Celebration: The Organic Culinary Adventure

Last winter, we asked organic food lovers from across the country to send us their favorite original organic recipes. With the expertise of our kitchen magicians, our panel of farmers and staff tasted dozens of recipes and chose the top five.

The Grand Prize winner, Gray Herzberg of Portland, Oregon, received a day with his family and friends on an Organic Valley dairy farm, including an all-organic and local meal prepared by Chef Kevin Gibson. Organic Valley "Event Wrangler" Macon Luhning recalls the day's events.

A mix of light rain, warm sun and the smell of fresh baked bread followed me on my trek through the Hawthorne District of East Portland. I was on my way to meet Chef Kevin Gibson at Portland’s “enlightened snack bar”, EVOE. This is the restaurant space where Chef Gibson prepares inspired offerings such as speck (cool-smoked pork similar to Prosciutto di Parma) and asiago sandwiches; chicory, pancetta, and soft egg salad; and house cured pickles to name a few. When I arrived Chef Gibson gathered his cutting board, knives, and prepped food items including goose fat and a prime section of pork loin from a Tails and Trotters pig that had been finished on hazelnuts. Tails and Trotters is one of Portland’s finest sources for artisan cured meats.

Cooking utensils and fare ready to go, we loaded the van and headed to the Bansen Family Farm. Jon and Juli milk 200 Jersey cows on 700 acres of beautiful rolling pasture near Monmouth, roughly 63 miles southwest of Porland. Jon greeted us with a hearty handshake, then led us straight to his garden for a little gleaning in preparation of our dinner planned for later in the day. While I snapped pictures of the farm and garden, Jon and Chef Gibson pulled carrots and parsnips, dug potatoes, and picked eggplant and other vegetables from the garden. I left Chef Gibson to get settled in the farm kitchen while I returned to Portland to pick up the contest winner Gray Herzberg, his wife and son and two of their good friends.

As we came down the gravel farm road, Gray and his companions were struck by the natural beauty of the Bansen farm. Jon welcomed us upon our arrival and promptly began the farm tour, allowing plenty of time to discuss and share all aspects of managing an organic family farm. Jon’s knowledge, passion and experience regarding organic farming came through as he shared his farm story. His warmth and sense of humor made it an entertaining and relaxing educational experience.

The sun-filled fall afternoon gradually gave way to a still Pacific Northwest evening just in time for our guests to enjoy dinner. Everyone gathered around the table under a white tent with views of the farm and surrounding coastal hills in the distance. Soon the appetizers were before us including a trio of crostini, Sungold tomato, eggplant, and Chanterelle mushroom served with a glass of chilled Prosecco, an Italian dry, sparkling white wine. Following the appetizers, the first course was a tasty dish of seared scallops on a bed of thinly sliced fennel and Porcini mushroom salad with fresh parsley. The scallops were followed by a refreshing glacier lettuce salad with Asian pear and aged balsamic. The culinary climax was a perfectly cooked pork loin with parsnip and potato gratin and carrots roasted in goose fat. The Oregon wines Chef Gibson had selected paired perfectly with each offering. It was a meal to remember for sure, all with ingredients from the fertile soils of the Willamette Valley

Everyone happily pitched in for a little after dinner clean-up like any group  of family or friends would oblige after a meal of exemplary proportions. The Bansen family and Chef Gibson were awarded much appreciation with “thank you’s” all around. The ride home to Portland was full of lively discussion about the local food scene and memories from the day.