FARMERS MARKET, HARVEST PICNIC AND NEIGHBORHOOD OWL

Happy is the weekend that includes a stroll through the PSU Farmers Market, a picnic under a circus tent — and even a rare bird sighting.

Good times, my friends.

Let’s start with the market.

A friend called me and wanted to host a girls-only farmer’s market outing, and wanted to know if Charlotte and I wanted to come along.

That would be a big fat yes.

I’m always so inspired when I go there, and I never fail to find dozens of things I want to buy.

I couldn’t believe that there were still some heirloom tomatoes to be found, so a purchase from here was a no-brainer.

We made the requisite trip to the Ancient Heritage booth. I’m completely smitten with this creamery…

…and one of their cheeses in particular.

I’ve written about Adelle before — consider me obsessed.

Adelle, you’ll always be the one for me.

The mushroom selection this Saturday was also spectacular.

Look at these lobster mushrooms. I like to stir them into bubbling risottos or saute them with shallots and butter and then toss them with fresh cooked fettucine. Yum.

And don’t these mushrooms look like something from out of 20,000 Leagues under the Sea?

We ate bagels from Tastebud (I had the leek bagel with chive shmear) and along the way we sampled hazelnuts and dried cherries and pears and apples and pressed cider. Also lamb jerky and chocolate from Alma.

We also sampled about six different kinds of smoked salmon and lox from the Smokery.

Michael and Rona Jacobs are the people behind this company and they smoke the wild fish straight out of their home smoker; you can’t ask for moister, more flavorful smoked fish anywhere — and I think he said that this is the only place you can buy it retail.

I loved all the sampled fish but ended up with the lox — I have big plans for it this weekend (hint: it rhymes with “me-At-el”)

And one of Charlotte’s friends was particularly excited about her finds.

Isn’t Gwen adorable clutching her baguette and Brussels sprouts?

Sunday was no less pleasurable –or jam packed with great food.

My friend Mary Ann and I wanted to show our Japanese exchange students (Aika and Rio) Sauvie Island while the Halloween and harvest activities were in full force.

A little rainy weather? C’mon, we’re Portlanders– we know how to deal.

Kruger’s Farm was our destination.

There were lots of interesting things to look at when we got there.

While all the kids and our students tackled the corn maze, Mary Ann, my friend Jill and I set up the food under a covered circus tent that seemed to be just waiting for us; I gather it’s used for night-time events but it was nearly empty when we stumbled up on it right next to the maze.

It was so unexpected to see it there and it looked so festive nestled into the corn fields.

It was the ideal spot to camp out and ensure that we’d stay dry as we ate — and doesn’t everything taste better when you’re sitting on a bale of hay?

A professional photographer was just finishing up as we walked in — he too saw a good locale and was busy capturing the squeals of happy wee ones.

I brought along two soups: a Roasted Tomato and Quinoa (I started with a favorite and added garlic, quinoa, lemon and Parmesan to it) and Miso.

The first one was so good with the Parmesan Crisps Mary Ann had brought with her.

Everyone sat on a bale of hay and chowed down on Fleur de Lis baguettes and French cheeses and soups — what a fun indoor/outdoor picnic it was.

Aika and Rio brought their appetite with them, and had seconds of everything offered.

Man, I love good eaters.

There was a good ten minute stretch when this usually garrulous crowd was suddenly quiet as we all gobbled down the delectable offerings.

Honestly, I don’t know what I was more excited about — our impressive spread of delicious eats or the fact that I was able to put every one of my vintage Thermoses to good use.

I love them beyond reason, and I always find their colors so cheery and smile-inducing.

Afterwards we enjoyed homemade meringues ( I couldn’t resist trying out my new skill and I wanted our Japanese friends to have a box to take home with them)…

and more treats from Trader Joe’s — the Pumpkin Brittle and the Pumpkin Spiced Salted Dark Chocolate Caramels.

We gathered the kids and gals together for picture time…

and then there was just three things left to do there.

One, show our canine friends a little love.

There was a little soup and mozzarella for my Bailey; we let Rio feed him because she loves dogs as much as Aika does and this was her first time meeting our dogs.

Doesn’t Rio have the sweetest smile?

And Luna was given a little bit of Tillamook cheddar for being such a good girl.

Two, we had to let the girls do a hayride to the Pumpkin Patch. 

Everyone loves a good hayride, and before you know it, strangers are talking and everyone’s sharing stories.

Three, we had to hit the store and get some of those caramel apples Kruger’s is so known for— always a jumbo semi-tart apple with lots of add-ons if desired.

How to decide which one?

We told all the kids we were going to take the caramel apples to go and here’s what they looked like as we all prepared to say goodbye to the farm.

Charlotte enjoyed hers later that night– so much so in fact that the firm caramel yanked a wiggly tooth right out. Wow — both a treat and a guarantee of a Tooth Fairy visit? Double score.

Rio and Aika, I’m so glad that you both got to see Sauvie in full pre-Halloween swing.

Isn’t Sauvie such a beautiful place?

Now, if we’d only had the farmer’s market outing and this farm picnic this weekend it would have been been memorable enough, but one more really interesting thing happened.

On Thursday, I noticed a couple people standing on my street staring upwards and nosy pants that I am, I asked them what they were doing.

An owl! they whispered breathlessly and pointing just above us.

Sure enough, there was an owl– and not thirty feet away in the middle of the day, and just across the street from my house.

A giant barred owl — just staring down at me.

I saw it again Friday on a nearby tree and there were about five crows screeching at it (none less than ten feet away from the owl), presumably trying to scare it off. My little friend just remained where it was, its head swirling around on its base like a TV on a lazy Susan, checking out its environment from every angle.

I couldn’t stop staring at it.

Saturday brought my third sighting, and this time there were about thirty people milling about on my street watching the owl’s every movement.

Lucky for me one of such watchers is a very talented photographer and neighbor named Arien Durst who was there with his lovely wife and baby girl taking pictures. He shared these beautiful pics with me (thank you!).

We were all gathered around watching it when suddenly it swooped off (just fifteen feet above my head) in search of a squirrel on another tree.

A minute or two later it then returned to the telephone pole and seemed to clean its feathers.

Aren’t its feathers so beautiful? And isn’t it amazing how they provide the owl with the camouflage necessary to go unnoticed by small prey?

Afterwards I couldn’t get the image of its face out of my head, and I’m so glad that we were all able to witness it.

Wow.

World class farmers markets, a picturesque working farm fifteen minutes from downtown and now an owl outside my house?

Portland, you never fail to surprise me.