Tip of the Week
Ripening Pears
Winter pears take an additional 10 days to ripen (5 for summer pears)
after purchased. To speed the process, put pears in a brown paper bag
with an apple or banana. Both of these fruits naturally release
ethylene gas, which speeds the ripening process. To check if a pear is
ripe, press the neck. If it gives into pressure, you know it's ready to
eat!
-- Brady Jacobson, Mt. Hood Organic Farms
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Part
of the beauty of farmers' markets is that our produce changes with the
seasons. Stay current with weekly produce highlights here!
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Sweet Potatoes
(Winter Green Farm)
Cascade Pear
(Mt. Hood Organic Farms)
Luffa Gourd
(Blooming Goodies)
Delicata Squash
(Sweet Leaf Farm)
Ground Cherries
(Gales Meadow Farm)
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This Saturday is the Hollywood Farmers' Market's annual Oktoberfest celebration. We will welcome the f all in style with classic German oompah music, a sauerkraut making demonstration with Hollywood resident Alfred Novacek and beer tasting with the Laurelwood Brewery.
This may be the last Saturday for peaches, so be sure to load up for canning or freezing to last you until next season!
Apples and pears are plentiful at the market now while sweet potatoes and burdock both made their first appearances last week. See the Featured Produce section for more information. Of course you will still find tomatoes and peppers for a couple more weeks and plenty of other in-season produce is available all season long.
Mark your calendars, this season is the third year the Hollywood Farmers' Market will be open in November. Our November hours are from 9am - 1pm and our last market of the season will be November 21st.
See you at the market! |
August Farm Visits Day Two
Part Two: DeNoble Inc.
By Sarah Broderick, HFM Market Manager
This is the latest installment of a recount of my farm visits from this past August. Continued from parts one, two, and three.
Two days into our farm tour, I realized that Madhu and I had
yet to visit an actual vegetable farm. We had seen herds of sheep, cheese, fish guts,
frozen tuna and seafood galore, and had just gotten off the boat from visiting
the Gilsons' oyster beds. But we still had not been to what many people probably
think of when they think of a farm - a place that grows vegetables.
Making our way back to Tillamook we passed multiple signs
for the Tillamook Cheese Factory, and perhaps more excitingly, the Tillamook
Ice Cream Factory. I made a mental note to stop by on the way out of town and
found my way to Wilson River Loop.
We met Tom DeNoble, of DeNoble Inc., at his farm stand, hopped in his truck, and he
gave us the full tour. DeNoble Inc. i s a family owned and operated farm in
Tillamook, Oregon. Tom began growing flowers in 1996 and has been farming at
his current location for nine years. Specializing in a number of artichoke
varieties and colored calla lilies, both of which thrive in the cool coastal
climate, Tom DeNoble is rightly proud of his products. Two years ago, he built
a facility to both house his products and enable him to sell directly to the
public seven days a week.
Farming in Tillamook is his secret to success. The coastal
climate is what makes his vegetables taste so sweet and is ideal for cold crops
such as brussel sprouts. He says you will not find brussel sprouts that taste any sweeter
than his. We passed by rows and rows of artichokes as he explained how they let
some flower and some they mow down  to start new plants. Tom DeNoble grows a lot
more than just artichokes, flowers, and brussel sprouts, though. We saw
peppers, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, greens, and a myriad of other vegetable
crops as we listened to farm stories and heard about the challenges of farming in the current economy.
Supporting local economies is important to Tom, both as a
farmer and a small business owner. In addition to farming, he and his wife are
owners of Anderson Florists, a flower shop in downtown Tillamook. He tries to
support locally-owned and operated businesses wherever he goes whether it is in
downtown Tillamook or the Hollywood District in Portland.
Riding in his truck, we learned that Tom recently purchased
a farm just down the road and will be moving his operations sometime next year. But
do not worry, with Tom's knowledge and expertise you can expect the same quality
produce at his new location as you get right now at the Hollywood Farmers'
Market. Arriving back at the farm stand, Madhu and I picked up a couple Italian
artichokes and a pint of cherry tomatoes before hitting the road again, and had
a candid conversation about farming, farmers' markets, and local economies.
I love that the Hollywood Farmers' Market supports so many
different types of businesses from flower farmers and oyster farmers to
vegetable farmers, dairy farmers, and fishermen. We have cheesemakers,
pastamakers, bakers and bread peddlers, popsicle slingers, meat vendors, and
more. The farm tour was shedding light on just how far the impact of the
Hollywood Farmers' Market reaches.
Our next destination? Wandering Aengus Ciderworks, a craft
cider maker located just outside Salem. Check back next week to hear all about
tasting apples that were never meant to be eaten and the art that is making
hard cider. |
Featured Vendor: Mt. Hood Organic Farms
By Daurie Mangan-Dimuzio, HFM volunteer and former staff
Mt.
Hood Organic Farms joined the Hollywood Farmers' Market for the first
time last weekend. Though new to farmers' markets, they are seasoned in growing certified organic apples and pears picked to perfection. At their booth, you can expect to find fresh apples harvested specifically for market customers and pears that will turn sweet and juicy on your countertop.
"Pears
take a certain amount of education," explains owner Brady Jacobson.
Unlike apples, pears cannot be picked when ready to eat since their
thin skin bruises easily. Pears are picked for flavor, when their Brix, or sugar-content, is high
to assure that they will ripen properly. Even so, pears need a certain
amount of chilling time. The pears you see at market have been kept in
cold storage for a couple of weeks. "Pears don't match up with the fast food nation. The slow food movement is good for pears!" Brady adds. She also understands that customers want to taste what they are buying and will bring pre-ripened pears to market for you to sample.
For 28 years, Brady and her husband John have farmed at 2,000 feet in the upper Hood River Valley on a parcel of land bordering the National Forest. Their picturesque vista of Mt. Hood, 100-year old farmhouse and English-style plantings inspired by Brady's landscaping days in California
explain why their orchard is a popular site for summer weddings.
Aesthetics are important to Brady and John, as can be seen in the way
their orchard is planted. They
use a high-density European-style planting system with trees close
together, trellised and on dwarf root stock to maximize space.
Their farming decisions go beyond the aesthetic, however. The first Certified Organic grower in the Hood River Valley, they have been certified since 1989, adding their Demeter Biodynamic certification last year. "The Biodynamic certification takes everything to a different level," says Brady. "It's not just about not spraying, but about a whole farm system." Brady and her husband are committed to having the least impact on their environment as possible and doing what they can to enhance the natural setting. Recently, they planted millions of seeds to attract beneficial insects.
Due to their high elevation, Mt.
Hood Organic Farms is just getting into the bulk of their harvest and
the best is yet to come. At the market this weekend, you can expect to
find Gala and Jonagold apples as well as summer pears. Winter pears are on their way. The Cascade pear, a cross between a Red Bartlett and Comice, is currently in cold storage and will be ready for market soon!
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Community Booths
Learn more about the organizations tabling at the market each week in our community booth column.
Chess for Success
Helping Children Succeed One Move at a Time.
Chess for Success is an educational program that uses chess to teach
children important skills necessary for success in school and life. We
provide children with a fun, competitive and appealing after-school
activity that promotes their healthy development, enriches their lives,
and entices them to attend school so they can participate in chess club.
As children learn how
to play, they are eager to try out their new skills on the board. Chess
teaches children how to adapt to changes and challenges - they may
think they know how to win the game and then their opponent makes a
move that causes them to rethink their strategy. It also teaches them
how to make wise choices, solve problems and try new approaches. These
skills are sustainable and useful lifelong.
Chess for Success joins us at the Hollywood Farmers' Market this Saturday. Bring your little ones by to see if they get the chess bug!
Home Orchard Society
Growing Good Fruit at Home
If you are a serious orchardist or perhaps a curious hobby gardener,
Home Orchard Society provides you with the best source of information
and knowledge, mixed in the context of like-minded friendships, to
make fruit growing an enriching experience. Home Orchard Society is a nonprofit educational organization
dedicated to assisting both novice and expert growers and promoting
the science, culture, and pleasure of growing fruit.
In May of 1975 a group of hobby orchardists gathered at Larry McGraw's
experimental garden in southeast Portland. Out of this event, fifty-nine
charter members grew a new nonprofit, educational and self-help
organization that today has well over 700 members scattered worldwide.
The vision of "growing good fruit at home" has taken root.
Stop by Home Orchard Society's booth this Saturday to learn how you can get involved.
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The Hollywood Farmers' Market is open Saturdays, May through October from 8am - 1pm and November 7, 14, and 21 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
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