Three recipes, two places, one playlist
Through land use planning and environmental defense work, Central Oregon LandWatch aims to ensure that our region’s communities have a healthy amount of nature nearby, with farms and forests instead of sprawl and luxury development.
With a long holiday weekend ahead, our team hopes you will soon be enjoying meals with your cherished friends and family and time amidst your favorite native plants and rushing rivers.
There’s a 50-50 chance the seeds for these carrots were grown in Central Oregon. Photo: Suzy Hazelwood
Recipes Featuring Carrots, Parsley, and Potatoes
Did you know that farmers in Jefferson County grow 45 percent of the world’s hybrid carrot seeds? The seeds produced in the North Unit Irrigation District can produce enough carrots to feed over 1 billion people!
Obviously, we had to feature carrots in our recipe selection, and this straightforward Roasted Carrots recipe from Love & Lemons will ensure you serve up carrot perfection.
Here’s another seed abundance fact: Central Oregon produces enough parsley seed to meet the parsley needs of the United States. In the same family as celery, carrots, and cumin, parsley has a similar growth habit and management to carrots, but unlike the carrot seed grown in central Oregon, the parsley is “open pollinated” rather than hybrid.
Chopped fresh parsley is the premiere finishing touch for your roasted carrots, but to truly appreciate this herb, you need to make a batch of Italian Salsa Verde.
Another perfect use for flat leaf parsley is to bake individual leaves into your potato as this elegantly simple Parsley-Potato recipe suggests. First cultivated by the Incas of Peru around 8000 BC to 5000 BC, potatoes arrived in Oregon country around 1795. When irrigation arrived in Central Oregon in the early 1900s, potatoes took off in the region. Today, other areas of Oregon grow more potatoes for eating, but Central Oregon is still an important place for seed potato production thanks to its natural environment and grower expertise.
Nearby Nature
If you’re planning to be in Central Oregon this holiday weekend — whether visiting, hosting, or staying home — why not find some time to get outside and enjoy the seasonal transition toward more snowy days ahead? Here are two spots to consider:
Borden Beck Wildlife Preserve
Tucked away on the Middle Deschutes River above Borden Beck Wildlife Preserve offers hiking trails, wildlife viewing, picnic tables, fishing, and more. It’s a great place for some autumnal streamside enjoyment and a final stroll along the Deschutes before it dips into deep canyon gorges downstream. Take the scenic route through Lower Bridge Valley to appreciate one of Deschutes County’s highly-productive agricultural areas that LandWatch has helped defend from rural sprawl.
Overturf Butte
For some of the best views of Bend, take a leisurely stroll up Overturf Butte in River West. From the lookout, enjoy eastern views of the Deschutes River, downtown Bend, Pilot Butte, and the high desert on the horizon on display and currently adorned in full fall regalia. Look to the west and take in the snowcapped summits of the Three Sisters and Skyline Forest rising in the distance. Bonus: bring your pup along so they can enjoy a romp around the hilltop dog park!
Mood Music
Hand-picked by Central Oregon LandWatch's Staff Attorney Carol Macbeth, this “Curated by Carol” mix is perfect for humming or singing along while you chop, mix, or bake. It’d also be perfect for your earbuds on a winter walk in the woods or through the stereo on a long drive to visit friends or family. Enjoy!
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Mk.gee - Are You Looking Up (live)
Biig Piig - Feels Right
Boombox - Waiting Around
Bonnie Light Horseman - California
Ben Mazué - Le cœur nous anime
Drugdealer - Fools
Caamp - So Cool
The New Pornographers - Falling Down the Stairs of Your Smile
Veronica Falls - Teenage
Hawktail - Unless
Bob Dylan - Silvio
Lostboycrow - Strawberry Sunscreen
Vampire Weekend - This Life
Tennis - Runner
Central Oregon LandWatch preserves farms and forests and keeps our cities and towns distinctive thanks to the 950+ community members who come together to support livability. If you’re not a LandWatch member yet, please consider joining by December 31 when your gift will be matched!