Fabulous Farmers Markets – Eugene, OR

“If you’re afraid of butter, use cream.”
Julia Child (1912-2004)

Paul chats with the mushroom guy

With the end of our happy coastal escapades we headed back to Eugene for what was supposed to be a quick skip & a hop of a visit before we headed south (things didn’t turn out as planned, but you’ll just have to wait for that story). Our biggest goal coming back here was to hit the Saturday Farmer’s Market, the reason being that…well…WE LOVE FOOD.

A fresh-drip coffe takes 5 mins to make...and it's worth it!!

Now, not all love food as much as we do, I appreciate that, and not all think as fondly of butter as we do (Julia Child may well have been our spiritual culinary soul-mate), I appreciate that too. But I’d care to venture that few can withstand the tingle of excitement from a truly fabulous farmers markets. We always make a point of trying to support local produce and farms (in fact we’ve even driven “the beast” directly onto farms from Eatwild -> our favorite link), and those who know us will happily support that we’re quite passionate about how we eat. The market here in Eugene started in 1915 and is one of the biggest and best we’ve seen, jam-packed with food and produce that is simply gorgeous. We simply HAD to make it through here on a Saturday to catch the goodies.

A stunning array of potatoes and squash

And it certainly didn’t disappoint. From mushroom stalls to pastured meats and eggs, potatoes to greens, stands simply overflowing with crisp vegetables, raw honey, custom-roasted coffee and crafts. There’s simply something for everyone here. We managed to spend a few hours walking the stalls and chatting with the farmers,  loading up no less than three times before we decided we’d had enough.

Carrots and beets galore

As it turns out we’ll get to spend another Saturday drooling over the produce here in Eugene, but I’m going to save that exciting tale for my next post. In the meantime I’ve just got to decide how to cook my fresh chanterelle mushrooms…hmmm…butter or cream…it’s a tough choice

Beautiful stalks of fresh brussel sprouts

Live blues music at the market

Egging It In Missouri – Real Eggs, Real Food

“He that but looketh on a plate of ham and eggs to lust after it hath already committed breakfast with it in his heart” CS Lewis

Pastured eggs are worth the hunt

You would think the recent salmonella egg scare has us running like mad chickens away from eggs. There’s certainly been enough scare-mongering in the news to take the happy cluck out of the average chick, but as with all things the devil is in the details. As self-proclaimed RV foodies we care a lot about our food-source and I’ve blogged about it several times in the past (here, here and here). Eggs are no exception, and the fact that mass-producers who pack chickens together in concentrated farms and feed them artificial food (grains) are producing tainted eggs is absolutely no surprise to me. You see, chickens, like all our farm animals are meant to have fresh air and access to forage grass, grubs and insects. These “pastured eggs” are far superior in nutrition (more omega-3′s, beta carotene and vitamin A, D and E) than anything you get in a regular market and we seek them like gold in our RV trips.

The light-colored yolk is a "free-range, organic, high omega-3" egg from Trader Joe's. The gorgeous dark one is the pastured egg from The Old Homestead.

And that’s how I met up with Fran from EatWild. She raises true free-range eggs on The Old Homestead Farm in Missouri. Her chickens are outside all day, allowed to forage and not fed artificial foods. You can see the results in their dark, gorgeous yellow yolk and you can taste the difference. With these eggs I know I’m getting one of nature’s superfoods and best of all, I don’t need to worry about the big salmonella scare.

Know your farmer and know your food. You’ll never be disappointed.