Eastmoreland Market & Kitchen

I can’t help it, if a farmer winks at me, it’s like a firefighter winking at me. Kinda makes the knees buckle. I guess I’ve had this mark on me since I was a little girl. I hold my  Dad mostly  responsible. Not only did he raise us on a small dairy farm in Bayford, England for five years where we knew every one of the farmers and the cows by name, he would also take us to visit his seven uncles down in Central California every summer we had the chance to visit . Most of them were Almond farmers with acres and acres of beautiful groves. Long walks and many lessons later, five kids asking multiple questions, Uncle Rene, Dale,  and Winfred  all used to wink at us and it would always make me smile. I admired their passion for their land and the intense physical labours they endured daily to provide for their families. They never had a clean nail or a clean pair of pants between them, but they certainly knew how to laugh and they lived the walk they talked. Your food should come from as close to home as possible

After twelve years at Tuscany Grill and for the majority of that time always using local produce, it wasn’t until we opened this store that I personally got to develop such great relationships with our own local farmers.  I can listen to each and every one of  them for hours. Each person is so dedicated to their land, to the organic efforts that they practice,and to bringing to our table the freshest produce available in the N.W.  I’m amazed and in awe when I get the opportunity to talk to them. Why anyone would buy bulk from Mexico or outside of Oregon right now is just  mind boggling to me. We are some of the very luckiest people on this planet and for it to be so affordable is such a grace.

Our  neighborhood, down here in S.E. is pretty darn fortunate. Our farmers produce on a semi small scale, providing most of Portland’s upscale restaurants with their fresh ingredients. Because we are not a major chain, or a large grocery, they are also able to provide us with their premium produce. I don’t  think there is any other store in Portland  on the small grocery scale, aside from Pastaworks on Hawthorne, that works with so many local farmers. I’m really proud of that.

This post is just a shout out to all our wonderful hard working men and women in the fields. They work day and night to bring us the best available. Some are outside Eugene, some are near Corvallis, and one is practically right in our own back yard……  Gathering Together Farms, Creative Growers, Nature’s Fountain Farm, Sweet Leaf Farm, Greenleaf Farms and Cycle Crops Farm. I am so excited for this season and what it brings.

Remember, if you can’t make it to the farmers market, know that our market has what is available and what is in season right now!  If you have your own plot, bring in what you can’t use, we gladly have a communal crops table. Bring what you have, take what you don’t.

e.moreland market & KITCHEN makes fresh mozzarella daily. Get that basil in the ground and enjoy a Caprese salad with house dried sun dried tomatoes. Our fantastic tomatoes are a good seven weeks out, but we can dream of them! I love Oregon..

We are making fresh soups, salads and meals to go with the local produce provided in our store.

Happy  Spring! Happy Planting!

Fall is here, and our produce case is full of delicious locally-harvested fruits and vegetables, including:

• Fresh Local Apples
• Fresh Local Pears
• A Variety of Sweet and Spicy Peppers
• Pumpkins
• Winter Squash
• Fresh Greens

Photo by Caitlin Barringer