| Tip of the Week
|
Unusual Green
Try rapini, broccoli raab or broccolini (different name, same veggie) as an alternative to chard or collard greens.
Wash, chop and lightly steam broccolini in 1/8 inch of water for 2
minutes.
Push to the side of pan and sauté a combination of shallots, garlic
and/or onions in olive oil.
Mix all ingredients together and add a splash of
balsamic vinegar and a splash of soy sauce or Braggs.
Serve with a sprinkling
of toasted pine nuts, walnuts or sesame seeds.
- Mark Des Marets, Deep Roots Farm
|
|
|
| Welcome to all of our new The Local Dirt subscribers! We had a great response to our sign-up at the market last Saturday and are happy to have you as a part of our online community. |
Greenhouses Extend Season
Greenhouses that were used primarily for transplants now house crops grown to maturity. Farmers grow tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, beets, greens, eggplant, basil and even strawberries under the cover of these structures. This controlled environment allows farmers to extend their growing seasons and provides security against the elements.
For the past three years, Jeff Rosenblad of Happy Harvest Farm has harvested greenhouse strawberries around April 5th, giving him a two month head start on field-grown berries. His tomatoes ripen three to four weeks early and kept producing until mid-November last year. Jeff asserts that many crops grow better in greenhouses and plans to increase his 1.5 acres to 3.5 by next year.
Kimberly Bolster of Deep Roots Farm harvested her last winter crop of radishes, bok choy, kale, chard, lettuces and Japanese turnips from the greenhouse just last week. Her 32 greenhouses have taken some of the risk out of growing year-round and have helped Deep Roots Farm expand to more winter markets. Greenhouses provide security against unpredictable temperatures, such as the cold snap last November that caused Kimberly to lose the chard planted outside, while the greenhouse chard was unaffected.
Pests can be a problem in the enclosed environment of a greenhouse. Suzanne Brillat of Think Unique Gardens and Jeff have both had problems with red spider mites, which can wipe out a greenhouse crop in the span of a week. Suzanne will be putting up chicken wire to keep rabbits and deer out when the sides are open for ventilation. Earlier this year, voles ate the spinach seeds Kimberly planted for a May harvest, causing her to reassess her planting and harvesting schedule.
Greenhouses do not come cheap. Jeff reported that the materials for a 60 x 200 foot structure will cost him around $22,000 with a week or more of labor to build the greenhouse. Kimberly noted that greenhouse prices are up this year, citing the rising costs of steel prices and petroleum-based plastic as contributors. Suzanne expressed her desire to use renewable energy to heat the greenhouse for her cold-intolerant nursery plants. She has already purchased an Amish heater and plans to pursue solar energy in the near future. |
| Oregon Food Bank and Green Empowerment
 Every week at the Hollywood Farmers' Market, market-goers are given the opportunity to learn more about organizations doing important work in our community. These Community Booths offer information and valuable resources related to the Hollywood Farmers' Market core values of Civic Participation, Community, and Education.
Oregon Food Bank
by Carolyn Buan
Farmers' markets and food banks fit together like the proverbial hand and glove, so it is fitting that this Saturday the Oregon Food Bank (OFB) will have a community booth at the Hollywood Farmers' Market. In addition to providing a wealth of information about the work of this statewide organization, the Food Bank booth will offer market-goers an opportunity to sign a petition seeking to make OFB eligible to receive donations from Oregon taxpayers on their state personal income tax forms. At a time when food donations and USDA support are declining and more and more families need emergency help, these "check-off" donations from Oregon taxpayers will be a godsend. The Oregon Food Bank is close to having the required number of signatures, and Hollywood Farmers' Market shoppers can help put it over the top!
Last year, OFB provided 55.8 million pounds of food to regional food banks and distribution centers across the state, ultimately rendering food aid to 919 hunger relief programs and agencies: 365 pantries, 176 soup kitchens and shelters, and 378 other helping programs. In the course of the year, the food pantries alone distributed over 752,000 emergency food boxes.
Many of those who receive emergency food boxes are two-parent families with at least one family member working. But 78 percent of those households reported incomes less than 50 percent of the federal poverty level. These folks may have jobs, but those jobs don't pay enough to cover basic living expenses, especially as prices continue their rapid rise.
Green Empowerment
contributed by Stephanie Routh
Green Empowerment is a non-profit organization that partners with rural communities in the developing world to implement renewable energy and water systems that alleviate poverty and preserve the environment.
1.6 billion people in the world live in the dark. 2.5 billion live without access to adequate water. Our projects provide village-based energy and water solutions, which in turn encourage sustainable social and economic advances and environmental protection. By developing renewable energy and sustainable water delivery systems, Green Empowerment helps communities become empowered to stimulate their own economies, strengthen their health and education systems, and to become stewards of the land, which carries them.
To learn more about how you can contribute to global positive change, visit Green Empowerment's website and stop by our Community Booth this Saturday at the Hollywood Farmers' Market! |
|
Featured Vendor: Sweet Briar
 Sweet
Briar Farms brings farm fresh, tender, tasty pork products from Eugene,
Oregon. Hollywood Farmers' Market customers will find various, tasty
parts of very healthy, naturally grown Duroc Pigs. Duroc is a heritage
breed, raised without antibiotics or growth hormones. They are not
injected with a salt solution. All pigs are fed twice daily with a
special fresh ground corn and vitamin mineral mix. They also enjoy
meals with a little county music playing daily for them in the barn.
The pigs then receive a sensitive slaughter at a U.S.D.A. facility and
are custom packaged fresh every week.
Sweet
Briar Farms products include: bacon, ribs, sausages, ham, roasts,
steaks, tenderloins, jerky, raw dog food and various dog treats. Whole
and half pigs are also available. Please visit our website for a complete list of our products, or stop by the market on Saturday!
Sweet
Briar Farms would be happy to help you with special requests and large
orders for your restaurant, party, freezer, or holiday fun! Gift
certificates are also available. Shipping is not a problem. Let us know
where and when it needs to arrive and we would be happy to send it
anywhere in the world. |
|
The Hollywood Farmers' Market is open Saturdays, May through October from 8am - 1pm and November 1, 8, 15 & 22 from 9am - 1pm. We are located on NE Hancock Street between 44th and 45th Avenues (one block South of Sandy Blvd).
For more information, check us out online at www.hollywoodfarmersmarket.org.
See you Saturday!
Hollywood Farmers' Market
|
|
|
