www.takerootmagazine.com Winter 2015 $5.95 ®
Chickens & Eggs Chicken and Bee Care | Tribal Lifeways | Delicious Recipes Poultry Farms | Soup and Broth | Local Food and Wine
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LOCAL FAMILY OWNED NATURAL GLUTEN-FREE KOSHER ORGANIC NON-GMO
www.glorybee.com [ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] Vol. 4 No. 2 Winter 2015
FEATURES 18 24 30
Essential Partners Tribal Lifeways Raising a Farm Embracing complexity and unseen The Grand Ronde tribes keep their Diggin’ Roots Farm is growing up partners makes Vitality Farms possible. traditional lifeways alive and well. alongside the family who runs it.
TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 Publisher’s Note 18 Essential Partners 44 Tasting Room Vitality Farms Analemma Wine 6 TAKE ROOT News 24 Lifeway Traditions 48 Eat Fresh 10 Bee Aware Grand Ronde Tribe Farmers’ Markets Beekeeping Basics: Winterizing for Spring 30 Growing Up 49 THRIVE Marketplace Diggin’ Roots Farm Support Local Businesses 12 In the Barnyard Keeping Your Chickens Warm in 34 Chef’s Pantry the Winter Sybaris Restaurant
14 Stow It! 40 Central Oregon Soups The Great American Egg 16 In Good Health 17 Bone Broth 48 RECIPES 17 Bone Broth 43 Spicy Chicken with Peanuts 48 Salsa Lentil Soup
Cover photo: ©leisuretime70 | 123rf.com Bone both photo: Magdalena Kucoval | 123rf.com Salmon photo: Michelle Alaimo, courtesy of Smoke Signals www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com TAKE ROOT willamette valley | Winter 2015 3
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] Vol. 4 No. 2 Winter 2015
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
Frosty, rainy and chilled to the bone! Welcome to winter and our Publisher: Debbie Duhn latest issue of TAKE ROOT Magazine. With a spectacular lineup of Production Director: Gwen Rhoads stories, including articles on bone broth and soups, we hope it Copy Editor: Jon Bell
takes your mind o the cold and rainy weather. TAKE ROOT Contributors:
In this issue, we introduce a couple of poultry farms that do Alan Turanski more than just raise chickens. We also discover how traditional Bill Bezuk “lifeways” of the Grand Ronde Tribe are passed down through generations and Brenda Sanchez Chris Peterson how a small farm is working to become more diversi ed. As we all know, living Elyse Grau in the Willamette Valley o ers great places to eat and drink wine. Check out the Kara Kuh Chef’s Pantry, where passion leads a chef and creativity drives his desire to share Kelsey Ivey amazing artisan food at Sybaris. Stop by our Tasting Room, featuring Analemma Megan French Melissa Wagoner Wines, a small boutique winery in the Columbia Gorge. Riki Saltzman Yaakov Levine, NTP, Herbalist Our departments are full of great information, including winter care for bees and chickens. We have many great local advertisers throughout the magazine and in Advertising Information the THRIVE Marketplace. Please consider supporting them and their brands when [email protected] Phone:541-952-0300 you shop local. We appreciate them and all who support TAKE ROOT Willamette Valley. TAKE ROOT® Willamette Valley is published quarterly by Duhn and Associates and is distribued throughout Now, grab a hot cup of co ee or tea, sit down, relax and enjoy our winter issue of the mid-Willamette Valley and Central TAKE ROOT Willamette Valley. Oregon. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used without written permission from the publisher. Every eff ort is made to avoid errors, misspellings, and omissions. If, however, an error comes to Debbie Duhn your attention, please accept our sincere Publisher apologies and contact us at 541-952-0300.
SUBSCRIBE TO TAKE ROOT: Subscriptions available annually at $28 or 2 year subscription is $48. Make checks payable to Duhn & Associates and mail to:
TAKE ROOT® Willamette Valley Duhn & Associates P. O. Box 636 Junction City, OR 97448-0636 Phone: 541-952-0300
4 Winter 2015 | TAKE ROOT willamette valley www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com
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Fill out the subscription card on our website and receive www.mennonitevillage.org a copy of each issue in your mail. www.facebook.com/mennonitevillage www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com TAKE ROOT willamette valley | Winter 2015 5
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] tak e news root
GMO labeling measure makes Bulk buying events draws record campaign history number of food shoppers
Measure 92 proposed that all food containing genetically The Willamette Farm and Food Coalition’s annual “Fill Your modified organism (GMO) ingredients be labeled as such. Pantry” community bulk buying event drew a record 1,500 The November ballot was divided down the middle, with a shoppers on Sunday, Nov. 16, at the Lane Events Center difference of less than 1,000 votes. Even though the measure in Eugene. In four hours, sales topped $44,000 for 27,500 ended up failing pounds of staple and storage crops. Ten Rivers Food Web by a slight margin hosted the Fill Your Pantry event at the Benton County Fair- after the recount, grounds in Corvallis on November 2nd, sales doubled over it made history, the previous year. The OSU Extension Master Food Preserv- coming closer ers were also on hand to demonstrate how best to store than ever before bulk foods at home. to passing a GMO Storing food in households is a tangible way to support labeling initiative small family farms. Many local farms grow staple and stor- despite being age crops that can be stored and consumed throughout the outspent three- winter months, but not all of them have storage facilities to-one by the op- to hold crops through the winter while selling only a few position, which pounds each week at market. Many more farms would likely included many pesticide and junk food companies. For more grow more food if they knew they could sell it all to consum- information on the issue, visit www.OregonRighttoKnow.org ers just after harvest. If farmers can sell their entire winter squash or onion crop to customers in the late fall, and have consumers store that food in their homes, then consumers Diagram below shows ideal storage areas that help become a critical part of the local food system. Find out preserve your food for the winter. more at www.extension.oregonstate.edu.
Curing onions, Attic –hot, dry to Chancey places for food storage drying herbs very cold, dry in extra cold weather
Areas in a house Unheated Room (25˚F–50˚F) Extra refrigerator that could be used Cool dry-onions, for storage canned goods
Basement Storage Room (Cold 32˚F–40˚F) Window Well
Very Moist Unheated Cellar moist Basement Room with Furnace (Cool, moist 35˚F–40˚F) Root crops, Apples, (Warm, dry 55˚F–60˚F) potatoes pears Ventilation system Pumpkins, winter squash, Potatoes ripening tomatoes Pears Apples
Dirt floor
6 Winter 2015 | TAKE ROOT willamette valley www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] Bountiful garden at SAGE helps feed those in need
CORVALLIS — Despite the cold and advancing dusk, food from SAGE is a dozen people gathered one evening in Starker donated to local food Arts Park to harvest vegetables from the Starker pantries and soup Arts Garden for Education, a 1-acre garden tucked kitchens, providing away in southwest Corvallis. SAGE is a partnership fresh vegetables between the city of Corvallis, which donates the year-round to families land and water, and the Corvallis Environmental struggling to make Center, a local nonpro t that oper- ends meet. Stone ates the garden as part of its Edible Soup kitchen used 90 Corvallis Initiative. Every Tuesday percent of the fresh from April to November, com- vegetables produce munity members drop by to help from SAGE in 18,000 free meals they will serve this year to with planting, weeding, watering people in need. With more food still in the ground, the and harvesting. By the end of the total harvest for SAGE is expected to top 5,000 pounds year, more than 600 people will this year. have helped at the garden. They For more information, contact SAGE@CorvallisEnviron- pick hearty winter crops — kale, mentalCenter.org or visit www.corvallisenvironmental- cabbage, cauli ower, broccoli and center.org chard —and take them to the shed to be sorted and weighed. The
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www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com TAKE ROOT willamette valley | Winter 2015 7
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] tak e news root
Prepping the next generation of farmers in Oregon through hands-on training
Two generations ago, most farmers learned the tools of the knowledge as well as trade on the family farm. In the 1920s, 31 million Americans integrating interns were farmers. Today, less than 3 million Americans farm for a into the local farming living, despite the fact that the population has nearly tripled community. during that time. Coupled with the most recent USDA Census In 2015, RFC will host pegging the average age of American farmers at 60 years students in farms old, and only 5 percent of Oregon’s farmers under the age clustered around of 35, the need to get young people on the ground growing four communities; food is bigger than ever. the Rogue Valley, the In the past10 years, the farming movement has grown South Willamette tremendously. Business opportunities have skyrocketed as Valley, Portland and more and more consumers shop at farmers’ markets, and Central Oregon. buying food from local farmers is the hottest food trend in “Training the next the country. Yet opportunities for aspiring farmers to gain generations of farmers educational experience from established farms can still be has never been more difficult to find. important,” said Rogue Rogue Farm Corps, a small nonprofit organization that was Farm Corps Executive Alex Prediger feeding calves at founded in southwestern Oregon, has teamed up with 18 Director Stuart O’Neill. Deck Family Farm. local farmers to bring RFC’s flagship program, FarmsNext, to “A rapidly aging farm communities across Oregon in 2015. FarmsNext is an intro- population and increasing food insecurity demands our at- ductory program for beginning farmers seeking entry-level tention now. RFC’s new chapter locations will open up these education and training in sustainable agriculture. The pro- vital opportunities for beginning farmers to learn from expe- gram offers beginning farmers a real-world opportunity to rienced mentors across Oregon’s agricultural landscape.” live and work alongside a mentor farmer for an entire grow- In 2014, Rogue Farm Corps piloted the program in the South ing season. In addition, participants get a solid background Willamette Valley with three host farms and six interns. in a wide range of agricultural topics through classroom Expanding the program for 2015, host farms will include learning, farm tours and peer-to-peer sharing. This hap- Berggren Demonstration Farm, Deck Family Farm, Organic pens throughout the season, with the goal of deepening Redneck and Ruby and Amber’s Organic Oasis. “I enjoyed the chance to have time for structured education as well as the intensive hands-on experience,” said Shelby Weston, a 2014 RFC intern who spent the season working at the Berggren Demonstration Farm. “The network we built up by getting to meet and talk with all these different farmers, and with the other interns, was a really valuable part of the experience as well, and something I would have missed out on with most internships.” Rogue Farm Corps is currently accepting applications for the 2015 farming season of FarmsNext in the Rogue Valley, South Willamette, Portland and Central Oregon chapters and Farm- sNOW, an advanced training program for more experienced farmers, in the Rogue Valley and South Willamette chapters. Applications can be found at www.roguefarmcorps.org.
Students learn about composting at Wintergreen Farm.
8 Winter 2015 | TAKE ROOT willamette valley www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] TableFIVE — a new restaurant opens up in historic downtown Salem
SALEM – A new full-scale restaurant has opened in historic Wanting people to experience “his” food, Jason spent a num- downtown Salem. Named for the warmth and comfort ber of years searching for the right location for the Salem brought by gathering around a table, tableFIVE 08 seeks to restaurant. When the downtown location became available, offer bold, dynamic flavors using local ingredients. he and Steven knew it would be the perfect spot. TableFIVE 08 unites the culinary talents of executive chef TableFIVE 08 prides itself on creating food that satisfies the Jason Freeburg and chef de cuisine palates of those who enjoy fresh, local food with dynam- Alexander Baccarat – both graduates of ic flavor. The menu features a variety of vegetables, fruit New York’s prestigious Culinary Institute and proteins, while also offering vegetarian and gluten- of America. After graduating, Jason served free options. The restaurant boasts an open, modern feel as an apprentice at Fontainebleau Hilton and features colorful “Rustic Industrial” décor in Miami, and later moved to Dallas, where of gold and chili pepper red. An inviting bar he learned to cook for the Texan palate. and lounge area is headed up by local celebrity Jason also spent time in Europe, discover- bartender Rob Melton, who has built a follow- ing interesting and unique flavors in both ing in the region for his fun, inspired drinks. big cities and small towns. Jason more recently moved to Table FIVE 08 is located at 508 State Street in Salem and became a chef at the Salem Golf Club. His family, Salem. Hours are Monday through Thursday, the Freeburg Hospitality Group, owns franchise restaurants 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday – Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and and hotels in the area, where he joined and worked with his closed Sundays. For more information, go to www.table- father, the late Paul Freeburg, and brother Steven. five08.com or call (503) 581-5508.
www.localfoodconnection.org
www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com TAKE ROOT willamette valley | Winter 2015 9
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BEE AWARE HIVE MANAGEMENT
BEEKEEPING BASICS:
Wintering your bees and preparing for spring
by Alan Turanski
inter is the most challenging time of year for chamber. If your hive did not have enough honey, you should Whoneybees. The majority of losses usually occur have fed them sugar syrup until mid-October. After this time, through ignorance or poor management of the hives at this transition exclusively to dry supplemental feeding as needed time. A honeybee colony has a remarkable capacity to adapt in the form of either white sugar or a fondant. This winter itself to great extremes in climate conditions when allowed looks like it will be a fairly cold one, more than likely requiring to develop without restrictions, ample stores of honey and the bees to need supplemental feeding of sugar or pollen pollen, and has necessary maintenance. substitute between now and February. As a beekeeper, there are some steps you can take to help My personal experience has been that my hives have a 70 ensure your bees’ survival, but you must rst recognize the percent or greater chance of survival if I treat my bees very potential issues. Starvation, weak colonies, inadequate pollen early in August for mites and plan for supplemental feedings supply, nosema, and lack of a queen are just a few of the as needed. My preferred recipe for the year was Api Life likely problems to prepare for during the winter season. Var for mite treatment, Lefore Essential Oil Patties used to Before winter hits, your colony must be strong in numbers fortify bee health and then feeding them sugar syrup with and have enough honey stores to last the winter. My vinegar to help cleanse the bees’ system. The timing of early recommendation is to save 50 to 60 pounds of honey in treatment is research based and the experiences of some of the hive for the bees with 15 pounds or more in the lower the best commercial beekeepers in Oregon.
10 Winter 2015 | TAKE ROOT willamette valley www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com
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sely, You’re Irreplac Eat Wi eable™ Additional considerations for your hive are upward ventilation, maximum exposure to the sun and that all the hive entrances are sheltered from piercing winds. Moisture in Oregon is a big constant. I suggest using Whole Grain an inner cover and a metal telescoping top to keep moisture out. Avoid opening the hive because of the cold weather and also because the bees seal up the Foods for cracks with propolis to help keep moisture and disease out. Every Meal After your bees have been properly prepped and packed away for the winter, the time commitment needed for of the Day® the care of your hive will decrease substantially. Plan to only spend a few hours cleaning, repairing and storing equipment. Remember that as soon as you get a 50-plus degree day in January or February, check on the queen to ensure she is laying. The bees may need some dry supplemental feed at this time. Start thinking and preparing for next season. Spring is only a few months away, and you should be considering equipment needs, if pieces need to be replaced or if World Headquarters there are new tools on the market that may assist your 13521 SE Pheasant Court, Milwaukie, OR 97222 beekeeping. Ask yourself if you want to increase the 503-654-3215 • www.bobsredmill.comwww.bobsredmill.com number of hives on property and would you prefer to purchase a package of bees or a nuc? GloryBee hosts Bee Weekend in early April each year to help promote beekeeping in the Paci c Northwest and provides bees and nucs for sale for the next beekeeping season. February Consider other bee-related hobbies, like making candles 5~7, 2015 with your beeswax or attend bee club meetings and PORTLAND, OREGON conferences. Connecting with other beekeepers lends Hilton Portland Downtown access to more information and experienced beekeeping in your area. This is also an ideal time to work with your mentor and do more research. WORKSHOPS A valuable resource I use that serves as a reminder NETWORKING of when to check on my hives can be found at: TRADESHOW http://bit.ly/beecalendar. Keynotes Matthew Dillon, Clif Bar Alan Turanski is an avid beekeeper and vice LaDonna Redmond, Campaign for Food Justice Now president of GloryBee in Eugene. Beekeeping Arran & Arjan Stephens, is more than just fun to Alan; it is critical to the Nature’s Path Organic quality, health and bounty of our food supply. Presented by Oregon Tilth, Organic Seed Alliance, Sustainable Food Trade Association & Organically Grown Company
Photo: Macro bee by Jens Br�ggemann | 123rf.com www.organicology.orgwww.organicology.org
www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com TAKE ROOT willamette valley | Winter 2015 11
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] IN THE BARNYARD CHICKENS BARNYARDSCOOP Cozy Up Girls!
It’s beneficial — and not hard — to keep your chickens warm this winter
by Bill Bezuk
ometimes it seems like the entire Willamette Valley has a Many people are so concerned when nighttime temperatures Slove a air with chickens. We go for a morning walk and get well below freezing that they decide to run a cord to the hear some clucking coming from a neighbor’s back yard. coop and provide a heat lamp. As well-meaning as this is, the We overhear coworkers talking about chicken coop designs. risks of re are so great that you could be doing more harm We hear people at the grocery store saying they don’t need then good. to buy eggs because their hens are giving them more than If you really want to provide arti cial heat when it gets into enough. subfreezing nights, there are a few safe alternatives. You can When you learn how easy it is to keep chickens, you begin to ll mason jars with boiling water, then wrap them in foil and understand this love a air. They generally make little noise, place them in the hen house. The radiant heat will add a few they get their own exercise, they put themselves to bed at extra degrees and will take the bite out of the air. You could night, they are so much fun to watch and they give us some also put a brick in your oven and heat it. Wrap the heated of the healthiest eggs imaginable. brick in an old wool blanket and place in the coop away from Whether we live out in the country or in town we often build any bedding. If you don’t think these two ideas will give you elaborate hen houses, give them plenty of space to roam and ease of mind, you can run a cord to your coop and place a 75- provide them with all our kitchen scraps. We want our hens watt light bulb inside a tin co ee can and place on the hen to be happy. So when the nights get extremely cold, it is only house oor away from any bedding. natural to want to be sure they stay warm. Of course, as with most things, the low-tech solutions are While chickens can be delightful animals and in many cases often the best. Some chicken keepers practice the deep are more like pets, they are also livestock. This means they are bedding method. This is where, instead of cleaning your generally well-suited to a life outside. If you want to see for coop on a regular basis, you add new bedding on a weekly yourself, set your alarm for 2 a.m., go out to your hen house basis. As the droppings decompose they can create as much and pick one up. You will be amazed by how much heat they as ten degrees of heat. In addition to creating extra heat, the put o , especially if your entire ock is snuggling together. fermenting litter creates bene cial vitamins for your hens.
12 Winter 2015 | TAKE ROOT willamette valley www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] The most low-tech solution to keep your hens warm at night is to toss them a handful of cracked corn before they turn in at night. The cracked corn is low in protein but high in sugars. As the corn works its way through, the hens will metabolize it,creating an inner core that will keep them more than warm all night. Many people become so concerned about freezing temperatures that they insulate their coop and plug up any holes. Again, while well-meaning, this often creates www.welltraveledfork.com more problems than solutions. As droppings decompose they put o ammonia. If there is little or no ventilation in the hen house, this ammonia will have no place to go. urban wine room As this gas collects by the ceiling where your hens are sleeping, the gas can crystallize and cause frostbite on the OPEN hens’ combs and waddles. If you see black spots on your WED–SAT at 5 pm hens’ head, this is a sign that your coop lacks adequate craft beers on tap ventilation. small plates There is a di erence between draft and ventilation. You want the air to ow through the hen house, but you do not want cold blasts of air to hit your hens. Simply drilling a bunch of holes toward the top of the hen house will be adequate. If you also want to keep your hens safe from www.territorialvineyards.com predators, staple some hardware cloth over the holes to keep air owing and creatures out. A good way of telling if you need more ventilation is to take a big whi of the hen ™ house air. If the air is di cult to breathe, your hens would GoodLight do well with some extra ventilation. Natural Candles Of course, no matter what sort of water system you have, expect it to freeze when it is cold at night. Solutions do exist to keep the hens’ water thawed, and if you are creative you can probably build a water warmer. Some folks use aquarium heaters or heat tape to keep the water thawed. Others build a heated base using a hollow cinder block with a light bulb on the inside and a cover on top of the block to protect the bulb. But the e ort and cost involved may be too great, so most people just bring the water inside at night and top it o with hot water in the morning. The reasons we keep chickens are varied. Being in touch with our food source is becoming more important for so many of us. Farming, whether it be traditional or urban, requires responsibility and animal husbandry. No matter Because you breathe the ock size or location, we all want our animals to be safe and healthy. Fortunately, keeping our chickens warm what you burn during the winter is easy to do.
Bill Bezuk is the owner of The Eugene Backyard Farmer. He HOME, GARDEN & GIFT has raised hens, broilers, ducks, and turkeys on his backyard 5th & Olive Street Mon-Sat 10-6 25th & Willamette farm in south Eugene. 541-342-6820 Sun 10-5 541-349-0556
Chicken photo on page 12: IvonneWierink | 123rf.com downtoearthhomeandgarden.com DTE Take Root Winter 2014 Ad www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com TAKE ROOT willamette valley | Winter 2015 13
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] S towtow It!It! Homemade soup
Soup’s On! Chase away the winter blues with a hot bowl of homemade soup
by Elyse Grau
icture this: it’s a dark and stormy night. You’re driving The secret to soup-in-a-hurry is to have plenty of onions, Phome from work, windshield wipers on high. Your left carrots and celery in the refrigerator and pantry. An even foot is freezing from stepping in a puddle on the way quicker option is to start with canned broth. Remember to your car. The porch light isn’t on, and rain is dripping all those garden veggies you stashed away? Now’s the down your neck as you juggle purse or briefcase, travel time to use some of them. It’s also a good use for those mug and umbrella while trying to open the door. Your that are getting a little tired looking. spouse calls out cheerily “Hi dear! What’s for dinner?” Making soup is actually simple enough and pretty hard to What do you do? A) Throw your mug at him/her, B) Break mess up. Start by chopping the aromatics, usually onions, down and cry or C) Dry yourself off and go make soup. carrots and celery. You can omit anything you don’t like, Right! The answer is C. substitute leeks or shallots for the onions or add others, such as fennel or mushrooms. Sprinkle the veggies with Soup is the ultimate winter warmer, the comfort food a little salt. When they’re soft, add cold water, broth or supreme. While plenty of soups take hours on the stove, vegetable liquid (leftover cooking water, tomato juice or it doesn’t have to be that way. You can have a steaming puree, etc) and whatever else is going in. Leftover meat bowl of nourishment on the table in less than an hour or or chicken comes in handy when you’re going for fast; spend a snowy Sunday making a hearty potage that fills add toward the end of cooking, just long enough for it to the house with warmth and tempting aromas.
14 Winter 2015 | TAKE ROOT willamette valley www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] FRESH + LOCAL two peas in a pod! heat through. Canned beans are a healthy vegetarian protein and they help thicken a thin soup. CALLING ALL FOOD ENTREPENEURS Another option is an all-vegetable soup, served with FIND WHAT YOU NEED TO GROW sandwiches or finger food. Eggs in various forms are AND THRIVE AT SPROUT! also tasty added to the finished broth. When using Full Commerical Kitchen • Business Services & Resources fresh vegetables in your soup, chop them small and add Weekly Year-Round Farmers’ Market the longest-cooking ones (potatoes, carrots, squash) first and add others in order of cooking time. Season www.sproutfoodhub.orgWWW.SPROUTFOODHUB.ORG with salt, pepper, a bay leaf and any other herbs you like. Here are a few pointers from the experts making better soup: • Vegetables in the cabbage family should be used sparingly (unless they are the base of the soup) and added toward the end of cooking. Leftover or blanched cabbage or cauliflower are good choices as well. • Wait until the last five or ten minutes to add leafy or tender herbs such as parsley or basil. If you like www.rootedinfood.org cumin (especially good in black bean or lentil soup), it’s best to add towards the end as well. • Rice and pasta will make a thin soup more substantial. Ground nuts also work as a thickener and add a little protein, too. Stale bread is wonderful in soup, giving it body and texture (think Ribollita, Italian bread soup). Or, use old bread to make croutons and float on top as a garnish. Keep in mind that corn and carrots will make the soup sweet, so go easy or balance the sweetness with an acid ingredient. Soup is usually better the next day, so don’t be afraid to make a big pot. Leftovers may be frozen for future ultra-fast meals. Freezer bags will easily hold individual servings (or more); they also stack nicely, which saves space. If you freeze enough for a family meal, it’s a good idea to take it out of the freezer a good 48 hours ahead if you want to avoid heating up a big ice cube. Soup will take away the chill, chase away the blues and quiet the grumbling stomach. Whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner, soup is the choice for the wet winter weather.
Elyse Grau is an avid gardener and cook. As a certi ed Master Food Preserver, she also teaches people safe methods of preserving what they grow.
www.elderhealthandliving.com Soup photo by Jena Mancino www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com TAKE ROOT willamette valley | Winter 2015 15
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] IN GO OD BONE BROTH HEALTH
The benefi ts of bone broth From disease treatment to rich avoring, bone broth has a wealth of goodness
by Yaakov Levine
common result of our treatment of many intestinal A on-the-go prepared- disorders, including colitis food diets is that we are and Crohn’s disease. Although missing out on important gelatin is by no means a nutrients. We take all complete protein, it acts as a sorts of vitamins and protein sparer, allowing the minerals and we still body to more fully utilize other may not be meeting all complete proteins. Gelatin-rich of our nutritional needs. broths are a must for those A tasty way to get many of the minerals we need along who cannot a ord large amounts of meat in their diets. with electrolytes and other important nutrients is from Gelatin has been used in the treatment of many chronic a common staple from our grandmothers’ kitchen: disorders, including anemia and other diseases of the bone broth or stock. The bone-building and gut-healing blood, diabetes, muscular dystrophy and even cancer. minerals in the broth are easily recognized and absorbed Meat, poultry and sh stocks are used almost universally in our bodies and may be a great alternative to the many in traditional cuisines — French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, prescription medications we take for bone health (without African, South American, Middle Eastern and Russian — the side-e ects!). but the use of these homemade meat broths have almost Properly prepared, meat stocks are extremely nutritious, completely disappeared from the Standard American Diet containing minerals, electrolytes, glucosamine and (SAD). chondroitin from bones, cartilage and marrow. Acidic Along with the bones in the broth is cartilage, a great wine or vinegar that we add during cooking helps to draw source of collagen that supports healthy skin and joint minerals, particularly calcium, magnesium and potassium, function. Many people with rheumatoid arthritis have and gelatin into the broth. bene ted from the inclusion of bone broths in their diet. Francis Pottenger, researcher and author of “Pottenger’s In folk wisdom, rich chicken broth is a valued remedy for Cats,” studied the bene ts of gelatin in broth, and has colds and u. Modern research has con rmed that broth taught us that the stockpot (and maybe now the crock-pot) helps prevent and mitigate infectious diseases. The wise was the most important piece of equipment to have in our food provider, who uses gelatin-rich broth on a daily or kitchens. When I left for work this morning for a long work frequent basis, provides ongoing protection from many day that would be spent on my feet on a concrete oor, health problems. I was comforted to see the stock pot out to cook some Fish, poultry and meat stocks also add immeasurably to broth. I could almost feel the broth at dinner soothing my the avor of our food. In European cuisines, rich stocks aching feet and joints! form the basis of exquisite sauces. The magic is in the There is a large amount of research on the bene cial stock, made from scratch with as much care and attention e ects of gelatin. Gelatin acts rst and foremost as an to detail as the nal dish. aid to digestion and has been used successfully in the
16 Winter 2015 | TAKE ROOT willamette valley www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] RECIPE
Stock can be made in bulk in your crock pot (or on Bone Broth the stove) and stored until needed. Bone broth/stock will keep about ve days in the refrigerator, longer if Ingredients reheated, and several months in the freezer. In our home, 2 pounds (or more) of bones from a healthy source we store our broth in pint-sized containers in order to 2 chicken feet for extra gelati n (opti onal but great additi on) have appropriate amounts on hand for sauces and stews. 1 onion In his various books, author George Mateljan suggests 2 carrots using broth instead of fats or oils that can be damaged 2 stalks of celery 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar by heat when sautéing foods. This imparts a rich avor Opti onal: 1 bunch of parsley, 1 tablespoon or more of sea salt, and greatly adds to the nutritional value of the dish. 1 teaspoon peppercorns, additi onal herbs or spices to taste. Most commercial broths do not contain the gelatin or the minerals, and usually have added avor enhancers Instructi ons that are toxic to many people. The test of whether your The fi rst step in preparing to make broth is to gather high- quality bones. You can fi nd them from sources I listed above stock contains liberal amounts of gelatin is by chilling or save them when you cook. the broth. It should thicken, even to the point of jelling Start with around 2 pounds of bones per gallon of water. This completely when refrigerated. usually works out to 2-3 full chicken carcasses. If available, Along with her book, “Nourishing Traditions,” Sally add two chicken feet per gallon of water. Fallon Morell, with Kaayla Daniel, has published the You can also add some organic vegetables for fl avor. These ultimate treatise about bone broth, “Nourishing Broth.” are actually opti onal but add extra fl avor and nutriti on. Typi- According to widely read blogger Joseph Mercola, cally, I add (per gallon of water and 2 pounds of bones): “Sally Fallon Morell and Kaayla Daniel’s wonderful new 1 onion *Parsley is another fl avorful book, Nourishing Broth, removes all the guesswork and 2 large carrots additi on to any soup or stock. provides you with various broth-making techniques-from 2 celery stalks simple chicken broth to rich consommé, shrimp stock If you are using raw beef bones, you can improve the stock and a variety of global stock-based recipes for breakfast, fl avor if you roast them in the oven fi rst. Place them in a lunch, and dinner.” roasti ng pan and roast for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Then, It’s easy to gather the bones needed to make your stock: place the bones in a large stock pot or crock pot. Add water over the bones and add the vinegar. Let sit for 20 to 30 • Save leftovers when you roast a chicken, duck, minutes in the cool water. The acidic vinegar helps make the turkey or goose (always pastured) nutrients in the bones more available. • From a local butcher that has pastured meat Add the vegetables, except the parsley, which is added later, to the pot. Add any sea salt, pepper, spices or herbs, as available. desired. • From local farmers who raise grass-fed animals. Bring the broth to a boil. Once it has reached a vigorous boil, To the right is a simple bone broth recipe adapted from reduce to a simmer and simmer unti l done. These are the ti mes to simmer for: Sally Fallon Morell’s “Nourishing Traditions.” Beef broth/stock: 48 hours You’ll need a large stock pot to cook the broth in and a Chicken or poultry broth/stock: 24 hours strainer to remove the pieces when it is done. We store Fish broth: 8 hours broth in pint containers in the freezer for regular use. Instead of a stock pot you can use a slow cooker/crock pot During the fi rst few hours of simmering, you can remove the impuriti es that fl oat to the surface. A frothy/foamy layer will It will keep for ve days in fridge, much longer in freezer form and it can be easily scooped off with a big spoon. Throw this part away. Check the broth every 20 minutes for the fi rst For additional information about the health bene ts of bone two hours to remove this. Grass-fed and healthy animals will broth, contact me at [email protected] or produce much less of this than conventi onal animals. 541 895-2427. During the last 30 minutes, add the parsley. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Strain using a fi ne Yaakov Levine, NTP, is a nutritionist, herbalist and writer and is metal strainer to remove all the bits of bone and vegetable. the Nutritional Health Coach at the Natural Grocer by Vitamin When cool enough, store in containers that work best for Cottage store on Coburg Rd. in Eugene. you. It will keep for fi ve days in fridge, much longer in freezer. Photo: Magdalena Kucova | 123rf.com www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com TAKE ROOT willamette valley | Winter 2015 17
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] FEATURE VITALITY FARMS Essential Partners by Chris Peterson
18 Winter 2015 | TAKE ROOT willamette valley www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] Micro-herds in the soil nourish the herds atop it; other unseen partners make Vitality Farms possible.
arming is far more complex than most of us could feed the soil’s myriad inhabitants through manure Fever imagine. Though unseen, that complexity and decomposition. It’s a complex symbiotic a ects our health and that of our community. relationship that requires timely human intervention The essence of the unseen is the teeming life forms if such food production is to be sustainable. in healthy soil, what farmer Harry MacCormack of Both plants and animals are critical to the process. Sunbow Farm calls the “micro-herd.” They a ect the If selected and managed correctly, they nourish the taste and nutrient content of the plant and animal soil. If not, they can be detrimental to its health and, food grown on it. In turn, the plants and animals ultimately, our own and that of our environment.
www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com TAKE ROOT willamette valley | Winter 2015 19
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] FEATUREFEATURE VITALITY FARMS
Six mobile houses slowly traverse pastures as hes turn food into colorful eggs and fertilize the micro-herd.
Embracing Complexity delivers weekly to grocery stores, restaurants and schools The crew at Vitality Farms embraces the complexity of from Portland to Eugene. integrating crops and livestock with their soil. They raise Every Farmer’s Dream chickens, sheep, seed crops, grains, hay, straw and pasture All this complexity and timing requires detailed planning on hundreds of acres near Corvallis and Philomath. All are and agility. That’s where farm co-owner Jason Bradford either certified organic or in transition. comes in. He blends his experience as an organic farmer, On their largest parcel, they’re also equipped to offer his doctorate in biology, a background in ecology and his custom seed cleaning and blending. love of maps and planning to orchestrate all of Vitality’s Integration is further enhanced by leasing acreage to big-picture and minute business details. That allows its other farmers and ranchers who manage their crops and farm managers to focus on the daily, ever-changing details animals themselves or hire Vitality to take over part or all most efficiently. He plans rotations, writes contracts, of it. To date, that has added feeder and dairy cattle, hogs, acquires certifications, licensing and insurance, markets vegetables and a compost operation to the mix. crops, contacts specialists, and balances myriad details that can ceaselessly accumulate and eventually overwhelm The guest animals are invited to join Vitality’s stock at any farmer. specific times of year, always with the health of the soil as top priority. But the animals also benefit from fresh An example was when one of their barns collapsed in pasture during its nutrient-rich peak. The animals fertilize a major snowstorm last February. Two key employees as they browse and, because their pastures are rotated were hurt and sidelined for weeks. But lambing season every few days, their hooves help break down biomass was imminent and the barn had to be ready. While the without compacting soil. remaining farm crew had their freezing hands full caring for livestock and property, Bradford dealt with insurance, Ten breeds of chicken also service the soil, harvesting bugs a new building design, bids for materials and construction, and worms as they work through lush fields, depositing wrote contracts and checked off endless lists of details. the resulting manure. Six mobile houses are rotated every The ewes had no idea how much effort dozens of people three to five days year-round. Thousands of hens produce had invested in their welfare when the first lamb arrived in colorful omega-rich eggs that office manager Karen Wells the sturdy new structure.
20 Winter 2015 | TAKE ROOT willamette valley www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] Every farmer’s dream. Jason Bradford takes care of myriad details so his crew can focus on the heart of the farm: animals and crops.
Rye Grass Forever? When the weather warms, the animals are removed and Annual rye grass is one of Vitality’s cash crops, as it has the clover responds to longer days, heat, rich fertilizer been on this property for decades. It’s also a weed that from the animals and pivot irrigation through the summer. requires timely intervention in fields transitioning to other Rye grass wilts in heat so is no longer competition. The crops. Bradford’s agro-choreographic skills come to the fore trick is to remove the grazing animals early enough so the as he schedules animals to graze it at just the right time, clover matures in time for harvest, before cool nights and allowing cover crops sharing the fields to survive, then dew threaten quality. It’s complicated, but those efforts thrive and produce valuable seed crops. produced record organic clover seed harvest the very first year. A field of Vitality’s red clover is a prime example. Bradford predicts this cover crop seed will become more important A sizable portion of the land Vitality purchased four years than grass seed as agricultural practices shift, especially ago had long been in grass seed because clay made the in the midwest. Because Vitality doesn’t use chemical soil’s substructure anaerobic in winter, which rye grass can herbicides, life-cycle timing is critical. As we walked the tolerate. A complex system of tiles was installed to drain clover field in November, Bradford explained how the water trapped under the soil. Now, crops with longer tenacious rye grass was being managed. roots, such as grains, can penetrate twice as deep to access heretofore unavailable nutrients in the clay. The elaborate “When it’s young like this, it’s really sweet, so the sheep (and, yes, expensive) system allows more diverse crops, thus graze it,” he said. “They won’t kill it but will keep it nicely enhancing the soil’s health. cropped. Key grazing time is in the spring – March, April, May – when the grass will grow tall, but the clover is still Vitality’s own sheep graze fields on rotation year-round. small because it’s not warm enough for it yet, so the grass Most lambs are sold to Cattail Creek Farm, whose owner, can shade it out.” John Neumeister, is highly regarded by discerning home cooks and high-end chefs throughout the Pacific Sheep and cattle are introduced, with portable fences Northwest. Vitality also taps his expertise in raising and shifting them every three to five days. marketing sheep through livestock consulting. “When you regraze the plant (at such intervals), it weakens The hog and vegetable farmers who lease parcels add the rye grass,” Bradford explained. diverse nutrients to the soil, enriching it further. The www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com TAKE ROOT willamette valley | Winter 2015 21
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] FEATUREFEATURE VITALITY FARMS
compost business uses barn and field waste from Vitality Farms and others to enrich soil on fields, orchards and gardens throughout the area. A small charcuterie housed on the farm, Burnheimer Meat Company, uses some of the hogs and chickens raised on Vitality’s land to process its fresh meats, salumi — Italian cold cuts — and sausages. Integrating the Local Community I hear what you’re thinking: How can Bradford own — even co-own — such holdings, let alone acquire more acreage? He must be a billionaire. Hardly. He’s co-founder of a limited partnership called Farmland LP. It’s no secret that land prices are too high for young farmers to get started these days. In this part of the Willamette Valley, they can run from about $4,000 an acre to $14,000 or more, depending on location, soil type and water. Multi-colored omeg-rich eggs nourish customers throughout the Willamette Valley. One way to make land available to those who don’t inherit it is by leasing land owned by investment companies. Investors own wide swaths of farm acreage across the country. They lease it to farmers, usually conventional farmers growing thousands of acres of commodity crops, such as corn or soybeans. Farmland LP owns farms in the Willamette Valley and California’s Sacramento Valley. It differs in that the goals of its investors are to enhance land worth by integrating organic crops and livestock. While few of Farmland’s investors have experience in farming or ranching, they are among the growing population concerned about where their food comes from. Since land doesn’t depreciate, especially if managed well, it represents long-term financial and environmental security. “These investors support management of land that is sequestering greenhouse gases in the soil and not causing Red clover ready to harvest. Will red clover cover crop seed supersede water and air pollution,” Bradford said, “while providing grass seed in the near future? opportunities for small and mid-size businesses producing the kind of food they want to eat.” Although the investors visit the farms occasionally, most don’t live close enough to enjoy food from these farms regularly. The goal is to eventually make smaller shares available to people in the surrounding community through publicly-traded real estate investment trusts. It’s quite possible that the next step in sustainable farming and communities will be to integrate modest investments by local consumers into the web of soil, crops and animals that feed them. Learn more at www.vitalityfarms.com and www.farmlandlp.com.
Chris Peterson has written about farms, farmers, culinary entrepreneurs and businesses, and food issues in the Willamette Valley for 28 growing seasons and harvests.
Vitality Farms is fully equipped to clean and blend seeds and small Page 21 egg and bagged seed photos by Debbie Duhn grains. All other photos courtesy of Farmland LLP.
22 Winter 2015 | TAKE ROOT willamette valley www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] Winter!�10�th� Annual�
January 23-25� Fri ~ Jan. 23rd 5pm-9pm� Sat ~ Jan. 24th 10am-8pm� Sun ~ Jan. 25th 10am-5pm� Lane County Fairgrounds, Eugene�
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www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com Like Us & Win�Eugene HomeTAKE ROOTShows� willamette valley | Winter 2015 23 [ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] FEATURE GRAND RONDE TRIBE
Greg Archuleta prepares for the Second Annual First Salmon Ceremony.
24 Winter 2015 | TAKE ROOT willamette valley www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] e Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde NTSAYKA IKANUM The Grand Ronde tribes keep their traditional lifeways alive and well
by Brenda Sanchez
raditional ecological knowledge is an accumulation of wisdom and beliefs passed down Tthrough generations; knowledge used to cultivate the sustainable use of soil, water and plant resources by people who have an intimate and generational relationship with the land. A knowledge earned as people journeyed from one place to another as they followed the seasons tracking an intrinsic internal calendar dependent on their natural world to provide food, shelter and clothing. Today, traditional ecological knowledge can be found throughout many of Oregon’s diverse and long-standing communities but more so in the traditionally imbued tribal communities of Oregon, where the internal cycle of sustainable living and land management is still at the core of their beliefs, cultural identification and daily life.
Photos in this story by Michelle Alaimo, courtesy of Smoke Signals www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com TAKE ROOT willamette valley | Winter 2015 25
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] FEATUREFEATURE GRAND RONDE TRIBE
es Adjacent to Majo illag r Riv nt V i-Subterr ers ne e, Sem anean Tr ma ous , Mu ibu er e H ean, Semi-Ci lti ta -P m rran rcula -Fa ri i ra bte r Sw m es m r F Su Hunting e ily a Knowledge Wheel Se la d. d Elk at O n r u re r an Ho c d te g ve ee u co S n an o D L s p tr This diagram shows some of i t C o e a e W c rt w t a r e i la io m the year-round subsistence o R D n j e d n s a s rg activities, which include M a DECEMBER L trapping, shing, hunting, ie ir a NOVEMBER prairie burning, housing r s d P n and plant cycles. n a l
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The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde tribes’ Cultural Education and Outreach Program teaching Since time immemorial, the Willamette Valley has been a course titled Lifeways. Archuleta works to connect home to The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, a tribal members to their ancestral lifeways by sharing his tribal confederation comprised of the Umpqua, Molalla, traditional knowledge in order to preserve the practice of Rogue River, Chasta and Kalapuya tribes of Oregon. Greg traditional foods, languages, art and tools. I sat down and Archuleta is an enrolled member of the tribes and comes spoke with Archuleta at his office in southwest Portland, from a long ancestral line of Kalapuyans and Clackamas. where he shared stories of traditional foods and today’s He is an artist working as a cultural arts instructor for the application of traditional lifeways.
Jim Pinder, a tribal silviculture and re protection technician, walks the perimeter of a prescribed burn with a apper ready to put out any loose ames so the re doesn’t spread from the burn area.
26 Winter 2015 | TAKE ROOT willamette valley www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] A gathering at the Grand Ronde’s Tribal Plankhouse
Early Native American Life in the Willamette Valley burning the grasslands to speed up decomposition and Early Native Americans in the Willamette Valley lived a release the ecological triggers necessary for next year’s life in perpetual motion, with each upcoming task or growing season. mission driven by the changing seasons. Early spring Early fall would find them fishing and hunting wildlife, would begin their yearly activities as small groups living such as salmon, lamprey and deer, to supplement their in provisional camps along the foothills of the Oregon mainly vegetative diet as well as provide clothing and Cascades and the alder-dense Coastal items for trade. As winter approached, tribal Mountains foraging for early season leaders would relocate their families bulbs, roots and berries. As to the Willamette River and its summer approached, families tributaries to form larger bands. would work together Under the structured canopies preparing for the of cottonwoods, alders, and peak harvest season, maples they would build moving their camps semi-permanent villages. downslope closer to a return to the familiar the oak stands and comforts of their plank prairie grasslands of homes constructed from the valley bottom. clads, poles, and rope Here they would made of western red collect and harvest cedar. This was a time for wild fruits, nuts and extended tribal families to vegetables, preserving come together and hunker and storing in baskets for down for the cool, wet winter travel and winter survival. as they waited for the tepid days Summer activities would of spring to roll back around. conclude with the practice of
A canoe journey paddle to Quinault. www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com TAKE ROOT willamette valley | Winter 2015 27
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] FEATUREFEATURE GRAND RONDE TRIBE
The camas wild ower at the Grand Ronde Nature Reserve, where Elders of the Grand Ronde sh at Henry Hagg Lake near Forest Grove. nutrient rich meadows, riparian areas and wodland fens are home. Today’s Traditional Lifeways Traditional knowledge and lifeways are highly central to the tribe’s quality of life. Even in today’s contemporary setting the tribes still continue the tradition of gathering cultural foods, carrying out ceremonial hunting and fishing and assembling for traditional social gatherings. Archuleta began discussing the various traditional foods that may be found on the table of today’s tribal family. I listened as he told me about a local wildflower known as Camas; a stand-alone blossom with a cluster of petals fading through the shades of blue growing from a flavor-infused edible bulb. Camas makes its home in the nutrient-rich niches of ephemeral habitats such as wet meadows, riparian areas and woodland fens. Bulbs are traditionally prepared by baking them in an earthen oven lined with ash and maple leaves, layered with hot stones, covered with soil and followed by the placement Preparing camas to be baked in an earthen oven lined with maple leaves and layered with hot stones before covering with soil. of a fire pit; bulbs are roasted for two to three days until they are caramelized and sweet to the taste. Archuleta went on to tell me about Yampa, which is also known as wild carrot. This highly nutritional plant is found in the moist open meadows and grassy slopes of the Willamette Valley; it has a fragile lace-like umbel with tiny white flowers growing on a tall grass-like stem. The nut-like roots are crunchy and sweet. Archuleta went on to apprise me of a little known plant called Wapato, which is also known as duck potato. It is a slight perennial herb with leaves the shape of arrowheads growing from white or blue-tinged tubers anchored in shallow ponds and small streams. Wapato is boiled and eaten, plainly and simply. Our conversation on traditional foods ended with a footnote on the more popular of traditional foods: a toothsome indigo-blue-purple berry which can only be found at higher elevations under the
Powwow at the Uyxat Powwow Grounds.
28 Winter 2015 | TAKE ROOT willamette valley www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] the improvement of aquatic habitat. And just recently prescribed burns were implemented on tribal lands for the restoration of root and bulb grounds. I concluded our conversation by asking Archuleta how we can use these traditional practices in our own land management efforts. He responded there are several ways to capture the spirit of our traditional lifeways such as planting native plants, not polluting waterways, leaving vegetative buffers along streams, protecting wetlands, controlling undesired vegetation and reducing the reliance on pesticides and fertilizers. For more information on the Tribe’s traditional lifeways and culture please visit their website at: www. Elders of the Grand Ronde sh at Henry Hagg Lake near Forest Grove. grandronde.org. hunter green foliage of huckleberry shrubs. Huckleberries are collected, shared and honored, signifying the deep- Brenda Sanchez is a resource conservationist for Marion Soil rooted family center of tribal culture. Archuleta explained and Water Conservation District in Salem specializing in soil and how traditional gathering grounds are limited in their water quality management. She spends her free time seeking out resources by land use, development, and pollution. Tribal Oregon’s remarkable and distinctive landscapes. members have lost access to many of these traditional gathering areas and accessible sections of land once All photos in this article by Michelle Alaimo, courtesy of Smoke Signals. prevalent in traditional food sources are experiencing declines in vegetative reproduction.
Sustainable Land Management A Traditional Natural Food Store Since 1971 The Tribes have two departments within their governing agency responsible for managing tribal lands. The Land and Culture and Natural Resources departments are actively involved in forestry, water quality and riparian management, and fish and wildlife conservation. They work together to preserve ancestral lands and cultural places through responsible stewardship. Organic Vegetarian Catering I asked Archuleta if traditional principles play a part in today’s management of the tribe’s natural resources. See our menu at sundancenaturalfoods.com/Menu.pdf He explained how land use practices, such as timber www.sundancenaturalfoods.com/Menu.pdf prescriptions, allow for the protection and sustainability of traditional foods and gathering areas. Huckleberry areas are protected from logging equipment and are enhanced during the harvest of timber with brush management. He went on to say the tribes work with several agencies around Oregon on land use projects such as managing riparian and wetland areas for healthy productive native vegetation and wildlife habitat. They are currently working with the Champoeg Creek State Park to enhance and preserve traditional Yampa grounds as well as working with the Willamette River Superfund sites to restore valued streamside habitat for the long-term production of traditional foods and
www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com TAKE ROOT willamette valley | Winter 2015 29
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] FEATURE DIGGIN ROOTS FARM Raising a Farm
Photo by Melissa Wagoner 30 Winter 2015 | TAKE ROOT willamette valley www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] Diggin’ Roots Farm is growing up alongside the family who runs it
by Melissa Wagoner
hen asked what his favorite thing to pick is, Wendell dreamed of, their days are far from easy. Brown works full-time WVoss does not hesitate. for Oregon Tilth, an organization whose purpose is to educate “Carrots,” he says, “because they’re hiding in the dirt.” the public about sustainable farming practices. That leaves much of the farming to Voss and an employee they have hired At just 18 months, Wendell already knows a lot about farming to help out two days a week. But the couple is making it work, and where food comes from. which Brown says she nds the most surprising thing about When I get to Diggin’ Roots Farm for open farm day, I nd owning the farm. Wendell wandering the farm. I follow him around for a while “In farming you have one chance a year,” Brown says, “but because it’s a beautiful thing watching this little guy work. He somehow it works.” has on his farm gear, including his garden cap, and he’s just wandering the rows picking a berry here, a tomato there. Diggin’ Roots is also working toward becoming what Brown refers to as a diversi ed farm. Currently they grow an acre- “He’s growing up with the farm,” Wendell’s mother, Sarah and-a-half of vegetables and 20 sheep, but someday they Brown, says. “He picks his own food. It’s such a cool thing to watch that self-su ciency and independence at such a young age.” That self-su ciency in food gathering is something that has become a rare sight in these times of grocery store purchasing. Few children know where a carrot comes from, let alone that it grew in the dirt. Wendell, on the other hand, is growing up not only on a farm but with one. Brown and her husband, Conner Voss, purchased Diggin’ Roots Farm in 2012, around the time Wendell was born, and they have been hard at work making their dreams come true ever since. “Every day I get up and I’m so grateful. It’s what we wanted for so long,” Brown says. A dream landscape, Diggin’ Roots Farm is 48 acres of gently sloping land in the Willamette Valley outside of Molalla. Conventionally farmed until its purchase by Brown and Voss, the land will be certi ed organic in 2015. With the growing demand for organic produce, Diggin’ Roots is hoping to increase the sales of their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares once the three-year wait for certi cation is over. “I think we get asked at least once every week whether or not we are organic,” Brown says. “We are looking forward to answering that with an excited ‘yes’!” Although Brown and Voss are living the life they’ve always Sarah Brown and Conner Voss www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com TAKE ROOT willamette valley | Winter 2015 31
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] FEATUREFE ATURE Diggin Roots Farm
Conner Voss greets customers and offers recipe advice at the Silverton Farmer’s Market.
would like to expand to a full-diet CSA with everything a says, “It is easier if everyone is on the same page, but pick-up family needs to live on. on the farm makes it a little more flexible.” Brown is referring A big supporter of the CSA idea, Brown admits CSAs can be to Diggin’ Roots Farm’s practice of requiring members to challenging for some people to commit to. pick up shares at the farm where they weigh the produce themselves and often choose to take home more or less of “You have to be a creative cook and willing to cook what you some vegetables depending on availability. get,” Brown says. Although she has had feedback from some customers asking for more individuality within shares Brown For those who want full control over the vegetables they take
Conner Voss does an improptu pick of bush beans for tasting at Diggin’ Roots’ open house.
32 Winter 2015 | TAKE ROOT willamette valley www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] home there is always the farmers’ market, where the Diggin’ Roots Farm stand catches the eye of every shopper with its gorgeous pyramids of carrots, cascades of golden onions and fingerling potatoes appealingly bagged in brown paper sacks rolled to show the bounty inside. On any given Saturday, market goers will find Brown stacking veggies while Wendell tries out the soaker hose and Voss wows his audience of early morning shoppers with his contagious smile and friendly banter. The market is where all of the hard work of the past week comes to fruition and Brown often gets questioned about the higher prices of Diggin’ Roots’ vegetables. Conner Voss leading a farm tour “It’s hard when people say, ‘Oh my gosh! Why are you charging so much for those green beans?’” She says. What Brown wishes she could show every customer, and one of the reasons she and Voss held the open farm day, is how much goes into farming organically. “We have 1,200 feet of perennial plants and four acres of riparian along the creek that we are clearing,” she says. “The land was conventionally farmed before and we spent $10,000 the first year liming the pasture.” As Voss leads a group of 20 eager farm tour participants through the farm, I begin to see what she means. The vegetable patch itself is a monster with rows of green beans stretching into the distance along a bamboo trellis. The trellis, Voss explains, was a $5,000 investment in the health of their backs and a way to get the beans picked more quickly. Wandering away from the vegetables, one begins to see the Jason, Alexis and London Wagoner enjoying the farm tour. overwhelming work that such a large acreage can be. In one field, the blackberries have taken over and Voss talks about the need for heavy duty equipment to clear them away. There are outbuildings that the couple would like to repair and a stream whose health they are striving to maintain. As the tour wraps up, we head back to the house where Wendell is watching a band the couple hired for the day. There’s good farm dust on his shoes that are tapping to the beat. It’s just another day on the farm for him. Maybe he’ll stick around here when he’s older and farm with his parents, growing a dream that’s the same age as him.
Melissa Wagoner is a freelance writer and the director of Rooted in Food, a company working to promote local food in Silverton, Oregon.
Wendell Voss listening to the Pagan Jug Band. Photos by Melissa Wagoner www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com TAKE ROOT willamette valley | Winter 2015 33
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] CChef’Chhef’sef’ss SSybariHolyybaris Cows PantryPantry
34Photo Winter by Jennifer 2015 Rouse | TAKE ROOT willamette valley www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] A Twist on Tradition
The chef at Sybaris likes to keep things interesting at his Albany restaurant
by Riki Saltzman
urprise amidst comfort is the de ning experience for which Matt Bennett and his sta at Sybaris strive. e restaurant, housed in a rehabbed historic structure in downtown Al- bany,S welcomes guests into a large, warmly furnished dining room lled with eclectic artwork and sprinkled with cooking implements and equipment. Children’s drawings and awards for Sybaris’ com- munity service add to the decor. But what makes this place work is the creative genius of its owners, Matt and Janel Bennett, who have together cra ed one of those wonderful Oregon restaurant gems. Matt runs the kitchen while Janel takes care of the books and pay- roll; she also helps out in the dining room when things get busy. Matt’s interest in cooking started early. At age 12, he traded all his Easter candy to his older sister for the special gi the Easter bunny had brought for her—Jacques Pepin’s “La Technique: An Illustrated Guide to the Fundamentals of Cooking,” a basic primer
Chef Matt and Janel Bennett at the James Beard House in New York. www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com TAKE ROOT willamette valley | Winter 2015 35
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] CHEF’S SYBARIS PANTRY
for techniques, knife work and more. By the time he was 16, Bennett had his rst job at the Michigan Bean Company, a restaurant in a refurbished grain elevator in the small town of Fenton, Mich., and known for catering the Mott (applesauce) family’s parties. He worked from age 16 to 18 for an Arme- nian-born, classically trained French chef and made his way up the ranks, starting at the garde manger station, preparing cold appetizers; he was promoted to grill cook one Saturday “when the guy on grill passed out” he says. Keeping up was paramount, and if you couldn’t make it, someone else took your place in the line. at early training was strict, and the chef adhered to clas- sic French methods. e chef told his sta the recipes, which they recorded in their training notebooks (Matt still has his). He expected his sta to “get it right the rst time.” If you didn’t, you had to get the recipe from someone else. Techniques included preparing lots of reduced stocks and cream sauces to breaking down primal cuts of beef and making sausages and pâtés. Matt “caught the tail end of charcuterie before it went out of fashion.” While the restaurant, which closed when Matt turned 18, served expensive cuts of beef and lamb as well as duck and pheasant in the white tablecloth main oor, the basement bar o ered sausages and char- cuterie meats made from pork, which was considered too low-for the main dining room. One of the highlights of Matt’s early days as a cook was getting to prepare lunch for his idol, Jacques Pepin. Know- ing how much it would mean to him, the chef chose Matt to prepare his signature dish: char-grilled lake white sh with tomato concassé and bulgur. e Michigan Bean Company’s chef gave Matt his rst lessons in surprising customers by preparing familiar dishes with a bit of a twist. In this case, the bulgur, from the chef’s traditional Armenian heritage, complemented the sh yet intrigued with a avor and texture di erent than the usual rice. Matt says putting bulgur on the menu in a “white bread town” de nitely created a buzz. Matt didn’t grow up learning classical French cooking at his mother’s knee — far from it. He was born and reared in Hartland, Mich., a region justi ably proud of its pies and church suppers. Matt was one of those lucky kids whose parents grew “a shocking amount” of what the family ate: The well-seasoned kitchen at Sybaris — where the passion of squashes, green beans, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, strawber- cooking inspires creative delicious entrees. ries and so on. e family also raised cows and had a piece
36 Winter 2015 | TAKE ROOT willamette valley www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] of land that a local farmer leased in exchange for an annual pig. Matt’s mother canned Michigan’s bounty of fruit, from peaches to cherries, and made quantities of jam and jelly as well. Her cooking, Matt says, was typical “Midwestern plain . . .” fairly simple dishes — always made from scratch — that his mother “typically overcooked and under seasoned.” She used both spices — salt and pepper — to prepare typical dishes of meat loaf and pot roast and served boiled potatoes nearly every day. During Lent, salmon or mackerel patties made from canned sh were the usual fare. A er his stint at the Michigan Bean Company, Matt at- tended Michigan State University, where he got a bachelor’s degree in hospitality from the business school and was the valedictorian of his class. His parents were teachers, and they encouraged their son to follow his pas- sion. Matt’s original goal was to head to Alaska for a job with the commercial shing eet, but friends advised that hanging out rst in Oregon would be a good idea. His parents helped him move out to Portland, Ore., which he rst thought was a bit too urban for his taste. Heading south, he arrived in Salem, where he found a position as a cook in a local res- taurant. And lucky for Matt that he did, because Janel, his future wife, was working at that same restaurant as a server. Janel, born and reared in North Dakota, wanted to see other places; since her father was already in Salem, she decided moving to Oregon to attend Chemeketa Community College would do the trick. e rest, as they say, was fate. As Janel tells it, the two spotted each other through the pass between the kitchen and the dining room. He says he was trying to pick her up; she says she was trying to pick him up. While at work one day, Matt asked if anyone knew where the Portland Art Museum was, and Janel said she did. ey went to Portland, got turned around, ended up playing pool and talking, and had a great rst date. Time went by and more memorable dates created a very close relationship. It was no surprise the two decided to get married. Both continued to work at the Salem restaurant for a time, and then they found out that the building that is now Sybaris was for sale. e couple bought the property in July and opened the restaurant on October 9, 2001. Fourteen years later, Matt and Janel have quite a track record. Sybaris, which Chef Matt Bennett prepares a cut of pork loin for the chilled pork has become an integral part of the Albany community, has loin pinwheel with green peppercorn grebiche. www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com TAKE ROOT willamette valley | Winter 2015 37
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Miso marinated black cod
roasted nuts, a hazelnut crème brûlée and a shiny black dark chocolate glaze. Sybaris’ November menu featured “Dungeness crab pumpkin pie” appetiz- er, which combined local pumpkin with curried whipped cream and Dungeness crab; the “crust” for this just-set custard is crispy katai (shredded lo), which adds an unexpected texture and adorns the top of this savory starter. A sea- sonal main course of venison meatballs combines walnuts, chanterelles, fried sage, acorn squash and “thickish” egg catered weddings for customers who were children when the noodles. And instead of using pork for his schnitzel, Matt Bennetts rst met them. makes his with sturgeon with sides of Russian carrot salad, While Matt’s passion is cooking and creating new dishes, pickled beet coulis, and kasha vereniki — a very Russian/ Janel’s is the customers. And she speaks with unbridled eastern European-inspired meal. enthusiasm about them, noting that they are they are not only A typical day at Sybaris starts with Matt’s coming in at 9 nice, but “they’re part of our family.” at family extends to a.m. to prep for the evening meal. He takes the prep list cre- the greater community, to which Sybaris donates a great deal. ated the evening before by his sous chef and does a variety of A friend suggested that the couple actually track their various tasks: baking, butchering or making ice cream. On the day I fundraising activities to further encourage others to support was there, he started by mixing and kneading several batches such worthy causes as the ABC House, which provides a safe of bread dough from a sourdough starter and set them to rise; environment, counseling and services for abused children prepared, stu ed, and rolled a pork loin; and slow roasted and their families. A painting of a “giving tree” on the out- beets. He also lleted black cod (bream) and prepared it to side of the restaurant shows the extent of their contributions, marinate for two weeks in sugar, sake and miso. is particu- which their patrons make possible by attending events like lar dish was a lucky accident that happened when he forgot Sybaris’ annual anksgiving dinner (started in 2005), which the sh was marinating, discovered it two weeks later, and includes a traditional Midwestern spread. then tried roasting it for a Japanese-inspired meal. While all “Now this is our tradition,” says Janel, whose daughters, 11 this prep is going on, the phone rings frequently, a local wine and 8, “have never known any other anksgiving.” guy stops in to o er some specials, and some friends come by is year, Sybaris’ owners, who focus their giving on chil- to say hello. Matt’s sous chef comes in at 4 p.m., “makes sense dren’s charities, expanded their reach and hosted a Veterans of it all,” and they start to cook together. e dishwasher also Day lunch for World War II vets and their wives or com- comes in at the same time, cleans up the day’s worth of dirty panions. A er Albany’s annual veterans parade, 60 people dishes and utensils and the evening is ready to start. attended what turned into an emotion-packed occasion. Ever Local foods are critical to Sybaris’ menu, which features one to gure out a new twist, Matt thought it would be fun a range of farmed venison, partridge, pheasant, wild Oregon to serve military food. e comfort food menu of chipped mushrooms, eggs, pork, chicken, sh and seafood. But the beef on toast (with homemade bread, of course), fruit cocktail restaurant’s goal is to provide good food, imaginatively pre- with jello, and rice pudding got some appreciative laughs. pared and creatively presented, so Matt, who certainly takes But most meals at Sybaris are not nearly so old-school. all that is locally available, doesn’t limit himself. During the What keeps Matt going is taking a basic dish, deconstructing winter months, he features a lobster special with the sustain- it and making it into something di erent, something a bit ably-caught crustaceans imported by Maine lobstermen. Any surprising and, at the same time, familiar. For example, his citrus fruits on the menu clearly do not come from Oregon. chocolate hazelnut cake is not just a layer cake but two ex- And while local wines dominate the wine list, there are also tremely dark, ourless chocolate “hockey pucks” with whole o erings from other states and other countries. And for any
38 Winter 2015 | TAKE ROOT willamette valley www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] Asparagus veloute soup and poached farm egg chocolate dessert specialties, expect that what you’ll be enjoying is French chocolate. More than local, what Matt enjoys re- searching and preparing are a variety of heritage foods, but, again, with his own twist. Some years ago, he was called upon to prepare a special dinner to raise funds for a new park in Albany. He decided to create a dinner based on the traditional foods of the native people of Grand Ronde. He met with Ms. Tom from the Tribal Council who put him in touch with Eirik orsgard in the Education Department Matt doesn’t shy away from challenges, either; in fact, he at the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. orsgard, who welcomes them. He constantly tests himself to learn new is currently involved with documenting indigenous land use techniques. Each month he writes a new menu whose dishes relative to foodways, generously helped Bennett put together re ect the seasons and the cuisines that he associates with a a menu that featured seasonal dishes inspired by traditional particular time of year — Spanish and French Mediterranean regional foods. He later went on to prepare the rst native for summer, Russian and German for winter. Janel has veto foods-inspired dinner at the James Beard House in New York rights over the names and descriptions, however, which keeps City. Matt from taking his creativity too far. He does admittedly What struck Matt about the Grand Ronde approach to make his wait sta crazy by continuing to revise each dish — food was their inherent respect for it, for the seasons when not to make it perfect but to make it more interesting. certain foods grow and can be harvested. at rst dinner “Without the surprise,” he says, “why bother?” included quail, venison, camas, smoked salmon, wapato (swamp potato) and acorns. On another occasion, Bennett Riki Saltzman, Executive Director, Oregon Folklife Network included a camas dish for one of his dinners; Greg Archuleta (Oregon’s Folk & Traditional Arts Program) has written about , cultural instructor of the Confederated Tribes of Grand food and culinary tourism for a variety of publications. Ronde , explained that it took ve days to cook the camas roots. As time got shorter and shorter, Matt kept asking Archuleta when they could pick the camas. Archuleta nally explained that unless the camas was in ower, it was disre- LOCAL FOOD SOURCES spectful to pick it. End result: Matt reprinted the menus. Matt’s goal with Native-inspired dishes was to prepare Rain Sheep Lamb, Albany traditional foods, unfamiliar to non-natives, in a way that Springhill Farm, Albany they would understand. He follows through on this principle Camron Ridge Farm, Albany Tru eZone, Salem with all his menu items, taking a tried and true standard and Farrier Farm, Je erson making it surprising, or taking unusual ingredients and pre- Van Vleet Meat Co., Albany paring them in more traditional ways. While he doesn’t like Calapooia Brewing, Albany to be surprised with odd combinations, he has great apprecia- Brandywine Fisheries, Oregon Coast tion for those chefs, like himself, who can combine avors Provvista Specialty Foods, Portland and textures to create an eating experience that is appealing Nicky USA Wild Game Supplier, Portland and memorable. One that he mentioned combined butternut squash, rose petal harissa and goat’s milk cheese; while the Page 34 Restaurant photo by Jennifer Rouse appearance wasn’t compelling, “the avor was great.” Page 36-38 photo by Riki Saltzman Page 38-39 Food photos by Eugene Pavlov Photography www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com TAKE ROOT willamette valley | Winter 2015 39
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] FEATURE GREAT AMERICAN EGG
The Great American Egg takes a unique approach to farming
by Megan French
earching as far down the road as my eyes can strain, I see no signs, no Smarkers, no indication of a poultry farm anywhere. All I see are wide- open elds, scattered sparingly with junipers and sage brush. The GPS says it is right here. I slam on the breaks at a tiny gravel driveway where the little green sign reads “13604.” I know I am in the right place when the gravel crunching under the tires scares out a lone hen. Plucking away at the tiny pebbles, she barely managers to leave enough room for me to drive by her. As I approach the house, I am greeted by a young border collie, who is learning her place on the farm, as the rest of the family starts to assemble at their places. It is Farm Day at the Great American Egg out in quiet Powell Butte, Ore. The sun is out, warming a brisk morning, and the Cascade Mountains make a brief but commanding appearance in the west. Owners Anita and Justice Ho man are busy in the poultry processing house. Anita is preparing boiling water for shrink-wrapping the chickens, Justice is lighting the Choofa pot to keep farm guests warm while they wait in line to pick out their whole chickens from a giant vat of ice water and their sausage, bacon, and eggs from coolers outside. Daughter Lillian is making hot cocoa and Hazel is pulling out the cash box, calculator and Thanksgiving turkey sign-up sheet. It all seems second nature to the entire family. As the clock nears 11, cars start to crowd into the little driveway and families begin unloading massive coolers from their vehicles. Many of these people are neighbors of the Great American Egg and rely on them for their meat throughout the year. People buy ve or more
Anita Ho man preparing primal cuts of lamb.
40 Winter 2015 | TAKE ROOT willamette valley www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] CHICKEN and the Egg
Photos by Megan French www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com TAKE ROOT willamette valley | Winter 2015 41
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] FEATUREF EATURE Great American Egg
whole chickens, sign up for their Thanksgiving turkeys, talk about work and life and school and leave with smiles on their faces. Anita and Justice describe the Great American Egg as a hobby farm, though their dedication, practices and volume make it seem otherwise. Both Anita and Justice have other jobs; Anita is a high school teacher in Crook County and Justice works at a window and door company. But, when not contributing to their jobs, they are working hard out at the farm. The Great American Egg puts an enormous emphasis on the importance of raising animals in pasture. The family believes that pasture and intensive management is critical to The crew sets up for Farm Day. raising healthy animals and ensuring a healthy environment. Research on pasturing animals, in comparison to the extreme Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, shows enormous reductions in toxins and increases in soil fertility because manure is naturally spread around fields instead of concentrated in mass amounts. This minimizes odors and making a healthier environment free from disease. Every decision made at the Great American Egg is done with the animals in mind. The main livestock on the farm are the cornish cross chickens. These birds live in domed hoop houses the family calls Super Doops, made from recycled billboards. The Super Doops have no floors so the chickens can fertilize the earth directly. The houses can then be easily moved to a new location on the pasture to keep a clean living environment. The livestock feed is custom made up the road in Culver. It Medium Whites enjoying the Powell Butte sun. contains no soy, corn or GMO ingredients, and all ingredients are sourced regionally. The Great American Egg also raises turkeys, pigs and sheep. Anita and Justice typically raise 10 piglets at a time and sell the meat in farmers’ markets and as parts of a herd share. By selling the pigs as part of a herd share they are able to offer whole or half animals in combination with a butchering class. Through the herd share, the Great American Egg sells a buyer a live pig. The farm takes care of the animals until it is time to slaughter. The Great American Egg arranges the slaughter and and then brings the meat to a central location. Those who bought the herd share are given instruction on how to “break down” the whole animal. This is a great option for people who want to know exactly how their animals were raised and have a part in that process, people who want specific cuts of the animal, people who want to save a little money, or people Taryn Arnold (right) teaching a student butchering techniques.
42 Winter 2015 | TAKE ROOT willamette valley www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] RECIPE
who want a wider and more intimate connection with their food. I attended a lamb butchering class in early September taught by farm intern Taryn Arnold. Taryn and Anita showed up to class with two halved lambs, a few bins, saws, knives and butcher paper to wrap the nished product in. The class was small and extremely hands-on. Starting with the primal cuts, Taryn instructed the students about what utensils to use, proper techniques and how to identify the cuts of the animal. The classes take about a three hours; if you purchase a half a pig, Spicy Chicken with Peanuts you could take home roughly 100 pounds of meat. Recipe by Chef Bett e Fraser The second most important aspect to Anita and Justice’s farm Owner of the Well Traveled Fork in Bend after their animals is their customers. They are very concerned with being transparent to their customers and keeping prices a ordable. By o ering butchering classes, they are able to I got this recipe from my mother-in-law over 25 years accomplish both. ago and we have made it for week night dinners regularly. Most of these ingredients you will have in The Great American Egg also considers itself a “customer- your pantry; if not, feel free to improvise. When buying inspected” farm and allows anyone to visit the farm and see fresh ginger, I slice it into coins and put it into a jar and how their food is being grown. cover it with sherry. It will keep indefi nitely. In 2009, the Ho man’s secured a license to process, package and sell their pastured chickens from their home, where they Servings: 4 built a mini processing facility. The Great American Egg was Ingredients the rst farm to earn the license east of the Cascades. The 3 Tablespoons soy sauce facility is inspected by the Oregon Department of Agriculture, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch ensuring the animal and environmental concerns are all taken 2 chicken breasts, cut into pieces 1 Tablespoon sherry care of, and allows the farm to sell their goods at markets and 2 teaspoons sugar to restaurants and institutions. This eliminates the cost of 1 teaspoon white vinegar 4 teaspoons peanut oil slaughtering and butchering facilities and lowers the cost for 1 teaspoon red chili paste 4 green onions, chopped their customers. 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, minced 1/2 cup peanuts, chopped Using locally-milled feed, partnering with Oregon Spirit 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped Distillery to use their spent grains, participating in Meet Your 1 cup rice, cooked Farmer meals, and having face to face interactions with their Instructi ons customers makes the Great American Egg a diverse and In a medium size bowl, blend 1 Tablespoon soy sauce and generous member of the community in Central Oregon. cornstarch. Mix in chicken and set aside. In a small bowl, The Great American Egg can be found at the Wednesday Bend combine remaining 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, sherry, sugar and vinegar and set aside. Farmers’ Market, the Saturday Salem Market, the Salem Public Market, Devore’s Good Food Store and many local restaurants Heat the peanut oil in wok or skillet. Add red pepper and ginger and saute briefl y. Add chicken and sti r fry for about 2 and cafes in the Central Oregon region, including Lone Pine minutes. Co ee Roasters, Jackson’s Corner and 10 Below. Add the green onions, sti rring constantly for about 4-5 minutes Add soy mixture; cook 1 minute longer, sti rring Megan French is a culinary adventurer at Well Traveled Fork. She is constantly. Mix in peanuts. Serve immediately with a lover of all things organic, local and tasty. hot rice.
Enjoy!
Photos by Megan French www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com TAKE ROOT willamette valley | Winter 2015 43
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] TA S TING FEATURE ANALEMMA WINES ROOM A Vineyard for the Ages
by Kelsey Ivey
Sunset photo by Michael Peterson Black and white photo by Blaine and Bethany
44 Winter 2015 | TAKE ROOT willamette valley Owners Steven Thompson andwww.TAKEROOTmagazine.com Kris Fade
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] Analemma Wines wrings ne vino from one of the Gorge’s oldest vineyards
n a tiny town along the Columbia River with more acres of grape Ivines and cherry trees than people, Analemma Wines opens its doors. Breathing fresh air into old vines and fermenting rare fruit, the winery embarks on a mission to craft beautiful wines that echo the essence of the Pacific Northwest and the rich geology and history of its vineyards. A small boutique winery, Analemma Wines produces 1,500 cases of Alsatian style, cool-climate wines, including gewürztraminer, rosé of pinot noir and their most recent release, blanc de noir sparkling, from vineyards on both the Washington and Oregon sides of the Columbia River. Owned by Steven Thompson and Kris Fade, Analemma’s brand
Owners Steven Thompson and Kris Fade www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com TAKE ROOT willamette valley | Winter 2015 45
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] TA S TING Analemma Wines ROOM
Kris Fade and Steven Thompson sort grapes before pressing.
Kris Fade pours wine for guests in the new tasting room.
new tasting room and winery is located adjacent to their Adams, about eight miles northwest of Analemma’s estate vineyard in Mosier, Ore, in between Hood River and winery. Walter J. Clore, a pioneer in wine growing often The Dalles. known as the “Father of Washington Wine,” selected Named for the figure-eight pattern the sun makes as it the site with original owner Charles Henderson with migrates between the northern and southern hemispheres the distinct intent on growing high-quality grapes for throughout the year and similar to the symbol for infinity, champagne style sparkling wines. Analemma draws inspiration for their wines from the A cool site receiving approximately 35 inches of rain rhythms of the seasons in the vineyard. Using 100 percent annually, it’s planted with varietals well-suited for the Columbia Gorge AVA fruit, Fade and Thompson aim to temperature and micro-climate. Henderson additionally create character-driven wines from three unique vineyards situated the vineyard at 1,700 feet in prehistoric soils in this small growing region. untouched by the Missoula Floods, a series of massive “The Gorge presents a compelling growing climate that floods during the end of the last ice age that carved the varies wildly from cool alpine rainforest in the west Columbia Gorge and deposited nutrient rich sediments to drier, semi-arid conditions in the east,” Fade says. and silts in the now bountiful Willamette Valley. “Embracing the local conditions, vineyards of this region “The cool nature of this site produces bright wines of low have the potential to create world-class sparkling wines on alcohol and refreshing acidity classic of all Analemma one end and impressive, warm-climate reds on the other.” wines,” Fade says. “Meticulous vineyard management, Analemma’s estate farm, about 550 feet above the paired with gentle handling in the winery, provides a clear Columbia River, includes 25 acres of cherries, 7 acres of window into this site’s unique personality.” planted vineyards and five more to come in 2015. Once the Maintaining a vital relationship with the fruit from field to vineyard reaches full maturation, the couple anticipates bottle, Fade and Thompson embrace what they describe as that production will grow to between 2,500 and 3,000 a “soulful approach to farming and winemaking.” Farming cases; they expect their wine portfolio will also grow to biodynamically and organically, they use beneficial teas to include warmer varietals such as grenache, tempranillo help facilitate photosynthesis, boost plant immunity and and syrah. reduce the need for disease control, as well as limit harsh Until then, one vineyard in particular is close to their chemical sprays. hearts — the Atavus vineyard. “We feel that synthetic chemicals reduce the synergistic “Analemma Wines was founded on the opportunity to expression of the vines and soils of the vineyard and do lease and farm the Atavus vineyard,” Fade says. our best to create a hospitable environment for the life that lives within the soil,” Fade says. Reducing sprays One of the oldest vineyards in the Pacific Northwest — it also helps to nurture native yeast growth, which helps was planted in 1968 — the Atavus vineyard sits on the Analemma’s fermentations take on a life of their own in the north bank of the Columbia River in the foothills of Mount cellar.
46 Winter 2015 | TAKE ROOT willamette valley www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] Analemma’s tasting bar.
Kris Fade pours wine for guests in the new tasting room.
In the winery, Thompson and Fade also work to reduce the Using only a single variety, single vineyard and single impact of oxygen, heavy oak and filtering to bring the out vintage, the wine honors the history of its home and the vibrancy of the fruit. showcases the vineyard’s unique characteristics. Crafted In their wines, you taste this dedication and depth. in the traditional Methode Champenoise, the wine is 100 percent pinot noir and aged for 42 months. Featuring an The 2013 Atavus Vineyard gewürztraminer ripens on aromatic nose and just the faint hint of pale gold color, the palate with harvest flavors of fresh-picked pear and the sparkling wine jumps in with a flinty spark on the matured melon rind that gives off a perceived sweetness palate, then transitions to light, bright fruit notes, pear to the wine. Next comes a zip of acidity like a tart lime and pineapple, as the tight bubbles give way to a creamy on the rim of a virgin margarita, which leaves your lips texture. The double fermentation and yeast contact also smacking and mouth watering. Gently pressed whole add a rich mouthfeel and body to this wine, though it cluster then barrel fermented and briefly aged on lees remains youthful in character. in neutral oak, the wine tastes bright and fresh on first swallow and then evens out as a creamy duel tone mingles From the wines to the vineyard to the tasting room, on the finish. it’s easy to see, taste and experience that wine is in Thompson’s veins, under Fade’s fingernails and in each of Tart, fruity and floral, the 2013 Atavus rosé of pinot noir is their souls. And while their journey has taken Thompson anything but complacent. With its hallmark high acidity, from the vineyards in Italy to oenology school and the rosé makes your cheeks pucker initially but over time apprenticeships in Walla Walla and both of them to opens up, releases its tight hold of your mouth muscles harvests in New Zealand, it was the special opportunity to and starts to reveal silky layers of flavor. Diamond blush lease the historic Atavus vineyard in the Columbia Gorge in color and featuring notes of strawberry, honeydew, that truly ignited their tale and created a foundation for rosewater and orange zest, this wine should be enjoyed this up-and-coming producer. with friends, picnic blankets and a sweet, fatty cheese. “Farming this site continues to be a great privilege,” Fade While the gewürztraminer and rosé of pinot noir are the says. leading lady and romantic Romeo of the Atavus story, the real show stopper is Analemma’s 2010 blanc de noir sparkling. The first sparkling produced from the Atavus Sipping her way around the world, Kelsey Ivey is a self vineyard since Henderson sold the property almost two proclaimed travel wine junkie with a buzz for the bountiful decades ago, the blanc de noir is a celebration of terroir. Pacific Northwest, which she happily calls home. Kelsey loves to “Their vision was lost for many years by the fragmentation explore the region grape by grape. Follow @KelseyIvey. of the owners growing the fruit and selling it to unfamiliar wineries,” says Fade. But we are “thrilled to uncover this vision and bring to life this beautiful presentation of Photos: page 46-47 coutesy of Analemma Wine. Atavus pinot noir grapes.”
www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com TAKE ROOT willamette valley | Winter 2015 47
[ search engine powered by magazooms.com ] E AT FRESH RECIPE FARMERS MARKETS
CORVALLIS Corvallis Farmers’ Markets Saturdays, 9am-1pm, April 20-Nov 23 Wednesdays, 9-1pm, April 24-Nov 27 Corner of 1st and Jackson Accepts Oregon Trail (SNAP), WIC and Senior Coupons
COTTAGE GROVE Coast Fork Farm Stand Wednesdays & Saturdays,11am-6pm, year-round 10th & Washington Accepts Debit & Credit Cards, Oregon Trail (SNAP) WIC and Salsa Lenti l Soup Senior Coupons Recipe by Debbie Duhn EUGENE Publisher of TAKE ROOT Willamett e Valley Lane County Farmers’ Market http://lanecountyfarmersmarket.org Servings: 8 Winter Market 8th & Oak, Park Street Blocks Ingredients Saturday, 10am–2pm, February 1st–March 29th • 1 1/2 cups lenti ls rinsed (I used Cedar Lenti ls) Hideaway Bakery Market • 6 cups water Saturdays, 9am - 2pm, year round per vendor availability • 1/2 cup onions, chopped 3377 East Amazon, • 1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped behind Mazzi’s Restaurant • 1 quart of canned homemade salsa ANOTHER OPTION The OG Corner Market • 2 cloves of fresh garlic (minced) instead of Salsa Wednesdays, 12-6pm, year round • 2 tablespoons olive oil check website for hours • 2 1/2 cups stewed tomatoes • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 small can tomato sauce www.theogcornermarket.com • 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper • (add extra) 1 onion, 1 295 River Road (corner of Thomason & River Rd) Accepts Oregon Trail (SNAP), WIC and Senior Coupons • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder jalapeno and 1 bell pepper to the above • 1 teaspoon cumin Eugene Local Foods • 4 cups of fresh spinach Online farmers market, selling year-round Eugenelocalfoods.com
Instructi ons SALEM Salem Public Market Sort and rinse the lenti ls. In a large pot, add water and 1240 Rural Ave. SE lenti ls and bring to a boil. Cover and let cook for 15 minutes. Saturdays, 8:30am-2pm, Year-round
Heat olive oil in a small frying pan. Add the chopped onion SPRINGFIELD and bell peppers, sti rring frequently, sauté unti l they are Marketplace@sprout! tender and slightly browned. Fridays, 3pm-7pm, open year-round Sprout! Regional Food Hub When lenti ls have cooked, add onions, garlic powder, cumin, 418 A Street, Spring eld chili powder, salt and black pepper. Sti r well. Add 1 quart of homemade salsa, bring to a boil, then cover. Turn heat down to low and allow to simmer 25 minutes. If you are using the replacement opti on above instead of salsa, you may need to simmer 35 minute. Add spinach and simmer another 15-20 minutes. Serve hot with your favorite baked bread or rolls. OTHER OREGON LOCATIONS: FOR MEATLOVERS — If you have left -over cooked roast, turkey www.oregonfarmersmarkets.org or chicken, just put it in with the spinach.
48 Winter 2015 | TAKE ROOT willamette valley www.TAKEROOTmagazine.com
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