11th Annual Savor the San Juans: Wine, Beer, Farms and Whales

Wine, wheat, and whales! Join in as the gourmet archipelago celebrates over a decade of great food, local farms, and independent filmmaking. Savor the San Juans has grown to encompass film festivals, farm tours, harvest dinners, workshops, a bike-and-brew and much more. Ease into a slower time of year while indulging in the culture, and natural beauty of Orcas, Lopez and the San Juan Islands. Sample the artistry of chefs like Food & Wine Best New Chef Jay Blackinton on Orcas or Nick Coffey at Ursa Minor on Lopez.

 Take advantage of lodging, dining and transportation specials during harvest season.

Here’s your chance to open the barn door to see behind the scenes at some of the islands’ most beautiful farms, creameries, wineries, flower gardens, shellfish farms and more. Taste Island Grown foods and wine, beer, cider, and spirits, during a selection of farm-to-table dinners by local chefs.

A sampling of events:

• All three islands will hold special all-day Farm Tours that include activities such as sheep shearing demonstrations, a fermentation workshop, cider pressing, and great local snacks. The San Juan Island Farm Tour takes place on September 9th, Lopez Island on September 29th, and Orcas Island on September 30th. More details coming soon.
• Coho Restaurant and Doe Bay Wine Company pair up on October 12th to provide an unforgettable wine dinner featuring wines from the Orcas Project -- small-production, limited release wines made in collaboration between acclaimed winemakers and vineyards in the Pacific Northwest.
• The Friday Harbor Film Festival will honor Captain Paul Watson, one of the founders of Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd, with the Andrew V. McLaglen Lifetime Achievement Award during the Opening Night Gala on October 26th.  The gala will include a screening of the film, Chasing the Thunder, a high-seas documentary that follows the eco-warriors as they engage on an epic chase of the notorious poaching vessel, the Thunder.
• The 2nd Annual Hops on the Rock festival is literally shutting down the streets of Eastsound on November 10th to host a weekend of drinking, dancing, and NovemBEER events all across Orcas Island. Live music, local food, and 20+ local breweries from around the region will be featured.

For more details and a complete list of events, visit the San Juan Island Visitors Bureau Savor website and watch for information on the Visit San Juan Islands Facebook Page. It will be a Medley of Food, Farms & Film, September 9th – November 10th, 2018.

Farmlandia: Touring and tasting farm to table in the Portland area

The growing season has arrived in the Pacific Northwest, whetting appetites for a fresh and flavorful bounty. Nestled in the verdant Willamette Valley, Portland is the ideal gateway to the region’s growers and producers.



The self-guided Farmlandia Farm Loop offers a taste of goods at their peak, starting with a tour of Bob’s Red Mill and a hearty breakfast of high-quality whole grains in its bakery and restaurant southeast of Portland.

At the Oregon City Summer Farmers Market, a vibrant array of flowers, produce and artisan products await. The loop continues south and west through West Linn, Stafford and Wilsonville, taking adventurers on a multisensory exploration of local fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, farm animals and nature walks.

Four wineries offer tastings along the way and, with advance planning, it’s possible to nab a coveted spot in a cooking class at The Kitchen at Middleground Farms or a seat at a farm dinner at Our Table Cooperative.



The folks at Field & Vine have done the legwork to bring food-lovers together with the farmers, winemakers, ranchers and specialty food producers of the valley and the Columbia River Gorge in the Dinners in the Field series; this year 20 feasts will be offered in bucolic settings such as Beckham Estate Vineyard, Stoller Family Estate and the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm & Vineyards.

More Information
My Dinner in the Field Experience
2015 Field and Vine Dinners
Oregon Farm Loops

Locavoregon Blog

Information Courtesy: Travel Portland

Nicky USA partners with Portland chefs to offer culinary events: 2015 event listing

Nicky USA founder, Geoff Latham
during a tour of the Nicky USA facility in Portland

While exploring where Portland’s top chefs get their local meats, I learned about Nicky USA. Not only does Portland’s Nicky USA provide chefs with top quality local meats, they have branched out into providing the specialty meats the chefs demand. And, it all started with rabbit!

In 1990 Nicky USA began with one employee, Founder Geoff Latham, selling rabbit to top Portland chefs from the back of his Ford Escort. Twenty five years later, Nicky USA has grown into the premiere butcher and purveyor of specialty game and high quality meats in the region, with 50 employees and 12 delivery trucks bringing product to the Pacific Northwest’s most talented and famous chefs.

Not only has the company grown, but has also purchased its own farm, launched its own line of quality meat under the Nicky Farms label for both restaurants and home cooks, and opened a second location in Seattle. Nicky USA has been grateful for their customers and culinary community every step of the way, evident in their signature event, Wild About Game, which takes place every fall as a showcase of specialty game—a true celebration for the region’s chefs and food lovers. For its 25th Anniversary, Nicky USA will host events all year long throughout Oregon and Washington to say “thank you” to customers and friends.

Nicky USA sausage

Nicky USA 25th Anniversary Events in 2015:

●   Nicky Farms Menu Takeovers: Throughout the year, restaurants in the Pacific Northwest will spotlight Nicky Farms proteins, encouraging diners to post images of their dishes to social media using the #NickyFarms hashtag for prizes and giveaways.

●   Nicky Farms Dinner on the Farm: On June 27th, Nicky USA will host a farm dinner on their ranch in Aurora, Ore., inviting the public to join chefs and longtime Nicky USA customers for an evening under the stars enjoying Nicky Farms meats cooked by top chefs, fine Oregon wine and local craft beer.

●  15th Annual Wild About Game: In early October, Nicky USA will hold their 15^th annual Wild About Game, an annual head-to-head cooking competition and the meatiest culinary celebration in the Northwest, which celebrates specialty game. In this anniversary year, Wild About Game will be the best yet! Stay tuned for announcements and surprises.

●      Nicky Farms Pop-Up Dinner Series: Over the course of the year, Nicky USA will partner with pop-ups and restaurants to host one-of-a-kind dinners all over Portland with top chefs and surprise locations, featuring Nicky Farms specialty meats. Stay tuned for dates and details!

Nicky USA partners with top Portland chefs.

Aside from hosting their own events, Nicky USA donates generously to a number of culinary events throughout the year at which their fine products can be tasted, such as Chefs Week PDX, Taste of the Nation, the International Pinot Noir Festival, Feast Portland, Portland Mercury’s Burger Week, and many more.

Geoff Latham and the Nicky USA team are proud of the business and relationships they’ve built with the Pacific Northwest food community to deliver the highest level of service, and these events are a way to express their gratitude and look ahead to a future of further growth, including expanding the Nicky Farms product line, wholesale and retail distribution.

Orders for either location can be made by calling 1.800.469.4162. For more information, visit www.nickyusa.com. Follow @NickyUSA on Twitter and Facebook, and @Nicky.USA on Instagram, as well as #NickyFarms on all channels.

Oregon Farm Loops: Do you want to know where your food comes from?

Vintage Farm House at Boondockers Farm

When you think of Oregon you probably think of two things: first, the beautiful green forests and second, the hip town of Portland.

So that leaves a lot of land to be covered. And what many don't realize is that land is often agricultural. Increasingly, Oregon farmers are moving toward organic and sustainable farming methods. Increasingly, urban restaurants, the best ones, look to those farmers for their ingredients.

It isn't surprising, then, that true foodies want to know more about where their food comes from.  Over the last ten years, the wine business as well as the business of touring and tasting those wines, has boomed in Oregon. 

One way to get out there and experience Oregon agriculture is through a self-directed Country Farm Loop like the one in the Molalla area, not all that far from Portland.

Via their interactive map, you can plan a day or a weekend in the country. You can plan stops at an alpaca farm, a U-Pick berry farm, farms where you can see the animals up close and personal and farms where you can learn about sustainable farming practices. 

I've been to a couple of places along this loop and always like the drive through the countryside. There is always something new to discover. Most recently I spent some time out at Boondockers Farm. Owners, Evan Gregoire and Rachel Kornstein are more than happy to show you around. But be sure and call first. 

At Boondockers, on beautiful pastureland, you'll find out about the rare heritage poultry raised there. They have Ancona, Saxony, and Silver Appleyard ducks. But what is unusual is that these ducks, free to roam enclosed pastureland, are guarded by beautiful Great Pyrenees dogs.

Evan and Rachel are knowledgeable and creative. Talk to them awhile and you'll learn how they farm and how they raise their animals. These farm animals are raised for eggs and meats and they are provided with a very good life. This is reassuring. 

With a small cadre of interns, the farm provides more than you would expect... Heirloom vegetables and seeds, cattle, chickens, turkeys, hogs.  You'll find some of the farm's bounty at farmers markets in Portland and other items are headed for high end restaurants. 

Places like this are where your food comes from if you shop and dine in the right places. The closer to the source, the better. 

With the weather warming up, it's an excellent time to get out in the countryside and experience The Molalla Country Farm Loop. Go wine tasting, talk to the farmers, do a little shopping and come home a more informed food enthusiast.

More Information
Molalla Farm Loop
Canby Area Farm Loop
Dinners in the Field