking dish and bake for 20 minutes at 350°. When warm and bubbly serve with your favorite crackers, baguette slices or tortilla chips. (Also makes a great stuffing for salmon fillet or chicken breast.)

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Check out these other examples of the crabby-licious goodness that is the Crustacean Celebration at GoodStuffNW: pasta with crab and radicchio; killer crab cakes; crab crostini; and a company-worthy crab-filled cioppino.

More Neighborly Talent

Oh, and did I mention that Karl Kesel, of the legendary recreation of Hawk & Dove and a totally talented comic book writer, artist and inker (and about to embark on a new secret project that sounds amaaaaaazing), not to mention a gourmet cook, is also a neighbor? He sent out the panel above as a Christmas card and said to say that "in the unlikely event any characters happen to look like pre-existing characters, those characters are copyright DC Comics 2009."

Just makes you wonder, as Sesame Street said so eloquently, "Who are the people in your neighborhood?"

See the entire 12 Days of Christmas (revealed one day at a time until the 25th) as interpreted by the talented (and a little wacky) artists at Portland's Periscope Studio.

My Talented Neighbor

Some people have a surfeit of talent. Leonardo da Vinci is the classic example. In the food realm, there are James Beard and Julia Child, to name just a couple. Among the culinarily über-talented is my neighbor, Ivy Manning. Writer, blogger, recipe developer, teacher, organizer, greyhound activist, author of several cookbooks…this gal's got it all. She's even pretty hot, as evidenced in the photo above.

The reason for this post, aside from pointing out that the photo of the fetching couple was taken in my kitchen? Well, you could get Ivy's new book, The Adaptable Feast: Satisfying Meals for the Vegetarians, Vegans, and Omnivores at Your Table(left), for yourself or as a gift for your favorite mixed-diet couple. (The photos were taken by her husband, Gregor, who's no slouch in the talent department, either.) For a preview, check out a recent article she wrote for Culinate.com titled Mixed Diet Dinners: A Pro Offers Suggestions for the Cook.

And really, don't they look sweet in that kitchen?

Light and Lemony

Bare branches, dark grey skies and buckets of rain may mark this season in the Northwest, but they can't hold a candle to some of the delights to be found in local markets. I've already mentioned the abundance of crabby goodness creeping (sideways) out of the sea and onto local tables, and now it looks like there's an avalanche of yellow, puckery globes piling up in the produce aisle and cascading from friends' greenhouses.

Meyer lemons, those natives of China that are thought to be a cross between true lemons and mandarin oranges, have been perfuming the air since they appeared as blossoms on the little tree at my brother's wine shop, and this year he's harvested a bumper crop off of it. I'm planning on making preserved lemons with a batch I bought at the market, but last night, in need of a side dish to go with roast chicken and with lemons dancing in my head, I decided a lemon risotto might just hit the spot.

This recipe is a conglomeration from several sources, but the one departure is the addition of an egg yolk added at the very last minute, courtesy of sensuous kitchen mistress Nigella Lawson. It adds a glossy, creamy quality that suffuses this lemony dish with another level of richness, and may become a regular addition to other creamy risottos.

Meyer Lemon Risotto

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped fine or 2 shallots, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. arborio rice
1/2 c. dry white wine
5 c. chicken stock, heated
1/2 c. Meyer lemon juice (regular lemons can be used, as well, or substitute chopped preserved lemons instead of the juice and the zest)
2 tsp. lemon zest (approx. 2 lemons)
1 egg yolk
1/2 c. parmesan, plus additional for garnish
Parsley, finely chopped, for garnish

Heat butter and oil in medium saucepan over medium heat, then add onion and garlic and sauté until golden, 2-3 minutes. Add rice and stir to combine, approx. 30 seconds. Add white wine and stir until absorbed, then start adding chicken stock a cup at a time until slightly al dente. Remove from heat and add lemon juice, lemon zest, egg yolk and parmesan all at once and stir rapidly to combine. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately with additional parmesan for sprinkling.

Note: If making this in the microwave (I know…total heresy, but it works great), heat oil and butter for 1 min. on high, then add onion and garlic and heat 2 min. on high. Stir in rice to coat and heat on high 1 minute. Stir in wine and stock, cook for 10 min. on high, then pull out of microwave, stir, replace in microwave and cook an additional 10 minutes, watching to make sure it doesn't dry out (there should still be liquid at the top). Remove from microwave, quickly stir in lemon juice, lemon zest, egg yolk and parmesan and serve, garnished with chopped parsley. You may need to play with the timing a little, since each microwave is different, but seriously, this is an easy way to make risotto, especially if you've got company. And they'll never know you cheated.

Think Local: Cheesy Gifts

I was browsing through what may well be one of the cheesiest blogs in the Northwest, Tami Parr's most excellent Pacific NW Cheese Project, and came across several ideas I thought I'd pass along for some local holiday giving:

• Give a gift basket of NW cheeses, or have your favorite cheesemonger put together a selection for you. Great for under the tree or as a special hostess gift.
  
• Luan at Foster & Dobbs is offering a Cheese-of-the-Month club for your favorite cheese-head. There's a three-month minimum, and it can be picked up at the shop, delivered within Portland or Fed-Exed to your loved one.
• For that über-local touch, Tami's book, Artisan Cheese of the Pacific Northwest: A Discovery Guide is great for browsing or using as a guide for your very own tasty tour of the best the region has to offer.
• Several new cheese books have come out this year, including one that Tami calls "the most comprehensive book on cheese available today." Check out her recommendations here.

Photo by Tami Parr, Pacific NW Cheese Project.

Crustacean Celebration: 'Tis the Season to be Crabby

Remember how November here at GSNW was all about mushrooms? Well, that was so last month. Here in the Northwest, December is all about crabbiness…and not because I get all Scroogey about the holidays with its cheery cherubs singing on street corners and jolly decorations and endless recycling of Perry and Bing and Nat.

I loves me the mis.
No, I'm talking about that king of crustaceousness, that most luscious of briny denizens, our very own Dungeness crab. Its Latin name, Cancer magister, means "king crab" and it truly rules this time of year. I'd been hankering to have some since the season opened in mid-November, and last night provided the perfect opportunity.

Ready for its debut.

My brother had raved about a pasta with crab recipe he'd found last year, so I decided that it would be the ideal kick-off to our very own month-long celebration of the crustacean. I hope to learn how to make perfect crab cakes and maybe a few other classics, so feel free add a comment about your favorite dish, or even a recipe if you have one.

Pasta with Crab and Radicchio
Adapted from Tyler Florence, the Food Network

1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
3 shallots, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tsp. red chile flakes
1 c. dry white wine
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 lb. pasta
1 lb. fresh crab meat
1/2 head radicchio, thinly sliced into chiffonade
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Parmesan for sprinkling
Parsley for garnish

Bring 6 quarts water to boil and add 2 tablespoons salt.

In a 12 to 14-inch deep sauté pan, heat the oil until smoking. Add the shallots, garlic, and chiles and sauté until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil, then add the butter, and remove from heat. Cook the pasta in pot of boiling water according to the package instructions, until just al dente, and drain.

Add the drained pasta to the pan with the wine mixture and return pan to heat. Add crab, radicchio, and scallion and toss until radicchio is wilted, about 1 minute. Squeeze 1/2 lemon over the top. Pour into a warm serving bowl, sprinkle with a bit of parmesan and parsley and serve.

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Check out these other examples of the crabby-licious goodness that is the Crustacean Celebration at GoodStuffNW: hot artichoke and crab dip; killer crab cakes; crab crostini; and a company-worthy crab-filled cioppino.

Garage Sale Soup

There's always a big pot of soup on the burner at contributor Jim Dixon's Olive Oil Garage Sale, and this year was no exception. This thick, luscious and hearty concoction is more of a stew than a soup, something we call "stoop" around here, and is perfect to ward off the chill while you sample and decide which of his delicious olive oils you're going to buy.

Garage Sale Soup

Soak a couple of cups of garbanzos overnight, then simmer in salted water until tender. Dice a medium onion, a couple of carrots, and a few celery stalks (I prefer the inner stalks with some leaves, too) and cook in extra virgin olive oil for a few minutes.

Add a peeled and diced celery root, a couple of yellow potatoes done the same way, a half head of green cabbage, chopped, and a bunch of lacinato kale (cavolo nero) cut in chiffonade. Pour in a large can of crushed tomatoes, the garbanzos and their cooking liquid, and a couple of cups of water. Toss in a healthy pinch of sea salt. Add a cup of so of polenta, then simmer for at least an hour.

Drizzle each bowl with more extra virgin olive oil.

For the tenth year in a row, Jim will be sampling a selection of olive oils, Katz vinegars and flor de sel at Great Wine Buys today (12/12) with his pal winemaker Andrew Rich, who will have current releases available for tasting. Great Wine Buys is at 1515 NE Broadway.

The Best Cake in the World

What you see above is my idea of the perfect cake. Dark, spicy, rich. Perfect for dessert or breakfast or a mid-day snack.

It's Bread & Ink Café's Triple Ginger Cake, made by the woman behind the brilliant Waffle Window and the maven of pastry goodness, my friend Mary Fishback. It's not only on the dessert menu with toppings from lemon cream to ice cream to whipped cream. Mary also has mini loaves (left) all gift-wrapped and available for sale at the cafe.

I can't imagine a better gift for a friend or hostess (or blogger) this holiday season. Can you?

Details: Triple Ginger Cake at Bread & Ink Café, 3610 SE Hawthorne Blvd. 503-239-4756.

Backyard Eggs Not All They're Cracked Up to Be?

If you walk around your neighborhood like I do, you my have noticed an odd noise coming from your neighbor's back yard. You stop and cock your head. Is that what you think it is?

In Portland, the answer is yes. That sound is indeed the clucking of chickens, and it's the city's latest obsession. Nearly everyone I know has or is considering having a flock of their own (including me) and design plans for coops are being traded (and debated) at dinner parties all over town.

But now a coalition of farm animal sanctuaries and avian experts are starting to raise red flags about keeping chickens in urban settings, warning would-be backyard poultry farmers that the fantasy of having that home-grown egg for breakfast may not be all it's cracked up to be. A recent press release from Farm Sanctuary, a farm animal rescue, education and advocacy group, states:

"Unbeknownst to many well-meaning hobbyists, the massive hatcheries from which most chicks are purchased by individuals or feed stores are notorious for animal mistreatment. No laws regulate the housing of chickens at these facilities and minimal laws that go unenforced cover transportation of their offspring. Breeding hens and roosters may be confined in cramped cages or sheds with no access to the outdoors, and day-old chicks are shipped to buyers through the mail, deprived of food and water and exposed to extremes in temperature for up to 72 hours. Hens are in much higher demand than roosters; therefore, most males chicks are killed onsite at these hatcheries as soon as they are sexed, adding up to millions of birds every year that are killed shortly after they hatch.

"The coalition is encouraging those considering backyard flocks to do their research on the legality of chicken flocks in their area and the housing, predator proofing, diet, and medical care necessary for the health and safety of their birds. Those acquiring chickens are asked to avoid supporting the cruel practices of hatcheries by adopting chickens from sanctuaries and shelters."

Plus the fact that their egg production decreases steadily after the first year of laying and, considering chickens can live for more than a dozen years, then what do you do with them?

So stop and think before you invest hundreds of dollars in coops and chickens and feed. After all, farmers' markets have eggs available year round. And how many dozens of eggs for $5 or $6 could you buy for that investment?

Another excellent reference is "Factors Affecting Egg Production in Backyard Chicken Flocks" from the University of Florida.

Season's Greenings: DIY Food & Drink

And for the foodie on your list (or anyone who loves good food), there is a plethora of local products perfect for them. Adapted from an article I wrote for the Nov.-Dec. '09 issue of NW Palate magazine, this is the last in the five-part series. I hope you've enjoyed them all!

Eric Pateman, President of Edible BC at Vancouver’s Granville Island Public Market, was impressed when he heard that a local creamery, Little Qualicum Cheeseworks on Vancouver Island, started a program to purchase a share of a cow for the milk it produces. Check with your local cheesemakers to see if they have something similar, or ask your local cheesemonger about a cheese-of-the-month club.

He’s also quick to recommend BC chef and local food activist Mara Jernigan’s (photo, top) hands-on cooking classes at Fairburn Farm, where you can choose from five-day intensive boot camps to basic and advanced skills classes.

Pateman adds, “Of course, Edible BC itself has cooking classes, and our market tours offer people an insight into local cooking and eating. The 800-plus locally produced products in our retail store make great gifts as well." For more information, visit their website.

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DIY Cheese Kits from Urban Cheesecraft allow you to make fresh mozzarella, chèvre, queso blanco, paneer and other cheeses in your own kitchen. Created by Portlander Claudia Lucero, you supply the milk and the kits have everything else you need. Available from the website and at many area stores. $17-$26.

A Water Bath Canning Kit includes an aluminum canning pot and rack, a jar lifter, a lid wand, and a wide-mouth funnel. Glass jars are not included but can be ordered separately. Available at most local kitchen supply stores. Approx. $69.

A Home Brewing Starter Kit includes everything you need to make five gallons of your choice of six beers. $99.

The Beginner's Guide to Preserving Food at Homeby Janet Chadwick. Simple step-by-step instructions give you the confidence and know-how to freeze, dry, can, root cellar and brine the abundance of our region’s produce. $10.

Read Part One: Gifts That Grow, Part Two: Farm to Table, Part Three: Good for the Environment and Part Four: Helping Others.

A la Cart: Power to the Pig!

From Bunk to Laurelhurst Market to Tails & Trotters to the brand new Olympic Provisions, Portland is head-over-heels over the pig. Back in the day, Fred Carlo spent months learning how to make traditional Italian porchetta from practitioners of the art in Italy (still not a bad way to go, if you ask me).

Cliff Allen carving him some pig. (If you look closely you can see the juices it's spitting out!)

But these days young chefs can get a taste of that tradition by working with many of this city's meat mavens, like Cathy Whims at Nostrana and Mark Doxtader at Tastebud. Which is precisely what young Cliff Allen did before he bought an old bread truck, painted it bright yellow, added some snappy custom wood paneling and opened The People's Pig.

He's been serving smashingly good porchetta and sopressata sandwiches from his location at the food-cart pod on SW 2nd and Stark downtown for a couple of weeks now, and he's attracting crowds clamoring for the luscious, pork-and-pickled pepper-filled buns he's putting out.

I had my first sample at the recent Olive Oil Garage Sale event, and I can tell you we're going to be hearing a lot more from this plucky fellow and his meaty talents in the future.

Details: The People's Pig, on SW 2nd and Stark, on Stark between 2nd and 3rd Aves.

Home Is Where the Food Is

A charming short film by animator Jody Kramer of Vancouver, BC, for the 100 Mile Diet Society of Vancouver.

"The film follows every ingredient of a delicious and simple meal to its source. In the making of this film, I visited a dairy farm, a mill/bakery and a busy marina, all on Vancouver Island, and all within my 100-mile radius. I also spent time in the kitchen with Tina Biello, a busy working gal who makes time for her food, from growing her own veggies to learning about the production of local food for her favourite family recipes."

Good Breakfast in PDX? Bunk!

When I get up in the morning, slow is my speed of choice. I stumble downstairs with the dogs poking the backs of my legs, herding me to the back door so I'll let them outside. Shuffling around the kitchen, I get a pot of coffee going, letting my eyes adjust to the whatever daylight is spilling in the windows.

Bunk, Portland's unpretentious paen to the sandwich, is like that, too. All hustle-bustle at lunch, with lines out the door and pork grease hanging in the air, it's a calm, sparsely populated place mid-morning, with bed-headed dudes sitting at the counter treating the excesses of whatever they indulged in the night before with large doses of strong coffee.

The cooks might as well be reciting zen koans the way they stand behind the counter methodically slicing heads of lettuce into perfect green mountains. The menu is even restrained so as not to tax foggy brains, the only choice a breakfast sandwich of fried egg and melted cheese on a poppy seed roll that can be accessorized with the house bacon or sausage.

With your sandwich of choice unceremoniously plopped on a tray in front of you, the slightly soft egg yolk running down your chin when you bite into it, you're left to ponder your day in peace. Mornings just don't get better than that.

Details: Bunk Sandwiches, 621 SE Morrison. 503-477-9515.

Cranberries: Not Just for the Holidays

If you think of cranberries and envision hardy New England farmers slogging through crimson bogs, you need to start thinking more locally. Cranberries grew wild on the Clatsop Plain south of the Columbia River and were an important part of the native Quinault and Queet Indians' diets. They were often included in pemmican, the energy bar of the early Americas, sustaining natives and explorers alike when wild game and fruits were scarce.

Charles Dexter McFarlin came to Coos County from Massachusetts and planted the first cranberry bog way back in 1885, and the cranberry has been cultivated on Oregon's southern coast ever since. Clearwater Cranberries, a collaborative of farming families in the area, are following in McFarlin's footsteps and going him one better by becoming Food Alliance certified. That means they've been inspected and approved as growers who use environmentally friendly, socially responsible practices, as well as showing a commitment to educate consumers about the benefits of sustainable agriculture.

Grand Central Baking's cranberry chutney in my great-grandmother's blue footed bowl.

I ran across their cranberries recently and used them in a fresh cranberry chutney that almost upstaged the turkey and gravy as the featured players at Thanksgiving. This piquant number will be making another appearance at Christmas dinner, and may well show up alongside some Indian dishes in the future, as well.

Cranberry Chutney
Adapted from Grand Central Bakery

2 tsp. olive oil
2 medium red onions, diced (to make about 1 2/3 cups)
2 tsp. finely minced garlic
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
2-3 large apples, diced (to make about 5 cups)
1 1/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. cayenne or red pepper flakes or 2 small red chiles
1/2 c. golden raisins
1/2 c. currants

Put the olive oil in a large, non-reactive pan and warm over medium heat. Add the onions, stir to coat and cook until slightly softer and becoming translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and cook a few more minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients, increase the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 45 minutes or until the cranberries and apples have cooked down and the sauce has thickened. To store, place cooled chutney in an airtight container and refrigerate for about one week, or you can also can or freeze it.

Makes approx. 2 qts.

Farm Bulletin: Asking for Help

On a sunny November morning, the (deep breath…) Oregon House Committee on Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Communities (whew!) met in Salem to hear from the Oregon Dept. of Agriculture and several representatives from Oregon farmers' markets and small farmers involved in direct sales to consumers. One of those was contributor Anthony Boutard of Ayers Creek Farm. His testimony outlines the issues the working group, formed that day, will be addressing.

Our farm is small, but well diversified. We produce grains, legumes, vegetables, cane fruit, table grapes, nuts and stone fruit. We are also one of a handful of market farms that grow vegetables all through the winter.

As market farmers, we are often asked why it is so hard to find traditional local foods such as fresh hominy, locally grown and ground grains, brined pickles, or prunes and raisins. We reply that Oregon Department of Agriculture’s rules discourage small farms from on-farm processing with requirements created for industrial type standards, a daunting process and steep fees. The last session of the legislature passed a law allowing ODA to fine violators of food processing laws, big and small, $10,000, further stifling any experimentation.

Oregon’s strict land use laws are predicated upon the productive use of the state’s farm and forest lands. The underlying justification for protecting the land is the flow of economic and social benefits that land preservation brings. Family farms such as ours should be preserved for our day-to-day contribution to our state’s economy, and not merely as quaint footnotes from the past or horse pasture.

It is not enough for the state to restrict development on farm and forestland, if our ability to generate income from our land is curtailed. Traditionally, farmers have bolstered farm income by processing some of their crops. [Some of Ayers Creek's products are shown at top. - KAB] Walnut and prune driers were a common part of Willamette Valley farms. Decades ago, dozens of roadside stands sold prunes, pies, pickles and preserves prepared by farm families. As licensing fees and other requirements have put a chill on modern farmers’ ability to add value to their crops, these farm-based foods have disappeared. Sadly, it is hard to find a true Oregon prune anywhere in the state today.

An artifact of the last three decades when almost every Oregon farm sold the majority of their crops to large processors, the food laws were written to regulate large industrial processors. Consequently, few farmers paid much heed to the laws. As processors have folded or abandoned Oregon, farm income is being pinched. We need to draft laws that give farms greater flexibility in value-added production and encourage a healthy rural economy.

Good models for change exist. Many states have adopted a light regulatory touch when it comes to on-farm processing of low hazard foods such as pies, pickles, preserves, dried fruits, lacto-fermented vegetables, hominy and grinding grains. New York and Iowa have a long tradition of encouraging farmers to offer these foods directly to the public without costly inspections and licensing fees. Minnesota’s “pickle law” permits farmers to produce various value added foods without running afoul of the state food processing laws. This spring, Indiana followed suit with its “Pie Law,” freeing pickles, preserves and baked goods from heavy regulation when sold directly to the consumer.

These laws are carefully limited to direct sales to the consumer, not third-party sales. It is not a free-for-all and all products have labeling requirements, including a list of ingredients and a statement that the goods are not produced in an inspected and licensed facility. They simply remove a substantial barrier to expanding food options.

Progressive states treat on-farm value-added products as one would a bicycle versus a Mack truck. It does not make sense to require bicyclists to wear seat belts and pass a commercial drivers license (CDL) exam. Likewise, a farm family that bakes a few pies, grinds some cornmeal or ferments a few batches of sauerkraut to sell to regular customers should not be subject to the same laws as a mill grinding tons of corn per day or a processor producing thousands of jars of sauerkraut per hour. These are foods that have been safely prepared by farmers for generations. We need to reinvigorate the tradition rather than stifle it with pointless regulation.

Along with other farmers and consumers, we hope the legislature makes changes in the laws in the next session.

If you'd like to support the changes in the laws that Anthony outlines, you can locate your legislator here and tell them how important it is to support Oregon's small farmers and farmers' markets.

Season's Greenings: Helping Others

Giving is the watchword at this time of year and one of the best gifts you can give is a helping hand to those in need. This is the fourth in a five-part series adapted from an article I wrote for the Nov.-Dec. '09 issue of NW Palate magazine.

John Haines is the Executive Director of Mercy Corps Northwest and leads one of the most successful and innovative microfinance institutions in America, helping low-income entrepreneurs in the Portland metro area (above) by offering loans, financial education, and a variety of technical-assistance programs.

His ideas for sustainable gifts, as you might expect, focus on helping people help themselves, like giving a gift of a Mercy Kit in the recipient’s name. “A Children’s Food Kit helps children eat better to get strong and healthy so they can play, learn, and grow,” he said. “A Children’s Health Kit provides immunization, nutrition, and health education programs to make a lifesaving difference for children, and a Family Garden Kit supports agricultural programs that help families plant and maintain home gardens and harvest fresh fruits and vegetables.”

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Classic Wines Auction Winemaker Dinners pair esteemed Northwest winemakers with gourmet cuisine prepared by regional chefs, with proceeds benefiting local children’s and family charities. The event is scheduled for March 2 through 6 of 2010 and reservations go quickly, so it's best to act soon to have the best selection.

Support your local Northwest food bank with a donation in a recipient’s name and have a direct impact on the lives of people in your community. Many offer more than one way to give, from giving money and donating goods and services, to sharing extra produce. Contact Oregon Food Bank, Northwest Harvest in Washington, or Food Banks Canada.

TisBest Charity Gift Cards are offered by this Seattle-based organization, founded in 2007, and benefit the charity of the recipient’s choice. Choose from a number of national charities, including many that strive to end world hunger—and coming soon is a registry of local charities in Portland and Seattle.

Read Part One: Gifts That Grow, Part Two: Farm to Table, Part Three: Good for the Environment and Part Five: DIY Food & Drink.

Seeds of Life: David vs. Goliath

This interview with organic seed grower Frank Morton of Wild Garden Seed in Philomath was done before the landmark decision in favor of the organic growers who sued the USDA over the deregulation of Monsanto's Roundup Ready sugar beet seeds. It's a great explanation of the suit (based on a previous court ruling on GMO alfalfa), and a portrait of someone I consider a state treasure.

My Dream Garage Sale This Weekend!

Contributor Jim Dixon of Real Good Food has an annual, not-to-be-missed pre-Christmas garage sale, and lucky for us it's not old clothes and cracked pots but real, good food.

The annual olive oil garage sale returns this week. The sale runs from 11 am to 5 pm Friday, December 4, and from 10 am till 6 pm Saturday, December 5, in our driveway at 3432 NE 16th (just south of Fremont). Cash or checks only, please; more details at the bottom.

When I started importing real extra virgin olive oil from Italy a decade ago, I worked out of the garage at our home in NE Portland. But after several years of constantly rearranging the bikes, lawnmower, table saw, and our 1966 Tom Cramer VW bug so I could squeeze in the growing shipments of oil, I broke down and moved to Activspace.

The garage sale attempts to capture the feel of an Italian sagra, the Italian equivalent of the Verboort sausage festival. Usually held after the fall harvest, these small town fund raisers typically celebrate some local foodstuff. The residents volunteer to cook and temporary dining rooms sprout in warehouses or school gymnasiums. People come from the nearby cities to eat and drink, and they usually go home with a jug of freshly pressed olive oil.

In the tiny village of Chianni (where we spent three weeks on our first visit to Italy), the Sagra del Cinghiale offers the wild boar that roams the area in several different dishes, from boar ragu over pasta to a hearty stew flavored with fresh olives (I made the mistake of biting into one of the incredibly bitter fruits, but for some reason they don’t don’t make the stew itself bitter). Unlabeled bottles of vino novello, wine made from that year’s grapes using carbonic maceration, are filled from massive wooden casks and cost a few dollars, so everyone’s carrying one. It’s usually cold, often wet, and night comes early so the piazza sparkles under bare light bulbs strung up for the weekend.

My little sagra involves a big pot of soup, a few bottles of wine, and a fire to fight off the chill (if it’s not raining too hard). Our driveway becomes the piazza, and the stainless steel fustini holding the extra virgin move back into the garage. It’s not exactly a rustic village in Tuscany, but you get the idea.

This year I won’t have as many extra virgin olive oils from Italy, but I will have some freshly pressed olio nuovo from California. I spent a few days after Thanksgiving in Napa with Albert and Kim Katz, picking olives and watching them pressed into the bright, almost florescent green new oil, cloudy and intensely aromatic, sharply pungent and peppery from the abundant polyphenols. I also picked up some olio nuovo from the California Olive Ranch, so you’ll be able to taste two different new oils.

Bulk oils this year include Antheo (Sicily), Everyday Extra Virgin (Sacramento Valley, California), and a limited quantity of Katz Chef’s Pick (Suisun Valley, California). Bottled oils include Antheo, COR Olio Nuovo & Everyday Extra Virgin, Katz Chef’s Pick, Rock Hill Ranch, Meyer Lemon (limited quantity), and December’s Olio Nuovo (limit 2 bottles per customer). Haricot Farms red beans & garbanzos, Bluebird farro, and Portuguese sal cinza will be available, as will the Katz vinegars and the aceto balsamico from Profumi Estensi. Sorry, no olives this sale.

Porchetta Possible on Saturday

Cliff Allen cooked at Tastebud, and he’s currently in the kitchen at Nostrana. Saturday he’s bringing his People’s Pig truck to the olive oil garage sale around 11 am, hopefully with porchetta, and will be selling sandwiches full of porky goodness. Come hungry.

Details: Olive Oil Garage Sale. Fri., 12/4, 11 am-5 pm, and Sat., 12/5, 10 am-6 pm, cash or checks only. Bring clean, dry containers (preferably dark glass wine bottles) for bulk sales. I’ll have bottles for sale, too, for $2 each. 3432 NE 16th Ave. 503-380-1067.

Thoughts On: Oregon Laws on Raw Milk Sales

An occasional feature here at GoodStuffNW is "Thoughts On" various topics by Yamhill farmer Chrissie Zaerpoor of Kookoolan Farms. This essay details some of the laws surrounding sales of raw (versus pasteurized) milk that small farmers must follow.

An interesting aspect of the Oregon raw milk laws is its restriction on the number of cows a farm is allowed to keep. Raw milk sales are legal only if the farmer has three or fewer lactating cows on the premises. "Lactating" is a legal term, meaning any cow that has ever lactated, even once. In other words, female beef cows count, but baby cows don't. (This is another, lesser, reason, why our beef cows are raised on a neighbor's land.)

Chrissie with Ariba, top and left.

Something we have come to understand over time is that this restriction on the number of dairy cows means that the only way to legally increase milk production is to upgrade from lower-producing to higher-producing cows. We started with one cow who gave about 3.5 gallons of milk a day. On average, Holsteins give ten gallons a day and Jerseys give only 4 to 5gallons a day. But "averages" can be misleading—it's just a statistic which means that about half of all cows produce more, and half of all cows produce less.

As you can imagine, the price of the cow is pretty directly correlated to her production. Cows produce more milk with each subsequent lactation, so older cows produce more than younger cows. Despite this truth, large factory dairies frequently choose to over-milk their young cows with no "dry" period between pregnancies to rest, resulting in Holstein dairy cows often ending up in the hamburger market at just four or five years ofage.

Our newest Jersey cow, Della (right), is a seven-year-old beauty who produces nine gallons of milk a day, and we fully expect her to be a healthy, productive cow for another 8 to 10 years! Jerseys are regarded as producing the highest-cream, sweetest-tasting milk of all breeds. This and their smaller size and more docile nature are the reason they're our breed of choice. Each of our three cows is worth more than any one of our cars or trucks (excepting our delivery van).

We frequently have customers ask us to bring milk to the farmer's market, but raw milk can legally be sold in Oregon only if the customer purchases the milk at the farm where it is produced. The good news is that this centerpiece enterprise brings many customers directly to our farm every day of the week. Most also buy eggs while they're here; some buy chicken or other poultry, pick up a CSA vegetable share, or reserve beef or lamb shares.

The third major aspect of Oregon's raw milk laws is that farmers cannot advertise or solicit raw milk sales. For many customers who have"finally" found us, this is frustrating because it makes a small dairy very hard to find. You will never see us offer our milk for sale or advertise its availability. In compliance with Oregon laws, any such conversation must be started by the customer, not by us. That's why you'll find the Dairy Information page of our website password protected: If all the information about our raw dairy was posted for anyone on the web, it could reasonably be considered trawling for business. The password protection keeps us in compliance with the no soliciting/no advertising laws.

No Shortage of Opinions

Robin Goldstein is the author of "Fearless Critic Portland Restaurant Guide" and someone I haven't run across before, but he's got a few opinions about restaurants here in town.

In a recent post on Powell's Books blog, he slams a few local joints upside the head with the title of "most over-hyped, underwhelming spots in PDX." Among those are:

• Candy (or "Candy Ultra Lounge"): "If you're a connoisseur of laughably insufferable pretense, you'll feel like a kid in a candy store here."
• Jake's: Refers to the food as " chain-industrial."
• El Gaucho: He dubs it "El Gouge-O."
• The Heathman: "They still trumpet a Beard award they won eight years ago."
• Rontoms: "It seems like someone's genitalia is playing a key decisionmaking role in the…HR department."

Runners-up include Vault Martini Bar, Bluehour and Teardrop Lounge.

His list of "trendy restaurants that live up to their hyped-up status"?

• Park Kitchen: "Epitomizes what Portland is all about."
• Beaker & Flask (photo, top): "They really are that cutting-edge."
• Andina: "The lighting will flatter your date (who might drink more of those sugary cocktails since they go down so easily)."
• Beast: "There's not a better restaurant in Portland at the moment."
• Henry's 12th St. Tavern: "Even if the kitchen isn't great, [their] prices show a lot of Portland spirit."

Runners-up include MetroVino, DOC, Saucebox, Le Pigeon, Pok Pok, Clyde Common, Ping, Clarklewis, Sel Gris.

Check the blog post for full comments, and there's no doubt the book has many, many more.

A Very Local Perspective on Afghanistan

I don't think Emily Harris, of Oregon Public Broadcasting's radio program "Think Out Loud," knew what she was getting into when she interviewed Lewis & Clark professor Zaher Wahab about his take on Obama's plan to send 30,000 troops into the country.

You see, Wahab, a professor of education, was born there, the brilliant child of a village chief who was plucked from his tiny, poverty-stricken village and shipped first to Beirut for schooling, and ending up doing graduate work at Columbia and Stanford. Full disclosure is required here. I was a student of Dr. Wahab's for one term when I was a student in the education department at Lewis & Clark (after my mother convinced me that I needed something to "fall back on"), and went on an overseas study program he led to South Korea and Japan.

He is nothing if not a (brilliant) critical thinker, and isn't afraid to speak his mind, which he did from the first question out of Ms. Harris' mouth. He's spent four months a year for the last several years working with the government to rebuild Afghanistan's education system, and has a take on the occupation of the country that I've heard from several friends who are intimately acquainted with the region.

The show is well worth a listen and, as usual with Wahab, is an eye-opening exposure to a very different opinion on what needs to be done there. Download an mp3 of the program or listen to it on the site.

Habitual Behavior

Hello. My name is Kathleen, and I've got a mushroom problem.

There, I've said it and it's out in the open. Ever since Roger Konka and Norma Kraven of Springwater Farm started selling bags of mixed mushrooms at their market stalls, I've been hooked. Sure, at first the $5 bag (note the drug reference here) was enough, but soon my cravings increased and I bumped up to the $10 bags. And, like good suppliers, they were happy to feed my need.

I found myself supplementing their product with stuff I scavenged myself, the pure golden product known as Cantharellus cibarius or "Northwest Gold." And I was slipping them into everything from tuna casserole to cream soup, hoping that my family wouldn't notice the frequency of their appearance.

But of course they did. They took me aside and gently, kindly yet firmly told me they loved me but that the fungus obviously had a grip on me. I begged for one more dish, a farewell salute to my mushroom habit (recipe below), and they agreed.

Little do they know I've got plenty more stashed in the freezer to pull out when the craving hits again.

Mushroom Risotto with Truffle Shavings

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 med. onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. assorted wild mushrooms or crimini mushrooms, sliced*
6 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. dry white wine
2 c. arborio rice
1/2 c. parmesan, grated fine, plus more for sprinkling
Salt and pepper, to taste
Black truffle for shaving

Heat oil in deep skillet or saucepan. Sauté onion and garlic until translucent. Add mushrooms and sauté briefly. Add wine and stock and bring to simmer over medium heat. Add rice and bring back to simmer, stirring frequently to avoid sticking, until most of liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender but wet. Stir in cheese and season with salt and pepper. Serve, grating truffle on top.

* With wild mushrooms, I tend to chop the larger, more solid ones and slice or tear the lighter-weight mushrooms so the dish has a variation of textures and shapes.

Gracious Gifting

You'd expect someone who writes a blog about what's happening in the Northwest to be up on what's happening around town, but I sure get surprised a lot. Downtown shops? A complete mystery to me. Shopping in the Pearl? Haven't a clue.

So when I wandered into a fascinating little shop in Multnomah Village called Indigo Traders and was taken with the mix of pottery, soaps, scarves and bedding it carries, I shouldn't have been shocked when owner Samir Naser said they'd been open for seven years. But really, had it been that long since I'd taken a stroll through the shops in the neighborhood?

While he made me a cup of complimentary Turkish coffee roasted for them by Mudd Works Roastery (he also offers shoppers mint tea), I browsed the beautiful Pashmina wool wraps (left) he imports from Turkey. The intricately embroidered pillows, wall hangings and table runners he carries are made by the women of the Palestinian Embroidery Society of Jordan (PESJ). The Society was founded by Indigo Traders to preserve the art of traditional Palestinian embroidery and provide an opportunity for Palestinian women refugees living in Jordan to learn business skills while earning an income.

Samir is also an accomplished cook and the shop has started carrying food products from Canaan Fair Trade, an organization based in Palestine that is working to empower rural communities, educate farmers about sustainable practices and support them as they convert to certified organic production. Products include olive oils from the Nabali tree, native to Palestine, that produces a light, fruity oil and the more robust, pungent oil from the Rumi tree, brought to Palestine by the Romans. You'll also find za'atar, a combination of sumac and wild thyme, as well as capers, olives and couscous. I also understand that Samir offers occasional cooking classes, so I'll keep you posted as those are scheduled.

Which all goes to show that it's good to venture outside your usual haunts. There's a lot to discover out there!

Details: Indigo Traders, 7878 SW Capitol Hwy. in Multnomah Village. 503-780-2422.