Farm to Table

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La Terra Vita

Lucie Gouin examines seeds from a friend’s tomato plant that she says tasted particularly good. On a plate at her kitchen table and labeled “9/23/13,” the heirloom seeds are among hundreds meticulously plucked, dried and saved for possible cultivation for the farm’s community-supported agriculture members. These luscious, thin-skinned heirlooms at the farmers’ market come at a price–and not just to the consumer.   photo by Andrea Lonas They also sell at farmers’ markets, including the Saturday market near Portland State University. Poulos harvests vegetables Friday night. Gouin washes them into the wee hours, then he loads them and departs around 4:30 a.m. They joke that, by September, Poulos resembles a zombie. Heirloom tomato production begins the previous season, by picking and saving seeds from the best plants. “Harvesting and saving heirloom tomato seed is like collecting dying wishes,” quips Gouin. “It is practically an obligation and comes with the promise…

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Pork Recipes

Koho Bistro Eugene | kohobistro.net Chef Jeff Strom Braised Berkshire Pork Coppa with House Made Spiced Apple Butter Makes 8 servings | total cook time: 5 hours 1 large pork coppa (Ask your butcher for the large loin from a fresh pork neck, used mainly for the Italian cured specialty meat of the same name, roughly 3-4 pounds. Ask the butcher to truss the coppa for you as well. This keeps it in a nice cylindrical shape through brine and cooking process.) 1/2 gallon water 1/2 cup pink peppercorns 1/4 cup whole mace (or whole nutmeg) 1/2 cup fennel seed, toasted 6 cinnamon sticks, toasted 1/2 cup juniper berries, toasted and crushed 1 tablespoon vanilla paste (or vanilla extract) 1/4 cup dried lemon thyme 1/2 cup fresh ginger, peeled and crushed Zest strips from 2 oranges 1 cup kosher salt 2 cups dark brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon pink curing salt 1/2 gallon…

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Porklandia: Life on a heritage farm

Get a glimpse of life on a family farm, raising heritage breeds of pigs, through this engaging gallery of photographs.

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Into the Bogs: Vincent Family Cranberries

LONG BEFORE CRANBERRY JUICE became a staple on supermarket shelves, cranberry farming was a part-time job that Oregon Coast families took up to supplement their incomes.

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The Ultimate Oregon Holiday Gift Guide

Between the gal-who-has-it-all and the ever-changing tween trends, holiday giving is always a challenge. In the past, you’ve braved the mall and gone down the black hole of target-less online shopping. This year we’ve made it easy for you by focusing on local artisans and authors who can fulfill anyone’s wishes, from the epicure, to kids, or outdoorsman. Personal effects and items for the home round out the best of Oregon retail for the 2013 Gift Guide.

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Oregon Truffles

Much like the Pinot vines that took root here in the 1970s and beyond, Oregon has become a budding location for the rare truffle. The annual Oregon Truffle Festival, January 24-26 in Eugene, is a weekend of culinary events dedicated to this rare, buried treasure, and draws guests from around the world.

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Roof to Table

Portland chef Leather Storrs and his rooftop garden

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Au Pear

The humble Oregon pear rarely gets its due. The subtle fruit is often overshadowed by the flashy berry or its more popular cousin, the apple. Since pears come late in the growing season, they may get ignored by canners vying for that last box of tomatoes or kids stampeding for the pumpkin patch.