In Good Taste Cooking School
located in the Pearl District, Portland, Oregon.
http://www.ingoodtastestore.com
THE OREGON CULINARY EXPERIENCE:
A
series of reflective and educational classes by local chef Amy Jermain....
We
will study the sourcing and location of Oregon farmers, vendors and
markets that contribute to our landscape. We will also take a glimpse at
the history and evolution of agriculture and aquaculture in Oregon,
through the lens of a variety of dishes nostalgic to this area.
Pacific
Northwest Indians
Oregon truly embodies a picture of sustainability and locavorism. But this
is not a new occurrence, the Pacific Northwest Indian tribes that were
indigenous to this area worshiped their natural resources as
wholeheartedly as we do.
They ritualized the ocean, bays, rivers and inlets as the givers of life,
the Guardian Spirits, all animals within, sacred. Animals and wood were
most important to them, as was whaling. They were master carvers and canoe
makers and used whaling and sealing as a means to generate personal wealth
and resources. They were foragers and hunter-gatherers.
The tribes had a type of lifestyle that made use of the abundant resources
of the ocean, the tidelands, the forests, and the rivers. And because of
this natural abundance, food provided systems of culture, status and
wealth within the Northwest tribes. Their distinct traditions are still
relevant today.
James Beard
Born in Portland, Beard spent his summers at the beach at Gearhart,
Oregon, fishing, gathering shellfish, picking wild berries, and cooking
meals with what he collected. Championing fresh, quality ingredients in
the heyday of TV dinners, Beard laid the foundations for today’s
farm-to-table movement, and put Oregon on the culinary map.
Sustainable Agriculture Movement and Farmers Markets
In
1974, the Northwest Conference on Alternative Agriculture in Ellensburg,
Washington, spawned the regional Tilth movement of organic farmers and
gardeners devoted to sustainable agriculture and urban ecology. The
meteoric growth of farmers' markets in Oregon offers more evidence of the
public's interest in local foods. In 1988, there were just 10 farmers'
markets around the state. Now, there are more than 2000. Going to a
farmers' market has become just as much a social event as a food buying
experience.
A
doubling of the number of farmers’ markets in the last ten years and the
persistent growth in CSAs and other forms of direct sales attest to the
success of the sustainable agriculture movement. Most farmers marketing to
local customers produced organically or by other “sustainable” methods.
Today, buying local seems to be
more popular than buying organic among those who support sustainable
farmers.
