Skinny Girls Roadshow: LIVE from Portland — The Yin of Blackberries & Yang of Foodcarts

It might be difficult for Northwesterners to believe that I once planted — intentionally! — a blackberry bush. It was small and anemic and cost $6. I found it a nice spot on the side of the chicken coop, dug a hole, settled it in, watered it lovingly… and forgot about it. A few months later I remembered and went to check on it, and all that was left was a little brittle stick.

Blackberries and cream for breakfast

I’m not sure why blackberries don’t do so well in Southern California. I suspect it has to do with the inherent dryness and lack of rainfall. They grow prolifically in Northern California. But in the Northwest, they are practically a plague. Indeed, I recall coming to my wife’s sister’s property more than a decade ago, before we were married, and nearly the entire four acres was one massive blackberry bramble. Delicious and romantic to the dusty Southern Californian, but a significant complication to the prospective home builder.

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Skinny Girls Roadshow: LIVE from Portland — Pride of Place

I enjoy blogging from places other than home. Not merely getting ideas while I’m traveling, but actually writing while I’m there, letting place influence my musings much the way terroir does a grape.

Bounty of the Northwest — French-style farm butter, heritage pig bacon, Sunset Bay cheese, hazelnuts, local charcuterie, fava beans, tomahawk ribeye and wild mushrooms

My blog buddy, Rachel, has a lovely blog about her experiment to eat only food grown or sourced near to her home in Delaware. An admirable pursuit, and one I enjoy reading about and make some effort to emulate at home. It’s much easier, however, when I am traveling, particularly if I have access to a kitchen. More