Dear Liza,
Just nine miles north of downtown Portland is a big piece of real country. Sauvie Island is in the Columbia River and was founded many years ago as farmland to help feed the growing city. It now has 3,000 people living on it, but since there are 32 square miles, they are pretty thinly scattered.
Grandpa Nelson and I went there this past weekend for some yummy summer fruits. First we stopped at Belle’s Organic. Their blueberry season was over, but they were selling blackberries, so we got some. Outside, we visited the petting zoo and got to see Scout, who is three, get the hang of feeding hungry goats.
We continued on to the same place we got blueberries last year, Columbia Farms. We picked another flat, trying not to listen as two big girls who forgot that we were just on the other side of the bushes talked way too much. Then we met a nice family and gave them pointers on picking the berries. “You need to get down under the bush and look up,” I said. They nodded and headed off.
We drove around the island, just enjoying the long views across the fields. These open areas are called, in Latin, “agora”, and fear of open spaces is called “agoraphobia.” I do not suffer from it.
We found Krugers, where last year we fought big crowds to get pulled pork sandwiches and corn for lunch. This past weekend there were no big crowds, but the food was just as delicious. We also got peaches, corn, cherry tomatoes and celery, grown right here on the farm. Talk about local!
Kruger’s sunflowers weren’t as successful as last year, but I managed to cut a few to take home to Auntie Bridgett.
When we got home, after a well-deserved rest, I made a cobbler and started freezing the blueberries for cobblers this winter. What could be better than blueberries for Christmas?
Love,
Grandma Judy
Dear Liza 