We get contacted daily by business who are doing something remarkable with our products. Battle Ground Barkery is one of these truly special companies working to uplift their community while providing work experience for young people. At Battle Ground Barkery, high quality dog treats are hand crafted by students with disabilities from Bob’s Red Mill ingredients. Students from Battle Ground High School bake the hand-cut dog biscuits then send them to a complementary program called “Futures.” Futures workers package and market the dog biscuits, selling them in shops around Battle Ground, Washington. Futures provides training and work experience for young adults with disabilities who have moved on from the high school program.

A group from Battle Ground Barkery (love that this is a bark-ery) came to tour our mill last week and left some of their wheat-free, all natural dog treats for the dogs in the Bob’s Red Mill family. Well, let me tell you, these were a HUGE hit at my house. After giving my dog one of these treats, he was not convinced that one was enough and continued to sit and wiggle trying to get another. He sat, he sat VERY still, then he wiggled, he laid down, he did his one trick, he even whined a little. For all of that I had to give him another and I didn’t feel bad about it- there are exactly 10 ingredients in these cookies and I know what each of them is. They’re a great size and the bone shape makes them easy to break in two for smaller dogs.

Sadly, these are not yet available online for purchase. Visit their website (www.bgbarkery.com) or contact them at barkery@battlegroundps.org for more info about this wonderful program.

Holiday cooking and baking can be challenging if you or a loved one need to avoid gluten, but The Bob’s Red Mill Cooking School is here to help! We’re offering two great gluten-free classes coming up in November. Call now to register and reserve your spot: 503-654-3215 x 208. Classes are held at our Whole Grain Store in Milwaukie, Oregon (see address at bottom).

Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Side Dishes with Laura B. Russell

Thursday, November 8, 2012 5:00-7:00 p.m.

Thanksgiving is a time for feasting and celebration, but it can feel stressful if you need to worry about what’s safe to eat.  Enter this holiday season armed with an arsenal of delicious gluten-free side dish recipes. Led by gluten-free cookbook author Laura B. Russell, you’ll learn alternatives to the typical bread stuffing, roux-thickened gravies, and gloppy canned soups with better-than-ever gluten-free versions. Recipes include Homemade Cornbread Stuffing, Wild Rice Dressing, Green Bean Casserole, Baked Sweet Potatoes with Savory Granola, Pan Gravy with Herbs and an extremely versatile Turkey Broth. All the recipes are gluten-free. Class fee $50.00.

Easy Gluten-Free Holiday Recipes with Kyra Bussanich

Thursday, November 15, 2012 5:00-7:00 p.m.

Join award-winning pastry chef Kyra Bussanich from Crave Bake Shop as she bakes up extraordinary gluten-free appetizers, sides and desserts. Time is limited during this busy season, so come learn how to impress your loved ones with these quick and delicious recipes: vegan Herb Crackers with Pumpkin Hummus, Parmesan Popovers, egg-free Pecan Pie Bars, Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, Cranberry Ginger Shortbread Cookies and dairy-free Dark Chocolate Mint Cookies. The recipes you learn will be a hit at any holiday gathering! Class fee $50.00.

Classes take place at:

Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Store
5000 SE International Way
Milwaukie OR 97222
503-607-6455
Directions

Feast Portland runs September 20-23rd.

This weekend (starting tomorow, to be exact), Portland will open its kitchens to Bon Appétite’s Feast Portland. Feast Portland is a celebration of all things culinary in Oregon from charcuterie to beer to hand crafted ice cream set up in a multiple-venue festival fashion (akin to SXSW). Foodies and chefs from all over the country will flock to Portland for the four-day edible extravaganza. Events run the full gamut of food endeavors—private dinners, cooking demonstrations, food and wine pairings, speakers, sandwich invitationals, you name it! How about Pork & Pinot Noir or Thai Street Food with Andy Ricker (of Pok Pok fame) or an entire event dedicated to taking comfort food to the next level?

The crowning event will be the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting- a mini food festival unto itself in Portland’s Pioneer Square on Friday and Saturday. Over 70 vendors, including craft breweries, wineries, chocolatiers, and some of Portland’s best restaurants will be on site sampling their finest nibbles and sips to eager foodies. Bob’s Red Mill is honored to be the official Whole Grains Sponsor for this event and had the privileged of providing some of our best ingredients to chefs from all over the country to use in their dishes. We’ll even be there serving crispy Amaranth Cakes and slinging whole grain samples!

Find out more about the event at FeastPortland.com. Several events have already sold out, but there are still plenty of wonderful options to choose from. Tickets for the Oregon Bounty Grand Tasting are $60/day or $100 for both days. The Grand Tasting runs from 2 pm to 5 pm on Friday, September 21st and Saturday, September 22nd. To make this festival even more tasty, all net profits from the four-day event will be donated to Partners for a Hunger Free Oregon and Share Our Strength (read more about these organizations here).

The weather will likely be gloriously fall (hoping for crisp air and sunshine) and I can’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon than meeting some of Oregon’s top food artisans and tasting their wares. Hope to see you there!

Keep up to date with Feast happenings by following @FeastPDX on Twitter.

Japanese Lace Leaf Maple.
Photo: Andrew Stockton, Joy Creek Nursery

Noted professional ornamental horticulturist and gardener Michael Miller will provide two instructional demonstrations tomorrow, September 8th, at the Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Store and Visitor Center on how to prune Japanese Lace Leaf Maples. The sessions are open to the public and free of charge for all who attend.

The Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Store and Visitor Center has six Japanese Maples as part of its landscaping, and Miller’s instructional demos promise to be lively interactive sessions. Miller will discuss and demonstrate the choosing, planting, placing and maintenance of ornamental plants, including:

• Japanese Maple nomenclature
• The growth life cycle of Japanese Maples
• Use of the trees in design
• The shaping of Japanese Maples for specific spaces
• Best techniques and times of year for pruning

Michael Miller is the former gardener, lead pruner and education director for the Japanese Garden Society of Oregon, and he maintained the Portland Japanese Garden for more than 15 years. He has worked professionally as an ornamental horticulturist for more than three decades.

Sessions will take place on Saturday, September 8th from 9 am to 10 am and 11 am to noon. Stop by to learn a bit more about the care of your Japanese Maple from a professional.

In addition to the demos, we will also be hosting a pet adoption for Oregon Humane Society. Read more about this event here. The pet adoption will be held from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm.

Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Store
5000 SE International Way
Milwaukie OR 97222
503-607-6455
Directions

Permission has been granted for use of the OHS logo for the Bob’s Red Mill Adoption Event on Sep. 8th 2012. Permission must be granted before use of the logo for any other purpose.

We love our furry friends at Bob’s Red Mill, which is why we are so pleased to be hosting a pet adoption event for the Oregon Humane Society this coming Saturday, September 8th. The kind folks over at OHS will have a booth set up in front of our Whole Grain Store from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm. Adoptable animals will be there for the loving and hopefully we’ll be able to find some good homes for these animals. OHS will also be accepting monetary and pet food donations, in the event that you’d like to help out, but can’t take home a new family member. Staff will be available to process adoptions and answer any questions you may have. Some animals may need special care that will require additional training, in which case the adoption may take longer.

Beyond pet adoption and financial donations, there are many ways to support OHS and the many animals they care for. Visit OregonHumane.org to find out how you can be involved and learn more about the plethora of wonderful programs they offer.

In addition to the pet adoption event, we’ll also have a fabulous demonstration by noted professional ornamental horticulturist and gardener Michael Miller. Miller will demonstrate how to properly prune Japanese Maples in two sessions on Saturday, September 8th. More info to come.

Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Store
5000 SE International Way
Milwaukie OR 97222
503-607-6455
Directions

If you’re local to Portland, you’re probably familiar with OMSI (The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry). If you haven’t been, it’s truly a wonderful way to spend the day. Whether you’re a child of 8 or 80, OMSI has exhibits that will grab your attention and hold you spellbound. This weekend’s events are no different and are a wonderful time to explore this Portland attraction.

Dirt to Dinner is a free festival open to the public that will highlight “activities and organizations that support sustainable choices.” The event will also “explore the life cycle of food, from farm to table and beyond.” This is a great event to teach children about where their food comes from and learn more about those in the greater Portland area who are supporting and promoting this process.

Demonstrations and food tastings make up the majority of the day on Saturday, August 4th and Sunday, August 5th. Events start at 11 am and run through 4 pm. It’s going to be a hot and sultry weekend, why not escape to the waterfront and enjoy some good *free* food?

Bob’s Red Mill will be on hand on Saturday morning at 11:30 am to talk about our oats and give you some ideas for new ways to use them beyond oatmeal. Check out the full schedule of events here- we hope to see you there!

OMSI
1945 SE Water Ave.
Portland, OR 97214-3354
1(800) 955-6674
omsi.edu

These biscuits from Julie Wilcke-Pilmer were a prize winner in the Bob’s Red Mill Baking Contest at the Newport Celtic Festival earlier in the month. The picture is kind of hard to make out, but they’re absolutely wonderful! These are not the light and fluffy American-style biscuits, but made in the Celtic tradition and are much closer to cookies. Enjoy!

Empire Biscuits

• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 lb Butter
• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 2-1/12 cups Bob’s Red Mill Unbleached White Flour
• 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill White Rice Flour
• 1 pinch Salt
• Jam
• Powdered Sugar Icing
• Maraschino Cherries

Cream butter and sugar well.  Add egg and vanilla and beat mixture. Fold in flour and salt.  Knead dough until mixture forms a smooth ball.  Roll dough out and cut with round cookie cutter to about silver dollar size.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet and put trays in the fridge for 15 minutes.  Bake cookies for 10 minutes at 375°F.  Cookie should not be brown.  After cooled, jam one side of each cookie and put another cookie on top.  Make powdered sugar icing by mixing powdered sugar with enough water to make a nice paste.  Frost the top of each cookie and place 1/4 maraschino cherry in the center.  makes approximately 2 dozen cookies.

Looking for something to do this weekend in Oregon? We recommend a visit to Newport! Newport, Oregon is worth a visit on its own merit, but this weekend boasts the Newport Celtic Festival and Highland Games which means Newport will be brimming over with all sorts of extra fun.

The festival celebrates the traditions of the seven Celtic nations- Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Isle of Man, Galicia, Brittany, and Ireland. With events for the whole family,the Celtic Festival has live music, traditional dancing, a sand castle contest, Highland games for the kiddos, face painting, a Celtic Canine parade and even some real Heelan Coos (Highland Cattle). Adults will enjoy the bonfire, highland games and a whiskey tasting. The Highland Games include things like the Caber Toss, the Scottish Hammer Throw, and the Stone Throw among others.  There is also a vendor fair full of all sorts of Celtic crafts and wares.

Want to go beyond spectator? There are many events to participate in, including a Bob’s Red Mill Baking Contest. If baking is not up your alley, you can always try the Haggis Eating Contest.

Tickets to the Festival are $12 for adults, $9 for students and seniors, kids 6 and under are free (special deals for multiple days).Buy tickets here.

Caber Toss (photo courtesy of Newport Celtic Festival)

The Oregon Ag Fest takes place this year on April 28th and 29th in Salem, Oregon. This two-day event is “an activity-filled festival where kids (and grown ups too!) can touch, taste and experience life on the farm.” We’re proud supporters of this festival and think it’s a blast to head down to the Oregon State Fairgrounds to check out the farm animals (read: horse show, petting zoo and sheep sheering), see the farm equipment, crafts and amazing garden feats, as well as enjoy some lively music (not to mention the great eats). Both days boast a full retinue of activities, including Bob’s Red Mill Cooking Demonstrations.

Tickets are $9 for adults and all kiddos ages 12 and under get in FREE—can’t beat that! Plus, FREE parking! Talk about an affordable family day. Festival hours are 8:30 am and close at 5 pm on Saturday and 10 am to 5 pm on Sunday.

Find more details and a full schedule of events here.

As part of my role at Bob’s Red Mill, I field all sorts of requests for product- from magazines and food writers to professional athletes and movies. I have never gotten a request for samples from a musician, until I met Naomi LaViolette.

Naomi contacted me a few months ago to let us know that she had used our organic quinoa in her album. Evidently, her team was looking for a specific shaker sound and nothing was producing the right noise. Heading back to the kitchen, she told me, her producer had a moment of inspiration when he spotted our bag of quinoa on his shelves. It turned out that quinoa was just the sound they were seeking!

Naomi uses quinoa in her song “Somewhere New to Stand” on her soon-to-be released self-titled album.  Her music falls somewhere beautiful between folk and jazz. Naomi is one of many musicians who hails from Portland and we think she’s really something special. Check out her website and music- we hope you think it’s as special as we do.