- Tortilla Making Demo, 4-H Petting Zoo, and Ben Bonham this week at Gorge Grown Farmers' Market

- Regional Farmers' Market Highlights

- Recipes: A Love Affair with Roasted Beets

Gorge Grown Farmers' Market
Thursdays 4-7 p.m.
June 3 - October 7, 2010
Hood River Middle School
1602 May St. across from Jackson Park

Come learn how to make fresh tortillas at the market this week!!  Along with this demonstration by Linduras, we will have an amazing array of freshly picked fruits and vegetables.  Blueberries are ripe as well as raspberries, strawberries, cherries and even peaches!  This weeks harvest will also include squash, beets, basil, turnips, kale, fava beans, eggs, salad greens, carrots, and much more!  And as always, we’ll have picnic blankets for you to share with your friends for an enjoyable evening of grilled burgers, cheeses, tarts, spring rolls, salads, pies, breads, dried goat meat and more. 

Local favorite, Ben Bonham will share his musical talents with us this week too! Bring the kids on down as there will be a 4-H Petting Zoo!  Chickens, rabbits and more for the kids to enjoy and a great way to support the 4-H kids in their efforts - our future farmers.  It should be a great night.  Find a friend that has yet to experience this awesome community event and bring them with you.  Stop by the INFO booth for DEBIT and SNAP card purchases, T-shirts and lots of great resources connecting you to local foods and classes.  We can even match SNAP purchases with an incentive program up to $5, which will expand your shopping power.  This is THE place to be for the freshest and finest foods available in the Gorge!  See ya at the Market...

Last week’s Cherry Spitting Contest was a blast and a fun celebration of the warm weather!  Here are the results and our winners that went home with a bag of cherries as their prize..... Thanks to all of our contestants!!

Age 0-6     Accuracy – Tyler / Distance – Riley (8 feet).  
Age 7-15    Accuracy - Max / Distance – Isabella (15 feet)
Age 16+     Distance – Hugh (35 feet)

This weeks Goldendale Saturday Market will add local sweet corn to their fresh produce selection.  Produce vendors will take orders for future delivery, assuring the freshest produce will be ready for preserving when you are.  (Vendors may require a deposit.)

J & D Plants & Things are third-year vendors.  They feature an assortment of landscape and fruit trees, garden plants, and flowers.  You’ll also find beautiful handcrafted jewelry, baked goods, and birdhouse planters.

Last week’s visitors had their appetites teased by the smells and tastes of Indian fry bread and baked salmon.  They also met a vendor who specialized in exotic, unusual house plants and very artistic bonsais.

Goldendale Saturday Market is a friendly, happy meet your friends kinda shopping place where you’ll find something new and different every week.

Goldendale Saturday Market
903 E Broadway (Highway 97/Broadway exit)
Goldendale WA 98620
509-773-7030
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

We are an open air market with fresh seasonal produce, home baked goods, jams and jellies, farm fresh eggs, Klickitat County wild honey, original jewelry, and an ever changing array of artisans and crafters. Space provided for antiques and collectibles too. Kids 15 & under get a free space the first Saturday of each month. Fresh produce consignment booth available. New vendors always welcome. Fruits and vegetables in great demand!

Husum Saturday Market
May 15 - September 25
Saturdays, 9AM-1PM
799 Hwy 141 - White Salmon, Parking lot of White Water Cafe
541-490-3247

This weekend at the Hood River Saturday Market, enjoy 2 live music performances - from 10am - Noon is Frank Blair and 12:30 - 2:30 is Athena Radford.  Frank Blair is a local Hood River area musician performing folk, bluegrass and roots style music.  Athena Radford is a 20-something yr old singer/songwriter from the Portland area.

The Hood River Saturday Market also features fresh produce as well as crafts, hot food, pastries, pet treats and more! Thank you for supporting local!

P.S. - The Hood River Saturday Market invites the community to bring any non-perishable items for donation to the local food bank, FISH - to be collected weekly at the Sat Market, open 9am-3pm.

Hood River Saturday Market
Hood River Saturday Market has been open since 1990. Located in the spectacular Columbia River Gorge, the market showcases work and products from some of the finest artisans and growers anywhere.

2010 Season: Every Saturday starting May 1, 2010 through the end of September, 2010.
Location:  5th and Cascade across from Full Sail Brewing Co.
9AM-3PM
541-387-8349

Fresh produce and other food vendors in demand. For vendor and entertainment information, visit http://www.hrsaturdaymarket.com/

Maupin Farmers' Market
Local Food, Local People
550 Deschutes Ave Maupin, OR
(541) 395-2698
Sundays 10 AM - 1 PM

Local farmers' market for the southern Wasco County community. For the 2010 season the market will run on Sundays from 10am - 1pm June 20th - September 12th. We have variety of vendors selling fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs, baked goods, nuts, eggs and more. We are supported by the Gorge Grown Mobile Market.

Trout Lake Saturday Market
Trout Lake Grange Trout Lake WA 98650
509-395-2323
Saturdays, 9AM-3PM
http://www.troutlake.org/main/custom.asp?recid=24

Stevenson Farmers’ Market
June 19th through October 9th.
Saturdays 9am-1pm.
Main Street in dowtown Stevenson, WA
509-427-4879

We are supported by the Gorge Grown Mobile Market.

Rufus Farmers' Market
Fridays:  Aug. 28, Sept. 11, 25, Oct. 9
3 to 7 p.m.
Rufus Community Center
304 W. 2nd St.
Rufus, OR

Fruits, vegetables, baked goods, crafts, arts!

The Dalles Farmers' Market
Saturdays, 8 AM to 1 PM
At The Dalles City Park, Union and E 5th Street, Downtown The Dalles.

Items for sale include fresh and processed and dried agriculture products including fruits, vegetables, flowers, jams, jellies etc.  Vendors within a 100-mile radius of The Dalles are welcome!

White Salmon Children’s Farmers’ Market
Saturdays, 9AM-1PM
111 E Jewett
White Salmon WA
509-493-4483

The White Salmon Children's Farmers' Market in downtown White Salmon, WA welcomes children of all ages to set up and sell produce, crafts, and homemade goods. Pam helps the kids market and sell their wares, making it a fun, friendly learning experience for all. The market starts in mid- to late-June, depending on when produce is ready, and goes through the end of September. If folks have winter goods to sell after September, call Pam, and she'll be happy to help at any time. Kids are always welcome here!

I used to think that beets tasted like dirt and wondered why anyone would bother.  That was until I had a good beet, at the impressionable age of 30.  It took a move to California, where they seem covet all sorts of beets, especially chiogga.  All it takes is a simple roasting and beets will seduce you in to a life-long love affair! - Lindsay

ROASTED BEETS

- Lightly scrub off any dirt from the beets and remove the tops, without cutting in to the skin of the beet.  Do not cut off any root stems.
- Place them in a glass or ceramic roasting dish in a single layer.  Drizzle them with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle them generously with kosher salt.  Toss them to coat them in the oil and salt.
- Using a peeler, peel several strips of orange rind directly on to the beets (this assures the intense oil from the zest gets in there).
- Add about a ¼ cup of water to the baking dish.  Cover tightly with foil and roast in the oven until a wooden skewer can be inserted easily in to one of the beets.  Don’t check too frequently as it will cause too much steam to escape.  If the beets are large this will take about 45 minutes to an hour.  Check them after 30 minutes.
- Remove them from the oven and let them cool until you can handle them.  You should be able to slip the skin off them while still warm.  The beet juice will stain so use plastic gloves or be sure to wash your hands quickly after finishing.

From here you can use the beets any way you like. Because beets are so sweet they pair well, in counterbalance, with tart spicy greens.  Or, mix them with a fresh tart cheese like goat cheese. Toss them in a simple dressing that won’t alter or mask the flavor of the beet, like an orange vinaigrette (if there is any juice at the bottom of the baking dish be sure to add that!).

ROASTED BEET SALAD

Beet salads are a current favorite at many local restaurants.  Create your own if you feel like staying in. You can substitute feta or ricotta salata cheeses if you prefer.  Or, skip the olives and use a strong blue cheese.

Mixed spring greens, or a mix of arugula and sweet lettuces
5-6 small beets (or 2-3 larger ones), diced into ½“ pieces
2-3 ozs. of goat cheese, crumbled
¼ cup black sun-dried olives (try the ones from Viento Olives, for sale at the market, they are excellent), pitted and cut into quarters
2 Tbsp. finely diced shallot
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. orange juice
¼ cup olive oil
kosher or sea salt

- Gently wash and spin dry the greens.
- Make the vinaigrette by marinating the shallots in the citrus juices for 10 minutes.  Whisk in the olive oil and salt to taste. 
- To serve: Toss the beets in a little bit of the vinaigrette.  Gently toss the lettuce with the olives and some of the vinaigrette (a little at a time until it is dressed to your liking).  Place the lettuce mixture on plates then add a little pile of the beets in the center of the lettuce and garnish with crumbled cheese. 
- Serve right away