I'm back--from two weeks in southern Oregon. Friends seemed dismayed when I told them where I was headed. "It's not exotic," they protested, knowing that I am usually off to Asia or to far places in South America.
I too hesitated, because I prefer to travel where languages, customs and food are different. In that sense, Oregon is not exotic. But it is the most beautiful place that I have visited, from its rock-studded coastline kept free of ugly development to magnificent forests of pines and firs, cedars, maples and dogwoods,
Often, I was the only tourist invading these giant tree communities. The noise that I heard wasn't traffic but thunderous waterfalls and rapids, gurgling brooks and rivers flowing quietly through the woods.
Autumn's brilliant colors were beginning to show. Yes, that is I, posing with a plant in red fall attire, the way others might pose with a Hollywood celebrity. Don't ask me what it is, because I am botanically challenged.
I didn't have to travel far to watch nature at work. In a city park in Grants Pass, I could watch salmon thrash their way up the Rogue River to spawn. Deer bounded across the road on the outskirts of the city. And a mountain lion was spotted at the property where I was staying.
The food was as magnificent as the scenery, from salmon, oysters and sweet, juicy Dungeness crab to freshly picked wild mushrooms, hazelnuts, pears and berries that I haven't seen before. Artisan cheeses and breads, preserves and candies added to the richness.
The wines were just as magnificent, because this is a blossoming wine region, alive with a freshness and vigor that seem lacking in polished California tasting rooms.
To be honest, listing 10 top tastes is impossible. These are merely things that I enjoyed, from southern Oregon food producers. Restaurants, wine stories and recipes will come later.
1. Rogue River blue cheese: This handmade cheese from Rogue Creamery was named best blue in the world at the World Cheese Awards in London in 2003. And no wonder. Sublimely creamy and subtle rather than aggressive, it spends almost a year wrapped in Syrah grape leaves from area vineyards. Even better, the leaves are macerated in Oregon pear brandy.
Rogue River blue is made only in the fall, when the milk is most flavorful. Production is limited, and the cheese is gone in a flash. How nice of the creamery to offer samples for tasting when I was there. And how nice of me not to eat them all.
Rogue River blue cheese sells for about $36 a pound, if you can find it. Creamery products are sold at Whole Foods markets, but this cheese is not likely to be there. The best stab at getting a taste is to join the Rogue Artisan Cheese Club. Go to www.rogueriver.com for information.
The shop at the creamery sets out samples of cheeses and products such as butter and fresh curds flavored with garlic or pesto. The location is 311 N. Front St. (Highway 99), Central Point, OR 97502. Tel: (866) 396-4704.
2. Umpqua Dairy no-sugar-added turtle ripple ice cream: I tasted this heavenly ice cream on a tour of the Umqua Dairy in Roseburg, where security precautions are so tight that visitors can't bring in purses, cameras, cellphones, watches and dangling jewelry. Therefore, I couldn't photograph the sample that I was handed. I can only tell you that it was outrageously good.
Turtle ripple is no-sugar-added butter pecan ice cream combined with a sugar-free caramel swirl and sugar-free chocolate-caramel turtles. It's so creamy that I was amazed to find the butterfat content is only 10 %.
The dairy plant hosts tours by special arrangement only, but the ice cream is widely available in market chains from Washington State to Clear Lake, California.
Suggested retail is $3.99 for a 1.75-quart tub of turtle ripple and $17 for a 3-gallon tub.
3. Summer Jo's wild Oregon huckleberry jam: The huckleberry is like "an intense blueberry," says Nancy Groth of Summer Jo's, an organic farm, restaurant and bakery on the outskirts of Grants Pass.
I came across these little berries in salads, as a garnish, and in desserts. They're harvested wild, and those who pick them say that it is a difficult job.
So common in Oregon, huckleberries are nonexistent where I live, so I couldn't go home without a jar of huckleberry jam to spread on homemade bread.
Wild Oregon huckleberry jam is $6 for an 8-ounce jar at Summer Jo's, 2315 Upper River Road Loop, Grants Pass, OR 97526. Tel: (541) 476-6882.
4. New Sammy's cowboy bread: I was told that New Sammy's Cowboy Restaurant in Talent (near Ashland) has the best wine list in the region and that reservations have to be made months in advance. But no one said that it has a bakery too. a wholesale bakery that turns out delicious breads.
I picked up a loaf of New Sammy's cowboy bread in Grant's Pass. Made from organic wheat flour, purified water, sea salt and natural leavening, it is sturdy and has the chewiest crust imaginable, perfect for sandwiches to pack in a saddlebag and take on a trail ride or tuck in a backpack and tote on a bike ride or hike.
New Sammy's Cowboy Bistro is located at 2210 South Pacific Highway, Talent, OR 97540. Tel: (541) 535-2779. The bread is not sold at the restaurant, but at area groceries and growers markets.
A 24-ounce loaf was $3.75 at the Farmer's Market, 603 Rogue River Highway, Grants Pass, OR 97527. Tel: (541) 474-0252.
5. Henry Estate Winery's Muller Thurgau juice: You'll ony taste this juice if it's in the tank awaiting fermentation when you tour the winery. The flavor is sweet, rich and warm, with an almost imperceptible tangy edge that reminded me of the Mexican fermented drink tepache.
Scott Henry (in the photo above) poured my barrel sample. Founder of this pioneer Umpqua Valley vineyard, Henry is known for devising a trellis system that has been widely copied.
The Muller Thurgau grape was created by a Swiss botanist. I haven't tasted Henry Estate's Muller Thurgau wine, only the juice, but that was enough to tell me that the wine must be wonderful too. The 2006 Muller Thurgau sells for $39 at the winery.
Henry Estate Winery is located at 687 Hubbard Creed Road, Umpqua, OR 97486. Tel: (1(800) 782-2686. For more information, go to www.henryestate.com.
6. Blind George's Popcorn: There really was a blind George, who started a newsstand where he sold popcorn in Grants Pass in 1922.
George and the guide dogs who helped him run the business may be long gone, but the stand lives on and has become such an attraction that you'll hear about it on tour buses.
Expanded to include a seating area where customers can relax with snacks and drinks, Blind George's Newsstand is located in the 1895 Hansen Building (no relation) in the Grants Pass G Street Historic District.
Locals sit outside, and passersby inevitably drop in for something to read, novelty candies and, of course the famous popcorn.
The corn is popped fresh daily in pure butter. Flavors include Cheddar cheese, jalapeno, Cajun, barbecue, strawberry, vanilla, blueberry, watermelon and caramel. The caramel corn--my favorite--is sweet but not cloying. Rather than sticky or crackly with glaze, it is lightly and evenly coated. And it is almost free of hulls and kernels.
Bags of various sizes are lined on a shelf to show the prices. My caramel corn was $3 for the smallest size, and I saw popcorn balls for $1.25.
Blind George's Newsstand is located at 117 SW G Street, Grants Pass, OR 97526. Tel: (541) 476-3463.
7. Cranberry Sweets cranberry assortment: Walking around the seaside community Bandon, I spotted Cranberry Sweets & More on a corner across from the boardwalk.
Inside this large shop are all kinds of tempting candies, produced at a factory in Coos Bay. At least 30 of the more than 200 varieties involve Bandon's leading crop, cranberries.
I came away with a souvenir assortment of dark and milk chocolates and a single white chocolate patty with dried cranberries. Typical fillings are jellies, creams, granola and mint, all made with cranberries.
Each assortment is slightly different. You can check them out online at www.cranberrysweetandmore.com. But it's more fun to visit the shop where candies are set out for tasting.
A 4-ounce cranberry assortment is $5.95 at Cranberry Sweets & More, 1st and Chicago St., Bandon, OR 97411. Tel: (541) 347-9475.
The factory in Coos Bay also has a retail shop. The address is 1005 Newark Ave., Coos Bay, OR 97420. Tel: (800) 527-5748.
8. The Chocolate Frog Fudge Factory's Fudge: Too much chocolate candy? Never. There is always room for another superlative example, well not just one, but all of those made by Kathryn Roseberry at the Chocolate Frog Fudge Factory.
The two biggest sellers are chocolate walnut and chewy praline vanilla fudge with a layer of caramel and pecans. In November, Roseberry will make pumpkin pecan fudge. Flavors for Christmas are eggnog, hot buttered rum and peppermint candy. And next Cinco de Mayo (May 5). there will be jalapeno fudge.
I only tasted plain chocolate fudge, but that was topnotch--mellow, smooth and creamy.
The factory, named for Roseberry's penchant for collecting frog figures, is headquartered at her gift shop, Sweetbriar, which is named for the Oregon farm where she grew up.
Fudge is $10.95 a pound at Sweetbriar Fine Gifts and Candy, home of the Chocolate Frog Fudge Factory, 29865 N. Ellensburg Ave., Gold Beach, OR 97444. Tel: (541) 247-2231. Phone orders are accepted, or go online to sweetbriar101.com.
9. Cary's of Oregon toffee: Here is one more candy, because it offers an inspiring story as well as great taste. Starting with a family recipe, Cary Cound has developed masterful toffee that gets national attention. An engineer, he was able to upscale a small recipe to make big batches--150,000 pounds estimated for this year-- and devise the equipment to produce it.
In the factory, I saw Guittard chocolate cartons, so it's apparent he uses high quality ingredients. My favorite flavors are dark chocolate espresso, dark chocolate hazelnut and mango tea toffee. The toffee comes plain as well as chocolate-coated.
Cound has demonstarted that grandma's recipe just might earn a fortune, but it takes a lot of work and entreprenurial drive to make that happen.
Cary's of Oregon toffee factory, which includes a retail shop with samples for tasting, is located at 413 Union Ave., Grants Pass, OR 97527. Tel: (888) 822-9300. For more information, go to carysoforegon.com.
10. River Rock Cafe's blueberry-white chocolate scones: I carried one of these on the flight home and portioned it out to last for a couple of breakfasts. Light and fluffy rather than crisp, the scones contain Oregon's famous blueberries and bits of white chocolate that become soft and gooey when warmed.
The River Rock Cafe opens at 7:30 a.m. for the scone- and Starbucks coffee-deprived. It's located in a complex that includes a fascinating collection of shops (and I am not a shopper). The complex is also the headquarters of Rogue River Hellgate jetboat excursions.
Blueberry-white chocolate scones are $2.95 at River Rock Cafe, open for breakfast and lunch at 966 SW 6th St., Grants Pass, OR 97502. Tel: (541) 476-2628.
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