A few Sundays back I rounded out the first MoFo weekend with a few snapshots from the Portland Farmer’s Market. This precious weekly ritual, our Saturday morning market, is one of my greatest pleasures. Perhaps these new photos will inspire you, the way that my market always inspires me. Fall is such an exciting season!

Purple potatoes

My fellows in flannel, oh so Pacific northwest!

RAW apple pie – breakfast of champions!

Maybe my favorite thing about the Pacific northwest – the apples!

Waits takes an important call.

I had big plans for this pumpkin . . .

BIG PLANS!

Yes oh yes, I am a happy plant-eater!

* These pictures are coming out totally desaturated when I upload them to WordPress. It’s seriously depressing and I’m sorry. We can’t figure out what to do about it! SAD FACE!

Random pretty lady shows off truly gargantuan beets!

Waits insists on helping to carry the goods! Little guard baby. =)

What’s your favorite autumn fruit or veggie??

Little did I know what I would discover out there . . .



The first time out we went straight for the marionberries. These suckers are hybrid blackberries that were developed right here at Oregon State University. They are huge, and they are juicy, and they are all sorts of delicious. Waits did less picking, and more munching.

As an aside, I’ve made it a habit of asking the farmers to charge me for an extra 1/4 pound of berries, which is probably really high but it makes me feel much better about the number of berries that find their way into my little buddy’s mouth. Probably a good tip for most parents!




It was awesome, the berries were awesome, and good times were had all around. But here’s the thing: at the front of the farm, where you pay for your haul, there’s this farm stand . . .

Cherries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Strawberries, Onions, Garlic, Kale, Collards, Taters, Broccoli, Beets, Heirloom Tomatoes, and on and on.





All from surrounding farms, all organic, and SO CHEAP! Seriously, like, insanely cheap. Organic kale in the stores around here is $2.99/bunch. At the FarMar it drops to $2.50/bunch, and the bunches tend to be bigger. But at the farm? $1.50 a bunch! That’s half the price of store bought kale!

I had no idea, and I certainly wasn’t prepared. So I grabbed what little I could, and I vowed to return as soon as possible. With a plan.




The following week we were back, with our same picking companions, hunting blueberries this time around. It was a gorgeous day on a gorgeous farm, and the blueberry fields were a long, lovely walk away.






It was a little early in the season though, and the munchkins kept plucking unripe hard green berries (and trying to eat them). So we scrapped the berry-picking pretty quickly. Which was fine, since we had other things in mind . . .


Produce Stand!

I had my sights set on broccoli. Amazing, organic, beautiful broccoli for $1.50 a head (not per pound, but per head, which was more than a pound apiece, easily). At that price? I wasn’t going to let that opportunity get away from me. I bought almost all of it!


See, just a few weeks earlier I had been out on a walk in my neighborhood, and had stumbled across an enormous stand-up freezer for sale. Just what I’d been wanting! I bought it on the spot, and Damian picked it up when he got home from work. A little re-organizing in the garage, a little scrubbing with vinegar, and it was up and running and ready to go. I am SO EXCITED at the new possibilities for food preservation. SO EXCITED I TELL YOU!

And the very first project was my broccoli. I washed it, trimmed it (juiced the stalks), and set it out on parchment paper to freeze.



This step prevents the produce from sticking together and freezing into one huge block. Very important!

Once it was frozen I transferred it to glass jars.



Those are each gallon jugs, which I’d picked up for a crazy discount ($1.50 apiece; I nabbed 15) when my beloved neighborhood produce market and herb shop went out of business recently. Two gallons – that’s a LOT of broccoli!

Now, I’ll continue to buy and eat fresh produce for the duration of summer and fall. But when winter rolls around, I’ll be able to dip into my freezer stash for local, organic fruits and vegetables. Eating local foods, and buying food that’s in season, is great for the environment and great for the local economy and really great for your wallet! I’m excited to share more of my preservation adventures, as the summer continues to unfold, and the bounty keeps on rolling in.

In the meantime, get thee to your local farm for the best bargain produce you’ve ever encountered!

So, I’ve been wrassling with how to best host an effective and fun discussion, and what I’ve finally settled on is this: I’m going to ask a series of pointed questions relating to the Introduction and the first three chapters. However, I’ll reserve my own comments until later, because what I really want is for YOU to take the lead, and to share your thoughts without influence.

So, you can respond specifically to my questions, or you can simply offer your own impressions, or you can ask your own questions – all in the comment section below. Which leads me to . . .

Over the weekend we revamped the commenting section. I really adored the custom look that Damian had originally designed, but the framework didn’t allow for much flexibility. With the new system, you’re able to respond to someone directly, under their comment, which keeps things straightforward and streamlined. This also allows for multiple conversations to occur simultaneously on a single post, with no interference. I’m really excited about this feature and it was implemented specifically for the BBC discussions, so I hope you guys enjoy it!



Okay, so here are your questions. You can answer them directly, use them as a jumping off point, or ignore them completely. Whatever suits your fancy!


1) McWilliams is, himself, a former “locavore” activist, and at times he seems to speak straight from the heart. But he’s also an agricultural historian, and he brings a certain academic tone into his writing. How does his style strike you? Do you find this book to be an easy read, or is it more of a slog?

8) The subtitle of the book promises to identify “Where Locavores Get It Wrong And How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly“. Thus far, do you think that McWilliams has succeeded in doing this?


Discuss in the comments below. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

I’m so excited to jump right in to our first ever Bonzai Book Club! The BBC will alternate with the Monday Monthly Mission, and I’ll always announce the book along with the MMM, so you’ll have a full month to get your copy and read ahead if you want. Sound good?

This month we kick off our first BBC with a very special book, one that I’ve been intending to read since it’s release in 2009 (seriously!) Just Food: Where Locavores Get It Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly, by James McWilliams, is an honest examination of the “local/slow foods” movement and the actual impact that it has in reducing our ecological footprint. This is a controversial book that will probably tell us things we’d rather not hear, but if our goal is to truly be the best environmental stewards that we can, then we need to confront the realities of our efficacy.

McWilliams has been called a sellout, a cynic, and a shill. But McWilliams is actually just an environmental historian specializing in colonial and early American history. He’s also a professor (Texas State in Austin), and brings that sort of rational, straightforward intellectualism to this work. His fundamental premise is that there was no romantic “golden age of agriculture”, and that the idyllic, idealistic “myth of the small farm” is just that – a myth.

I find myself wading into these waters with an equal mix of skepticism and curiosity. I’m going to keep an open mind. I’m really looking forward to learning more about the intricacies of these important issues.

I got a head start on my reading this weekend . . . in the sauna!

Just Food has six chapters, plus an introduction and a conclusion. I propose that over the next two weeks we read the Introduction, and chapters 1, 2, and 3. That will take us up to page 117, almost exactly half-way through the volume. We’ll meet back here on Monday, 15 August, for our first book club discussion group. (!!!) I’ll provide a series of questions to facilitate dialogue, but the conversation will not be “directed”, so bring your own ideas and topics and questions and comments!

For those on the fence, or for those wanting more, here’s some additional media:
McWilliams interviewed on Canadian radio show Animal Voices
McWilliams interviewed by the awesome ladies of Our Hen House


I’m so excited guys. So. Excited.

This year I’m really excited about the “wild crafted” harvest – that means foods grown and gathered from wilderness. Fiddleheads, ramps, sea beans, sorrel, mushrooms, and more. And oh! The nettles, of course!

Strawberries are beginning to show up, and this Saturday I saw cherries. It’s such an exciting time in the season! The floodgates are about to open . . .

<3 this skirt I made many years ago.

Damian captures me shopping, from afar.

Raw, vegan hand pies at my market? Are you serious?!

Oh yea, it’s true!

The solstice is tomorrow: the very first day of summer! How will you be celebrating?

What seasonal produce have you been enjoying lately? What are you looking forward to?

Happy Summer Solstice!

Last year was the first the I focused on really eating seasonally, getting the bulk of my groceries straight from the farmers. I’ve never felt so connected to my food, so tuned in to my surroundings.

Spring is all about new radishes, tender greens, raab and rapini. There’s wild-crafted mushrooms and last autumn’s leftover taters. Mostly, there’s that whiff of promise. Shallots will make way for snap peas, and strawberries will follow before we even know it.

Chard, anyone? Such a lovely rainbow!

Hot new food trend = kimchee (Korean spicy pickles). It’s everywhere! I say, hooray for more fermented veggies. Always love it when healthy goes mainstream.

These guys are new to the market this year and their kimchee is divine.

See? Radishes, greens, and leeks. That’s a quintessential spring spread!

Happiest little market-goers.

This year I also made a weekly stop at the very wee, but very fun, year-round Farmers Market. There’s not a whole lot that grows through the northwest winter, but it helped me so much in staying mindful around my food. There’s always new and strange hardy greens, fermented foods and artisan (raw!) crackers, exotic cultivated mushrooms, fresh-baked breads, and homemade hot soups. Waits and I braved all manner of bad weather and always had a blast.

Spring!

Mushrooms are so strange . . .

Darlings, what are you most looking forward to in the coming season? Do you have a favorite Farmers Market, and has it opened yet this year?


To any tech savvy readers, I use Photoshop to re-size my images and then save the files to my desktop. Somewhere between iPhoto and the end product – somewhere in Photoshop – my pictures are getting dulled and de-saturated. Help help! I’m just clueless if there’s no baking soda involved . . .

This is what my kitchen looks like Saturday afternoon, midsummer. Heaven!

I’ve written a lot about my adventures at the Farmer’s Market this year, and I’ve often referenced the ‘game’ that D and I always play. We make it our mission each and every week to find at least one *special* item amidst the many. Ideally it’s something I’ve never cooked with (or never eaten at all!), but maybe it’s something just come into season, all new and nostalgic and treasured (hello, berries!).

So along with all the standards and staples, these are the specials we picked up each week. I love how this list paints the progression of the seasons.

*Star means I’d never cooked with it before.
**Double star means I’d never even eaten it!

1) Mustard Greens**

2) Asparagus

3) Fennel*

My spin on a clasic soup: Split Pea With Fennel And Potato.

4) Raspberries

5) Yellow Zucchini** & Escarole*

6) Fava Beans**

My first ever experiment with Favas – fresh Farmer’s Fava Bean Dip.

7) Sylvan Berries**

8) Blueberries & Sugar Snap Peas

9) Peaches & Shiitake Mushrooms*

Raw peach and berry tart with cashew cream.

10) Snow Peas & Abalone Mushrooms**

11) Cubanelle Peppers**

12) Italian Artichokes

Steamed Italian Artichoke served with a chunky three-olive dip.

13) Brussels Sprouts* & Maitake Mushrooms*

14) Pickling Cucumbers* & wild-gathered “Chicken Of The Woods” Mushrooms**

15) New Zealand Spinach**

16) Japanese Eggplant* & King Oyster Mushroom*

Vegan nigiri with seared Japanese Eggplants.

17) Miniature Honeydew Melon** & Parsnips

18) Yellow Finn Potatoes** & Long Beets**

19) Spaghetti Squash**

Waits helps me prepare my very first Spaghetti Squash.

20) Romanesco*

21) Walnuts

22) Tat Soi**

23) French Fingerling Potatoes

24) Black Truffle Salt**


Question: I treated myself to some ohh-la-la fancy Black Truffle Salt from the very last Farmer’s Market. What on earth should I do with it??!

Deep Roots is one of my very favorites, they’re un-certified but all organic and always have amazing prices. Best peppers, best soft squash. Cheapest tomatoes.

Our final buy from Deep Roots (for Damian’s favorite, of course!)

There was evidence of the impending holidays:




And the flower stands had to get creative (yep – that’s cabbage!)


There were so many treats to be had:

Petunia’s gluten-free vegan pastries.

Gluten-free artisan breads.

Insert joke about eating Freddy’s nuts. But seriously, these are the best hazelnuts I’ve ever tasted; we gave away bunches of them as gifts this year!

Dave is an ex-con turned baker, and Dave’s Killer Bread is the best sandwich bread you can buy, just ask anybody who’s ever had it.

But really, it’s about that gorgeous produce.

So until next year . . .

Here’s to the market!

My market is shutting down in two weeks. We’ll have to find a new Saturday morning activity . . . and we’ll have to get used to less fresh produce. But I’m not thinking about that now – I’m just celebrating my market! Here’s what we’ve been seeing:






























Happy winter my dears! Let’s all raise a soup mug and *cheers*, for these days of dark only highlight the lightness to come!