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.”

* * *

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.

Keeping It Fresh

In a longtime relationship it's all about keeping it fresh. And I'm not talking about that old 70s trick of meeting your significant other at the door in an ensemble consisting of plastic wrap and a martini.

It can be as simple as meeting at a bar after work for a quick drink before coming home for dinner. Or going for a drive and taking along a picnic lunch. Growing up, we had an annual tradition of driving out into the woods in the dead of winter for a picnic in the snow. After having lunch, Mom and Dad would sit in the car and drink coffee or hot chocolate (possibly laced with something warming) while we kids would run around like wild animals, exhausting ourselves so we'd sleep all the way home.

It tends to work that way with food, too, where my habit is to reach into the same old, though perfectly tasty, bag of tricks for appetizers, usually a dip, some favorite olives and a wedge or two of cheese. The other day I ran across a recipe for gougères, a simple snack I used to make in college. They're basically little cheesy clouds of flour, butter, eggs and cheese, and are ideal for those of us who like to make our guests think we sweated for hours.

Gougères

From David Lebovitz


From Mr. Lebovitz's recipe: "Two things to keep in mind when making these. One is that you should have all the ingredients ready to go before you start. Don't let the water and butter boil away while you grate the cheese. Otherwise you'll lose too much of the water. Second is to let the batter cool for a few minutes before adding the eggs so you don't 'cook' them. Make sure when you stir in the eggs that you do it vigorously, and without stopping. I'm not a fan of extra dishes to wash, but the intrepid can put the dough in a food processor or use an electric mixer to add and mix the eggs in quickly."


1/2 c. water

3 Tbsp. butter, salted or unsalted, cut into cubes

1/4 tsp. salt
Big pinch chile powder, or a few turns of freshly-ground black pepper

1/2 c. flour

2 large eggs

12 chives, finely minced (or 1 to 2 tsp. minced fresh thyme)

3/4 c. grated cheese


Preheat the oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

Heat the water, butter, salt and chile or pepper in a saucepan until the butter is melted. Dump in the flour all at once and stir vigorously until the mixture pulls away from the sides into a smooth ball. Remove from heat and let rest two minutes.


Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring quickly to make sure the eggs don't 'cook.' The batter will first appear lumpy, but after a minute or so, it will smooth out. (You can transfer the mixture to a bowl before adding to eggs to cool the dough, or do this step in a food processor or electric mixer, if you wish.) Add about 3/4 of the grated cheese and the chives, and stir until well-mixed. Scrape the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a wide plain tip and pipe the dough into mounds, evenly-spaced apart, making each about the size of a small cherry tomato. Or you can simply use two spoons to scoop out bits of dough and place them on the sheets. Top each puff with a bit of the remaining cheese, the pop the baking sheet in the oven.

Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375° and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until they're completely golden brown. For extra-crispy puffs, five minutes before they're done, poke the side of each puff with a sharp knife to release the steam, and return to the oven to finish baking. Makes about thirty bite-sized puffs.

Season's Greenings: Good for the Environment

Today is Black Friday, and I can't think of a better way to turn this mad season of consumption on its head than to think about ways we can start spending money in a sustainable fashion. This is the third in a five-part series adapted from an article I wrote for the Nov.-Dec. '09 issue of NW Palate magazine.
Lindsay Coulter is the Queen of Green at the David Suzuki Foundation, which works with government, businesses, and individuals to conserve the environment by providing science-based education, advocacy, and policy work.

Coulter suggests giving paper new life. Recyclable papers made from newspapers, magazines, and envelopes can be made into cards, bookmarks, gift tags, and small gift boxes, and can be embedded with seeds that grow herbs and flowers indoors in pots or outdoors in the spring. Plus, crafting is a great family, kid-friendly activity. Check out her recipes here.

Coulter also recommends buying used goods, whether recycled, vintage, pre-owned, or antique, which minimizes the carbon footprint attached to the gift. One more idea: “Consider giving experiences instead of stuff,” she says. Gift certificates to restaurants, for instance, make great gift card stuffers. “Throw in bus tickets or passes for an extra shot of green,” she adds. For more of Lindsay's ideas, go to her website, and take a look at other green gifts in the Suzuki Foundation holiday catalog.

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Eco-Guides puts homeowners on the path to sustainability with in-home consulting on home energy conservation, waste reduction, toxics reduction, water conservation, and green gardening. The Portland, Oregon-based service offers a three-session package that has estimated per home savings at $466 per year, much less than the cost of the service.Taste of the Oregon Coast gives you a delicious way to support the protection of Oregon’s wetlands habitat. Along with a $100 donation, you’ll receive a can of Local Oceans Seafood Smoked King Salmon and a bottle of Rogue Beer, plus a personalized thank you letter. Call 503-691-1394 for information.

A recycled bike chain bottle opener from Resource Revival in Mosier, Oregon, says love to your dearest beer aficionado.—$14

Fat of the Land by Seattleite Langdon Cook. This book explores the Pacific Northwest via adventures in foraging and discovers a regional stew of food, natural history, and unusual characters.—$27

Read Part One: Gifts That Grow, Part Two: Farm to Table, Part Four: Helping Others and Part Five: DIY Food & Drink.

Proper Porchetta

Talk about nose-to-tail eating! This is what Mark Doxtader was dishing up at his Tastebud stand at today's Eastbank Reunion Market. (Kids were dragging their moms over for a look.) With any luck, you'll find it on Saturdays at Tastebud at the Portland Farmers' Market at PSU through Dec. 19. Just look for the smoking brick oven.

Mad About Mushrooms

Our drippy, damp fall and winter weather may not be everyone's cuppa, but some thrive in this moist environment. They're called fungi. Welcome them into your home with this creamy, cozy soup from contributor Kathryn LaSusa Yeomans.

As the cold comes on, many farms wind down for the winter, but the opposite is happening at Springwater Farm, whose offerings are at their peak. Chanterelles, porcini, truffles, hedgehog, black trumpet, yellowfoot, matsutake, fried chicken mushrooms, cauliflower mushrooms, nameko, shiitake and maitake are all in season right now!

Here's Springwater Farm's own fantastic Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe:

Springwater Farm Cream of Mushroom Soup

4 oz. fresh shiitake mushrooms
4 oz. fresh maitake mushrooms
4 oz. fresh chanterelle mushrooms
1 Tbsp. good olive oil
1/4 lb. (1 stick) plus 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
1 c. chopped yellow onion
1 carrot, chopped
1 sprig fresh thyme plus 1 tsp. minced thyme leaves, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 c. chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. dry white wine
1 c. half-and-half
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

To make the stock, heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large pot. Add the onion, carrot, the sprig of thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add 6 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid. You should have about 4 1/2 cups of stock. If not, add some water.

Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat the remaining 1/4 pound of butter and add the leeks. Cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the leeks begin to brown. Slice the mushrooms 1/4-inch thick and, if they are big, cut them into bite-sized pieces. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes, or until they are tender. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and stir for another minute, scraping the bottom of the pot. Add the vegetable stock, minced thyme leaves, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the half-and-half, cream, and parsley, season with salt and pepper to taste and heat through but do not boil. Serve hot.

Following 999 and Preceding 1001

One-oh-oh-oh.

10 x 10 x 10.

1K.

In other words, a whole boatload of posts have come before this one. Some silly, some serious, some happy, some sad. But all meant to be shared with you, the incredibly patient and kind readers of this blog. I can't tell you how lucky I feel to be writing it, or that I hope it makes a difference in some small way. Just know that it means so very much to me that you continue to read and comment on my writing, and I'll do my best to make it even better in the next thousand posts!

In The News: Market Closes and MPUs

A couple of news items have come across the digital transom in the last couple of days that I thought were worth sharing.

Portland Farmers' Market has announced the closure of their Thursday market at Ecotrust, the second closure of this market season after the cancellation of the Multnomah Village farmers' market back in July.

Ecotrust "never seemed to reach its full potential," said executive director Ann Forsthoefel, noting that while its four other market locations experienced increased traffic and sales, the Thursday market did not share the same rate of growth.

The press release stated that PFM is "currently evaluating other possible locations for a weekly market in Northwest Portland. The organization describes the ideal site as one that offers high visibility, community engagement and support from neighborhood and business associations."

* * *

A paradigm shift in our ability to access meat produced by small farmers is outlined in an article recently posted at Grist. Titled "Will Whole Foods’ New Mobile Slaughterhouses Squeeze Small Farmers?" and written by Tom Laskawy, the article drops the bomb that Whole Foods, wanting to aggressively expand its local meat sourcing, is working with the US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) to develop a fleet of mobile processing units (MPUs).

These units, initially designed to process poultry, would provide small farmers with a way to slaughter their animals on their farms and sell that meat to the public. Because of current regulations, only meat from animals slaughtered at USDA-approved facilities is allowed to be sold.

The development of MPUs became critical because of the closure of many local meat processing plants in the recent economic downturn, making it nearly impossible for some small farmers to get their animals to a USDA-approved facility unless they wanted to ship them hundreds of miles. With a booming demand for local meat and with farmers eager to provide farm-raised meat to a broader public, mobile units seem to provide a solution.

While Whole Foods will not require farmers to sell their meat exclusively to Whole Foods markets, some critics caution that proposed guidelines might cause small farmers to lose their independence because of the strict requirements that all birds produced for the company would need to have "a consistent look and taste." Raising the specter of "contract farming," or farmers essentially becoming indentured servants on their own land, critics are hoping to shape the debate to ensure farmers' access to these mobile units while being able to produce a unique product.

Livin' in the Blurbs: Turkey Week Events & More!

If you got busy and didn't make it to the farmers' market for your favorite Thanksgiving foods over the weekend, fear not, because several markets are going to be open this week for your shopping convenience. They are:

• Lloyd Farmers' Market, Tues., 11/24, 10 am-2 pm; in Oregon Square on NE Holladay St. between 7th and 9th Aves.
• Eastbank Farmers' Market, Tues., 11/24, 1-5 pm; on SE 20th at Salmon between Belmont and Hawthorne.
• People's Farmers' Market, Wed., 11/25, 2-7 pm; 3029 SE 21st between Division and Powell.

* * *

As everyone who reads this blog knows, I'm a total fan of my brother's wine shop, Vino, in Sellwood. With the attitude that it's wine, not brain surgery, he's got a great selection of value-oriented Euro goodness and domestics from the US of A, plus some hard-to-find goodies from some of the finest garagistes in the NW. He's celebrating his 10th anniversary this week with holiday hours and special tastings as follows:

• Sun., 11/22, 12-5 pm: Sampling of Duval-Leroy Brut Champagne and '08 Broadley "Willamette Valley" Pinot Noir; take 15% off any bottle in store
• Holiday Hours: Mon., 11/23, 12-4 pm; Tues., 11/24, 10:30 am-6 pm; Wed., 11/25, 10 am-2 pm; Closed Thurs., 11/26
• Fri., 11/27: Open 10:30 am; Wine tasting of South American red wines, 4:30-8 pm.
• Sat., 11/28: Open 10:30 am-6 pm with free tasting of a selection of great values.

Details: Vino's 10th Anniversary Week. Nov. 22-28. Vino, 1226 SE Lexington St. 503-235-8545.

* * *

In this season of celebrating all the things we are thankful for, it's important not to forget those who may be struggling at this time of year. New Deal Distillery is hosting an event they're calling Season's Eatings, a holiday market of local artisan food, wine and spirits on Sat., Dec. 5. Some of the vendors include Organics to You, Monteillet Fromagerie, Random Order Coffeehouse, Nonna's Noodles, Xocolatl de David, Black Sheep Bakery, Little Red Bike Café, Velo Café, River Wave Foods, Pacific Pies and others, and they'll have samples and products available for sale.

Details: Season's Eatings Holiday Market benefit for Oregon Food Bank featuring local food artisans. Sat., Dec. 5, noon-5 pm; free with one perishable food item or cash donation to Oregon Food Bank. At New Deal Distillery, 1311 SE 9th Ave. 503-234-2513.

Farm Bulletin: Giving Thanks

The transition from fall to winter prompts reflection, which might account for Thanksgiving's place on the calendar at the end of November. Contributor Anthony Boutard takes a moment to express appreciation for those who help get his and Carol's goods to market, as well as to take the measure of some of this year's successful crops.

This week marks the last of the weekly markets at Hillsdale Farmers' Market. Next month we assemble but fortnightly. The market starts at 10 am, and is located in the parking lot of Wilson High School.

We do want to take a moment to acknowledge market manager Eamon "Shoehorn" Molloy and the Hillsdale Farmers' Market volunteers. Sometimes you all ask us why we only come to Hillsdale. Our answer: Why mess with perfection? It is a wonderful neighborhood market, and the intimacy that results is why we want to be at the market. Shoehorn and the board have been careful to keep that neighborhood spirit alive, and we appreciate their efforts. Thank you.

The staff at Ayers Creek is regularly joined by volunteer helpers on Fridays. Especially in the winter when our staff is working Copenhaven Nursery down the road and the harvesting falls to the two us, a few extra hands make a huge difference. For the last few years, Linda Johnson helped us harvest winter vegetables. This spring, Linda, a dancer, accepted an appointment at Mills College, so we picked up a new Linda, Colwell that is, who is also a regular at Hillsdale. Linda was joined a family friend, Julia Ruby, who helped with spring planting and is now a freshman at Oberlin College. Last month, sisters Meg and Cate joined us as WOOFERs.

After hearing her mother refer to "the sisters" several times, daughter Caroline asked if we were working with a convent. Meg and Cate Critcos are familial sisters. Meg's dog, Lucy, with a fair portion of pit bull in her, has taught our portly and bandy-legged little dictator, Tito, a few well deserved lessons in manners. More recently, Fridays have been enriched by China Tresemer and Bill Bains. We appreciate the help and, most importantly, the excellent company our friends have provided.

Kale, Collards and Swiss Chard

Like Jack Kerouac (left), chard is a rootless beet. They are the same species, beets and chards, that is. We have worked hard to find a true Swiss Chard with big, white ribs. Unfortunately, this form of the vegetable has slipped into obscurity, replaced by the leaf type chards. We still prefer the type with big stems, and have found a good variety from the Italian seed house Franchi. The white stems on these chards are sweet and tender. The leaf blade is fine for soup, but is incidental to the stem. The stem makes a wonderful gratin, either alone or in combination with potatoes. Alternatively, they are cooked until tender and then added to an olive oil and anchovy-based sauce with thyme, fennel seed, capers and perhaps some garlic. The French also pickle the stems.

And don't neglect the kale. Several years ago, we sat in a presentation where a researcher was talking about the antioxidant qualities of blueberries, blackcaps and blackberries. The tables caught our attention because Chester rated highest among the blackberries. As he summarized the results, he noted that the study illustrated the impressive benefits of eating dark-pigmented berries, adding quietly, "So long as no one compared them to kale." Kale is off the charts in its antioxidant qualities, vitamins, minerals and everything else you might dream of. Of course, there is no kale commission to promote the greens and tout their manifold health benefits. Another example of what Michael Pollan coined "the silence of the yam."

Rutabagas

This is a special white-rooted variety of incomparable flavor and fine texture (top photo). Suspend any judgement you may have made about rutabagas.

For us, this was an accidental discovery. We bought a small package of seed labeled Gilfeather Turnip and promptly forgot to plant it. At the last moment, we sprinkled it at the end of the row because, if no roots formed, the turnip greens would be good. No turnips resulted and we forgot about the it.

Late in February, we noticed some odd-looking kale with a bulbous root. We cooked up the roots and they were absolutely delicious. Suddenly it dawned on us that the turnip was actually a white rutabaga, hence the unrecognized foliage. Eager to grow more, we opened the Fedco catalogue and under the variety it was noted that the seed crop had failed. Fortunately, we had not eaten all of the roots, so we immediately worked the remains of the patch, keeping the big roots and roguing out runts.

The next step was to eliminate any cabbages, turnips or kales growing in our fields. Pollinated by native bees, the various brassicas cross freely, and we needed to keep the seed pure. Fortunately we have good isolation in this valley. We harvested about a half pound of seed. Our first foray into rutabaga seed production proved a success as the plants grew true to type. Enjoy.

Beet Beat: The Fight Begins in Earnest

Now that a federal judge has ruled against the process that the FDA used to deregulate the planting of genetically engineered (GE) Roundup Ready sugar beet seeds, industry giants like Monsanto that get their income from those seeds and the pesticides and chemicals those crops depend on are screaming mad.

In a recent report on NPR's business program, Marketplace, it's pointed out that more than half of the country's sugar comes from sugar beets, almost all of which are grown from Monsanto's Roundup Ready seeds. Luther Markwart of the American Sugar Beet Growers Association is quoted as saying "This is a food security issue. We need to make sure that we have a good, strong, viable domestic beet-sugar industry."

Reporter Mitchell Hartman also spoke with Oregon plant breeder and seedsman Frank Morton (left), who produces and sells organic seed for his Wild Garden Seed in Philomath, Oregon. Morton, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, says it's also a food security issue for him and the other organic growers in the Willamette Valley where nearly all of the country's GE sugar beet seed is grown.

"If biotech traits show up in my seeds, then my seeds are worthless," Morton said of his beet and chard crops that are susceptible to cross-pollination from the GE beet pollen. "If my traits show up in conventional or biotech seeds, it's not a big deal to them, it does not destroy their value. It's an asymmetrical relationship we have here."

Judge Jeffrey White has ordered the FDA to produce an environmental impact statement which, the program says, could take years. And on December 4, the plaintiffs are going to ask the judge to issue a permanent injunction "to halt the sale and planting of GE sugarbeet seeds now and into the future, until the USDA does its job to protect consumers and farmers alike," said Zelig Golden, a lawyer with the Center for Food Safety.

The Marketplace report continues, "in a similar case, a judge banned Roundup Ready alfalfa; Monsanto's appealing that decision to the Supreme Court. If there's a ban on sugar beet planting nationwide, it's doubtful there's enough conventional seed in storage to lay in a crop next spring."

Rather than blaming the organic seed industry and farmers like Frank Morton, not to mention the courts, for this problem, maybe we need to look at the corporations that put us in this position in the first place.

Read the other posts in the series: The Beet Beat, In The Wind, The Wheels of Justice, The Wheels of Justice, Part 2.

Photo of Frank Morton by Mitch Lies for the Capital Press.

Macarena? Line Dancing? Pfft! Try the Pink Glove!

I would have loved to walk into Providence hospital when this video was being filmed. Initially instigated by the employees to increase breast cancer awareness among the staff, it's become a YouTube hit. No wonder!

Sweating Blood for Her Art?

We all have friends who are fabulously talented. Some are writers, some are cooks. Others are singers and teachers. My friend Antonia is an artist whose work I've admired since I first saw her portfolio of illustrations lo these many years ago.

She's moved on from commercial illustration to producing digital prints of her artwork, and you can see some of them from now through Dec. 17 at the Life's Crossing Gallery in the Red Cross building at 3131 N Vancouver Ave. The gallery is open from 8 am to 5 pm daily.

The prints are extremely affordable, so if there's someone on your holiday gift-giving list who'd appreciate a new piece of art to spark up a dull corner, consider one of these. She also has postcard and greeting card sizes available…don't you love our digital world? You can see more samples on her website.

Talkin' Turkey

How lucky are we?

Dave announced the other day that he was jonesing to grill a bird this Thanksgiving, so I called New Seasons to order a turkey and got a litany of choices, including Fresh Free-Range Turkeys, Fresh Petite Turkeys, Fresh Certified Organic Turkeys, Certified Organic Heirloom Turkeys and Kosher Turkeys. If you'd rather have white meat only, you can get Free-Range Turkey Breast or Organic Turkey Breast. For fancier tables, there are Brined Turkeys and Turduckens.

And those are just the turkey-based choices. There are hams, rabbits, beef, lamb, duck and pork for you rebel types, not to mention patés and meaty bits for appetizers and sides from places like Olympic Provisions and Laurelhurst Market.

I'm definitely not moving.

Photo of last year's bird…so delectable!

Markets in Peril Update: Using Scare Tactics

And you thought scare tactics were so last year. Turns out Dick Cheney isn't the only one who wanted to frighten people into panicky overreactions…now food officials are summoning the image of (ick!) bloody diarrhea to try to support increased restrictions on Oregon's burgeoning farmers' markets.

Small farmers who sell direct to the public at farmers' markets are facing the prospect of punitive rules that may reduce consumer choices in the markets and cause further headaches and uncertainty. Not to mention that these new rules are being proposed without one Oregon farmers' market ever having been linked to an outbreak of food-borne illness.

In a recent article in the Bend (OR) Bulletin on the "surveillance exercises" conducted by the ODA last summer, Ron Klein, a food safety manager for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, was quoted as saying that "in Alaska last year…more than 60 people became sick from raw peas sold at farmers markets. The peas had been infected with bird feces, and some of those infected suffered from weeks of diarrhea, fever and vomiting. One case even led to permanent neurological damage.

"Regardless of whether Oregon has had a reported problem, Klein added, 'You should not have to wait until somebody dies.'"

Sounds pretty bad, right? What the article failed to mention was that the problem originated from a flock of Sandhill Cranes that were nesting in the field and that the farm neglected to use chlorine in the wash water of the shelled peas. Furthermore, neither of these problems would be prevented by any new regulations the ODA is considering for Oregon farmers' markets. Oh, and by the way, nobody died. And the farm wasn't found to be operating illegally and none of the retailers who sold the peas were cited.

Kind of makes you wonder what the motive was for bringing this up, doesn't it? In the article, the ODA's Ellen Laymon said, “We don't want politics to drive food safety decisions.” Hm…sounds like it's too late for that. Maybe Dick Cheney could help us figure it out.

We Are All Connected

This is a moving melding of music and technological art, a project by John Boswell called The Symphony of Science. Using auto-tuning to stitch together videos of Carl Sagan, Richard Feynman, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye into a musical quilt, its stated purpose is "to deliver scientific knowledge and philosophy in musical form."

Farmers' Markets in Peril?

The wheels of justice grind ever so slowly. Last spring the Oregon Dept. of Agriculture (ODA) started rumbling about the need to impose new rules regulating the vendors at farmers' markets. Their idea was to do a series of "surveillance exercises" to check compliance with exisiting regulations. Sounds fine, right?

The answer is, not so much. The problem is that current ODA regulations see small farmers who sell directly to the public in the same way they view large industrial agricultural operations. In the series he wrote for GSNW titled "Farewell to Frikeh," contributor Anthony Boutard outlined the problems and suggested solutions.

The video above gives a basic overview of the issues, and a hearing at the Capitol in Salem on Wednesday will discuss the issue further. Hopefully things will move forward at more than the current snail's pace.

Details: Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Communities Informational Hearing on Farmers' Markets. Wed., Nov. 18, 8 am. Room HR F (House wing), State Capitol Bldg., Salem. 503-986-1755.

In Season NW: Back in Balance

I try to walk the walk even as I talk the talk. But, darn it, I have to admit that, down deep, I really hate not being able to have my favorite things simply because they're not in season.

So this morning the dogs scattered like a flock of startled birds when I leapt out of bed with uncharacteristic speed, slammed down some coffee and dashed out the door to be at the Hillsdale Farmers' Market when it opened. You see, it's been weeks since Anthony and Carol of Ayers Creek have been at the market, and every store in town was out of Carol's incredible preserves.

Not only that, ever since I started making polenta from their heirloom Roy's Calais Flint corn, every other polenta seems pasty and flat in comparison. And I haven't had the heart to subject myself, not to mention our guests, to the disappointment I knew would be in the cards from making any other kind. Which explains my desperation to get there, right?

When I saw on Anthony's e-mail bulletin that they'd have a full complement of preserves along with the first of the season's polenta, there was no way I was going to miss the opportunity to snag some. Of course, when I got there and saw the Aci Sivri Hungarian peppers that swept me off my feet last year, I grabbed a couple of bags of those, as well.

Now that there are six pounds of polenta sitting in the freezer, and with preserves and peppers in the cupboard, I feel so much better about winter. But maybe I'll have to get just a couple more pounds of polenta next week. Just in case.

Farm Bulletin: Spraying with Abandon

Anthony and his incisively erudite and always stunning wife, Carol, are beginning their seventh season at the Hillsdale Farmers' Market this weekend. As Anthony notes, "the market opens at 10 am, regardless of rain, snow or even overly bright sunshine. So long as the market can be operated safely, it will open. Heavy winds are the biggest safety concern." For a complete list of their offerings this week, refer to the market website.

Some farms have signs stating that they are "No Spray" or "Spray Free." Occasionally people will ask if we are "no spray." We dodge the question by pointing out that we are "Oregon Tilth Certified Organic," which satisfies the subtext of the inquiry. Oregon Tilth (logo, below) is a local organization that certifies farms as complying with the National Organic Program standards. Our farm received Oregon Tilth certification in 1998.

Because we grow organically, we spray with wild abandon, and at any spare moment. We own a 200-gallon air-blast sprayer, a 100-gallon boom sprayer that sprays six rows of vegetables at a time, and 25 gallon sprayer that fits on the ATV, all told, a serious investment in spraying machines. Foliar feeding, or spraying dilute nutrient solutions on the crop, is standard practice among high quality organic growers. Typically we apply a solution of kelp extracts, sea salt and enzymatically digested fish. We also apply nettle and compost tea at various times.

We start spraying early in the morning, just before sunrise, when the dew is heavy upon the plants. We want to apply the nutrients when the leaves are cool and the stomata, the tiny organs through which the leaves regulate gas exchange, are fully open. At 5 am, the tank mix releases a daunting fragrance. The crop is drenched and dripping with the feeding mix yet, by the next morning, not a trace of odor can be detected in the field. The mixture has been absorbed by the plant and the colonies of micro-organisms it hosts. Like humans, plants have a wide array of bacteria and fungi that live upon and within the plant tissues. On a healthy plant they are beneficial and serve a protective function.

Foliar feeding is expensive and time-consuming, and many growers doubt the worth of such applications. In fact, this sort of feeding does not increase yields in any substantial way, and does not replace good soil management. So why do we invest so much time and money in spraying? The plant responds with better flavor and vigor. We have found that foliar feeding leads to fruits and vegetables that are brighter and denser, and they resist insect and disease pressure better. It is worth noting that even growers who rely on synthetic fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals use foliar applications to quickly correct trace mineral deficiencies in their crops.

Sea salt, especially, is an under-appreciated agricultural amendment. Deeply ingrained in our minds is the salting of Carthage's cropland following the Third Punic War (illustration, top). In reality, salt has long been used in crop production. Many vegetables are domesticated maritime plants. These include asparagus, beets, turnips, cabbage, chard and chicories. Old texts make note of this fact, and recommend sea salt applications for both forage and crop plants. Research in the US, Italy and Israel has demonstrated that foliar salt applications improve the quality and nutrition of tomatoes. Here in Oregon the soils are very low in sodium, an essential plant nutrient, and sea salt provides a rich collection of trace minerals in addition to the sodium. Although care must be taken in applying salt, either to the ground or as a foliar feed, crops respond well to its use.

At the southern end of the Venice Lagoon is the port of Chioggia. The vegetables grown in the area are renowned for their flavor and quality. In fact, many vegetable varieties bear the name Chioggia as a horticultural benediction of sorts. As we crawl along with our spraying rig, we like to think that we are duplicating, however feebly, the salty sea breezes that spray off the Adriatic and imbue those vegetables with their fine flavor. We cannot imagine why anyone would want to claim to be "no spray."