Urban Farmer Mushroom Dinner

On my birthday, I celebrated myself with a reservation to an Urban Farmer Mushroom Dinner. It included a mushroom cocktail and mushroom centered 4 course dinner at Urban Farmer Portland. This was the first of a Mushroom Dinner series as the executive chefs collaborate at the other two Urban Farmer locations, there was one in Denver yesterday (check out the Urban Farmer Denver Instagram stories for how fun it looked), and one in Philadelphia coming up next In September. Hmmm, I wonder if I’ll be in town (F’s family is in that area) in September during that time… Each of the Urban Farmer Mushroom Dinner events has the same 3 chefs from the 3 locations joining forces, but creating new dishes for each event, so a new menu each location.
Urban Farmer Mushroom Dinner Urban Farmer Mushroom Dinner

In a luxe touch, each seat had a numbered wood laser cut menu that had two different kinds of mushrooms possible. I did pick my seat based on the mushroom I wanted (the other one was maybe an oyster mushroom?) Also the centerpieces on every table had mushrooms in them too!
Urban Farmer Mushroom Dinner

Although the Portland event has already happened, in honor of this event series, you can still stop by at all Urban Farmer locations throughout the month of June for a special Mushroom Steak entrée featuring a whole roasted mushroom smoked with bourbon barrels and a black garlic molasses sauce.

The dinner series is inspired by the Urban Farmers’ in-house mushroom terrariums. During the dinner, Urban Farmer Portland Executive Chef Matt Christianson not only stayed hydrated by sipping from a mug decorated with mushrooms (as seen below to the left), but was so enthused to talk about the foraging from the wild or homegrown thanks to Misty Mountain Mushrooms and the mushroom incubation program at Urban Farmer. He showed us how the mushrooms are grown in these bag covered substrate blocks. He even cooked the main course right in the room so the dining area became aromatic with the scent of cooked mushrooms.
Urban Farmer Mushroom Dinner - Urban Farmer Portland Executive Chef Matt Christianson showing the in-house mushroom terrariums Urban Farmer Mushroom Dinner - Urban Farmer Portland Executive Chef Matt Christianson harvesting from the in-house mushroom terrariums

In the back of the dining room, there was also a show and tell display of different mushrooms!
Urban Farmer Mushroom Dinner - Urban Farmer Portland Executive Chef Matt Christianson showing the in-house mushroom terrariums Urban Farmer Mushroom Dinner - Urban Farmer Portland Executive Chef Matt Christianson showing the in-house mushroom terrariums

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Images from Hollywood Farmers Market and PSU Portland Farmers Markets

I have a confession. I am a farmers market addict.

Even when I travel and am staying in a hotel and have no kitchen, maybe not even a fridge, I check to see if there is a farmers market to visit. I’ve been to Farmers Markets in upstate New York and in Manhattan, in Vermont, in Arizona, Boston, Chicago, California, in Washington the state and Washington DC the district.

On Saturdays, I have been going to TWO farmers markets- both the Hollywood Farmers Market to wander before my workout class, and then right after the workout class to the PSU Portland Farmers Market. I just love browsing, looking at all the beautiful goods from the farmers, and then maybe also looking at all the people there too.

Here are a few of the photos I couldn’t help but take just to capture the wonderful bounty of things I was seeing. You’ll probably see these posts once in a while where I just am showing off how wonderful these farmers markets are!

Hollywood Farmers Market

Open all year round on Saturdays.
Some of the offerings at the Hollywood Farmers market on Saturdays - salads Some of the offerings at the Hollywood Farmers market on Saturdays - Sea Scape Strawberries Some of the offerings at the Hollywood Farmers market on Saturdays - zucchini Some of the offerings at the Hollywood Farmers market on Saturdays - green garlic Some of the offerings at the Hollywood Farmers market on Saturdays - mushroom mixes Some of the offerings at the Hollywood Farmers market on Saturdays - onions, lots of onions Some of the offerings at the Hollywood Farmers market on Saturdays - flowers Some of the offerings at the Hollywood Farmers market on Saturdays - music

Portland Farmers Market

One of 8 locations of the Portland Farmers Markets.
Some of the offerings at the Portland Farmers market on Saturdays at PSU - berries Some of the offerings at the Portland Farmers market on Saturdays at PSU - mushrooms Some of the offerings at the Portland Farmers market on Saturdays at PSU - salads Some of the offerings at the PSU Portland Farmers market on Saturdays - garlic scapes Some of the offerings at the PSU Portland Farmers market on Saturdays - giant Walla Walla sweet onions Some of the offerings at the PSU Portland Farmers market on Saturdays - music Some of the offerings at the PSU Portland Farmers market on Saturdays - squash blossoms Some of the offerings at the Portland Farmers market on Saturdays at PSU - fresh flowers Some of the offerings at the Portland Farmers market on Saturdays at PSU - fresh flowers

Available at both markets: Gabriel’s Bakery and that freaking addictive cheese croissant they have (you can see it in the left back), among other baked goods. I don’t even have to say anything at the PSU Farmers Market, she just starts reaching for them and it’s only a matter of how many I want to buy this time…
Some of the offerings at the Farmers market on Saturdays - Gabriel's Bakery, at both the Hollywood and PSU Portland Farmers Market

I hope I am encouraging you to visit the Farmers Market this weekend! Which one do you go to, and what do you like to buy?

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Recent cooking: Bui Tofu, Interesting Spring Greens

Bui Natural Tofu is an unassuming storefront that sells fresh tofu, and products using their fresh tofu, to consumers. You may be slightly taken aback by the very simple interior and the lack of say, clear labeling, and packaging that mostly consists of saran wrap, but the people behind the counter are very friendly. Be adventureous and pick a few things even if you don't know exactly what's inside- after all it was just made that day, it's only a few bucks (or less), how bad can it be? And, look at some of the goodies we walked out with:

Addictive Vietnamese fried egg rolls… like potato chips, you just can't have one. Or two. I ate two before I started the car and had to go back in to get more… just like the lady had warned me.

We also got their fried lemongrass tofu to snack on, which didn't last more then the weekend

Also from Bui and ready to eat: shrimp tofu veg salad roll, or vegetarian tofu salad rolls. In this case, Pho PDX (which uses Bui tofu in their veggie rolls as well) beats out Bui's version. Though, I do really like Bui's dipping sauce. And, you can also get tofu which has been improved by being stuffed with meat.

The entire goal of visiting Bui however, was to get fresh tofu. We got two kinds: the plain original, and also green onion/mushroom tofu (the one with flecks). Both of these pan-fried well and had a wonderful fresh soy flavor to them that is much better then the packaged tofu you can usually get.

With one of the tofus, I sliced them up and ate them with baby bok choy with a sauce that had  sesame oil, garlic, vegetable stock, vegetarian oyster sauce and sriracha. Turns out that the vegetarian oyster sauce is much saltier then real oyster sauce. The tofu was sauteed in hot chili oil.

I have recently had lots of interesting greens I have been preparing. For the past two weeks, I've been trying fiddlehead ferns, which taste like a mix of asparagus and woody like mushroom, though others say artichoke. Don't eat these raw as they are bitter and can cause lots of digestion problems up to food poisoning. I usually clean them carefully, a quick blanch, and then sauteed and eaten on their own with rice or pasta to really enjoy the delicate flavors. The first picture is just the fiddlehead ferns in olive oil with a touch of minced garlic. The second is from the following week, when I made sure that the fiddleheads got to al dente during the blanch process and then mixed them with pasta, Sicilian olive oil, a touch of red pepper flakes and grated Causse Noir cheese- I thought the play with the shapes would be fun on the tongue and it could be a plate of spirals.

Nettles are similar in that they are also foraged, and best prepared with a bit of washing to make sure all the dirt is gone, then blanch or you can steam them or parboil if you are cooking them a second time like I did. I did these sauteed with shitakes, just like what I had tasted at Springwater Farm's booth on Saturday (both the nettles and mushrooms were from that stand)- and Kathryn provides even more recipes here. Nettles taste and have the texture that is a bit like spinach, but healthier with superfood benefits such as aiding allergies, arthritis and joint pain, it's a diuretic, can help treat anemia and decrease risk of skin disorders, can have effects of lowering blood pressure and blood sugar, and more. And that's not even the list of vitamins and elements it contains.

Of course, spinach also doesn't need to be prepared so that it doesn't sting you- which nettles can, so when washing them instead of being able to handle them like the fiddleheads, it's a lot of shaking and panning with a sieve to sift out the dirt. I don't touch them until after the parboil. But, if you get a sting, take comfort possibly in the story that Caesar’s Roman troops supposedly used nettle from England and used the spines for warmth. Touching the stingers on the nettle plant causes an allergic reaction that is probably like a localized histamine release, thus producing a burning sensation that you feel from the sting and keeping you warm (that can last minutes or a day depending on individual sensitivity) if you decided to whip yourself with nettle I guess! Just because a plant is full of little spikes that act like like tiny hypodermic needles that break off when you brush against it and release toxins doesn't mean someone, somewhere, didn't find a way to eat it anyway.

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Portland Farmers Market at PSU, 2011; Mushroom and Baked Goods Edition

On March 19 the Portland Farmers Market had its grand opening for 2011, kicking off its 20th season. I went not early but not late (around 9:45- they open around 8:30) before the crowd at 11 to check out my standby regular vendors and also see who the new kids on the block would be. Since the sun was actually shining after a couple weeks of dreary gray and rain and sometimes surprise hail, I decided to take pictures of all my Farmers Market stops to give you an idea of my experience.

After I was halfway through the market, based on the photos taken, I started to realize exactly how many “regular” stops I have – more than 15 – so I’m going to break them into separate posts. In this one I’ll cover my two favorite baked good vendors and the two vendors to get mushrooms. Other vendors, and one just for cheese, will be forthcoming.

Since I’m coming from the west side, I start usually at Springwater Farms to check out their mushrooms as I first enter the Farmer’s Market. This vendor was what originally drew me to the Farmers Market when I moved here for all their mushroom offerings. As an additional thoughtful service, they sometimes also print out and provide free recipes to go with their mushrooms, and they usually draw a line as they give out free samples of a sauteed mushroom from a pan on a burner.

Portland Farmers Market PSU Springwater Farm mushrooms

Now that I’m in my 2.5 years of living here, I’ve become more accustomed to the rich variety of mushrooms the Northwest has to offer that were not from my Midwest home. But, most of that came from stopping here often, buying something new, and trying it, so for that they have my gratitude. I still love mushrooms, and though I don’t cook them weekly anymore like when I first arrived to explore the breadth of forage treasure, I prefer to buy my mushrooms from this vendor as long as the Market is in its open season (March-December) and they offer it.

Portland Farmers Market PSU Springwater Farm mushrooms

Portland Farmers Market PSU Springwater Farm mushrooms Portland Farmers Market PSU Springwater Farm mushrooms Portland Farmers Market PSU Springwater Farm mushrooms Portland Farmers Market PSU Springwater Farm mushrooms

Last 4 photos of mushrooms are from a previous visit

Usually my second stop is The Market Gourmet, aka the Tart Lady. Despite the photo, usually there is a line wrapping around her booth for her goods, but I was there early enough that the crowd wasn’t there yet. The Tart Lady has one of the best displays of the market, carefully laid out with antiques and lace and flowers to present her sweet and savory goods. There is usually a variety of visually pleasing platings of each offering like grandma would have done rather then a pile of baked goods. As you can see, her wares include scones, biscotti, muffins, brownies, cookies, and she is known for her cheesy savory tarts.

Portland Farmers Market PSU The Market Gourmet, aka the Tart Lady

Portland Farmers Market PSU The Market Gourmet, aka the Tart Lady

For instance, on this day she had Spinach Mushroom Gorgonzola, Asparagus Blue Cheese Tomato, Butternut Bacon Sage, Butternut Thyme Gruyere, Artichoke Souffle, Prosciutto Asparagus Chive… yeah. Any tart is rich and decadent and seems to say have with a mimosa. I also love her Pear Walnut Blue Cheese – here it’s still whole, but you can buy them in 1/4 size pieces. Taking the whole thing though she wraps it up beautifully so you can bring it to a brunch gathering, though I also like the idea of just buying a good sampling of her various tarts to slightly heat and have as a casual Saturday breakfast or light lunch with a vinaigrette salad when guests who love decadent quiche bites (but better, these are tarts!) visit my house during market season. I just need an excuse to make it happen. Anyone?

Portland Farmers Market PSU The Market Gourmet, aka the Tart Lady Portland Farmers Market PSU The Market Gourmet, aka the Tart Lady

Misty Mountain Mushroom is the other place I sometimes stop to look for mushrooms- they tend to have a great diverse selection, usually offering more variety in their stand but less of each. Since they don’t give out sauteed mushroom samples like Springwater and are inside a tent, their best offering deep inside the tent where the register is (including their various truffles including white truffles) are often missed by others. On this visit, they had the hidden secret of Fiddlehead Ferns.

Portland Farmers Market PSU Misty Mountain Mushroom Portland Farmers Market PSU Misty Mountain Mushroom Portland Farmers Market PSU Misty Mountain Mushroom Fiddlehead Ferns

My other stop for baked goods is Gabriel’s Bakery. You can find some of her thick and doughy bagels that have just a light touch of sweetness at some stores (try the cheddar bagels), but I am also addicted to her other offerings. Specifically, I almost always stop at Gabriel’s Bakery at least for their cheese croissants. I am addicted to those cheese croissants you see in the upper top of that second picture with the cheese oozing out from being baked and now is crispy. Best croissants I’ve ever had- I can eat them cold or slightly warmed, and with nothing else or just a little coffee or water. Don’t want to ruin them with too much of another thing. As you can see though, she offers a lot more then the croissants behind her counter- and I didn’t even take a picture of the shelves that have her various kinds of bread and bagels. But, the stars are those cheese croissants and cheese bagels.

Portland Farmers Market PSU Gabriel's Bakery cheese croissant cheddar bagels Portland Farmers Market PSU Gabriel's Bakery cheese croissant cheddar bagels Portland Farmers Market PSU Gabriel's Bakery cheese croissant cheddar bagels

There are other vendors who sometimes have mushrooms, but Springwater and Misty Mountains can always be counted on for someone you can get advice on different ways to prepare them to best bring out their flavor and texture, and are very knowledgable about a lot of different varieties of them: it’s their specialty. There are also lots of other artisan baker booths at the market- I just happen to always go to these two I highlighted because IMHO, they are the best there on Saturday to my tastes (which is on the savory side, not sweet), and to be relied on to always have something I want. Of course, I don’t mind browsing the other ones as well just to see if they have something interesting that day. For instance sometimes another one I keep an eye on, Fressen, may have an interesting German/Austrian roll that week (I like their super seedy ones), who knows!

Portland Farmers Market PSU Fressen German bakery Portland Farmers Market PSU Fressen German bakery
My favorite, I always get it if I see it (click to enlarge)
Portland Farmers Market PSU Fressen German bakery

So browse, because maybe you want a Bavarian croissant from Fressen or a chocolate croissant from Delphina or something gluten-free or macaroons (Two Tarts) or a brownie or cupcakes or pie… or ? You just didn’t know it until you saw it.

Portland Farmers Market PSU Two Tarts bakery

Speaking of pie, there seems to be a new vendor Queen of Hearts Baking Company that has a booth at the market now that I am very interested to see what they will be offering each week.  It seems they offer not only gluten free pie, and sweet pies, but also a savory pie. This week, they had a savory pie of  black bean and pepper jack cheese, while on the right is a sweet plate of either mixed berry pie or hazelnut apricot pie. They hope to be changing up what is the savory or sweet pie offering as they expand, I’ll have to initiate my investigation 🙂 . That’s part of the fun of the market- every visit is full of friendly familiar faces but new discoveries.

Portland Farmers Market PSU Queen of Hearts bakery

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