L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2016 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano PORTLAND ITALIAN COMMUNITY " Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect w ond ers ." -H enry D avid Thoreau Evan Gregoire, local Portland area organic farmer also expects w ond ers . N ot only does he expect them he has seen these wonders, and he has a passion for sharing them with his com- munity. Evan, a Master Gardener, is co-owner at Boondockers Farm in Beavercreek, Oregon about 20 miles outside of Portland where he specializes in sustainable, humane, pasture raised breeding stock, heritage meats, and eggs, as well as heirloom seeds. He has been educating himself over the past ten years about sustain- able food production with hopes of empowering and educating others. Evan is passionate about all aspects of organic farming but as a farmer his main focus has been on preservation, and one area of particular interest to him is the preservation of heir- loom seeds. H eirloom vegetables are known as open-pollinators. This means they have been pollinated by a natural means, such as, insects, birds, or wind. An heir- loom cultivator, like Evan, col- lects seeds from the best open- pollinated plants so they may be planted the next year, and har- vested, with the cycle continuing hopefully for years to come. Since seeds are saved from only the healthiest plants, the traits that are passed on are the best in disease resistance, taste, and nutritional value. Heirlooms and hybrids differ in that heirlooms breed with the same species of fruit or vegetable, while hybrids combine two different species to produce a new variety. "Agriculture and seeds pro- vide the basis upon which our lives depend," states Evan. "We must protect this foundation as a s afe and genetically s table source for future generations." Recently, Evan was given the opportunity as a delegate of Slow Food Portland to travel to their biggest international event, Terra M adre- referred to by some as the "Food Olympics" in Torino, Italy. Torino is near the hometown of the Slow Food movement found er, Carlo Petrini. Petrini launched the movement in 1986 w hen he organized a pasta-feed in Piazza di Spagna (the Spanish Steps) in Rome in protest of the planned opening of a McDonald's restau- rant. "McDonald's opened any- way," stated Petrini in an inter- view with Yes! Magazine, "but we achieved a compromise: the "M" sign was limited in size, and after this incident, we resolved to create a movement to save tradi- tional tastes and products all over the world." And create a movement he did. The movement flourished and to this day S low F ood International is stronger than ever with over 100,000 people involved in over 150 countries and its headquarters remain where it all began for Petrini years ago in his hometown of Bra, Italy. Bra is a close neigh- TONYA RUSSO HAMILTON Evan Gregoire with one of his heirloom tomatoes Banking On The Magic of A Seed bor of Torino, hos t of Terra M adre. A s oppos ed to the O lympics ' motto, "F as ter, Higher, Stronger," the "Food Olympics" boasts a motto of, "Slower, Slower, Slower," which is summed up in this quote by Petrini, "The quest for slowness, which begins as a simple rebel- lion against the impoverishment of taste in our lives, makes it possible to rediscover taste." As a delegate at Terre Madre for Slow Food Portland, Evan stayed in five different regions of Italy residing in centuries old farmsteads, where he learned first hand about cultivating seeds from families who have been doing it for generations. His goal was to bring his knowledge and the heirloom s eeds back to P ortland. N ot only did Evan want to plant and harvest these seeds but he also wanted to store them for the future. Evan then founded Portland Seedhouse, which is a growers collective and seedbank. "The long term mission, of P ortland S eedhous e," s tates Evan, "is to ensure continued preservation of specific crops and to focus on planting resilient varieties while continuing to educate the local community about organic open-pollinated vegetables." There are a number of ways Evan s hares his know ledge, inspires others, and puts educa- tion into action in the local Portland area. He enjoys teach- ing and is an advisor to small and mid-size farmers and home- s teaders . H e als o facilitates classes and workshops for all ages on biodiversity, growing techniques, preserving foods, saving seeds, heirloom plants, and heritage animals at the farm. Evan brings people together by collaborating with local chefs, and restaurants to host dinners w here thes e heirloom s eeds , which have now produced their fruit- sit center stage. Guests are able to enjoy these beautiful fruits and vegetables prepared in innovative ways while they are being educated about where the seeds originated and how they ended up on the plate in front of them. One such collaborative dinner series hosted by Evan via the Portland Seedhouse was called, P omodori at P .R.E.A .M : A Celebration and Preservation of Heirloom Vegetable Varieties from Italy. A t P .R.E.A .M , a wood-fired pizzeria in Southeast P ortland (w ith a 900- degree G ianni A cunto oven straight from Naples none-the less), guests were treated to a four-course meal from, garganel- li pasta made with sauce from the Canestrino tomatoes, to pizza with coal roasted San Marzano tomatoes, and red Orbassano basil. The meal ended with cake bites made w ith roas ted Tromboncino squash and topped with Cascina Dei Frutasè jam. As the guests dined and enjoyed their food they were encouraged to ask questions of the host and were also given an opportunity to see the vegetables in their original form. There were plates boasting the Italian heirloom tomato varieties in their full majestic form and diners were treated to their sweet taste fresh- ly picked from the vine. As guests were leaving they were offered one more thing, a gift- packets of heirloom seeds to take with them and plant in their home gardens. They too can now expect wonders and share these wonders with others to continue and promote Evan's mission of preserving heirloom varieties and ensuring a safe, genetically stable, (and delicious) source of food for generations to come. F or more on Evan, Boondockers Farm, and Portland Seedhouse, visit his instagram accounts at: https://www.insta- gram.com/boondockers /, & https://www.instagram.com/farm erevanpdx/, and his websites at: https://boondockers.sharepoint.c om, & http://portlands eed- house.com. Heirloom Seeds

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