Exploring the Source Close to Home

Pictures tell a thousand words but experiences may leave you speechless.

Come along, explore and experience with Culinary Seasons! My goal is to explore where our food comes from, not just locations but digging deeper to learn from the people and/or their heritage who have cultivated, fished, ranched or produced food for all of us.

As the exploring begins, I have already made connections with some great sources that I hope to bring forward. A seed farm which grows throughout the season here in the Pacific Northwest that doesn’t sell their produce to market but in turn, grows for the purpose of seed collection. Seeds from flowers, vegetables, herbs and grains are processed and sold. This was one of the finds that was miles from where I live. Not knowing they were there, I stumbled upon them with a random meeting. Once their growing season begins, I look forward to visiting and see their process. More to come…

Currently, crabbing in Oregon has gotten underway after a seasonal delay that has happened in the past. This season, the delay was due to the low fill rate of meat in the shells of the crabs. The season was initially delayed back in December 2022 and was reevaluated in January. It was determined that the fishermen could start to drop their crab pots on January 29th and could start harvesting on February 1st. It has been exciting to see the pictures of fishermen coming back to port with a boat full of crabs.

Crabbing in parts of California had been delayed back in December due to the migration of Humpback whales getting tangled in crab fishing gear. Humpback whales migrate through the crab fishing areas on their way down to Mexico. The season opened in California at the beginning of January.

I am working on setting up an experience with fisheries to see what they do to get their goods to our tables. Can’t wait to see what will happen.

Take a look around where you live, you may be surprised what is in your area. As I have explored Southern Oregon alone, there are potatoes grown less than 2 hours from here. When I have mentioned to people that potatoes are grown so close, the response I usually get is, “What? Really?” Closer, there are orchards of pears and peaches, many different farms of produce, vineyards, ranchers and the list goes on.

Farther north in Oregon, there are harvesters who are doing some amazing things. Oregon has several mushroom farms growing different types. Some sell them fresh, dry them and make them into a powder, or sell them dried for culinary use. Years ago, I was able to get a tour of a mushroom farm through a connection I had at a produce company. Hopefully, I will be able to get back there, along with discovering other mushroom farms.

There is a wasabi farm on the Oregon coast which, when I first found out about them, only sold to restaurants but now have an online store and may be available seasonally in a handful of Pacific Northwest markets.

Did you know there is a farm in Oregon that grows and produces olive oil? Wait a minute… while doing research on what makes Oregon an olive oil growing region, I have found a couple of other farms that grow and press olive oil. Sounds like a road trip will be on the books!

But what about Oregon makes it an olive oil region? It isn’t Spain or Italy, but the 45th parallel runs through Oregon and also runs through regions in Europe, France, Italy and Northern Spain all similar growing regions to Oregon. Wine producers had figured out years ago that the Willamette Valley, where some of the best wine producers in Oregon are located, is also a potential olive growing region. I can tell you that they weren’t wrong. Durant Olive Oil in the Willamette Valley is some of the best olive oil I have used. I look forward to getting back there to do some more sampling and finding new farms to discover.

Go explore your farmer’s or grower’s markets; this is a great way to see firsthand what is grown in your area. It may not be down the street from where you live, but I guarantee there are people in your region who are doing what it takes to bring food to your table.

Enjoy!