Wealth Underground

(late october. number 35.)

Wealth Underground Farm is a small, picturesque piece of land located within Portland's city limits. We first visited the farm to hear a talk on the relationship between art and agriculture, toting with us a plate of leaf-shaped shortbread cookies as potluck contribution. 

Over the next year and a half or so, I visited a few other times– last year's fall harvest party and a late summer evening blueberry picking session, to name the best. Last winter, I solicited Nolan Calisch (who runs WU with Chris Seigel) for advice on starting our side yard kitchen garden, and he generously offered support, instruction, and recommendations. Nolan took the signature Secret Garden before/after photos, became a sometimes guest at Secret Restaurant, and the accompanying Secret Garden Party Potlucks. 

This year, Wealth Underground did a fall-only CSA. The idea came up for Secret Restaurant to "cater" the fall harvest party put on for their shareholders, using only produce grown on the farm. 

NOTE: This was our second direct farm collaboration. In 2011, we did an afternoon lunch at Let Us Farm outside of Olympia, WA.

THIS EVENT:

We were extremely lucky to have to assistance of one Russell Melia of Eugene, who has been guest sous-chef for us many times in the past. Nolan chipped in with chopping, shelling, and DJing the kitchen scene. Chris kept the cider press churning outside.

It was a wet afternoon, but a huge group of people (WU shareholders/friends + Secret Restaurant regulars) made it out to the farm and passed through over the course of many hours. 

THE ESSENTIALS:

Rain and woodsmoke. Sipping cider. Warm bowls resting on our knees.

The food was served as if Secret Restaurant had become a northwest autumnal organic rustic vaguely asian-fusion buffet. Stop us!

SERVED UP:

• Kale/collards/mustard greens gratin with garlic, buttermilk and grain mustard 

   Possibly the ultimate greens gratin. Get into it! Do it at home!

• Red cabbage w/apple cider vinegar and juniper berries

   Credit to Nigel Slater, my fairy godfather of cooking. So perfect for the day/event/time of year/everything in between I don't even know what to say about it.

• Mildly curried cauliflower/onions/potatoes with cardamom coconut cream.    

  Super unusual/delightful curry, eaten on beds of arugula leaves. 

• Bok Choi with garlic and oyster sauce

   Nigel Slater and Russell, meeting together on a delicious playing field. 

• Harukei turnip and chévre "quick pie"

  Also served in dairy free and gluten free versions! These turnips are unsung heroes. I take personal pride in making their deliciousness known to the world.

• Water Avenue, just-brought-back-from-its-country-of-origin-and-just-roasted Columbian coffee.

  Brewed/served on site by Aaron, the roaster himself!

• Freshly pressed cider from Wealth Underground apples

Potential authors-portrait for the back flap of a future Secret Restaurant Portland cookbook? Anyone out there with a book deal lying around? 

All photography by Peter Schweitzer

Last of the Nightshades

(late september. number 34.)

Days away from October, fall was upon us. Yet Oregon experienced an uncharacteristically long and warm stretch into autumn. It was not originally in the cards to serve this rustic Italian last-of-the-nightshades feast outside, but by late afternoon on the day of, we decided it was worth the risk of chilled plates and cold guests. So we set up the table on the porch yet again, got out all the wooly blankets, set out every last bottle of red wine, lit candles and balsam fir incense, and hoped for the best. 

All Secret Garden ingredients grown by us have been noted with: (S.G.)

DINE––

Fennel Panna Cotta 

Roasted fennel pureed with shitake mushroom dashi, garnished with styrian pumpkin seed oil, kippered king salmon, fresh dill. 

Borlotti Bean Salad

French sorrel (S.G.) and arugula leaves, garlic (S.G.) oil, simmered borlotti beans (S.G.), aged gouda. 

Pasta Autunnale

House-made saffron spaghetti.

Fresh tomato sauce. Tomatoes (S.G.) crushed, raw, strained, & reserved- then tossed with garlic (S.G.) and basil (S.G.). The juice of all tomatoes boiled down and then deglazed with balsamic vinegar. Mixture combined, then slowly reheated to preserve the fresh snap uncommon in stewed tomato sauce. 

Pan fried eggplant (S.G.). 

Chicken Of The Woods Mushrooms, sauteed in butter. 

Chocolate Chocolate Semifreddo with stewed plums

Chocolate shortbread crust, dark chocolate ice cream set inside like a cake, topped with stewed wild italian plums. 

DRINK––

So much red wine. 

Photography by Peter Schweitzer

SECRET GARDEN Party Potlucks

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE NEW 'SECRET GARDEN' TUMBLR. 

Notes on Secret Garden: 

What is it? In 2012, we dug up the empty lot next to my house and farmed it. Previous entries have produce grown by us notated as 'S.G.' for 'Secret Garden.' The story of the garden is told in photographs on the tumblr linked above.

What's up with it now? The owners of the lot sold it to developers and it is currently being turned into condominiums. The garlic we planted for next year which was patiently waiting to grow was dug up and traded in for concrete and soulless "growth."

What will you do? We will farm elsewhere. Likely across the street, collaborating with neighbors- and we'll grow greens/herbs in the space left us.

SECRET GARDEN PARTY POTLUCKS

When I was a teenager, I would often daydream about what my life as a 20something would be. Potlucks with my friends in the summertime were a distinct part of these daydreams. 

An extremely influential experience for the whole Secret Restaurant project, for me, was 3 years of cooking dinners for large groups living in the single cooperative house located off campus from Bennington College. 14 people lived in the house, and every night except Sunday (house meeting night) we invited between 5 and 10 guests for dinner. 

So for years I was used to cooking for and dining with 15-25 people sitting around a living room or back yard balancing brimming plates on their knees. Since establishing my life in Portland, I've brought together similar groups of people to share food – but it has nearly always been in the semiformal mode of Secret Restaurant. 

Once we embarked on the Secret Garden project, I knew that I wanted to host informal, outdoor, biweekly potlucks. I (or Lucas, or Aria, or whoever) would serve up a dish or dishes from the bounty we were currently experiencing. Guests would bring additional food and drinks. Soundtracked by stuff like the Carter Family, we'd share food and laughter, then replace the waning daylight with firelight, and encourage the good times to roll on. 

The food: Each potluck featured numerous breads & spreads, drinks, and of course many other homemade dishes, often made by guests from produce in their lovely gardens--- but here is… 

A LIST OF DISHES INCORPORATING SECRET GARDEN INGREDIENTS:

Potluck One: July 25th

• Big leafy green salad- all our lettuces, chard, kale, purslane, sorrel. 

• Golden beet slaw

• Pesto Genovese

• Zucchini Latkes

• Blackberry tartlets

Potluck Two: August 8th

• Golden Beet/Yellow Crookneck Zucchini Carpaccio

• Green Mist Cauliflower Chilled Soup

• Pesto Genovese

• Blackberry Sorbet

Potluck Three: August 22nd

• Smoked salmon spread

• Pesto Genovese

• White bean/garlic spread

• Green bean Salad w/shaved almonds and parmesan 

• Big bowl of blackberries

Potluck Four: September 5th

• Green bean/tomato/garlic/anchovy salad

• Carrot/tempeh hippy slam salad

Potluck Five: September 19th

• Garlicky kale quesadillas

• Fresh salsa made entirely from garden: tomatoes, cippolini onion, chard stalks, parsley. 

• Grilled cheese sandwiches with raclette and garden tomatoes

• Chocholatey zucchini cake

Potluck Six: October 3rd

• A massive all-garden (6 or 7 vegetables) curry slam served with wild rices.

                       "Graduate level curry."- Alex Rosenblatt

• Garlicky kale salad- people brought fruits & breads. 

Potluck Seven: October 17th

Indoors. An Advrb/Jason Anderson candle/twinkle-lights house-show. 

• Carrot Ginger (ok so we didn't grow the ginger) soup

• Potato Leek soup

• 4 loaves of house-baked rustic country bread

We will resume garden potlucks later in 2013.