Good Stuff NW: Nov-april? How about May-vember?
One friend of mine has dubbed the past few weeks "Nov-april" and is calling out the next few as "May-vember.” In my typical make-lemonade-from-lemons fashion, I’m preferring to take a sunnier approach, at least in my own mind if not when I’m suiting up for my daily dog walk.
Most farmers' markets across the state are opening their regular seasons this month, and green is the color you’ll see splashed across my “In Season” spring report. (Get my Aunt Nell’s recipe for Rhubarb Crisp there, too!)
Ginger Rapport, market master of the Beaverton Farmers Market, is over the moon in anticipation of spring's bounty. "By their very nature, the early vegetables are light, fresh, and delicate, and the dishes made with them reflect these qualities," she wrote in a recent newsletter. These tender greens deserve a light, delicate dressing, so I’m sharing a recipe for my new favorite Sweet Red Wine Vinaigrette.
One of the first markers of spring is the appearance of alliums like spring onions, scallions, green garlic and Spanish calçots, and I’ve got instructions for throwing your own calçotada, the traditional celebration of the season, with a recipe for its signature dipping sauce, salbitxada.
Want more green? I’ve got you covered with an explainer that delineates the finer points of raab, rabe and rapini, including broccolini and the brassica known by its acronym, PSB. Suggestions for preparing them to achieve maximum enjoyment includes a recipe for a balsamic reduction, the perfect accompaniment for taking them over the top.
Just this last week came the terrific and inspiring news of a victory by Salem-area farmers and community members over the threatened siting of three giant industrial factory farms housing, believe it or not, 13 million chickens. A years-long campaign warning of potential harms to the air, water and groundwater, not to mention the stench from these facilities—not incidentally bringing attention to the inadequacy of state agencies to properly oversee them—resulted in a stunning victory that will hopefully set a precedent for future threats to communities from industrial agriculture looking to muscle its way into our state.
Thanks in abundance to the Beaverton Farmers Market for its unwavering support for Good Stuff NW. Be sure to stop in at their market booth on your next shopping trip and thank them profusely.
Thanks for reading, and happy spring!
Kathleen Bauer