Posts Tagged ‘Philomath’
Fresh Local Winter Kiwis…Who Knew?
Who knew that seemingly tropical fuzzy Hayward kiwis grow in Oregon and are available fresh in winter. But they are locally grown here at the Greengable Gardens in Philomath. They harvest the sweet fruit in November but they easily keep, at a temperature of about 35 degrees, and can be sold fresh for the next four months.
What do you do with your kiwifruit? I made a tropical yogurt bowl last week, with sliced kiwi, mandarin oranges and pineapple. Kiwi jam or sorbet, maybe, or even kiwi salsa are other options I’d like to try. Of course, I love just scooping the fresh flesh out of a halved kiwi with a spoon. I’m just thankful for fresh fruit in the dead of winter. Knowing it’s local makes all the difference.
“Clearcut:” Culture Wars in Nearby Philomath, Oregon
Denuded hillside south of Corvallis, Oregon
I half-watched a documentary last night about the clash between old-time timber folks and newer urban refugees in the nearby town of Philomath. Every high school graduate once had their college tuition funded by a guaranteed scholarship from a local timber baron’s foundation. But the foundation threatened to cut the purse strings as the school board drifts in a more liberal pro-environment direction, as previously unheard of things like gay student groups spring up at the local high school. They scaled the scholarship back to only apply to second-generation Philomath residents who would study traditional timber-related fields. The major flash-point occurred in 2005, when the foundation suspended grants for any students attending Oregon State University, ironically the ag school just down the road. OSU was “using education to indoctrinate studwents with the socialist ideology of the Global Green Parties,” the film quotes the foundation. Not sure what the current state of the scholarship program is, since the Clemens Foundation doesn’t appear to have a website.
You can hear more about the culture wars in Philomath here.
Last fall day on the farm
Lunch at Gathering Together Farm before it closes for winter.
- Happiness.
The near perfect weather (nearly 60 degrees with the rare absence of rain) inspired us to head to neighboring Philomath today for lunch at the Gathering Together Farm cafe. They shut down to the public this weekend and will only sell at the Corvallis Farmers Market for a few more weeks. What will we do here come December, January, February and March?
We shared too nutmegy kabocha squash soup, a rabbit-lamb-pork sausage and red sauerkrat plate and a salad with bok choi-like greens. The laid-back garden cafe borders the farm stand and has an open tandoor clay oven.
What will you miss most this winter?
Gathering Together is one of the true gems here. Having brunch there in September right after we moved made me feel more at ease here. Maybe I should try to work there?
BaltimOregon to Maine 