PHOTO COURTESY OF OREGON DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
[quote style=”2″]Event Set for Aug. 18 at HAREC[/quote]
The Hermiston Agricultural Research Center will be serving up specialty crops during a special dinner sponsored by the Oregon Department of Agriculture and Oregon State University.
The Hermiston dinner is one of five special events taking place around the state that feature Oregon grown specialty crops. The “Crop Up Dinner Series and Market Showcase”, which runs in July, August, and September, is designed to bring together local growers, food buyers, chefs, and the general public.
“We are hoping to educate attendees about Oregon specialty crops,” says Julia Turner, an ODA international trade manager who, along with OSU Research Chef Jason Ball, has been planning and organizing the dinner series. “Oregon produces more than 200 different crops and most of them are specialty crops. That’s pretty impressive. We hope to promote these crops, teach people where they are grown, how you can cook with them, and how they can be enjoyed in various recipes.”
Patterned after the trendy and popular concept of pop up restaurants, the crop up dinners are designed to be more than a venue for eating food. They are an event.
“Pop up dinners are so unique because their life span is so short,” says Turner. “They give people the sense that this is something special that they don’t want to miss. It’s not a restaurant you can go to any night you choose. It’s something happening in your community, for one night only. Don’t miss it.”
The dinner and showcase series is funded through federal Specialty Crop Block Grant funds. In Oregon, nearly $2 million is funding projects that help boost the competitiveness of the state’s fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, and other specialty crops. Dinner attendees will be able to enjoy a variety of these crops largely supplied through donations from commodity commissions, food companies, and local farmers in the communities in which the events are held.
“In the five communities we will be holding these events, we want to bring the public together with food and agricultural industries for a fun and educational dinner,” says Turner.
The other pop-up dinners will be held in Astoria, Portland and Medford. Aurora held its pop-up dinner on July 21.
“Unlike a restaurant, we will go to places that are somewhat remote,” says OSU’s Ball. “Very little cooking equipment will be available to us– maybe a grill or small stove top. We’ll use volunteers, get together, and be creative with food. It will be simple and highlight the specialty crops themselves.”
Each event has two main components – a market event and a dinner. The market event is simply a mini-farmers’ market with local growers offering part of their harvest and interacting with guests and buyers. Local food companies will also be on hand. ODA and OSU will have educational booths providing handouts and other materials promoting Oregon specialty crops. After the interactions, conversations, and education, it will be time to sit down for a fun and delicious dinner.
“We want to educate attendees about all the specialty crops Oregon has to offer, but we’ll also connect people with the growers of the food we eat,” says Ball.
Admission is $20 per person. There are 100 tickets available per event. Each ticket provides access to the farmers’ market showcase as well as the full dinner and entertainment for the evening.
For more information and to purchase tickets, go to the Oregon State University website.
