Marco Shaw, Chef/Owner, Fife Restaurant (left); Shari Sirkin, Co-owner, Dancing Roots Farm (right)

BACK OF THE HOUSE
Fife's Very Short Supply Chain
By Ivy Manning
Photos by Gregor Torrence
For Spring 2008

On a rainy day around noon, Shari Sirkin’s little red pickup truck pulls into the parking lot at Fife restaurant. The pixie-like farmer jumps onto the bed of the truck and lugs boxes of her just-picked, grown-to-order produce into the restaurant’s small kitchen.

Chef/owner Marco Shaw is there to greet her, eagerly digging through boxes like a kid at Christmas. Within seconds, he’s found a gaggle of pearly white turnips and begins lopping their greens off with a quick whack of his knife. The greens go tumbling into a bus tub. They’ll be braised with house-made pancetta later that night.

Sirkin opens a box, and picks up a head of burgundy-flecked castelfranco (an heirloom chicory). “Aren’t they amazing?” she says proudly. “They’re less bitter than last week’s, because of the cold.” The delivery is small — just four or five boxes of late-season squash, hearty greens, and root vegetables. But Shaw is patient. As the weather warms, he knows he will be receiving dozens more vegetables, produce he and Sirkin chose from seed catalogs during their annual January planting planning session.

As Chef Shaw sits down with sous chef Todd Matthews to write the daily menu, he laughingly says, “This is when you find out if you can really cook, in mid-winter to early spring when we’re down to two local purveyors. That’s when the mantra of local-seasonal changes. You won’t find me serving asparagus in February, but I could write a book on using kohlrabi, and Shari’s are the best. I think diners here understand what we’re doing and embrace it — they know we’re committed.”

Dancing Roots Farm, located in Troutdale, Oregon, provides produce for both Portland-area restaurants and individual households through their CSA program.

Fife Restaurant is located at 4440 NE Fremont, Portland, Oregon. Reservations are accepted: 971-222-3433.

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How Portland deals with its trash is changing — residentially and commercially. In May 2008, Portland households will receive large blue bins into which residents will throw all recyclables except glass. The city's commercial food composting program has been in place since 2005. Within the next few years, the program could expand to include households.

A server at Bijou Café throws leftovers into a compost bin. Photo by N. Scott Trimble

WASTE NOT
FROM COMMERCIAL TRASH TO GARDEN GOLD
By Lizzy Caston
For Spring 2008

It’s bustling during Bijou Café’s brunch service. Tables are full with customers, servers briskly take and deliver orders, and the kitchen is humming — cracking hundreds of eggs, peeling and chopping mountains of vegetables, and dumping buckets of used grounds and paper filters from the coffee makers. By the time the morning rush is over, there is one thing left to deal with — garbage.

Unlike most restaurants, a significant portion of Bijou’s trash doesn’t end up in overflowing landfills. Instead, Bijou’s kitchen waste becomes wonderfully rich compost, which can be purchased in bulk and spread in gardens, nourishing the soil that grows the plants that become the future ingredients in our meals.

This is not an isolated initiative undertaken by Bijou. Nor is it a burdensome labor of love for those who work there. Bijou is participating in a program run by the City of Portland’s Office of Sustainable Development in partnership with Metro Recycling. The program, Portland Composts, reduces reliance on landfills, prevents the need to build new ones, and helps curb the negative effects of methane emitted by rotting food waste.

Started in 2005, Portland Composts has grown in participation from a couple of businesses to close to 200. (View an updated list.) Participants include several big institutions like Portland State University and Oregon Health & Science University, grocery stores like New Seasons Market and Safeway, and large restaurants like McMenamins and Burgerville.

Continue reading " WASTE NOT: From Commercial Trash to Garden Gold " »

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Frank Morton selects seeds for his company, Wild Garden Seed, based in Philomath, Oregon. Photo by Karen Morton

PLANT A SEED, WATCH IT GROW
With Frank Morton
By Kathleen Bauer
For Spring 2008

In early December 2007, the Marys River overran its banks and flooded the fields of Gathering Together Farm, where Frank Morton grows his seed crop. But as he walked through the areas where his plants had been under two or three feet of water, he saw it as an opportunity to discover which of his lettuce and chard varieties best tolerate flooded conditions.

Plus, he said, “If it goes under water for a month, all the grass and cover crop drown. When the water recedes, the lettuce jumps up and starts to grow, weed free!”

This self-described “obsessive-compulsive seed-head” and plant breeder started thinking about propagating his own seeds when he noticed a single red oakleaf lettuce among thousands of green oakleaf “Salad Bowl” lettuces in his field. He realized that a green lettuce and a red romaine heirloom had crossed to make an individual red “Salad Bowl” lettuce.

Frank kept the seed, and from that single lettuce cross came a range of biodiversity: red oakleaf, green “oakleaf romaine,” and everything in between. This led to both the realization that over time, farmers have become fully separated from their seed sources, and the epiphany that farmers could reverse that trend.

“It was like, ‘Wow, if I keep doing this, in 20 years I could have a seed company selling seed that had been developed on my own farm,’” he recalled.

Things progressed to the next level when John Navazio, a nationally known plant breeder and friend, said, “Frank, those seeds you have are going to be really valuable in about ten years.” Morton laughed, and Navazio said, “No, I’m serious.” Navazio then demonstrated how to do scientific field trials to find the plants with the best genetics. What followed was a three-year trial to determine which of 40 varieties of heirloom lettuce had the most resistance to sclerotinia and downy mildew, common diseases that can ruin as much as 50 percent of a farmer’s crop.

As a young boy, Morton was fascinated by the chemistry of toxins, though it wasn’t until college that he connected this early passion to farming. In 1977 as part of an environmental study group from Lewis & Clark College, he visited a farm in Oregon’s Coast Range. “This farmer and some of his friends were the ones who had brought suit against the Forest Service over spraying dioxin-tainted 2,4,5-T as part of forest practices,” he said. “They had taken the Forest Service to court and shut down the spraying in the Pacific Northwest.”

He was so impressed with “the farmers’ knowledge, independence, courage, innovation, and grasp of things that the population at large did not know,” that he decided to become a farmer.

Continue reading " Plant a Seed and Watch it Grow with Frank Morton, Oregon plant breeder " »

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Not only did Channing Frye create a foundation that inspires youth to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle, but Edible Portland recently discovered that Channing also loves fly-fishing, supporting Oregon growers, and sushi.

Learn more about Channing at his website, channingfrye.com. See him play in one of the five remaining games of the season: Trail Blazers schedule.

Channing Frye with Lily and Milton. Photo by Leah Harb

TRAIL BLAZER CHANNING FRYE
By Louis Sanden
For Spring 2008

At home games, in front of 20,000 roaring fans, 24-year-old Channing Frye comes off the Blazers’ bench and drops in mid-range jumpers like a fisherman gently tossing his line. When he first reached Portland, he told reporters, “I bring everything…a little personality, a little leadership, a little shooting, a little defense. I’m a buffet of goodness.”

Today, our Buffet of Goodness invites me into his condo on the top floor of a soaring apartment building. Two bulldogs nip at my feet. “Milton! Lily!” I hear from a room away.

Frye appears and shakes my hand. At six-foot-eleven, he looks surprisingly normal-sized, and I feel like a tiny preschooler. He warns me that his fridge is almost empty.

Frye:
I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news. The good news is that I remember what was in my refrigerator. The bad news is that my friends came up from Arizona three days ago and ate all my food. I had bought $500 worth of groceries and they destroyed it.

FLAKY WHITE FISH
Trust me, on Friday there was everything in here — so much good stuff. I had free-range chicken and salmon. Now what do we have? Here’s some wild-caught sole. I usually go for salmon because it’s versatile, but taste-wise I like flaky white fish.

At the beginning of the year, I was on this diet where I didn’t eat red meat or chicken for about three or four months, just strictly fish. I lost 25 pounds. When the season came on I started eating chicken, because I would have to eat half the ocean to compete with the calories I burn. My girlfriend is from Oregon, so she said, “Why don’t you eat free-range chicken and stuff that’s naturally grown and from Oregon?”

KOMBUCHA
My girlfriend and I eat the same stuff pretty much, but she tried to get me to drink Kombucha. She loves it, but I’m like, “Uggghhh.” I drink only water and 100 percent juice. No sodas or Gatorades. Oh, and she’s got me drinking Odwalla Superfood, too. I don’t know if that counts as juice.

Continue reading " Portland Fridge - Trail Blazer Channing Frye, Portland's "Buffet of Goodness" " »

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"One of my favorite ways to draw out the natural vibrancy of great ingredients is Hollandaise sauce, a creamy emulsion of butter, egg yolks, and lemon juice."

Toast restaurant's Benedict Oh, a breakfast specialty. Photo by Leah Harb

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT HOLLANDAISE
By Donald Kotler
For Spring 2008

Growing up in Suffolk County, Long Island, I spent weekends with my grandparents. They had a big old house, and most importantly, a quarter of an acre that my Grandpa Clarence tended. He worked in his garden whenever he had a spare second: in the morning before heading off to work at our family-owned paint and hardware store, and in the evening when he returned home. Our family ate from that garden and our pantry every day, all year.

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love to eat cooked green vegetables from our garden with a little butter, salt, and lemon. I’ve since discovered that one of my favorite ways to draw out the natural vibrancy of great ingredients is Hollandaise sauce, a creamy emulsion of butter, egg yolks, and lemon juice.

Hollandaise is one of the five “mother” sauces of classic French cooking. When done well, it enhances all the flavors on the plate. Balance and subtlety are key — no element should overwhelm the others. Hollandaise is perfectly suited to warm dishes that take butter, lemon, and salt with grace, such as cooked green vegetables, steak, flaky fish, and eggs.

Variations on Eggs Benedict have become some of my favorite spring breakfasts. In April and May, when sunlight begins to linger in the sky, chickens become their most naturally productive. Hollandaise brings forth the wholesomeness and great flavor of naturally raised eggs.

I first attempted to make Hollandaise while at college. As I whisked the melted butter into the egg yolks, something went wrong. It “broke,” separating into solid egg curds and oily liquid. I have since learned, with practice and patience, that Hollandaise is technique driven. With a basic understanding of why it works and practice under your belt, you’re set.

Continue reading " Edible Expert - Practice Makes Perfect Hollandaise " »

Posted by Laura Ford at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

1. Volunteers Plant Home Gardens Throughout City

Courtesy of Growing Gardens

GROWING GARDENS digs at the root of hunger in Portland by building raised-bed vegetable gardens in backyards. This fascinating 14-minute video takes us into the backyards where Growing Gardens has made a huge difference in families' lives: Digging at the Root of Hunger.

2. Bicycle-Powered CSAs Based in Our Backyards

Courtesy of Sunroot Gardens

Kollibri Sonnenblume, who runs SUNROOT GARDENS CSA, is profiled in this Willamette Week story, The Bike Farmer (2/20/08), and this story from THE BEE, Urban farmer rides bike, not tractor (2/29/08). In 2008, Kollibri will be partnering with another backyard CSA farmer, Melanie Plies of BACKYARD BOUNTY.

3. Change at the City and County Levels

The Street Roots cover story, "Growth Opportunity," discusses upcoming changes we can expect in accessibility to community gardens across the city — especially for Portland's low-income residents: Street Roots special edition on FOOD AND POVERTY (11/16/07).

Specifically, the article reports that the Food Policy Council will be putting forth recommendations that would significantly change the PORTLAND COMMUNITY GARDENS program by increasing funding, staffing, number of gardens and outreach programs.

In the meantime, Multnomah County has adopted a new urban agriculture project called COUNTY DIGS, which makes surplus and tax-foreclosed land available to local governments and non-profits for urban agriculture purposes, such as community gardens. The first plot to be farmed is in East County on a road that divides the Centennial and Rockwood neighborhoods.

If you're interested in getting involved in shaping local food policy, consider attending Portland Multnomah Food Policy Council meetings. Held on the second Wednesday of every month from 4–6 p.m., the meetings are open to the public. Find out more here.

Posted by Laura Ford at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

"Your Backyard Farmer will do for a client’s palate what a personal shopper will do for their wardrobe — target their tastes and then expand their options."

Robyn Streeter and Donna Smith work to transform this homeowner’s backyard into a productive urban farm. Photo by Bianca Benson

URBAN AGRARIANS
Is That a Farm in Your Backyard?
By Ashley Griffin & Lola Milholland
For Spring 2008

Two women are changing the way we think about our backyards. Across the city, plots that were once littered in beat-up sports equipment and overgrown flowerbeds are providing enough vegetables for whole families. Long forgotten patches of grass now shelter new potatoes and spring onions.

A movement toward urban self-sufficiency is sprouting in backyards across Portland, Milwaukie, and Lake Oswego thanks to the stealthy work of Donna Smith and Robyn Streeter.

In 2006, the duo began a small business called Your Backyard Farmer. Every week from March through November, the two visit 25 homes, transforming little plots of urban land into productive miniature farms. They build raised beds, truck in soil, and plant vegetables, fruits, and herbs; Smith and Streeter tend and trim, fertilize and harvest. At the end of each weekly visit, the women place a basket of freshly picked, organically grown produce at the backdoor.

Your Backyard Farmer is the first business of its kind — a weekly delivery of farm labor to private homes. If Smith and Streeter’s vision prevails, their influence will change the urban landscape, bringing backyard farms to every community and homegrown food to all citizens.

Continue reading " Urban Agrarians: Is That a Farm in Your Backyard? " »

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CALLING ALL GARDENERS

You know it’s spring in Oregon when the first sunny days of March bring not just the buds of spring, but gardeners out in their shorts and clogs digging away in their muddy gardens.

Spring also portends the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon Spring Plant Sale & Garden Festival, an event that brings together more than 75 nurseries and wholesale growers for a public sale of the best plants you’ve ever seen, often at less-than-nursery prices. So bring your garden wish list to the Expo Center the weekend of April 12 and 13; you won’t go home empty-handed!

Portland Expo Center
Saturday, April 12, 10 am - 5 pm
Sunday, April 13, 10 am - 3 pm

- Kathleen Bauer

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THE HUB OF BEERVANA

Brewer Christian Ettinger has been the subject of many a man-crush in Portland, and his Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB) gives local beer nuts the chance to sip their favorite suds and swoon.

Located in the former Sunset Fuel building on Powell, this 16,000-plus square-foot space resembles an overturned wooden ship. Ettinger has painstakingly stripped the interior and created an eco-friendly and sustainable home for his outstanding beers. Stop in and grab a pint under the recycled bike frames over the bar, or sit on the deck and watch the sun set over the West Hills.

2944 SE Powell, Portland
503-201-8957

- Kathleen Bauer

Read Kathleen's recent review of HUB on her blog, Good Stuff NW.

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Alexander Velikoretskikh transformed this once-vacant lot in southeast Portland into Great River Farm. Photo by Andrew Daddio

GROWING NEW ROOTS
Immigrant and Refugee Farmers Dig In
By Zoë Bradbury
For Spring 2008

The translator is late.

Cumulous clouds scud across a rain-washed blue sky, the spring light playing over bunches of neon-orange baby carrots, redder-than-blood beets, and tender heads of lettuce. On this Sunday morning, Alexander Velikoretskikh and four of his eight children work together in a quiet choreography under a white E-Z Up canopy as they arrange produce for display at the Lents International Farmers’ Market in outer Southeast Portland. In quick, soft Russian, Alexander says something to the oldest boy. He runs off, returning a few minutes later with a whiteboard borrowed from the market manager.

“To make sign,” gestures Alexander in halting English. “Velikoretskikh is ‘Great River.’ My name,” he pronounces proudly, smiling and jabbing a thumb towards his chest. “Great River Farm.”

Without the translator, relying on shy pantomime and only a few words of shared English between us, Alexander and his kids convey fragments of their story to me. Among the roughly 10,000 refugees who have resettled in Portland in the last decade, they came in December 2006, having fled religious persecution in Ukraine.

Shortly after arriving, Alexander discovered Mercy Corps Northwest’s New American Agriculture Project (NAAP). Three months later, he and his family seeded their first crop on a vacant half-acre lot in Southeast Portland.

Continue reading " Growing New Roots: Immigrant and Refugee Farmers Dig In " »

Posted by Laura Ford at 9:27 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

SPRING LAMB
By Ellen Jackson
For Spring 2008

Wherever there have been undulating grassy slopes and people living among them, there have been sheep. The animal and the people who tend it have long embodied the gentle, bucolic spirit of a culture. Like Mary and her little lamb, flock and shepherd wander freely from one verdant knoll to the next without destination or deadline. When counted, they woo us to peaceful slumber. Theirs is an innocent freedom that celebrates nature’s renewal.

From time immemorial, lamb has symbolized the season of rebirth. Mostly associated with iconic and religious rituals, especially at Easter, “spring” lamb represents the expiatory sacrificial lamb for some, the most delectable of seasonal treats for others.

The reasons for lamb’s seasonality are straightforward: Ovulation in ewes is naturally prompted by the shortening days of autumn, so the birth of lambs, whose gestation period is five months, coincides with the first fresh grass of spring. The term “lamb” actually describes the meat of the animal from the time it is weaned, at four months, to one year old. A bit of simple arithmetic raises this question: Why is there a tradition of eating “spring” lamb at Easter?

Continue reading " Edible Seasonals - Spring Lamb " »

Posted by Laura Ford at 9:35 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 )

It's easy to find copies of the new Edible Portland. Go to Advertisers & Where to Find and look for this symbol:

You'll discover all sorts of wonderful places such as Concentrates, Inc., an agricultural supply store at 2613 SE 8th Avenue, with lovely displays of the spring issue of Edible Portland as pictured above.

To make sure you get every issue, subscribe and it will arrive at your door.

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Edible Portland is delighted to introduce its newest department, Edible D.I.Y. We hope to remove the mystery from kitchen projects such as canning, pickling, infusing, drying, and making sourdough. Let's build our self-sufficiency and get a taste for urban homesteading by choosing a few grocery store staples to make in our own homes.

First up? Do-it-yourself cheese.

Mozzarella balls, the finished product. Photo by Leah Harb

MAKING CHEESE
Kitchen Magic with Curds and Whey
By Tami Parr
For Spring 2008

Cheese was first discovered, so the story goes, by wandering nomads carrying milk in animal stomachs. Bacteria in the milk reacted with the natural enzymes in the stomach walls, curdling the milk and forming history’s first cheese.

Since then, cheesemaking has evolved considerably. Hundreds of varieties of cheese are made all over the world from the milk of animals as varied as goats, water buffalo, and camels. Nevertheless, the same basic principles are still at work in today’s cheeses. “The cheesemaking process is, in essence, just concentrating milk proteins,” says Dr. Lisbeth Goddik, Associate Professor of Food Science & Technology at Oregon State University and Oregon’s resident cheese science expert. Modern cheesemakers have developed myriad ways of capturing those proteins and transforming them into cheese.

While making fine artisan cheese can be a complicated process, many styles of cheese are easy to make at home.

Cheesemaking is a fascinating demonstration of food science in action as well as a great activity for kids, who can learn about where their food comes from in the process.

The simplest cheeses to make are those that are created by the addition of acidic agents such as lemon juice or bacteria. These so-called “acid-set” cheeses include paneer, queso fresco, and cottage cheese. These cheeses have fresh dairy flavors and don’t melt when heated.

Continue reading " Edible D.I.Y. - Making Cheese: Kitchen Magic with Curds and Whey " »

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Garden State food cart. Photo by Leah Harb

SICILY IN SELLWOOD

Food carts are all the rage in Portland dining circles and the subjects of conspiratorial whispers and furtive blog postings.

One new cart that’s garnering a lot of attention is Kevin Sandri’s aluminum-quilted Sellwood start-up called Garden State (“Italian street food from the Willamette Valley”). Kevin is in love with the food of Sicily and equally committed to local ingredients from vendors such as Gaining Ground Farm in Yamhill.

Entrees include arancini and his Meatball Hero made from Oregon Country Beef, a rich, savory homemade marinara and melted mozzarella. This cart is on a roll!

SE 13th & Lexington, Portland
503-705-5273

- Kathleen Bauer

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The Barred Rock hens of the Eastside Egg Co-operative live on Zenger Farm. The hens clear farmland, produce free nitrogen-rich fertilizer for crops, aerate soil, provide educational opportunities for youth, and supply eggs to cooperative members. They're busy.

The story of the group of dedicated volunteers that came together to organize and manage this unique community enterprise comes to life below.

Thanks to a new partnership with a local film company that produces Cooking Up A Story, a show about real people and their special connections to food and sustainable living, we’re able to bring Edible Portland stories to life in video format. Cooking Up A Story’s work is shot unscripted, and the stories are told in the voice of the subject.

Read the story as published in the Spring 2008 issue of Edible Portland here: The Eastside Egg Co-operative: Fifty Chickens and a Grand Idea.

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SECOND THURSDAYS

Chef Jonathan Grumbles at Opposable Thumb Café has the prix fixe dinner Portlanders have been waiting for. On the second Thursday of the month, for around $25, you’ll get three courses plus hors d’oeuvres and a glass of wine, with vegan and vegetarian options available.

Emerging from a winter of root vegetables, Jonathan’s as jazzed about spring greens as you, so plan to head over, take a seat, and have a great time.

3312 SE Belmont, Portland
503-235-0146 for reservations

- Kathleen Bauer

Posted by Deborah Kane at 1:12 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Thanks to a partnership with the local film company Cooking Up A Story, you can watch this story come to life here: Community Egg Co-op.

Eastside Egg Co-operative member and two Barred Rock hens. Photo by John Valls

EASTSIDE EGG CO-OPERATIVE
Fifty Chickens and a Grand Idea
By Angela Sanders
For Spring 2008

Early on a November morning when it was still dark, fourteen members of the Eastside Egg Co-operative braved the driving rain to gather at Zenger Farm. They had come to move a chicken coop.

The coop movers, the smarter of them wearing rubber boots, walked past a field of leeks to a coop smaller than an upended outhouse. The 50 hens shut in the coop started to cluck as they heard people approach. As the coop was lifted, the hens’ cackling jumped to a fevered pitch. Once the coop was set down in its new home in an adjoining field and the coop’s door opened, the hens shot out like cannonballs, quickly scattering to peck at chickweed. A glance back showed the chickens’ old field pecked clean down to the dirt.

The Eastside Egg Co-operative is a group of Portlanders who take care of a flock of Barred Rock hens in exchange for eggs. Zenger Farm, a nonprofit educational farm in east Portland, provides supplies, land for the hens and coop, and room in the barn to store eggs and supplies. In return, Zenger Farm receives free fertilizer for its fields and an educational opportunity for visiting school children.

Patrick Barber and Holly McGuire run the co-op. They manage volunteers and work with Laura Masterson, who farms at Zenger, to coordinate where to move the chickens so that they forage from finished crops and fertilize fallow fields in preparation for the next crop.

Continue reading " The Eastside Egg Co-operative: Fifty Chickens and a Grand Idea " »

Posted by Laura Ford at 9:41 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 6 )

Shrimp cakes made with Oregon pink shrimp

ASK YOUR FISHMONGER

You just got another great option for your plate. On April 1 (no joke!) you’re going to start seeing little blue labels on packages of shrimp in your fishmonger’s case. The label indicates that Oregon pink shrimp just got the world’s first sustainable shrimp certification by the Marine Stewardship Council, an international nonprofit that promotes responsible fishing practices.

So your next Shrimp Louis will not only taste good, but you’ll feel better eating it.

Marine Stewardship Council

- Kathleen Bauer

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Photo of Gruyere courtesy of New England Cheesemaking Supply Company

The following resources, compiled by Tami Parr, will be valuable as you try your hand at cheesemaking using these recipes for Fresh Mozzarella and Paneer. Read the full Edible D.I.Y. story on cheesemaking from the Spring 2008 issue here: Making Cheese—Kitchen Magic with Curds and Whey.

SUPPLIES
Kookoolan Farms
This just in! Kookoolan Farms, located in Yamhill, has cheesemaking supplies for the the Portland metro area. They appear to be the only local supplier. However, it also seems that they source their supplies from The New England Cheesemaking Supply Company. The Kookoolan Farms website lists "cultures, rennets, cheesecloth, wax, thermometers, curd-cutting knives, wrapping papers, and enzymes" to all be among their shop.

New England Cheesemaking Supply Company
An exceptional resource for supplies, kits, and everything the aspiring home cheesemaker could ever want. Owned by Ricki Carroll, author of Home Cheese Making: Recipes for 75 Homemade Cheeses. The Thirty Minute Mozzarella Kit includes everything you need to start making your own mozzarella.

Glengarry Cheesemaking and Dairy Supply
Based in Canada, Margaret Morris’s company is a useful source for supplies, recipes and advice for home and professional cheesemakers.

BOOKS
Home Cheese Making: Recipes for 75 Homemade Cheeses by Ricki Carroll
Ricki Carroll, self-described “cheese queen,” has helped hundreds of commercial artisan cheesemakers get their start with her simple, easy-to-use instructions, recipes, and advice. This book is an indispensable guide to home cheesemaking.

American Farmstead Cheese: The Complete Guide to Making and Selling Artisan Cheeses by Paul Kindstedt
More advanced than the previous book, Kindstedt includes in-depth science as well as advice about business strategies. Nevertheless, offers sound cheesemaking advice in an easy-to-use, accessible format.

CHEESEMAKING CLASSES
Kookoolan Farms
Yamhill, Oregon
503-730-7535

Foster & Dobbs Authentic Foods
2518 NE 15th Avenue, Portland, OR
503-284-1157

WSU Creamery
Washington, Oregon and Idaho locations

WEBSITES
Cheese Chick
Check out Christine Hyatt's Cheese TV!

Pacific Northwest Cheese Project
Includes comprehensive lists of ALL Northwest cheesemakers.

NOTES ON MILK

Good Cheese Comes from Good Milk
As with all cooking projects, the quality of your finished product depends on your ingredients. Use the best quality milk you can find—if you have access to milk from a local farm, all the better. Whole milk makes the best cheese.

Avoid ultra-pasteurized milk, which has been heated to a high temperature that lengthens shelf life, but harms the internal protein structures of milk. This process affects rennet’s ability to coagulate the milk’s solids.

Using Raw Milk to Make Cheese
The use and consumption of raw milk is controversial, and it is important to understand the issues before deciding to use or consume it. When making cheese at home, use pasteurized milk—leave raw-milk cheesemaking to the professionals.

Pasteurization is the process by which milk is heated to a temperature at which any bacteria and potentially harmful pathogens present in the milk are destroyed. So-called “raw” milk is simply unpasteurized milk. Some believe that pasteurization destroys beneficial bacteria and proteins in milk; others advocate that all milk should be pasteurized lest harmful pathogens be consumed by humans. In Oregon, farms can sell raw goat’s milk, if they follow certain handling regulations, but not raw cow milk. In Washington, farms can sell raw cow milk if they are licensed to do so.

In the United States and Canada, laws require cheesemakers who use raw milk to age the cheese a minimum of 60 days, the threshold at which it is believed that any harmful pathogens in the milk will not survive in the finished product. This is a sore subject among domestic cheesemakers, who point out that cheeses have been made with raw milk in Europe for centuries. Cheese aficionados say that artisan cheeses made with raw milk have more complex and nuanced flavors than those made with pasteurized milk.

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