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As we reach the first frosts of the season and tender fruits and vegetables go into hibernation until spring, many greens, like kale, actually hit their peak. During the warm summer months, greens are sitting ducks for their many predators, including rodents, insects, and birds. As a protection mechanism, greens emit a bitter taste to discourage nibblers. When the weather cools down, there are far fewer of these threats to contend with, and so winter greens reduce the production of these bitter chemicals and get sweeter and sweeter.
Kale, a member of the cabbage family, is the most robust of winter greens; some plant biologists consider its hardiness unmatched by any other vegetable. Kale also tolerates a huge variety of soils and temperatures. While young leaves can be enjoyed raw in salads and slaws, more mature specimens benefit from cooking before being eaten.
Until the middle ages, kale was the most prolific edible crop in Europe, and it obviously has endured, as seeds have migrated from continent to continent. Kales, like other dark, leafy greens, are steeped in vitamins A, B, C and K, beta carotene and even calcium, as well as sulphoraphane, a chemical believed to be an effective anti-carcinogenic. Consider cozying up to kale this winter by incorporating this savory-sweet recipe into your kitchen repertoire.
Market veterans
Cherry Country and
Picklopolis have been
discovered by the popular cable channel The Food Network.
Watch Celeste Shadbolt take Food Network personalities Pat and Gina Neely behind the scenes at the Shadbolt’s organic cherry orchard and chocolate factory in Rickreall, Oregon. The Shadbolts were featured on the episode “Road Tasted with the Neelys: Trail Blazing Tastes in Portland” throughout the month of November.
Picklopolis’ Briney King David Barber whipped up a batch of cranberry preserves onscreen for “Road Tested with the Neelys” shortly before Thanksgiving. To ?nd out more about “The Kingdom of the Brine” and David and Barb’s restaurant Three Square Grill, click here:
picklopolis.com
threesquare.com
Look for our sweet and briney friends Saturdays at PSU through December 20.
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Portland Farmers Market’s 2008 season is coming to an end. Once again, it has been an outstanding year. Over the course of the season, an estimated 22,000 customers visited our four markets each week, spending approximately $5 million. Simply put, shopping at the farmers market keeps our local family farmers farming, strengthens the local economy, reduces your carbon footprint, and adds to the health and vibrancy of our community.
Spending your money near home is one of the best ways to help our local economy through difficult times. We appreciate your support and that of other market visitors who uphold this simple tenet. While the overall economy may struggle, we hope that you will continue to sustain the region’s local farmers and merchants and carry on a strong Portland tradition of shopping locally.
I am very optimistic that Portland Farmers Market will continue to thrive in 2009. This confidence is based on knowing that Portlanders are engaged citizens who know that agriculture and food production are the foundation for all wealth creation. Currently, 3% of the total consumer spending on produce purchases in the Portland metropolitan area occurs at local farmers markets, generating $5.1 million in sales. If we can redirect only an additional 2% in spending at the market in the coming year, it would generate another $3.7 million for the local food and farm economy.
Last, as a reminder, our holiday markets are coming up (see below)! As you consider your holiday gift purchases and plan celebratory menus, please visit our Saturday farmers market for the best and freshest ingredients.
Happy Holidays from the entire Portland Farmers Market crew, and we hope to see you in the spring of 2009 when we kick off our 18th season – if not sooner!
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Portland Farmers Market will conclude its 2008 run by filling a winter's day with the warm spirited celebration of the Winter Solstice Market on Saturday, December 20, from 9:30am to 2pm. Come and enjoy caroling and good cheer, and fill your totes with late fall produce, handcrafted gifts, specialty foods, festive natural decorations for hearth and home, and even purchase a fresh-cut Christmas tree! Just a sample of what the market will offer:
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Two Tarts will be on hand with gift-ready boxes filled with their famous bite-sized cookies. |
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Cherry Country will have chocolate covered and dried cherries ready to be folded into baked goods or eaten on their own. |
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Seely Family Farm will offer homemade mint chocolates and mint teas. |
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Sudan Lamb will carry cozy, handknit woolen mittens. |
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Find holiday wreaths, swags, dried flower arrangements, holly boughs, and table centerpieces in nearly every stall. |
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French Prairie Perennials will supply city dwellers with Christmas trees cut just that morning as well as a wide variety of live trees. |
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Several vendors will carry local wine and cider--the perfect accompaniment to Gilson Marine Farm's oysters |
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Pick up winter squash, cellaring apples, hard cheeses, and other "winter keepers. |
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Island Sunshine, Purple Majesty, Australian Crescent, Morris Piper--they sound like the names of mountain ranges, or maybe winning race horses. But no, they're the names of just a few of the potatoes Joan and Ron Baune grow at Rainyway Farm.
Joan grew up in Banks, and Ron nearby, and after they married they took over Ron's father's dairy farm. After a number of years of dairy farming and brief forays into other occupations, the Baunes discovered that they most enjoyed vegetable gardening and selling the vegetables at farmers' markets. They started farming ten years ago with nine raised beds as a hobby, but now have expanded to eight acres of vegetables, seedlings, and flowers.
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Market sponsor West Cast Bank has been working to build robust local communities since opening for business almost eighty years ago. Although the company has grown to include more than 60 locations in Oregon and Washington, the guiding principles of personal attention and local decision making remain unchanged. The bank aims to be a real service to the community, not only through offering a full suite of financial services, but also by supporting local organizations and events.
West Coast Bank has been a flagship sponsor of Portland Famers Market since 2003, funding general operations and the ongoing expansion of our educational programs such as Kids Cook at the Market. Our collaboration helps keep vendor fees stable and sustains vivacious marketplaces that serve as important neighborhood gathering places. As the largest agricultural lender in Oregon, West Coast Bank is, quite literally, banking on the future of farming in the Pacific Northwest. We are proud to have such a dedicated partner working with us to keep local dollars in local neighborhoods, on local plates, and in local farms.
With close proximity to all Portland Farmers Market locations, take a moment to stop in next time you shop one of our markets. West Coast Bank has branches in the Pearl District at NW Glisan at 12th Avenue, central downtown on SW Broadway at Salmon Street, and near our Eastbank Market on SE Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard at Salmon Street.
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