Dungeness crab season started on December 16th this year, much to the relief of cooks, diners and Oregon's crab fleet of 424 small family-owned vessels that ply the waters up and down our 362-mile coast. This year's opener, while delayed by a week or so from original predictions, was still weeks earlier than in recent years when it was delayed due to concerns over the presence of domoic acid, a naturally occuring biotoxin that can build up in crustaceans.

Over the past decade, a season opener in December was a rare occurrence, a devastating blow to fishing families who traditionally had relied on holiday sales to home cooks, grocery stores and restaurants to carry them through the winter. The downstream effect on their local communities was no joke, either, causing everyone from hardware stores to grocery stores to gas stations to tighten their belts.

This season, though, with its early start and plentiful supply, should be a good one for fishers, coastal communities and crab-lovers alike. To kick off crab season at our house, I'd been jonesing for a festive crab chowder to serve on Christmas Eve. Fortune smiled when I came across my friend Nancy Harmon Jenkins's post about a lobster chowder served at Portland, Maine's iconic Fore Street restaurant. Sam Hayward, its James Beard award-winning chef and co-owner, is considered the dean of Maine's culinary scene. Jenkins wrote:

"[Hayward's] main (Maine) effort has been to inspire us all to Pay Attention—pay attention to quality, pay attention to our relationship to the soil and the waters that surround us, pay attention to what’s happening in our gardens, on our stoves, and on our tables.

"In Sam’s recipe for what he calls Scotian Lobster Chowder (the name, he says, because he learned to make it in Nova Scotia), you can see his thoughtfulness coming to play: the freshly steamed lobster, the specificity of russet potatoes, the density of the thick Jersey cream, the gentle stewing of the leeks in butter, the emphasis on shoe-peg corn."

Like many great classics, the recipe itself* is simple and elegant, with one smashingly simple technique that I'd never run across before: pre-cooking the called-for russet potatoes with leeks to jumpstart the process that lends the chowder its characteristic thickness rather than adding flour, which all to often tends to give it a paste-like, gloppy texture.

Because we are, as noted above, in prime Dungeness season, I chose to substitute our native crustacean for Maine's and make a stock from the shells after picking them of their meat. This is a company-worthy special occasion dish but it's also easy enough to prepare with shrimp or other shellfish instead of the crab on a weeknight.

Here's wishing our fleet a safe and bountiful season!

Dungeness Crab Chowder

3 oz. bacon, cut in 1/4 inch dice
Butter (around half a stick, divided)
2 large russet (baking) potatoes (or 3 medium), peeled and sliced into 1/2" dice
2 medium (or one large) leeks cut in 1/4 inch dice
2 live, large Dungeness crabs
1 c. whole milk
1 c. half-and-half
8 oz. corn cut from the cobs (or 8 oz. frozen)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

To prepare the live crab, fill a 3 to 5-gallon stock pot 2/3 full of water and bring to a hearty boil. When it's boiling, grab the crabs by the back of the shell (their large front claws are usually banded shut) and slide them, upside-down, into the boiling water. Cover with a lid and boil for 20 minutes. Drain and allow to cool in the sink. (If you're using pre-cooked crabs, start here.)

Instructions on cleaning a crab here. My friend Hank Shaw has a guide for picking the meat here. Remember to save the shells for stock (below).

Once you've picked the meat, set it aside in a bowl in the fridge. Put the shells in a large pot and cover with water (about 1 quart). Bring to a boil on the stove and reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and reserve the stock.

In a heavy stock pot or Dutch oven, gently sauté the bacon in a teaspoon of butter until it yields its fat and starts to turn crisp on the edges. Add the potatoes and leeks and 1/2" of water, just enough to keep the potatoes from sticking. Bring to a simmer, then cover the pan and cook gently until the vegetables are soft, 20 to 30 minutes.

At the end of the cooking time for the vegetables, add the stock from the crab shells. Combine the milk and half-and-half in a small saucepan and set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to get rid of the rawness, then add to the vegetables and stock, stirring to combine. Add the crab meat and once the chowder comes to a simmer again—don't let it boil or the milk will curdle—turn off the heat, cover the pan, and leave it for 20 minutes. 

Just before serving, bring the chowder to a simmer once more, stir in the corn and simmer 5 to 10 minutes, or until the corn is just done. Adjust the seasoning and serve immediately. If you wish, float a pat of butter (a little more richness) on the surface of each bowl as you serve up the chowder.

Makes 8 servings.

* Get Nancy Harmon Jenkins's recipe for lobster chowder by signing up for a paid subscription or a 7-day free trial.

Photo of crab boats at dawn by my friend Bette Sinclair.

I don't know about you, but my family doesn't need more stuff cluttering up our lives (or needing to be dusted). Several years ago my parents sat the whole family down before the holidays and suggested giving gifts of "meaning"—that is, gifts to charities or causes that the recipient would want to support. For instance, my mother appreciated gifts to Heifer International, an organization that has a mission to end hunger and poverty by supporting and investing alongside local farmers and their communities.

In that spirit I thought I'd put together a list of organizations that support our food system directly or indirectly, in case you or your loved ones are inclined to ditch the store aisles packed with desperate shoppers and contribute to changing our planet for the better. (Many of them would also make great year-end charitable donations, if that's more your bent.)

Food System

Friends of Family Farmers is a statewide organization that supports Oregon's small family farmers through networking, workshops and legislative advocacy.

Farmers Market Fund makes healthy, locally grown food accessible to under-served Oregonians through their Double Up Food Bucks program that provides a dollar-for-dollar match on SNAP (food stamp) purchases at over 90 Oregon farmers' markets.

Center for Food Safety works to empower people, support farmers, and protect the earth from the harmful impacts of industrial agriculture through groundbreaking legal, scientific, and grassroots action.

Pacific Northwest Community Supported Agriculture is committed to providing education about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), supporting farmers who provide quality local food to our communities, and increasing access to healthy food for underserved communities.

Oregon Agricultural Trust works with farmers and ranchers around Oregon to safeguard Oregon’s farm and ranch lands and the rural communities that depend upon them by permanently protecting our working lands and helping them stay in production.

Gaza Soup Kitchen is a grassroots initiative led by the people of Gaza, serving hot meals to tens of thousands daily. Born from a vow to ensure no neighbor goes hungry, 99% of every dollar goes directly to feeding and supporting the people of Gaza. (Read my post about Gaza Soup Kitchen.)

Justice for Immigrants and Farm Workers

Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition (PIRC) is committed to defend the rights of immigrants in our community through education, rapid response, and legal support.

PCUN (Oregon Farmworker Union) has a mission to empower farmworkers and working Latinx families in Oregon by building community, increasing Latinx representation in elections, and advancing policies on both the national and state levels.

Community to Community is a grassroots organization led by women of color that is committed to strengthen local and global movements toward social, economic, and environmental justice. (Read my article about founder Rosalinda Guillen.)

Environment and Climate

Food and Water Watch works to protect food, water, and air, as well as fighting climate change by banning fossil fuels.

Columbia Riverkeeper is committed to protect and restore the water quality of the Columbia River from the headwaters to the Pacific Ocean by partnering with tribes and uniting communities to advocate for environmental and climate justice.

Xerces Society protects the natural world through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats by conducting research and relying on up-to-date information to guide its conservation work in pollinator conservation, endangered species conservation, and reducing pesticide use and impacts.

Photos: Pacific Northwest CSA (top); Beaverton Farmers Market (market shoppers); Community to Community (farm workers); Xerces Society (lady beetle).

There are many good reasons to criticize social media—giant corporations like Meta/Facebook, "X" (formerly Twitter), and Tiktok among them, owned by right-wing, anti-democratic billionaires. On the other hand, and one reason I still have accounts with at least a few of them, is that they can amplify voices seldom heard from in the mainstream media.

The past few years I've started following several Indigenous accounts like Underscore Media, which covers Indigenous-centered issues, and the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission that advocates for Indigenous tribes and the restoration of salmon to the Columbia River Basin. (See an Action Item and a partial list of other social media accounts at bottom.)

I recently received an e-mail sent to supporters from Tony (naschio) Johnson, Chairman of the Chinook Indian Nation, acknowledging the importance of the Winter Solstice. In the e-mail Johnson outlines the efforts of the Chinook Nation to reestablish the federal recognition granted in 2001 under the Clinton administration that was rescinded in 2002 under George W. Bush. Since that time, Johnson wrote, "the Chinook committed to pursuing every pathway to restore their status, including through Congressional legislation."

That legislation took the form of the Chinook Indian Nation Restoration Act of 2024 which would have "provided a much-needed economic boost not just to the Chinook but also to their surrounding neighbors through an influx of federal funding for educational, cultural, environmental, healthcare, and housing programs, amongst others," according to the e-mail.

On the eve of its introduction, its chief sponsor, Washington Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, pulled her support for the bill unless the Chinook agreed to amend the bill to strip all resource access rights from the Nation, including hunting, fishing, shellfish aquaculture, trapping, gathering, and water rights, a change the Nation's citizens voted unanimously to reject.

"It was an impossible choice: Give up our rights to live as we have done for tens of thousands of years or maintain our status as an ‘unrecognized’ tribe,” wrote Johnson. “All of our lands, villages, sacred sites, fishing, and burial grounds were taken away from us by the United States. The Chinook Indian Nation cannot be asked to give up even more. There is no world where we can accept a law being passed by the United States that takes away more from our people. We have accessed and subsisted on our lands’ resources for as long as we have been here and have a sacred connection with our plants, animals, and water that we cannot be asked to give up.”

The Nation is currently looking for a new sponsor for the bill. It is also asking the public to sign a petition in support of federal recognition of the Chinook Indian Nation.

Social media accounts that amplify Native voices:

• Underscore Media
• Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
• Everyday Chinook
• Necanicum Watershed
• Warrior Women Project
• Salmon Queen
• Modern Warrior

Let me know of other accounts.

Photos: Chinook community meeting (top) and Canoe Journey (middle) by Amiran White from the Chinook Indian Nation Facebook page. 

Dave makes scones for breakfast at least once a week—they're in a regular rotation with his sky-high biscuits and bran muffins—and we routinely save one out for Fred, our letter carrier. While Fred said he's sorely tempted to scarf it down on the walk back to his truck, he fights the impulse so he can enjoy the scone for breakfast with his tea the next morning. More than once, though, his kids have discovered the baked delight in his postal bag, so he said he's taken to stashing it out of sight in the back of the fridge when he gets home.

Lately Dave's been experimenting with revising his classic Orange Currant Scones by adding toasted oats to the dough for a slightly less sweet, heartier version that reminds me of Scottish oat cakes. These brawny lads are mellowed with a generous slathering of butter and a heaping helping of homemade fruit jam and, in our case at least, a big mug of strong black coffee alongside. Let me know what you think!

Dave's Toasted Oatmeal Scones

1/4 c. (29 grams) rolled oats*
1 1/2 c. (195 grams) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. (195 grams) lightly sifted whole wheat flour (or AP flour if you wish)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
8 Tbsp. (113 g) unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 c. half-and-half
1 egg
1/3 c. dried fruit like raisins, currants, cranberries, etc. (optional; also see note at bottom)
Extra brown sugar for topping (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread the oats in the baking sheet and toast for five minutes or so; stir and toast another five minutes or so until very lightly browned. Put warm oats into a heatproof container; toss a couple of times and let cool.

Line a baking sheet with parchment or silicone baking mat.

Pulse flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in food processor. Pulse in butter until the largest butter bits are about the size of peppercorns, about 10-15 pulses or so.

Put flour mixture into a large bowl. Add cooled oats to flour mixture and mix.

Whisk egg and half-and-half in a small bowl. Add liquid mixture and dried fruit, if using, to dry mixture and mix until a dryish dough forms. Transfer to floured surface and knead four or five times. Form dough into two equal-ish balls.

Flatten each ball with hands into a 6-inch disk. If desired, lightly sprinkle flattened disks with brown sugar. Using a knife or bench knife, cut into wedges of desired size. Place wedges, not touching each other, onto baking sheet.

Put into oven and bake until lightly browned, about 22 minutes.

NOTE: You can also chop up a quarter to half of an apple, briefly sauté it in butter and cinnamon sugar, then mix this into the dough befor shaping. So good!

* Use rolled oats (often called "old-fashioned rolled oats"), not the quick-cooking oats.

It's been a minute since I've done a holiday guide here at Good Stuff NW, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to put in a word for giving the cold shoulder to the big box stores and giant online retailers, and instead spend your dollars where they'll do the most good—in your local community!

Especially this year, local retailers and vendors like those at your farmers' markets are seeing a significant drop in sales, with many wondering how they'll stay in business past the end of the year. And it's not just economic instability that's keeping people from opening their wallets, or the uncertainty over health care costs or the effect of tariffs on our monthly budgets. Those serving our immigrant neighbors are hardest hit since many of their regular customers are afraid to venture out for fear of getting detained, or worse, by ICE.

So think small and local for the holidays this year, and use the suggestions below to start your own lists.

Foodstuffs from our fields. Your local farmers' market is the place to start, with vendors offering a plethora of products featuring the bounty from our fields and pastures. Whether that's jams and jellies bringing memories of warm summer days, zingy hot sauces and flavorful condiments, beef jerky or snack sticks from cattle raised on green pastures, grains and beans grown by farmers committed to regenerative practices, farmstead cheeses made with milk from animals living with the sun on their backs and their feet in grass, or hazelnuts and honey from farmers just down the way, you can get creative and put together a basket of goodies, just wrap a pair of items or stuff them in stockings. Or you can generously give the gift of a seasonal CSA that will provide a whole season's worth of vegetables, meats and fish, fruit or flowers to your favorite family.

Fish from our rivers and oceans. Tinned fish is having a moment right now, and there's nothing like fish that's processed within hours of being pulled from the waters off our coast. Most folks don't know that the big brands not only use fishing methods that destroy ocean habitat and pull in literally tons of by-catch (non-target fish populations) but often cook the fish twice in processing, which is why they have to add water or oil to keep it moist (ick!). Many of our small processors catch fish one at a time with a hook and line, then pack the fish fresh and only cook it once during canning, sealing it in it's own natural juices. I always have a case on hand, and you can order direct from micro-canneries like the ones listed at the Oregon Albacore Commission. (P.S. Those famous bright yellow tins of tuna from Spain? A lot of it is Oregon albacore that is shipped across the world, processed, then shipped back here. Crazy! Read more here.)

Books, new or used! Most of us have talked with younger relatives or friends' kids about books we loved at their age. Have you considered giving those books to them for the holidays, especially if the topic is one that you share an interest in? For instance, my nephew was deeply fascinated with the history of World War Two, so I gifted him a copy of Howard Zinn's foundational A People's History of the United States that gives a perspective on our history that he might not find in other sources.

If someone on your list is a budding cook, you can find new and used cookbooks at Powell's, of course, but how about a combo gift of a (gently) used cookbook and a piece of cookware from the delightful collection at Kitchen Culture on Southeast Foster Road? Or give a gift certificate for one of the classes it features on knife skills, pasta making, fermentation or canning? (Read more about this unique shop.)

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my friend Cynthia Nims's gorgeous, just-published Essential Shellfish Collection, a special edition, three-book box set of Cynthia's popular books on Pacific Coast shellfish cookery, containing titles on Crab, Oysters, and Shellfish. The description says it all: "If you dream about perfectly prepared crab cakes, showstopping lobster dinners, and joyful clambake celebrations, this endlessly giftable cookbook set is for you."

Hopefully this short list will get you thinking of your loved ones and what they would truly cherish, and better yet the gifts that benefit our local community. Stay tuned for Part Two of this guide coming next week!

Photos: Detail of wreath from Maggy's Farm in Oregon City available from their farmstand and the Oregon City Farmers Market (top); Santa cow and friend at TMK Creamery and Distillery in Canby; tinned fish tower from Oregon's Choice Gourmet Albacore in Corvallis; Essential Shellfish box set by Cynthia Nims from Seattle's Book Larder.

It was a propitious intersection of two unrelated events. First, we were out of gochujang, a Korean miso and chile paste, and I needed to replenish our supply—we've become intolerant of store-bought varieties that are curiously devoid of texture and have no depth of flavor compared to the homemade version shared by my friend's family. Secondly, Thanksgiving was fast approaching and I needed to pull together a simple appetizer board to offer our guests. 

So I jumped in and made up a batch of the gochujang, a simple task as far as gathering ingredients goes, but one that takes a good afternoon of standing over a frying pan and stirring the paste to get it to just the right level of jammy brownness. Fortunately it makes enough to last several months, at least in our household, so it is well worth the time invested

After finishing the gochujang, I turned to the appetizers we needed for the holiday. I'd made some cheesy chile crisp crackers—actually more cookie-like in both size and texture, like French sablés—from a recipe in Dorie Greenspan's xoxo Dorie newsletter. While we love our chile crisp around here, especially her preferred brand, Fly by Jing, I wanted to make Dorie's recipe again, but substituting gochujang for the chile crisp.

The crackers are a cinch to whip up in the processor, and it's easy to form them into a log and roll it in the sesame seeds on a sheet pan. The rolled log needs to firm up in the fridge, and though I could have sliced and baked it after chilling it for a half hour, I decided to bake it the next day, making it easier to slice.

The gochujang gave the little cookie-like wafers a definite hint of umami from the miso, and the slight zing of heat from the cayenne in the sauce carried through nicely. I can't wait to hear what our guests think!

Zingy Gochujang Cheese Crackers

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's xoxo Dorie newsletter, adapted from Helen Goh’s "Baking & The Meaning of Life"

2 Tbsp. black sesame seeds (toasted white seeds or a combination are fine, too)
1 c. plus 3 Tbsp. (150 grams) flour
2/3 c. (70 grams) finely grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. fine sea salt
6 Tbsp.(80 grams) butter, very cold, diced
3 Tbsp.(60 grams) gochujang
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 oz. (40 grams) green onion, slivered

Scatter the sesame seeds on a baking sheet and set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, put the flour, parmesan, sugar, and salt and pulse a few times to combine. Add in the diced butter, processing until the mixture is crumbly. Add in the gochujang, egg yolk, and lemon juice, pulsing until it just begins to clump up (Dorie says it should resemble wet sand), then put the mixture into a large bowl and add the green onion, stirring to combine, then press it into a ball.

Place on a board or butcher block, and form the dough into a round log about 10 inches (25 cm) long and 1½ inches (4 cm) in diameter. Carefully place the log on the sheet with the sesame seeds, then roll it until it's covered in the seeds (press extra seeds into any bare patches). Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Take it out of the fridge and leave it wrapped, rolling it into a more even log if necessary. (At this point you keep it tightly wrapped in the freezer for up to one month; no need to defrost before cutting and baking.)

Preheat the oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Slice the log crosswise into coins 3/8" thick and place them on the lined baking sheet, pressing them back into shape if they break. Bake 20 minutes until barely browned on the top. Dorie notes "the bottoms of the crackers will be a deeper reddish-brown from the gochujang as well as the direct contact with the heat of the sheet—this is as it should be."

Soft when warm, they'll crisp up as they cool. It's difficult not to eat them right then and there, but Dorie says they are at their best a day of two later, "when they’ve dried out a little and the flavors have had time to meld together. They will keep, loosely wrapped in foil, for up to 5 days."

Believe me, nothing feels better than taking action when you're confused and thinking the situation is hopeless when it comes to fighting big political battles. If you have just three minutes, you can click on the "TAKE ACTION" link after each description and make a meaningful contribution to issues directly affecting your life and that of the communities we call home.

Regulate Data Centers in Oregon

Data Centers owned by large corporate interests (like the Google Data Center in The Dalles, above) are flooding into Oregon, gobbling up our diminishing farmland, turning valuable agricultural resources into industrial wastelands and consuming huge amounts of our water and electricity. (Read about one attempted land grab here in Oregon.) 

Data centers' water and energy consumption are directly related: 

• Each year, a 100MW data center will consume 100 million gallons of water, enough for 2,500 people’s domestic use. 
• Data centers produce wastewater laced with contaminants and pollutants not normally targeted for removal by wastewater treatment plants.
• Data centers’ water use—from groundwater to streams and rivers that feed municipal water supply—drains water supply in drought-prone areas and endangers fish and wildlife.
• Data center operators have resisted efforts to make water use and impact data available.

TAKE ACTION: Tell the Oregon Public Utility Commission to regulate data centers to protect the climate and water.

Fight Factory Farms

As regular readers of Good Stuff NW know, factory farms put public health and  our food supply at risk, pollute the environment and drinking water, wreck rural communities, and fuel climate change while increasing corporate control over our food. (Read more about local efforts to stop these industrial facilities.)

The Farm System Reform Act will revitalize independent family farm agriculture and rural communities by:

• Placing a moratorium on new and expanding large factory farms.
• Phasing out existing large factory farms by 2040.
• Holding corporate integrators responsible for harm caused by factory farms.
• Providing a $100 billion voluntary buyout program for contract farmers who want to transition away from factory farms.
• Strengthening the Packers & Stockyards Act to protect family farmers and ranchers
• Restoring mandatory Country of Origin Labeling for meat and prohibiting the USDA from labeling foreign imported meat products as “Product of USA.”

TAKE ACTION: Urge your Members of Congress to support the Farm System Reform Act.

Maintain Affordable Access to Clean Drinking Water

Oregon is already facing a water crisis. Trump’s budget plan for next year proposes to cut the main source of federal funding for local water and sewer systems by 89 percent His goal is to outright eliminate this support for safe and clean water, which would seriously endanger public health. 

We need Congress to step up and safeguard federal support for safe water. WATER Act—which stands for Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity, and Reliability—is critical legislation that would fund water and sewage system repairs, create good jobs for over 1 million people nationally, help stop sewage overflows, and make infrastructure fixes each year.

TAKE ACTION: Tell your Members of Congress to sign on to the WATER act.

There, now—don't you feel better?

We almost didn't get to know her or have her sparkly, sweet personality in our lives.

You see, for some time I'd had my heart set on another dog from the same kennel as our first two Corgis, but when we brought that dog home, while she was lovely with a gentle personality, she lacked that certain spark we were looking for.

Because of this breeder, I'd known Kitty from birth—on a lark I'd actually suggested her feline name because of her kittenish demeanor—and when the breeder was heading out of town for a few days she asked if we'd be able to babysit the by-then-18-month-old pup.

She fit into our household like a glove from day one, getting along with our elderly grande dame, Rosey, as well as our boisterous, determined young Walker. Though we would have scoffed at the suggestion that we would ever consider having three dogs, when my friend came home I called and told her that she wasn't going to be getting her dog back. Three Corgis it was.

Fortunately that fit into the breeder's plans, and she came to live with us permanently, sharing camping trips, beach excursions and daily activities for almost exactly sixteen years. Like most Cardigan females, she could be stubborn and opinionated, but she also had an underlying happy, chipper nature. In all those years she never met anyone who wasn't a new best friend, giving everyone she met her best smile, wag and wiggle, and for the lucky few (you know who you are) she'd even bestow the ultimate compliment of flopping on her back for belly rubs.

One day we found out that one of the puppies from her first litter, Angus, had been adopted from a breeder in Texas by friends of ours who lived just up the street. Their reunion in a nearby park was like one of those old commercials where the lovers run toward each other in slow motion and come together in a passionate embrace—or chest-bumps in Corgi parlance. And for the remainder of their days it was required that their humans get them together at least every few days.

Last week we finally had to say goodbye to our girl, who one friend described as one of the sweetest dogs she'd ever known—and for the record, I've never had a dog who had as long a list of fans to be notified of her passing (almost two dozen).

A human should be so lucky—and we definitely were.

"Be comforted this day from whatever weighs heavily on your mind, the trouble you have known so long it almost seems normal. Let the strong arms of faith enfold you. It has been a long time. You have carried your burden with courage and dignity. You have been patient, almost to the limit of your own resolve. Now you need to feel that your waiting will soon be over. Hope needs to beckon you forward, holding high more than a promise, but a reality of change. Healing, reconciliation, an answer: whatever it is you need, may it come to you quickly. And so it will. Be comforted this day." - Bishop Steven Charleston, 7-23-15

In the spirit of Halloween, it's the ideal time to feature the more than 900 members of the gourd family, or Cucurbitaceae. As Ginger Rapport of the Beaverton Farmers Market wrote in a recent newsletter:

"Although pumpkin, squash, and gourd names are sometimes used interchangeably, it is important to remember that gourds are purely ornamental. Botanically a fruit but culinarily used as a vegetable, winter squash and pumpkins can be decorative and can also be food.

"Because of its very long shelf life, winter squash is a great source of vitamins during the colder months. In our growers’ stalls, you will find plenty of colors, shapes, and sizes to choose from, and each variety has its own personality."

With its easygoing nature—being a breeze to clean and peel, with a sweet, slightly buttery flavor and smooth texture—Butternut squash is one of the most commonly mentioned types and the easiest to find in stores. But venture a bit further afield and you'll discover a world of other varieties to choose from whether you're making soups, curried stews or even desserts.

Just this last week I whipped up a delightful appetizer of fried squash blossoms from a gift of zucchini flowers from Randy Long of Cohesive Farms, a farmer at the Headwaters Farm Incubator in Gresham. Then a hearty dinner of minestrone soup that included colorful delicata squash from my Stoneboat Farm CSA, a squash I'm fond of because of its harlequin coloring and the delightful fact that this variety doesn't require peeling. (Find the recipe below).

Squash seems to be a natural pairing with curry, and the aroma of a curried squash stew simmering on the stove dispels any chill in the wintry air—check out this recipe for curried coconut soup (with or without the accompanying roasted cauliflower).

Squash desserts go far beyond just pumpkin pie—I have fond memories of the squash sorbet that Dave concocted with the roasted flesh of one of my favorite varieties, the voluptuous Musquée de Provence. But if pumpkin pie is your jam, particularly with Thanksgiving looming, ditch the store-bought Libby's and pick up a squash on your next trip to the farmers' market, whether a warty-but-delicious French heirloom Galleux d'Eysine, our own PNW variety the Lower Salmon River, or a more familiar Hubbard. Here's the recipe for Squash (Pumpkin) Pie I make at least a couple of times a season.

So broaden your horizons and give the butternut a rest, whether by picking up a kabocha, black futsu, Gill's Golden Pippin or Koginut. There's a whole world of squash out there to explore!

Winter Minestrone with Delicata Squash

1 onion, diced in 1/2" squares
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, diced small
2 medium delicata squash, cleaned and diced in 1/2" squares
2 c. diced zucchini
1 qt. roasted tomatoes, breaking up the large chunks with your hands)
8 c. chicken or vegetable stock
2-3 c. cooked cannelini beans (I used cooked pinto beans from Sun Gold Farm)
1-2 c. chopped kale or other greens (optional)
1-2 c. chicken, sausage or meat, shredded (optional)
Salt to taste
Finely grated parmesan, pesto and/or olive oil for serving at the table

Saute onions and garlic for 2-3 min. until golden. Add carrots, saute 2-3 min. (This is the base that Marcella Hazan refers to as soffritto—the raw, diced vegetables are the battuto. The final stage is the insaporire, or sautéing the rest of the vegetables in that base. Who knew?) In any case, add the chopped zucchini and saute for 2-3 min. Then add the rest of the ingredients except for the condiments (for the table) and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 hrs. Serve with parmesan, pesto and/or olive oil.

You've likely seen them in the more authentic Mexican restaurants around town, and certainly if you've traveled to Mexico: Giant ribbed jars—called vitroleros—full of brilliantly colored aguas frescas. I had my heart set on making one in particular, the purple-hued beauty known as agua de jamaica after finding a bag of dried hibiscus flowers lurking in the back of my pantry.

I've seen palm-sized, brilliantly colored hibiscus flowers blooming in gardens on recent walks around the neighborhood, but the flowers that are dried for agua fresca are from a specific variety, Hibiscus sabdariffa. The dried blossoms in my pantry were originally part of a holiday punch-making kit from Three Sisters Nixtamal, and there were enough left for a half-gallon batch of agua fresca.

The basic idea is to steep the dried flowers to make a concentrated "tea" that can then be sweetened—the concentrate is quite tart on its own—and served as is over ice or, as I do, combined with a splash of soda and simple syrup. The drink is high in vitamin C and anti-oxidants, and is used in many cultures to aid in lowering blood pressure, easing urinary tract infections and for liver and kidney health. Plus it's delicious!

I checked with Wendy Downing, co-owner of Three Sisters Nixtamal, and she has dried hibiscus flowers at their shop, and they can also be found at some Mexican and ethnic groceries.

Enjoy!

Agua de Jamaica (Hibiscus Cooler)

2 c. dried hibiscus flowers
3/4 c. granulated sugar (more if desired)
6 c. water
Ice
Garnishes (see below)

Rinse and drain the dried hibiscus flowers in a large colander.

Bring water to a boil in a pot. Add the flowers and cover tightly with a lid. Remove from the heat and steep for 10 minutes.

Strain hibiscus water into a pitcher and discard flowers. Add sugar and stir. Refrigerate until time to serve.

Taste tea, and add more sugar or dilute with water to your liking.

Ladle into a tall glass filled with ice and garnish with fresh mint leaves or lime slices (optional).

Photo of Hibiscus sabdariffa from Wikipedia.