eating/meals The thing I hear most frequently from the people with whom I share food is: "It's beautiful. What do I do with it?" This section of the website will provide some ideas. Collaborators on this page are Joel McGrady, Official-Chef-In-Residence for Sunroot Gardens, and Benjamin Greene, Booth Cook. Send in any recipes, with photos if ya got 'em, to add to this page.

"the portland meal" Quinoa, tempeh and greens. The classic. Can be cooked in any season of the year with whatever hardy greens are currently fresh: kale, chicory, collards, etc. » details

Benjamin's baked turnips Benjamin came up with this simple and delicious side dish using turnips and radishes. A good accompaniment to "the portland meal", or with a salad or soup. » details

red dandy greens, baby potatoes + lettuce salad with mustard dressing Ben and I put this delicious meal together on June 4th. It fed three people to delighted satisfaction. Featuring my very favorite hardy green, Red Dandelion Chicory, an Italian heirloom. » details

cascadian spring potato salad Based on the old-fashioned "family-style" potato salad I grew up with in the Midwest, this variation utilizes local seasonal ingredients including turnips, radishes, and bok choi. » details

snap beans, summer squash + tempeh Tempeh sauteed in oil with fresh snap beans and summer squash. The tempeh was cooked first, 'til ready, and the veggies added at the end and allowed to steam for a few minutes (not too many!) with a lid on the whole thing.

Snap beans, tofu + rice on nori Fresh snap beans cooked in oil with tofu and served on rice on a sheet of nori seaweed. Cooked by David G.

Cascadian-Southern fusion meal Black-eyed peas with chicken & summer squash, fried-green tomatoes, cooked collard greens, and a baked potato with fresh dill. Collards were lightly steamed -- in the Cascadian style -- rather than boiled-to-death for eight hours with a ham-hock, as in the Southern style.

summer version of "the portland meal" A summer-time variant on "the portland meal", this spread features quinoa+tempeh with a salad and a side of snap beans sauteed in oil with sunflower seeds. A squash flower (which is edible!) adds a dramatic flourish.

Benjamin Greene's green summer soup What a delight this one was! A summer-squash soup with green tomatoes poured over greens. » details

Root bake with chicken This has been a winter staple for Farmer Koll. "I take three chicken thighs (they're cheap), put 'em in a baking dish, and throw in whatever root veggies are languishing in the crisper. In this case, carrots, parsnips, sunchokes. Also good in the mix: turnips, taters, radishes, whatever. Then I pour on some oil and some kind of liquid, i.e., vinegar+water, wine, ginger tea. I also add salt, pepper, and spices such as lemon-pepper, garlic salt, or green herbs such as thyme, taragon, etc. Bake between 350 and 400 degees for about an hour, covered at first, uncovered for the last few minutes. You can put it under the broiler for 2-3 minutes if you want the top crispy."

Corn-on-the-cob with veggies & salad Here, Benjamin Greene, Booth Cook, enjoys corn-on-the-cob with a vegetable side of taters, mushrooms and green beans, with a huge salad. The bright red flowers on the salad are nasturtiums.

Scrambled eggs with fresh shallots A breakfast favorite of Farmer Koll: Scrambled eggs (from the happy free-range chickens at Wild Things farm out near Estacada) with cheese and shallot greens. The shallot roots are cooked with the eggs, and the greens tossed on the top and cooked for no more than one minute.

St. John's Day Dinner 2007 Saint John's Day, June 24th, is a traditional day to pick the St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum). You can see the lovely yellow flowering tops in a basket on the table. For dinner: Quinoa+tempeh on a bed of red dandelion chicory greens ("the portland meal", with home-baked bread, and a salad of mixed greens with blue chicory flowers and raspberries.

Salmon dinner #1 Whoah: Salmon with quinoa. Greens with carmelized carrots. A salad with string beans, cucumbers, mizuna mustard, and a creamy raspberry salad dressing.