Today, a friend and I trekked downtown to the Pearl for an outing with the kids and happened upon the Oregon Berry Festival on the corner of NW 10th and Johnson in the Ecotrust parking lot. This family-friendly event features a potpourri of vendors selling berries and berry-related products like ice cream, pies and other baked goods, jams and sauces, berry lemonade, shortcake, berry liqueur, and a variety of other delectables. A few of the vendors include Stahlbush Island Farms, The Berry Patch, Riverbend Organic Farms, Willamette Valley Fruit Company, Hoffman Family Pies, Briar Rose Creamery, and Clear Creek Distillery (click here for a complete list of vendors).

In addition to a bounty of beautiful berries, there will also be cooking demos, live entertainment on the “Blueberry Stage” (see schedule), and a chance to meet some local cookbook authors at the Cookbook Authors Table (Ivy Manning, Janie Hibler, Ashley Gartland). Also, be sure to take your little ones to the Children’s Oregon Berry Playground booth for munchkin-centered activities, and swing by the Bike Gallery booth and enter to win a new bike.

Admission is free. Hours are Friday, July 20 (12:00pm to 6:00pm), and Saturday, July 21 (11:00am to 4:30pm). Click here for a map of the festival.

Tags: Ashley Gartland, Briar Rose Creamery, Clear Creek Distillery, Ecotrust, Ivy Manning, Janie Hibler, Oregon, Oregon berries, Oregon Berry Festival, Oregon Berry Festival July 20-21 2012, Oregon events, Pearl District, Portland events, Riverbend Organic Farms, Stahlbush Island Farms, Willamette Valley Fruit Company

Today was the grand opening of the Lake Grove Zupan’s Market, a locally-owned store that caters to food lovers. What’s the big whoop, you ask? Well, several years ago my beloved Wizer’s Market (the store that occupied the same location) closed it’s doors. I had been shopping at the quaint gourmet market for nearly 20 years, so it was a sad day when I found out that they weren’t renewing their lease. Once closed, the space stayed vacant for a little over a year until last year when demolition/construction on the new Zupan’s started. I’ve been anxiously awaiting today’s grand opening so I invited a friend to join me for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The new store is stunning! Beautiful floral arrangements greet you as you approach the store (kudos to the floral department). Once inside, I made a beeline to the produce department where top-quality fruits and veggies are artfully displayed. I was a little nervous to remove one of the cauliflowers for fear of starting a veggie avalanche (thankfully that didn’t happen).

Zupan’s features lots of local products and gourmet ingredients, as well as national brands and basic items. Although I won’t be doing all my shopping there, it will be my first stop for specialized ingredients and local products — just like Wizer’s was.

One thing I’ll be returning for soon is the Harris Ranch Beef Tomahawk Rib Steak for Husband. Basically, it’s a ginormous rib-eye with the bone exposed (frenched). I guarantee Husband will light up like a Christmas tree when he sees it…just like I did when I first walked into the new Zupan’s store!

Tags: cowboy steak, frenched rib-eye, Harris Ranch Tomahawk Rib Steak, Lake Grove, Oregon products, ribbon cutting, Wizer's Market, Zupan's, Zupan's grand opening, Zupan's Lake Grove, Zupan's Market

I was at Whole Foods Market the other day and noticed a grape variety on display in the produce department that I’d never seen before: Pink Muscat Grapes ($3.99/lb.). Their pinkish-yellow color intrigued me. Thankfully, they had some samples out so I could try one (okay three). Their flavor is sweet, delicate and floral — much more complex than the typical red or green grocery store grape varieties. The Pink Muscats would be excellent in a fruit salad or fruit plate, or served with cheese and wine. These grapes truly are nature’s candy!

Tags: fresh fruit, fruit, grapes, muscat grapes, pink muscat grapes, Whole Foods Market