It seems wildly popular these days to hone in on particular ingredients and shun them from the household.

“Oh, we don’t eat meat” may have been where it started, but the attitude has quickly progressed to:

“Gluten is the devil.”

“Corn syrup kills.”

“Soy dare not cross this threshold.”

We have no such rules at this house, so I wasn’t entirely blown away when an adorable young Czech student from Willamette, Jan Taborsky, offered to drop off a loaf of gluten-free bread he was developing with his American sweetheart.

A little about Jan, and only because he’s so cute. He first visited Salem as a highs-chooler and fell in love with this place. IN LOVE! So much so that he decided to come back to the States and get his MBA at Willamette.

Well, they must be teaching those kids something in our dear Willamette Bubble, since Jan has been politely courting this website for a few weeks now, dropping off gluten-free bread for me to try.

He hasn’t exactly asked for a review, just for feedback on the bread, which has no nuts, no soy, no cane sugar, and remarkably, no gluten.

Jan and his lucky lady Lacy have been making the bread into the wee hours of the morning — testing it, tasting it, sending it around, sometimes selling it to gluten-free nuts at the Salem Saturday Market. It’s one of those striking entrepreneurial love stories you love to read about. They fell in love over celiac disease, clinging to each other and banning gluten from their lives.

Well, maybe not. But they do both have celiac disease, and from this limitation was born their business idea, which Jan is pursuing as part of his MBA Business Ventures class.

You gotta give them credit for doing what I’ve been suggesting to people every day — reach out to those bloggers!

But how is the bread?

Well, the first one Jan showed up with was thick as a brick. And just as heavy. It had the consistency of mealy cornbread.

“You have to toast it to make it good,” someone told me later that week about gluten-free bread.

I like toast as much as the next girl, but what’s the point of calling it bread then?

The next one was a little better, but I got it fresh from the market. It lasted a few days before it began to get moldy and I chucked it in the garbage.

Then I got a knock on my door earlier this week. It was the adorable Jan, carrying bread. (I don’t know about you, but I expect all of my Europeans to have a loaf slung over their shoulders).

It was but a third of a loaf, still warm.

It was so delicious that I ate the whole thing myself, alternating Nutella, butter, jam, almond butter, peanut butter and Tilamook cheddar for the rest of the afternoon. (In case you haven’t noticed, this is also a Goldilocks story).

Didn’t anyone ever say that gluten-free bread isn’t healthy if you eat all of it in one sitting?

Jan and Lucy are selling this latest, best incarnation of their bread at the Salem Saturday Market, and as of November 6, it will be on sale at Life Source.

A toast to them.

It’s that time again — time to honor the best and most exciting blog posts of the past month emerging from the Salem blogging scene.

Don’t hate me for being the curator. Just do it faster, better, harder!

1. EatSalem. I always tell my journalism students: “You can’t judge the success of a blog by its comments.”

Psshaw!

If your post gets 50+ comments, some level of success must be acknowledged. EatSalem posted this month about some changes to the Salem dining scene and got, in return, a fascinating, interactive conversation about the plight of the restaurateur and some insight into the fickle relationship between the Salem foodies and the businesses that serve them. And it was just a list!

2. Poetry and Popular Culture. Professor Mike posted what is perhaps the most interesting preview of the first-ever Salem Beer and Cider Festival. Far from just a be there, do this, see that kind of preview, his post was a homage to the natural connection between beer and poetry. And he makes the case for why Salem is actually reclaiming its beer culture mojo (with special thanks to Capital Taps for scaring up some of the history).

3. Creative Concepts and Contracting. If you are knew to the intricacies of selling real estate — or if you don’t watch HGTV — you will want to read this local business’s excellent blog about what it does to make messes into eye candy. Even better? Start with the recent post on stripping. That’s right, I said stripping. Margaret gets this month’s vote for “Post Most Likely to Be Read by New Readers.”

4. The Pringle Creek Community blog. If you’ve been following the news about Solarize Salem, you definitely want to check out this preview for the Salem Green + Solar Tour 2010. Among the projects featured in the tour, happening this Saturday, is Oregon’s first Passive House. This is something to be actively excited about.

5. Salem Treasure. Stuck in an office? The rainy season has started? Need some mid-day Zen but can’t get out? When the walls start to close in, turn to Salem Treasure for a play-by-play of a walk along Mill Creek. With ducks.

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!

He certainly seems to know a lot of people in this town after  operating his waffle stand on the corner of Liberty and Chemeketa for just a few weeks.

In the half-hour that I stood talking to James yesterday before he closed up shop for the day, he traded stories, swapped greetings and exchanged knowing nods with roughly 64% of the passers-by.

In a glimpse of Americana that even struck a chord with this cranky blogger, one woman even offered James the Waffle Guy a slice of apple pie.

All of this, of course, means that James the Waffle Guy is quickly on his way to becoming the most visible person in downtown Salem.

There, I’ve said it.

Our biggest celebrity is a waffle guy.

And rightfully so.

James has worked in the service industry for years — his other gig is slinging steaks at the Best Little Roadhouse — so he knows how to charm a customer and interact with people.

But his heart seems to be in seeing a great idea and making it happen.

What if I told you that James has never actually eaten from a food cart before? That he knows of the triumphant  PDX Food Cart scene but has never seen it himself?

Food carts were the great Depression 2.0 story coming out of Portland in the past couple of years — another sign that it takes the New York Times to discover what’s happening under our noses. The now-defunct Gourmet magazine followed with a story about the food cart/truck scene in our neighbor to the north.

It doesn’t take a genius to understand the excitement about food carts. In an era when many would-be restaurateurs can’t get their projects bankrolled, a food cart focusing on just a few perfect, delicious items fits the bill.

Low overhead that translates to better prices, personal service, eating you can do outside on the street, and the buzz of mobility that encourages customers to know just how quickly the cool kids move (you can follow James at @downtownwaffles) — all of these things make food carts/trucks an idea whose time has come.

James says it didn’t have to be waffles.

“Not everyone likes hot dogs,” he told me.

Yes, they are good. The most popular are dripping with warmed Nutella.

His current topping list bespeaks a people-pleaser figuring out the tastes of local foodies.

My guess is that people in-the-know will start ordering the signature waffles by name (the “Tyler Jackson” is named after his friend, whose family owns Jackson’s Jewelers across the street).

Who wouldn’t want a waffle named after them? Mine would be Nutella layered with banana slices.

Soon the days will get shorter and the warmth of a waffle browned right in front of you might just lure you out of your office on a rainy day.

James has a plan for that, too.

“It’s called Goretex.”

If you go, get there early (say 8-2 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday).

Oddly, many of his customers wait in their cars on Liberty Street NE for their waffles to be handed to them.

No biggie. James is game.

I’m kind of a newsletter junkie, but I’ve noticed that if your newsletter sucks, it just gets deleted. Here are some local ones that always get read.

Salem Cinema: Loretta’s nostalgic-looking, gentle reminder of the power of cinema is a noteworthy heads-up about the latest must-see independent films.

Tigress Books: JoAnne Kohler sometimes breaks national news with her occasional e-newsletters about happenings at her downtown shop. Her notes to her customers are frank and lovely in a way that rarely gets used in the form. Roar!

Minto Island Growers: An always satisfying menage of home recipes, insider’s info about the farm and cultural-historical information about the great stuff in their CSA baskets, the Minto Island Growers newsletter, put together by Elizabeth Miller, is a must-read for home cooks with a love of the local.

E.Z. Orchards: The farm stand newsletter is mostly product updates about what’s available at the farm’s darling store on Hazel Green and Cordon roads. But who doesn’t need a little gentle nudge to be reminded of a MIXED BERRY SHORTCAKE BIGGER THAN YOUR BABY’s HEAD.

The Salem Public Library: Sonja Somerville puts together a fantastic, multi-page pdf newsletter of events at our local library. She might illuminate the best DIY car repair books in the library’s collection or remind you about the almost daily book-related happenings there. Adult story time? Snuggle up!

Life Source Natural Foods: Don’t just eat food. Meet the people who make it! Or learn about one person’s journey through a gluten-free diet! It’s a little text-heavy, but if you’re a reader and you like food connections, check it out.

Salem Breakfast on Bikes: Exclamations! Shout it out! The man behind Breakfast on Bikes has excitement for the the lifestyle practice of biking that just bleeds off the screen. Even better? He uses ample links to make sure we will never lose our way to the Monster Cookie. Sign up by contacting: Salembikes [at] gmail.com

A.C. Gilbert Discovery Village: Quite possibly the best laid-out e-newsletter in town (color is not just for kids!), A.C. Gilbert’s flagship news vehicle is an inspiration to keep facilitating those experiences for your children. Get out of the house!

Friends of Straub Environmental Learning Center: Proof every time that a city like Salem has a lot of country to explore and learn about.

Friends of Salem Saturday Market: The sheer bulk of this immensely readable newsletter is a testament to the huge and positive role the market has in this community. Also, a heads up about visiting baby goats.

Ok, so I know that mine lean heavily towards food news.

What ones have I missed?

I don’t know about you, but when I’m sick as a dog I strap my baby in a stroller and wander deliriously through downtown Salem.

I get it in my head that I need to drop $25 on hardback literary fiction RIGHT NOW and I set about looking for a copy of Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Good Squad, hailed in numerous reviews as the best rock novel ever written.

(No dice).

Then I spend the whole afternoon poking around Salem stores as my temperature rockets to 102 degrees and discover some secret slices of Salem that I was often too harried, too distracted, or too busy, to notice.

Discovery number one: Downtown Grocery.

New to you? No. It’s been around since early May, when it opened to much small-town state capital fanfare — read: a few blog posts, a Statesman Journal article, and a rush of murmur that heralded it as the Thing Downtown Has Been Missing.

I don’t know about that.

What I do know is that the Downtown Grocery carries some awesome middle-eastern and European products and offers the kind of other-world-in-your-own-backyard shopping experience that I haven’t really had since I was living on Mt. Pleasant Street in the El Salvadorean district of our nation’s capital.

If you are one of those people that can’t recognize a cardamom seed pod by its face, then you are in luck. The staff at Downtown Grocery can help you sort your spices in a way that is oh-so-satisfying for the home cook with a curious streak.

I’ve heard from friends who are obssessed with the store’s sandwich counter — and its gooey, layered baklava — but have yet to hear from anyone who goes out of their way to buy some of the other packaged, processed stuff that lines the aisles.

Unless you’re talking about fava beans.

If you read this blog, you know that I’ve become wildly enamored of these little green guys after first working with them in California last year and then discovering at my produce paradise at E.Z. Orchards.

Sadly, favas don’t last forevah.

But now I have something akin to that in the canned broad beans (you cheeky Brits!) available for purchase at downtown grocery. No, they don’t have that fresh, green, plucked from the Matrix snap that fresh favas have. But creamed together with some tahini, olive oil, garlic and lemon, it makes a nice hummus.

Don’t forget that you still need to remove the fava bean from the pod before blending!

This one’s for you, Amber. Now you can eat your favas without thinking about Anthony Hopkins.

UPDATE: Thank you to everyone who has been supporting DSS’s advertisers this month. We have raised $75 so far to help feed hungry kids. And the month’s not yet over!

I’m a terrible wife. No, an awful wife. No, the worst wife ever.

We celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary a few weeks ago and all my husband got was this stinking blog post (late at that).

In the meantime, what did he gift me but the spice rack that I’ve been wanting for about 10 years. (And you thought the fourth anniversary was fruits and flowers…)

Still bowling me over with his handiwork and vision after all these years, he created this under-the-cabinet spice rack using all of the old Earth’s Best baby food jars that I’ve been accumulating the past few months.

How will I ever tell our baby that I chose his nutrition based on the lines and form of this baby brand jar? In this case, Gerber just wouldn’t do.

It’s everything I needed in my light-flooded, raspberry-Yoplait-colored Barbie dream kitchen. And it’s just like us: a little utilitarian, a little upcycled, a little parsimonious, a little homage to getting by farther on what we already have.

I will make it up to Adam. But this time, I’ll let him watch me creating his gift for two weeks so that his heart, too, may be stunned into a similar inaction.

He wouldn’t admit it to you, but this gift of love is really an attempt to impose his world order on me in my own space. Otherwise, my spices would be a tumbling circus family of marjoram and garlic salt in an already overflowing cabinet.

The other sneaky thing? More spices = more originality = more creativity = more food for him. That cheeky monkey!

And so, I’ve been working my way through Modern Vegetarian cookbook, which I’ve charitably given back to the Salem Public Library on time. And the process has forced me to find out where in this town of secret places and impossible-to-find products you find spices fit for my glorious rack.

Stay tuned for Desperately Seeking Spices!

Perchance you have made a joke about eating them with a nice Chianti and your victim’s liver.

But it is likely you’ve never come across them in your neighborhood grocery store in Salem — until last week, when you stopped by E.Z. Orchards for a  mixed berry shortcake the size of a 6-year-old’s head and happened upon them, hanging out conspicuously with the green beans and the potatoes.

They are fava beans and they are going to break you.

Favas are all about process. They are not the stuff of 30-minute meals — they are laborious, delicious, buttery little beasts that come wrapped in pods that look like Frankenstein’s fingers, all gnarly knuckles and spindly fingernails.

Buy enough of them and you could spend the better part of an afternoon shelling, blanching, shelling, cooking and eating.

Here is a great tutorial on how to handle your favas.

When you open the seed pod you will find as many as half a dozen, or as few as one, glorious alien seed sacks.

You will remove the seeds and blanch them in boiling water for a minute. Then you remove the meaty part of the seed from the alien-looking casing. Think of this as freeing all those little Neos from the Matrix.

My husband has likened the fava to the lima bean, but that does the fava a disservice. They are buttery kernels, slightly nutty, smooth like a good pinot. I sauteed these favas with half an onion and some fennel, added some fresh dill and half a cup of chicken stock. We ate them with couscous.

Is it worth all that time and effort?

I would just as easily ask you if it is worth it to wait for a wine to ripen. Or a novel to be written. Or a John Cage song to be performed.

I like seeing the hours pile up on the plate.

Well, you missed it. You decided to take a bike ride, or go to the coast, or pick some blueberries. You missed the tiny placard at the bottom of a traffic sign on South Commercial, or you saw it and never imagined that treasures could be so modestly advertised. You drove on by. You missed out. On… the… chance… to…

Comb through the accumulation of a life!

We were late to this party ourselves. By the time we arrived at the estate sale of a former Willamette music professor, who had worked at the university for four decades, there wasn’t  much left — just enough to hint at what this sale might have looked like when it opened on Friday.

This man, who clearly had lifelong fascinations with art and objects and music, was a collector — pipes, rubbings, old Playboys, photography materials, carved wooden objects, tools, 50′s-era Christmas decorations (see above), antique toys and trains, costume jewelry, hats, phonographs, old LP’s,  music instruments — whew!

I picked up:

Chenille tablecloth
Gingham tablecloth
Wooden marble ramp
Carved tobacco pipe
Four fuzzy Christmas reindeer
Box of roughly 3,567 toothpicks
Halloween basket
Swiss Army knife
Bag of 14 rolls of ribbons

For just $38, I’m ready for the holidays.

Estate sales can be sad affairs. But not this one. This one was a celebration of the curatorial spirit! A grand explosion of a life accumulated in madeline tins, antique cuckoo clocks and a single pair of lederhosen (actually, add that to the list above)!

This is how people live — in a mess of items bought one-by-one over a century. You can’t get this aesthetic in a catlog.

How do you find out about good estate sales in Salem?

There comes a time in many a young woman’s life when she decides that she had better start putting her money where her heart is. For me, that means, for one, finally donating some money to This American Life, which we did last month.

It also means becoming a friend of the Salem Saturday Market.

I’ve got two words for how this fateful event has come about:

Baby goats.

It turns out that one of the best ways to get to know the valley– and maybe get to see some baby goats in the process –  is by joining the Friends of Salem Saturday Market and accompanying them on one of their many field trips.

Picture it — no bus, no jerk in the seat behind you sticking gum in your hair, no tuna salad sandwich that goes bad on the journey — just your own family in a car meeting up with others to tour the facilities of a food producer in the Willamette Valley.

Say, one that makes goat cheese, such as Fairview Farm Dairy.

I need two hands at this point to count the number of people who have talked to me about the storied baby goats of Fairview. The achy green monster inside of me is long past slumbering on this one.

So last week, I sent my check in. Okay, it was only for 10 bucks, but I’m a member now and I’m not going to let another Sunday trip to a goat farm slip me by. A win for this cause is also a win for cuteness.

But really, isn’t it a shame that it took some baby goats to get me to join? I’m already addicted to $6 a carton XL eggs from Terra Vita (and the farm’s swarthy proprietor, Art).

I’ll say it again: Baby goats. Shout it out!