14 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Coast Weekend’s local
restaurant review
Find fresh food at local farmers markets
Story and photos by
MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA
MOUTH@COASTWEEKEND.COM
E
Even if it were an option, I
wouldn’t want to eat out every night
of the week. Cooking is a holistic
practice — grounding, calming and
with in¿ nite potential for growth.
Admittedly, I’m am amateur
at the very best. But from June
through September, when I’m
shopping at the many regional
farmers markets, the outcomes of
my culinary dabblings increase
exponentially. That’s because our
abundant, regional produce is
simply world class. And when that’s
the case you don’t need to do much
— if any — coaxing. Good food
speaks for itself.
Of course, you needn’t cook to
enjoy the markets. There’s a veritable
quandary on offer from food carts
and vendors. <ou’ll ¿ nd bakeries,
cheesemakers, distillers and more —
start-ups and families alike, offering
wonderful, local delights.
As of late, though, my most pro-
found eating pleasure has been the
most elemental. Since the markets
started last month I’ve been devour-
ing box after box of berries. There’s
no food I’ve eaten more of, yet still
desire. (Seriously, I’m going to
buy more tomorrow.) Strawberries,
blueberries, marionberries, raspber-
ries, blackberries, you name it — I
can’t get enough of God’s perfect,
fresh little supernovas. The digging,
the supple squeeze, the pop and
gush of juice. A tart one gives way
to sweet, then back again, again
and again. Effervescent moments
of escape that reassure: Yes, life’s
pleasures are indeed this simple to
achieve.
The recent rekindling of the love
affair ¿ gures: It’s seasonal, and
I can’t buy berries at the grocery
store. Forget that they come from
God-knows-where, coursing with
genetic modi¿ cations to protect
from a myriad of maladies (includ-
ing, apparently, À avor and fresh-
ness). Indeed, these bulbous grocery
store berries, bloated, bland, mealy
Produce from Kingfi sher Farm.
R-Evolution Gardens sells nutrient-rich produce at the Manzanita Farmers
Market.
A veggie sushi roll by Roll and Bowl
food cart.
and somehow never spoiling, might
as well be a different species.
The farmers market variation,
though, are heavenly. I get most of
mine from A & B Farms, whose
presence is stalwart at multiple mar-
kets. And since there’s practically a
market for every day of the week,
you can keep the supply stocked —
it’s important, because some berries
only last a day or two. (Blueberries
last the longest, then blackberries,
strawberries, marionberries and
raspberries.)
Veggies, on the other hand,
aren’t quite so À eeting. Carrots,
onions, beets and potatoes have
more appeasing shelf lives. Greens
go a little quicker but still ought to
last the better part of a week. The
farms offering good veggies are
many, and they vary from market to
market. At just about every stop —
from Manzanita to Astoria — you’ll
¿ nd the venerable .ing¿ sher Farm.
Based in 1ehalem, .ing¿ sher is
one of the longest-running farms
on the 1orth Coast. .ing¿ sher is
known for its salad mixes, which
can be found at numerous local
restaurants, including Fort George,
the Wayfarer and Blackbird, as well
as Portland luminaries Higgins and
Paley’s Place.
fers sushi, ramen bowls, and a few
other odds and ends. I’m most fond
of the sushi. Sushi begins with the
rice, and Roll and Bowl’s is right
on. Chef Brian has been doing sushi
for over a decade and has studied
under four master chefs. I was most
fond of the understated, vegetarian
Nehalem Valley Roll ($8). While
I’m used to top notch, farm-fresh
produce in other venues, sushi of-
fered a new stage. The local greens,
burdock root, avocado, carrots, snap
peas, cucumber and sunchokes were
exquisitely crisp and pure.
“We’re looking to showcase all
the great produce around here,” said
Brian. “It’s not hard to do.”
Roll and Bowl’s smoked salmon roll
is more familiar, though the thin lemon
slice makes it twinkle. I’m hopeful
that the food cart will soon add raw
¿ sh. With the fresh produce it could be
something new and wonderful.
As for the ramen, be sure to add
the tender pork loin and consider
the egg. Otherwise you might ¿ nd
the bowl a bit lonely. With the
lovely presentation, real wasabi and
fancy plates, Roll and Bowl is off
to a splendid start. It’s not hard to
envision the cart becoming a brick-
and-mortar place down the line.
There are other great carts,
Younger but of comparable
quality are R-evolution Gardens
(grown in Nehalem and found at
the Manzanita Farmers Market) and
46 North (grown south of Astoria
and sold at Astoria’s River People
Farmers Market on Thursdays).
Each offers a smorgasbord of or-
ganic, nutrient-rich produce.
I’ve written previously of
Skamokawa Farmstead Cream-
ery’s fantastic chevre, and I do so
again. If you think you don’t like
goat cheese, I beseech you: Try
Skamokawa’s. When sampling, ask
for the ³cheesecake.´ You’ll ¿ nd
Skamokawa at numerous markets.
At a recent Manzanita market I
came across cheesemakers new to
the North Coast scene. Their offer-
ings — sheep’s cheese from Black
Sheep Creamery in Adna, Washing-
ton, and goat from Fraga Farmstead
— were promising. Find a bakery
booth, grab a fresh baguette — and,
of course, some berries — and
you’ve got a killer picnic in the
making.
Of course, the markets all have
food carts with fully prepared
dishes. A new addition this year is
Roll and Bowl, which you’ll ¿ nd at
the Cannon Beach, Manzanita and
Astoria markets. Roll and Bowl of-
MARKET GUIDE
SUNDAY: Astoria
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
12th Street, between Marine
Drive and Exchange Street
TUESDAY: Cannon Beach
1 to 5 p.m.
163 E. Gower Ave.
WEDNESDAY: Seaside
3 to 7 p.m.
1315 Broadway
THURSDAY: Astoria
3 to 7 p.m.
1343 Duane St.
FRIDAY: Manzanita
5 to 8 p.m.
467 Laneda Ave.
FRIDAY: Long Beach, Wash.
3 to 6 p.m.
212 S. Pacifi c Ave., Veteran’s
Field
SATURDAY: Ilwaco, Wash.
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
On the waterfront at the Port
of Ilwaco
which I will get to in due time.
But for now I would be remiss not
to mention Lance’s Farm Vittles,
which offers some absolutely
astonishing beef, pork and lamb.
Lance prides himself in doing
things properly. Unlike so many
farmers touting “grass-fed” beef,
Lance’s are grass ¿ nished. (He
avoids switching to grain at the last
minute to brieÀ y, unhealthily fatten
the animal just before slaughter. He
also avoids hormones and antibiot-
ics.) His meats are at once deeply
rich and inherently clean. Through-
out this summer at the markets I
plan to ¿ ll my freezer full enough
of Lance’s meat to make it through
the better part of winter. Like the
berries, much of the grocery store
variations just can’t hold a candle to
this kind of quality.
So make the most of the farmers
markets while they’re here because
you’re going to miss them when
October rolls around. I know my
cooking will.