Greetings!
On one of those sunny fall days that we here in the northwest revel in, I had an idea. It probably popped into my head while I was eating one of those warm, smells-like-summer, juicy tomatoes from the farmers market. I’ve been slicing them up with fresh basil and feta cheese, and then drizzling on olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt. That, to me, is a plate of amazing food!
So, the idea is to blog about my journey of discovering and connecting with our local farmers who are producing these wonderful foods right here in our extended Portland neighborhood. And while we’re lucky to have so many stores that carry organic foods, it just seems to make more sense to support our local farmers through the farmers markets, CSAs, farms selling directly to the consumer, farm markets, buying coops, etc..
Of course, not all my food can be grown in the Portland area—no coffee plantations here that I know of! But every time I buy something locally, even if it’s just one thing, I know I’m reducing my footprint by not having foods shipped from afar, cutting out plastic packaging, supporting sustainable farming, and in my mind, one of the most important things—creating a strong community where we support those who not only grow our food, but who also are the caretakers of our soil and land.
I’m hoping to bring in interviews– informal chats really– and information about the different farms and events in our area. And speaking of events, here’s a fun one in Portland tomorrow, October 8th, for cheese lovers–that would be everyone, right?
http://www.dairyfarmersor.com/thewedge/news/
They’ll be closing off SE 9th Ave. between Belmont and Yamhill for 35 local cheese makers to set up stands, and the weather looks like it might be partly sunny. Cheese and sun in Portland, what could be better!
I’m excited to start this journey and to share it with you—so please jump in with comments; I’d love to hear from you.
A Fork in the Road 
Looks good to me. If I lived anywhere near, I’d be off to that cheese festival tomorrow. Happy shopping!
Barbara, you’re the very first person to comment on my new blog! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you find a cheese festival near you one of these days. I did post a few national links that might help you find some resources close to you.
Lorraine, your blog looks great! I’m impressed. And you made me hungry. We do have some great local cheese around here, though I wish I could be eating with you!
So nice to see you here, Jeannine–I sure do appreciate it! I’m hoping one of these days you’ll come visit and get a chance to sample some local fare…hint hint. And I’m sure you’ve got lots of wonderful farms and foods in your neck of the woods that I’ll have to come sample someday too.
Good luck with your new blog and happy eating!
Barb, I’m so happy to see you here! Thanks for the good wishes; happy eating to you too. Do you have easy access to local foods, farmer’s markets in your city?
I was going to say, “I have no idea,” but then I remembered we have something almost on the lake where people can shop for fresh produce early in the morning. It’s the St. Lawrence Market.
One of my mother’s friends who was a superb cook used to shop there. You could taste the difference in freshness.
The site looks BEAUTIFUL! And yummy…I want to eat those potatoes. 🙂 And I wish I weren’t a country away! Dang, I’d love to go to that cheese festival. I’ll have to settle for the garlic festival in Bethlehem on Sunday. 🙂
Mmm, garlic! I’ll be posting a garlic soup recipe on one of these chilly days. Good for whatever ails you.
I’m so glad you stopped by and thanks for the encouraging words.
What a great start! I thought it would be awhile before we saw the start of this new venture, but wow a week after you told us about it, you are up and running. I’m definitely going to follow your local travels.
(Next time you see Jon – ask him about his new dish he has made twice now. The kids love it as much as we do).
Happy typing.
I’m looking forward to hearing about that recipe! You and your farm are such an inspiration, Debra, and I’ll be posting more about your farm soon. I’ll email you. It’s so good to have you stop by.
Excellent new blog, Lorraine. Living in a rural area here, there is the chance to get a lot of local-sourced food too. The other day I was out for a walk and picked quite a lot of blackberries from the hedgerows, and with some pears from my parent’s garden I made a delicious pear and blackberry crumble. Free food is just the best.
Enjoy your cheese day.
Carolyn, so great to see you here! And mmm, that pear and blackberry crumble sounds heavenly. One of these days, I’ll have to come back and sample foods in your part of the world.
What a beautiful site, Lorraine! And I love the name. A fork in the road, indeed. I’ll be back often for more helpings!
Thanks Amy! I’m so glad you’ll be back. I’m hoping to write about things that are of interest to everyone about finding ways to live a more sustainable life. And maybe posting some simple recipes using these luscious farm grown foods. Elephant garlic soup anyone? 🙂
Really wonderful site. I love the title and photograph is great. I also wanted to say that you are an excellent writer. I was drawn right in. Look forward to seeing where this takes you.
Aw thanks, Chris! Really, I should have you do a photo for me. I’m so glad you stopped in to say hi.
This is a wonderful idea, Lorraine. We’re fortunate to be part of Grant Family Farms CSA here in Colorado. We split a family share of vegetables with another family, and each of us gets a full fruit share. The wide array of veggies has expanded Zippy’s cooking repertoire. Yum!
Congratulations on the launch of your awesome blog!
Isn’t it great to get new veggies to try? Maybe you want to share some of Zippy’s recipes here. I’m always looking for new ways to cook veggies–especially strange ones!
Thanks for coming by, Tracy.
Blog looks swell. Cheese sounds fab, too.
We eat a lot of locally made cheese and even make some chevre ourselves from time to time.
Hope the festival is fun!
You make cheese, Linda? That’s so cool. You would have loved the cheese festival–I had a hard time keeping my purchases to a reasonable amount. Thanks for stopping in.
Thank you for doing this!
I’m excited to learn about what’s available in the area.
I’m so glad you found your way here to share this journey of discovering locally grown foods with me, Naomi!
Thanks for this Lorainne–I will follow and forward to my FB foodie peeps! Keep up the great work and maybe I can meet your face at the cheese festival or VH?
It would be wonderful if you forwarded my blog link to your group. Thanks so much for stopping in, and I hope to meet you at VH soon.