Primal Cuts Comes to Portland Nov. 12th & 18th

I get a fair number of review copies in the mail and I have to say that Primal Cuts: Cooking with America's Best Butchers is one of the more exciting ones. One reason I got a review copy is because of the 50 US butchers that Marissa Guggiana interviews in what her publisher Welcome Books calls "a modern meat bible" three are from Portland:

Ben Dyer of Laurelhurst Market Jason Barwikowski of Olympic Provisions & Berlin Reed aka The Ethical Butcher

I wish I had a scale here at my studio because I'd weigh this meat tome. Oh wait, there's the online oracle -- ok so it's an impressive three-plus pounds. This is a hefty book that costs a pretty penny and although I know you can get three-pounds of pork butt for significantly less -- and then you can make Ben Dyer's Little Smokies pickled in a hot vinegary brine on page 125 -- the book is worth every penny.

Each butcher profiled introduces him or herself and then there are great, big photos of them with their meat (excuse me but it's true) as well as recipes for everything from cinnamon oxtail stew (Gabriel Claycamp, formerly from The Swinery, WA) and pork belly confit (Olivia Sargeant, Farm 255, GA) to boudin (Donald Link, Cochon Butcher, LA) and venison jerky (Scott Leysath, The Sporting Chef, CA). In addition to recipes the books includes DIY for homemade sausage, bacon and dry cured meats as well as advice for kick-ass burgers, deboning a chicken and making stock.

It's a fantastic book and I'm really looking forward to learning and cooking from it. Even though it's a little over the top when pulled out of context I really like what Dario Cecchini says in the book's introduction:

Here is the essence of our craft as butchers: a task crude and compassionate, strong yet delicate, always respectful toward the killed animal, with the ethical imperative of always using the meat in the best manner possible, knowing that, since the beginning of time, these animals were were given to mankind as a gift from God.

Saving the best for last, Primal Cuts is coming to Portland:

Friday, November 12, 7:30pm Dinner with Marissa Guggiana, Jason Barwikowski, & Ben Dyer Simpatica Catering & Dining Hall 828 Southeast Ash Street Portland, OR 97214

The menu from Simpatica's site:

Sliced Corned Veal Tongue and Fried Oxtail Roulade with Broken Sauce Gribiche, Grilled Toasts and Bitter Herb Salad

Turnip and Turnip Top Soup

Wood-Roasted Whole Cattail Creek Lamb with Chickpea and Viridian Farms Grilled Pepper Stew and Skordalia

Blood Orange Curd Crepes with Chantilly Cream

Price is $40 per person plus wine and gratuity. Dinner begins at 7:30pm. Please email Simpatica or call the kitchen at 503.235.1600 to make reservations.

And Thursday, November 18th:

Info. from the press release:

$20 PRESALE. $30 DOOR. Buy your ticket today at theethicalbutcher@gmail.com Thursday, November 18th 7-11pm The Cleaners at Ace Hotel 403 SW 10th Avenue

***AFTER PARTY*** After you fill up on all that local meaty goodness and get dancing to the beats at The Cleaners you’ll want to keep going. Head down the street to Beauty Bar for Homo Deluxe/Primal Cuts After Party. Beauty Bar 111 Southwest Ash Street, Portland

Oregon Culinary Institute Pig Project Dinners

In October I got an invitation to attend one of two Oregon Culinary Institute dinners that I've been looking forward to ever since. Both dinners sound great but by process of already-have-plans elimination I'm going to the first one next Tuesday night.

What exactly am I talking about? Here's some info...

Tuesday, November 9th, 7pm @ Oregon Culinary Institute -- Suds & Swine five-course fundraiser dinner with beer pairings from Upright Brewing to benefit Chefs Collaborative. MENU & TICKETS.

Wednesday, November 10th, 7pm @ Oregon Culinary Institute -- Wine & Swine five-course fundraiser dinner with wine pairings from Chehalem Winery to benefit Ecotrust's Farm to School program. MENU & TICKETS.

Tickets for each dinner are $75.

Oregon Culinary Institute chefs at Heritage Farms Northwest.

A little background...

In May, OCI purchased three Red Wattle hogs from Heritage Farms Northwest in Dallas, Oregon. Red Wattles are a breed of hog listed on Slow Food USA's Ark of Taste. According to Slow Food USA, "Red Wattle pork is exceptionally lean and juicy with a rich beef-like taste and texture." Mmm.

The breed is named for its color and distinctive wattles that hang from either side of its neck -- similar to the wattles of some goat breeds. Since May two of the pigs have been pen-raised at Sweet Briar Farms in Eugene and the other pasture-raised at Heritage Farms Northwest. All OCI culinary students were invited to participate in the project.

On November 9th and 10th OCI Chef Instructor Josh Blythe and a crew of students will prepare five-course dinners with each dish featuring side-by-side comparisons of the pasture- and pen-raised pork. OCI Baking and Pastry Chef Instructor Salvatore Hall and his students will prepare dessert. Each course will be tailored to the beverages served that night.

Wealth Underground Farm, an organic CSA farm located on Newberry Rd. off Skyline Blvd. in Portland, is providing produce for both dinners.

All events surrounding this project, leading up to and including the final dinners, are being filmed and edited into a final video production by Actual Industries.

Learn more about the dinners here. Learn more about the pig project here.

About Oregon Culinary Institute:

Established in 2006 as a division of Pioneer Pacific College, Oregon Culinary Institute offers a complete, practical and affordable culinary arts education where students can earn Associate of Applied Science degrees in Culinary Management, Baking and Pastry Management, and Restaurant Management. The school also offers diplomas in Culinary Arts, Baking and Pastry Arts, and Restaurant Management, Students may also earn a Sommelier Diploma at Oregon Culinary Institute in cooperation with the International Sommelier Guild. OCI’s student-run fine-dining restaurant serves lunch and dinner, most Mondays through Fridays. Reservations are recommended.

In the walk-in until next week's dinners...

Beaverton Farmers Market

It was my first time at the Beaverton Farmers Market last weekend and I can't stress to you enough what a fantastic market it is. I'd heard that it was a good one but until I saw it with my own eyes -- adjacent to the Beaverton City Library and just north of Beaverton City Park -- I had no idea.

First off, it's huge -- nearly 200 stalls. Second, vendors from Oregon and Western Washington are fully loaded with farm fresh products because people really shop at this market. I've never seen so many customer bags, baskets, carts and wagons full-to-brimming before at a market.

I talked with market director Ginger Rapport for a while (I was there selling books and she stopped by a couple times to check in) and she told me that the Beaverton Farmers Market stands out because folks there are shopping for families as opposed to other urban markets where people are sometimes snack shopping, gathering a few boutique edible items, or just treating the market as a great people-watching spot to check out.

Folks really use their purchasing power at the Beaverton Market and this has a lasting impact. In other words, there's A LOT to choose from. Including some really good eat-there market foods. My friend Christine and I ate some super tasty pork and asparagus tamales from these folks.

Here's a bit of what stood out for me at last Saturday's market...

A very good sign...

My friend Christine stopped by and we both got salsa supplies from Forest Grove's Sosa Farms.

More from Sosa Farms...

If I didn't have a big sack of hazelnuts already I would've gotten some from this guy.

The Pony Espresso folks had a long line all day.

Notebook, pen, money pouch, camera, sunglasses and books is all I need for a great day at the market...

Beaverton Farmers Market www.beavertonfarmersmarket.com Downtown Beaverton at SW Hall between 3rd and 5th Street Get directions 503.643.5345 Saturdays 5/8/10-10/30/10 -- 8am-1:30m Wednesdays 6/16/10-8/25/10 -- 3-6pm Harvest Market 11/20/10 -- 8am-1:30pm

Pioneer Square Farmers Market

I had such a great time late July at the Pioneer Courthouse Square Farmers Market. It was my first time getting over there since I'm usually at work while it's on. It's a glass slipper of a farmers market -- fits perfectly in the space. It's my one of my newest favorites. Here's why...

A few minutes before they rang the start bell at Pioneer Courthouse Square Farmers Market.

Currants and gooseberries still going strong.

End of July was all about peaches...

Young onions perfect for the grill.

Good looking beets.

And my guide to the goods. Thanks Pioneer Courthouse Square Farmers Market!

Pioneer Courthouse Square Farmers Market Mondays 10am-2pm June 21-October 25 Between SW Broadway and SW 6th and SW Morrison and SW Yamhill

Portland Food Co-ops' Local Farm Event June 6th

Portland has great food cooperatives and on Sunday, June 6th all three of them are joining forces for a day-long local farm tour -- Alberta Cooperative Grocery, Food Front Cooperative Grocery, and People's Food Co-op.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for youth below 14 years old, and low income tickets are available. Ticket price includes: lunch, wine tasting admission, bus transportation, entrance into raffles, drinks and snacks. To register, contact your nearest co-op for details.

From the press release:

3 CO-OPS, 2 FARMS, 1 CIDERWORKS

On June 6th, the three Portland food co-ops will be joining together to offer a day long farm tour. Community members from Alberta Co-op, Food Front Co-op, and People's Co-op will spend a relaxing day together in the rural farmlands of Oregon visiting two farms and a ciderworks.

Sunbow Farm

The farm tour will began with a visit to Sunbow Farm in Corvallis to meet "the father of organic farming", Harry McCormack. MacCormack established Sunbow Farm in 1972 to be an organic market garden. The farm is now home to six greenhouses, several barns, a bath house, and the Institute of BioWisdom, an education center focused on building hands-on organic farming and life skills.

For lunch, Wandering Aengus Ciderworks will host the tour for a seasonal local meal and cider tasting on their 280 acres of land. Just outside Salem, Wandering Aengus grows organic apples that are crafted into cider using a low intervention technique that showcases the delicious taste of their heirloom apples. With Willamette Valley Cheese Company just across the road, tourers can also expect to be treated to a little cheese with their cider.

Wandering Aengus Ciderworks

The final stop will be at Mustard Seed Farms in St. Paul, where Farmer Brown and his wife Nancy will show off their diversified vegetable farm that supplies all three co-ops with beautiful, year-round nutrition. Known for their fall pumpkins, Mustard Seed Farms grows a large variety of organic produce, from lettuce in the spring to over-wintering cauliflower. By working with local communities and organizations, farmers David and Nancy Brown have been able to maintain what may seem impossible...a small working family farm.

About the Cooperatives:

All three co-ops are community-owned grocery stores focused on providing customers with high-quality organic local food. Alberta Cooperative Grocery at the intersection of 15th Ave. and Alberta St. was founded in 2001 and serves as a community resource and gathering place, while providing fresh, high-quality, affordable food to the diverse members of North and Northeast Portland.

People's Food Co-op, located on SE 21st between Division and Powell, has been thriving since 1970 and will celebrate its 40th birthday this year. From cob walls to living rooftops, a weekly farmers market to relationships with over 50 farmers and producers, they are dedicated to nourishing the Portland community.

Food Front Co-op was founded in 1972 in NW Portland. It opened its second store in the Hillsdale neighborhood in 2008. Food Front treasures the relationships they've built with local farmers and food producers who provide them with the freshest and the finest.

Sunday, June 6th All day local farm tour hosted by PDX food cooperatives ***Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for youth below 14 years old, and low income tickets are available. Ticket price includes: lunch, wine tasting admission, bus transportation, entrance into raffles, drinks and snacks. To register, contact your nearest co-op for details.***  

Grape Talk -- Hardy Plant Society Kitchen Gardening Group

My friend Karen does all sorts of things that make me jealous. Lately she's launched into her new career as a landscape designer as well as working part-time at a local nursery. She gets to work with plants and people who care about plants all day long. That's pretty fantastic in my books and if that's not enough she also has the largest urban edible garden of anyone I know.

Not only is the garden amazing but Karen and her husband Chris have built a ceramic studio and sauna in the sprawling backyard portion of it. Another reason why I'm jealous of Karen is that she's a member of the Hardy Plant Society's Kitchen Gardening Group.

From the HPSO website:

The Kitchen Gardening Group is focused on edible landscaping, and sharing food and recipes from their bountiful gardens. They meet on the 4th Tuesday at 7pm at members homes, typically rotating from Eastside to Westside.

Karen goes to these monthly events and they always sound great. A while back there was one that I really wanted to go to -- how to grow and cook with Asian vegetables. Although I didn't attend that one I recently joined Karen for the March 23rd open-to-the-public grape growing Kitchen Garden event with Lon Rombough author of The Grape Grower.

Lon Rombough's favorite grape captured from his website...Swenson Red grape.

The event was held at a Unitarian church in Beaverton and although I didn't count I'm guessing there were about 30 people in attendance. They asked for a donation of $5 or more at the door but I'm sure they would let you attend if you couldn't afford that. I learned a lot and I'm definitely considering joining the Hardy Plant Society and its Kitchen Gardening Group as a result.

A few highlights from Lon's talk:

100 plus varieties of table grapes grow well in the Pacific Northwest.

We can grow good wine grapes here but outstanding table grapes. Why? Most of the wine grapes grown in the PNW are European varieties so they're not perfectly suited to the climate. Most locally grown table grapes are American varieties which are disease resistant and better suited to the area.

You can bury a sprawling grape vine at any point and it will sprout anew.

Swanson Red grapes are one of Lon's favorite table grapes.

Buds that are close to old wood are usually not too fruitful.

The best time to prune grapes is in the spring or late winter.

The biggest problem with growing grapes in Oregon...birds.

Lon Rombough www.bunchgrapes.comBuy Lon's books

French Prairie Farm Showcase -- Portland Chefs Collaborative Event

The onslaught of gardening and farming posts is due in part to the changing season. Spring has almost sprung and with all the changes that come with that there are some pretty fantastic events happening in Portland. The event I'm writing about now, however, is just for cooks and chefs so be forewarned.

I love what Portland Chefs Collaborative does for Portland food. I've written about them plenty on this blog including a post around this time last year for the organization's annual Farmer Chef Connection. The 2010 FCC just took place and although I didn't attend this time around I hear it was great.

Without further ado, Portland Chefs Collaborative is also hosting the upcomingFrench Prairie Farm Showcase next Thursday, March 18th in Butteville, Oregon.

Info. straight from the source:

The goal of this mini-trade show is to connect chefs with local farmers and specialty distributors. At present there are approximately 20 farms and 3 specialty distributors registered to be there to talk to you about locally grown organic and conventional products such as:

Row crops: bush and Italian flat beans, lettuce, salad green mix, green onions, special variety red onions, culinary herbs, radishes, spinach, parsley, beets, peppers, carrots, garlic.

Field crops: squash, zucchini, pumpkins,  potatoes (Yukon Gold, Red Fingerling, etc.).

Cold crops: Brussels sprouts on the stalk, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.

Pasture raised eggs

Pasture raised chicken and beef

Organic hops

Blackberries, raspberries and Marion berries

Thursday, March 18 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm

Lunch provided: Reservations required—call ahead

Location: The Historic Butteville Store

10767 Butte Street, Butteville, OR 97002

RSVP to:

Ben Williams - 503.568.5670

Dianne Stefanni-Ruff - 503.250.2791www.portlandcc.org

Portland Chefs Collaborative - fostering a sustainable food system through advocacy, education, and collaboration with the broader food community.

Spring for Zenger

Ever been to Portland's non-profit urban farm and wetland Zenger Farm? I haven't but now, more than ever, I really want to. Starting March 14th local restaurants and nurseries are celebrating Zenger Farm and its newest program -- Healthy Eating on a Budget -- which educates outer Southeast Portland youth and adults about shopping for, and cooking, healthy meals on a limited budget.

Restaurants and nurseries participating in the fundraising initiative include Nedd Ludd, Biwa, Pine State Biscuits, Pistils Nursery, and Portland Nursery.

If you're interested in other Zenger Farm initiatives, events and classes (beekeeping, chicken butchering, sausage making and more) check them out here.

Happy Anniversary Blog: One year and counting

Yep, it's been one whole year of blogging and I thought I'd do a year in the life post of the Food Lover's Guide to Portland blog. I'll start this off with a confession. When Sasquatch Books vice president Sarah Hanson asked me at Wordstock 2008 to start a blog for my book I remember a sinking feeling in my stomach. It wasn't a one too many Manhattans feeling. It was more of an -- I don't want to be a self absorbed, write-ad-nauseam-about-trivial-kitchen-experiments kind of person. I don't want to share my personal life with strangers online. I don't want to bore people, and bore myself to tears. Well, I hope that my initial apprehension has served me well and that I've risen above my fears and provided something truly worthwhile in this endeavor -- nearly 100 posts later. Mostly I hope that I do not, in fact, bore you to tears. If I do -- please move along because what follows is simply a year in review -- ghosts of my blog's past.

My first post revealed my stinky side -- my kimchi habit.

All my kimchi fixings

And I'll have you know that shortly after that batch of kimchi (for which I bought a new mandoline) I sliced off the tip of my right ring finger slicing radishes on it. That's one way to delay the writing of your book by the way.

One of my favorite blog posts was about the April Fool's Voodoo Doughnut wedding that I got to attend. The fact that this was just days after I went to ER for my sliced finger and was hopped up on Vicodin made this weird event even weirder...

Beneath the Cruller Chandelier of Life...

Some other good times researching/writing the book and blogging about it include meeting Earnest and Sumiko Migaki of Jorinji Miso and learning all about their local miso...

I love that we have local, hand crafted, delicious miso in Portland

Talking with Belmont Station and Biercafe co-owner Carl Singmaster about all things beer...

I got to try my first sour beer with this man!

Going on yet another amazing Wild Food Adventure with John Kallas...

This spring I ate wild sorrel, young salmonberry shoots, and stinging nettle thanks to John Kallas of Wild Food Adventures

Volunteering with Oregon Food Bank at its Eastside Learning Garden...

Mid-March harvest of collard greens from OFB Eastside Learning Garden

Taking a Kookoolan Farms cheese class...

I learned how to make ricotta, herbed chevre and more at a Kookoolan Farms cheese class in the spring

And attending Home Orchard Society's All About Fruit Show in the fall...

Thanks to Home Orchard Society experts at the annual All About Fruit Show this fall I found out my ancient backyard apple tree is a Gravenstein

Thanks for reading, thanks for caring.

Here's to another great year!

Eat, drink and be hairy.

Oregon Tilth's 2010 Gardening Classes

No, this post isn't about how my boyfriend constructed an awesome two-stage compost set-up in our backyard. I just thought it'd be a good segue into a post all about Portland gardening classes.

In 2008 I had the pleasure of taking several classes via the local Organic Gardening Certification Program with various Oregon Tilth teachers (and lots of other knowledgeable folks) and I learned so much. We all did. A couple weeks ago I got word from Kathy Dang, Oregon Tilth Organic Education Center program manager, that Oregon Tilth has doubled its classes this year and added new ones for beginning and advanced gardeners.

Classes are diverse in terms of topics covered, cost, and location. Here are some highlights from Oregon Tilth's 2010 class program. Visit the Oregon Tilth website for more information. Tilth Toolshed Series: Plan, Sow, Plant! Our practical 3-class series offered in partnership with the City of Portland's Urban Growth Bounty gardening initiative. Take each class separately or together as a series. Read More… Four-Season Vegetable Gardening Series Another series offered in partnership with the City of Portland's Urban Growth Bounty Initiative. Come find out how to encourage a bountiful harvest from your garden every season of the year! Read More… Tilth Toolshed Series at Luscher Farm The Tilth Toolshed Series: Plan, Sow, Plant! is being offered at second time at our demonstration garden at Luscher Farm. Come discover simple techniques for getting your garden started and increase your urban bounty this season! Read More… Comprehensive Organic Gardener Program The curriculum merges scientific and practical information, emphasizing hands-on practice. This unique and popular course introduces beginning gardeners to the dynamic world of organic gardening and gets their hands dirty in the process! March 4th - 25th! Read More…

Organic Gardening Certificate Program In partnership with Oregon State University, Oregon Tilth offers a program similar in size and scope to the OSU Master Gardener program, with an organic gardening focus. Read More… Urban Gardener Series Offered in partnership with the City of Portland's Urban Growth Bounty initiative, Oregon Tilth's Urban Gardener Series equips city gardeners with the tools necessary to farm our urban landscape. Read More…

In an Oregon Tilth class you might even learn how to plant kiwi vines that attract white fluffy dogs.

Oregon Tilth www.tilth.org