October 30, 2014Vol 8, Issue 35
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 Market Updates
We are excited to welcome several new vendors to the market this November! Starting this Saturday, we'll be joined by La Fountain Herbal, with soaps and body care items made from local goats' milk, and The Boxer, with unique handmade crafts. If you missed last week, you also missed Rossi Farms' abundant potatoes in every color of the rainbow, and Portland Regular Bread's delicious, hearty Scandanavain-style breads. Both vendors will be back this Saturday as well!

We'll also be joined by on call vendors Ancient Heritage, Lonesome Whistle, and New Deal Distillery. Ken & June's Hazelnuts is back after a week away, and Dragonfly Forge will be at market, ready to sharpen your knives and tools. This Saturday Nature's Wild Harvest will also be roasting wild foraged chestnuts for a delicious fall treat at market--don't miss it!
 

See you at the market!

Pine Mountain Ranch: Where the Buffalo (and Yak) Roam
by Erinn Criswell
Just what is an Asian Cow? Just another name for yaks and naks. And what is a nak? It's a female Asian Cow, of course. These facts and many others were offered up by Alan Rousseau who co-owns and operates Pine Mountain Buffalo Ranch outside of Bend, Ore. along with his partner, Loretta Spahmer. 

Although buffalo are the bulk of the livestock inventory, as the name of the ranch connotes, Alan seems especially proud of the yaks. This is likely because yaks are exceptionally rare in the United States. So uncommon, that procuring unrelated genetics proves challenging. China controls the market and will not sell yak semen to the United States. Thus, Pine Mountain has purchased yaks from all over the West: Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. The couple has even purchased a white yak from Steven Seagal's ranch in Mt. Shasta, California, interestingly enough. There are five distinct breeding herds on the ranch to insure the animals do not interbred, also referred to as "line breeding." Alan and Loretta continue their genetic scavenger hunt because yak is a notably healthy meat option and an efficient forager.

More facts on yaks: yak meat has 75% less fat than beef and is 35% higher in protein. They consume just 1% of their body weight daily as opposed to cattle who graze 3% of their weight each day. Yaks are less domesticated thus are apt at defending themselves against predators like coyotes and cougars. Yak meat is said to contain an anti-aging enzyme, and their hair is highly sought after for yarn material. It seems Pine Mountain's efforts to build a healthy bloodline are wise and entrepreneurial indeed.

Back to the buffalo - 150 buffalo are rotated on a 21-day cycle across 41 irrigated acres. While wearing muck boots, Alan rides his bike from field to field to reposition the irrigation lines. Like many of the Oregon ranchers who have signed Friends of Family Farmers' Pro Pasture pledge, Alan understands that the quality of his meat depends upon the quality of his pasture. Judging by the lush green fields, the meat must be superb. However, the pasture's health was in peril when Alan first purchased the land. The fields were dominated by noxious weeds and the biodiversity was minimal. After years of rotational grazing and no-spray practices, the weed populations have diminished substantially and been replaced with "choice forage" for the livestock. Pollinators have returned as well as frogs, hawks, and osprey. The health of this property is starkly evident when glancing at the property line; the neighboring land is devoid of anything green due to excessive chemical use. The contrast reminds me of a scene from an Allan Savory video discussing "desertification" on grazing lands and his methods of intensive rotational grazing to revive such land. 

Aside from a few laying hens, buffalo and yak are the only livestock in the fields at the moment. Alan and Loretta have raised big horn doll sheep and thousands of geese, ducks, turkeys, and chicken. And not one of these animals was "finished" (on grain) Alan proudly notes. Every animal lived its days on pasture, consuming "free choice feed," i.e. grasses and bugs, until its day of slaughter. Field harvest is practiced; the slaughter and evisceration occurs outside in the fields then processed at Butcher Boys, a USDA certified butcher in nearby Prineville.

Because buffalo meat is extremely lean, their Paleo ground mix is supplemented with 5% liver and 5% heart for additional healthy fat content. Incorporating organs into the mixture provides additional nutritional components and makes use of valuable byproducts of slaughter that would otherwise be wasted. Bones have value, too. Alan cures the skulls for sale, and bison femurs make excellent canoe paddles.

Extending the use of the whole animal has economic benefits, but it is also of holistic value. Although Alan is still "figuring it out," his connectedness to the livestock is evident. He explained that the animals predict the coming of the snow with their eating patterns. By watching which forage the buffaloes are consuming, Alan figures when they are storing certain carbohydrates in preparation of a storm. His relationship with the animals grounds him to the earth.
Lloyd Farmers Market

Looking for a market to pick up some weekday groceries?


 

Tuesday, 10am - 2pm

Year round!


 

www.lloydfarmersmarket.com for more details or to sign up for weekly updates

At the Market

Music:

Byron & Johnny

 

Community Booths:

Slow Food Portland

Compassion and Choices

 


Featured Products
November 1, 2014

Mountain Rose Apples
Kiyokawa Family Orchards
This is quite a unique heirloom apple variety! Greenish-red skin, with flesh that is bright red all the way through. The color is just as strong even after cooking, making it a great choice for a visually striking pie or cobbler. And the flavor is complex, with a great blend of tart and sweet. This variety is currently only grown by a few orchards in the Hood River Valley, making it one of our lesser-known regional treats!

Chestnuts
Nature's Wild Harvest
One of the great joys of this time of year - handpicked wild chestnuts from "Wild Bill" at Nature's Wild Harvest! Bill had the chestnuts for sale "in-shell" this past Saturday, but this Saturday he plans on roasting them at the market and selling them peeled and roasted. Delicious as a snack or (Bill's favorite) simmered in a pot of chicken soup.

Heritage Turkeys
Deck Family Farm
Deck Family Farm is once again offering heritage turkeys to preorder for your Thanksgiving dinner! All their birds are pasture-raised, animal welfare approved, and certified Organic - not to mention delicious!

Cauliflower
Happy Harvest Farm
Late fall is the time to shine for the brassica family! The cooler temperatures concentrate sugars in the plant, creating the exploding complex flavors of mature cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Jeff at Happy Harvest also expects to have romanesco, the intricately textured cauliflower relative, at the market starting in a couple weeks. 
Market Photos




hfm_mapDays:
Every Saturday, April - Thanksgiving
1st & 3rd Saturdays, December - March

Hours:
April - September, 8am - 1pm
October - March, 9am - 1pm

Location:
NE Hancock Street between 44th and 45th Avenues (one block South of Sandy Blvd). In the Grocery Outlet parking lot!

For more information, check us out online at www.hollywoodfarmersmarket.org.

See you Saturday!

Hollywood Farmers Market
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