I would like to propose a new type of travel.
It is called the “destination farm stand” (as someone who once attended a destination wedding, I can attest that this offers the far better travel itinerary).
I was thinking about this yesterday when I visited Elizabeth Miller of Minto Island Growers at the family’s new farm stand in South Salem on Brown Island Road.
Being able to drive literally a block beyond a busy road and find yourself out in the country is pretty much my favorite thing about Salem. Say what you will about the Portland food scene — unless you’re raising produce in your backyard, it is rare to be so close to the people growing your food.
We have that here — and now, we have that more.
Indeed, it’s practically a staycation.
“No no, this will not do,” Elizabeth said as she discovered that a head of lettuce had begun wilting in the mid-day heat. She promptly picked it up and stuffed it in a cooler below the table.
The stand was just going up. The site was alive with people getting things done — which in this case, included prep work at the family’s new food cart, located on site.
You heard it here. FOOD CART!
The Miller’s plan is to use the food cart as a vehicle for showcasing the farm’s produce and fruit.
Thank heavens for that.
Only a few people in town do vegetable-based dishes very well – La Capitale’s trio salads come to mind (not incidentally, David Rosales uses produce from Minto Island Growers) — and I’m curious to see what the Millers come up with.
If the lime-Serrano ice pop I ate there yesterday is any indication, we should brace ourselves to be surprised.
But you can see from this pic this is also a classic stand offering the freshly-harvested fruits of the farm, which in this case includes many of the items currently available in MIG’s CSA boxes: red lettuce, rainbow carrots, onions, garlic, dragon tongue beans, tomatoes, and potatoes.
By the way, I’ve started a new feature on this blog where I give you an Easter egg on the photos. Just troll that cursor over the image and you’ll see how this works.
Happy travels!
