P I C N I C

I stopped by the Eastbank farmers market for the first time this season. Either it’s gotten much better, or I’ve forgotten how good it was. Lots of good hot food, vegetables, wine, cider, pastries, bread, coffee and fresh fish from the Oregon coast. I got a flat of strawberries to try making a Lithuanian inspired strawberry juice gel with slices of strawberries in it. (ie, a midwestern jello salad, minus the jello.)  Maybe inside the bass I’ll find some roe? I’ll have to see if the cats like that.

I love making lists like this.

A page from Joel’s notebook. I asked him if this was a graph of flavor development during the roast, he responded obliquely, ‘there’s too much information for it to mean anything.’

I biked up to NE 61st and Mason today to get some unpasteurized goat milk from Ed Arcement. He has a herd of about 15 goats in his backyard. The females he milks but with the males he’s not quite sure what to do, as he doesn’t want to send them out to slaughter. He loves them too much. The two goats in the photo, both males, are being sent to Yosemite to do pack work this summer. I asked him how he was able to have such a large herd, as I’ve been under the impression that only 3 farm animals per yard are allowed in Portland. He said it was a simple matter of getting a permit (isn’t everything?) and the only real trouble is getting the consent of the neighbors and having a certain amount of setback.

I bought 1 gallon of milk for $10. It’s very mild and creamy and has an undertone of dirty hay. It will probably make great chevre. Give him a call if you want some.  503 287 7773