We’re thrilled to announce that two customer favorites — Curious Farm Leek-Horseradish Sauerkraut and our magenta-hued Pink Lady Sauerkraut — are now available at New Seasons Market stores on the west side (Cedar Hills, Orenco, Progress Ridge, and Raleigh Hills). Look for these sauerkrauts in the refrigerated cases near the dairy section in each store.
Friends, I’ve been busy. As of today, 600 pounds of sauerkraut ferment happily in the Curious Farm Pickle Lab. The Beaverton Farmers Market begins on Saturday, May 12th. Since Curious Farm Sauerkraut takes two months to ferment, this week is the beginning of our Market production season.
I miss the Market so much. I miss your stories about Aunt Glinda’s and Grandma Ruth’s pickles and how you helped these treasured relatives. I miss glimpses of the gorgeous produce in your bags as you walk by. I like getting up at an ungodly hour to watch the magic of a vibrant Market building itself in a suburban parking lot. I love sharing live-cultured sauerkraut, kimchi and pickles with you. It’s a joy.
All during the cabbage shredding and the work in the garden, my husband has been busy turning the garage into a commercial kitchen.
We think the new Pickle Lab will be ready in May. It will give so much more space for working with vegetables and for jarring up finished product. We can’t wait!
And we can’t wait to see you again in May at the Beaverton Farmers Market : Growing Together for 25 Years.
Remember when I was double-digging all the beds in the garden in 2010? Aside from marrying D, that was probably the best decision I have ever made. (I’d count E in there, too, but she was a gift, not a decision.)
Today I weeded, broadforked (for deep aeration), and used a regular garden fork over the top of one of the beds to prepare it for spring planting. The broadfork is heavy so requires some full body effort, but the entire job was manageable in two hours — even on a 100 square foot bed.
I found few rocks, hundreds of worms, and great tilth. After planting, I’ll put some top dressing on it, but this particular bed needs no ammendments this year.
The only thing it really needs is for me to figure out how this particular hen keeps escaping her luxurious digs down by the creek. Hens are *not* helpful in a just-planted garden. Today I put her back over the fence four times.
The new banner for the Curious Farm booth at the Beaverton Farmers Market arrived today. It’s bigger than the old one with the old logo, and I didn’t plan for that. This means that I’ll have to change the configuration of the other signage. I don’t mean to complain… because it looks nice… it’s just that every step forward seems to create another problem to solve. I’m trying to knock things off my to-do list, not add more things. My sanity depends on some downtime soon.
The new business cards came. They are just fine.
I’m happy to let you know that Food Front on NW Thurman Street now carries four of your favorite Curious Farm products: Beet Kvass, Chili-Garlic-Ginger Sauce, Ginger-Turmeric Tonic Sauerkraut, and the famous Leek-Horseradish Sauerkraut.
Food Front is at 2375 NW Thurman Street; Portland, Oregon 97210
I’m thrilled to let you know that Curious Farm will be at the Beaverton Farmers Market in 2011, selling our brined pickles, live-cultured sauerkrauts, kimchi , beet kvass, and a variety of tasty vinegar-brined pickled vegetables.
The Curious Farm booth will be unique at the Beaverton Farmers Market because we will be selling these products by the pound/volume so that customers feel the freedom to explore a world of different pickling techniques and flavors. Each week, our offerings will change — according to the seasons and according to what’s fresh right now at our farm and at other farms nearby.
You still will be able to buy our “beyond pastured” eggs direct from our farm. However, we won’t be selling vegetables direct to customers from our farm this year. We look forward to seeing you at the Beaverton Farmers Market, which is the largest all-agricultural market in Oregon. Come try some pickles and cheer us on!
Grand Central Bakery awarded Curious Farm Pickles a blue ribbon during its Fair and Urban Farming Expo this weekend. We’re thrilled!
Just a week out in the world, and these delicious pickles have already won a pretty ribbon… yay!
If you’d like to try some of these pickles yourself, send email. For a short while, 32oz jars are $7 each.
My next step: introducing the pickles to chefs and specialty markets in the Portland area.
And more: a special Curious Farm preserve also won a ribbon at the Grand Central Bakery fair this weekend, but there isn’t enough of that preserve to share so we’ll have to wait until next June for a batch of those garnet-colored jars to come out of the pot.