“Nestled among the rivers on Oregon’s South Coast are hundreds of cranberry bogs tended by more than 200 cranberry growers.”
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a superior cranberry Oregon’s cranberries are the plumpest, juiciest and sweetest on the market. Now, select growers are introducing innovative practices to minimize the impact of their bogs on the watershed and salmon populations.
by ellen jackson
Elk River Farms, Sixes, Oregon
PHOTOs by john valls
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he South Coast, a largely undiscovered stretch of Oregon, is a unique microclimate that teems with wildlife and botanical bounty. Mile after gorgeous mile of undeveloped shoreline and the highest concentration of wild and scenic rivers south of Alaska have earned it the title, “America’s Wild Rivers Coast.” The area boasts some of the best—and last—wild salmon habitat in the lower 48. Between Bandon and Brookings, there are ten mostly uncharted rivers, all with intact runs of wild coho and chinook salmon, and summer and winter steelhead. The remote region offers excellent water quality, steep river banks and 100 inches of rainfall per winter. Nestled among and between the rivers are hundreds of cranberry bogs, tended by more than 200 cranberry growers. Cranberries grow best in beds of sandy, acidic soil in upland areas with a shallow water table. Propagated by moving vines from an established bed, the low, creeping cranberry shrubs are irrigated regularly during the growing season and flooded in the late autumn to facilitate harvest. Once the vines are covered by six to eight inches of water, a cranberry beater drives through the beds and coaxes the red berries from their vines. The berries float freely in the water and are then raked into a corner of the bed and gathered. Because some of the 24 l edible portland FALL 2010
runoff from the beds makes its way back into streams and lakes, cranberry farming has the potential to significantly impact watershed health and thus coastal salmon populations. Although its market share is relatively small (Wisconsin, the leading producer of cranberries, is responsible for more than 50 percent of U.S. production), the Oregon cranberry is in many ways superior. The temperate climate of the South Coast extends the growing season, allowing cranberry vines to set fruit in May, when cranberries in other regions have just begun to show bloom. The season continues through the fall, when growers in other areas of the country have completed their harvest. Oregon cranberries spend more time on the vine, becoming the largest, juiciest, sweetest, reddest cranberries available. Two families in particular, the McKenzies and the Farrs, are working to better understand and manage negative impacts of their cranberry farming operations on juvenile salmon health. Their common goal of conserving the region’s natural resources and preserving its distinctive agricultural economy for future generations led the families to join forces and form Clearwater Cranberries, a sustainable cranberry collaborative. As a direct result of this partnership, these cranberry farmers have transitioned all of their acreage to Food Alliance and Salmon-Safe certification and dramatically reduced run-off of pesticides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizers into local rivers and estuaries. Together, they are demonstrating how farming and watershed stewardship can coexist and prosper. Scott McKenzie’s family has farmed and ranched on Oregon’s South Coast since 1870. His great-grandfather purchased the parcel of land on Cape Blanco, where Scott lives with his wife, Carol, and their five children, to raise sheep and cattle. Cranberries didn’t become a part of the landscape until 1965, when Scott McKenzie’s grandfather found himself on the wrong end of a deal he struck for his timber ground, inadvertently trading it for 160 acres of some of Curry County’s most marginal land. The sandy, rocky, acidic soil wasn’t worth much until they planted it with cranberries, for which it turns out to be extremely well suited. Today, the McKenzies have 45 acres planted with cranberries, twelve of which were added last summer and are expected to increase the total annual yield of their farm, Seaview Cranberries, to about one million pounds. The desire to maintain an economically viable operation drives the family’s approach to farming, but minimizing the farm’s effect on the local watershed is equally important.
Cranberry Hazelnut Tart with Candied Ginger This tart contrasts the crunchy texture of an all-nut crust with the juiciness of cranberries. The candied ginger on top is markedly spicy, while the cranberries, which are cooked in ginger syrup, are mildly so, offering a quiet echo of one another. 3-4 ounces fresh ginger
1 cup sugar
1 lb fresh Oregon cranberries
1/2 cup non-acidic white wine or fresh apple cider
2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 3/4 cups Oregon hazelnuts, raw 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup butter, melted
1. Remove the skin of the ginger and
peel the flesh into long strips. Stack strips on top of one another and slice into thin ribbons. Combine the sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepot and bring to a simmer. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the ginger ribbons and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain, reserving the syrup, and lay the ginger ribbons on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Bake in a 300-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the ginger starts to caramelize. Remove and cool.
2.
Return syrup to saucepot, add the cranberries and cook on medium-high heat until the cranberries are heated
photo by leah harb
through. Add the wine, salt and lime juice, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cool and store the cranberries in the syrup in the refrigerator overnight or up to two days.
3.
In a food processor, grind the hazelnuts until they are in small, coarse pieces. Add the sugar and melted butter and process just until combined. Pack the nut mixture into the bottom of a 10-inch tart pan, cover with tinfoil, and bake in a 350-degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove and cool.
4.
When ready to serve, spoon the cranberry filling onto the tart shell, leaving a small ring of crust around the perimeter. Garnish the tart with the candied ginger. Serve before the crust gets soggy, with leftover sauce on the side for spooning over the tart as desired. Makes 1 tart Recipe adapted from Zachary Agopian, Gr端ner
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We are extremely aware of our environmental impact. We use the land’s resources wisely, recapturing and reusing water. We’re experimenting with alternative fertilizers and low-impact insecticides, and are restoring fish habitats along the creeks adjoining the bogs,” says Scott McKenzie. “Living on Oregon’s South Coast offers a way of life we are passionate about preserving and defending.” One of the McKenzies’ and Farrs’ innovative practices that minimizes the impact of the bogs on nearby rivers and creeks, and conserves water. By pumping water to the bog at the highest elevation first, the water can be reused by following the pull of gravity as it works its way down from a higher to a lower bog. Finally, the water rests in settling ponds or is filtered by constructed wetlands before being released back into the watershed. Randy and Gretchen Farr, of Elk River Farms in Sixes, are working to replace prolific invasive species with native plants and shade trees along the river to protect water quality and restore salmon habitat. Says Gretchen Farr, “We would like to leave this place better than we found it, to have the opportunity to teach our kids about preserving salmon and their natural habitat.” In seach of a more fulfilling existence than the one they found themselves eeking out in California, the Farrs relocated to Oregon’s South Coast to start their young family and strike a better balance between work and the rest of life. With the help of Gretchen Farr’s parents, they purchased their 560acre farm parcel in 2003. With 23 acres devoted to cranberry bogs, the Farrs were eager to see if they could sell profitably to markets that see value in—and offer financial incentives for—food produced in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. Other portions of their property are leased to neighboring ranchers who graze their cattle in the large meadows. In addition to conserving water, the founding farmers of Clearwater Cranberries work diligently to keep it pure. Intense focus on the general health of the bogs increases the vigor of the cranberry vines and fruit. Stronger cranberry bushes more
easily resist and repel insects and disease, completing a cycle reliant on fewer pesticides and chemicals. By introducing reduced-risk pesticides when necessary, and experimenting with substitutes for harsh conventional chemicals, they have discovered more benign options for ridding their crops of pests and keeping the water free of contaminants. The McKenzies and Farrs did not create Clearwater Cranberries alone, and its future, as with any young business,
oregon cranberries spend more time on the vine, becoming the largest, juiciest, sweetest, reddest cranberries available. is still being written. The Oregon Environmental Council (OEC) and the South Coast Watershed Council (SCWC) have been instrumental in sharing their expertise and resources, which allowed the two farms to test environmentallyresponsible growing practices and prove their commitment to sustainable agriculture. Their methods have been endorsed by the Food Alliance and Salmon-Safe, designations achieved through a series of certification programs linking land management practices with the protection of agricultural and urban watersheds and wildlife. With the help of the OEC and SCWC, Clearwater growers were able to distinguish the quality attributes that set their fruit apart and identify viable direct sales opportunities outside of the commodity market. In their first year, the collaborative sold a percentage of their berries for a 10-20 percent price premium to buyers who value good stewardship of Oregon’s environment, including Bon Appetit Management Company, Northwest food distributor Borracini’s, Burgerville, Continued on page 59
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