Foods You Must Try when in Oregon

With pioneer, fur trapper, and Native American heritage, Oregonians are a tough, independent lot. Their food is a reflection of this heritage, drawn from the local flora and fauna, with additions of recipes brought from "back east" and passed down through the generations.

Salmon

Native fisherman have caught and tasted this valuable fish in Oregon for centuries. Salmon and their inland relatives, the trout, are highly popular dinner entrees at such places as Shenanigan's on the Willamettein Portland and the Kokanee Café in Camp Sherman. While trout are fished locally from Oregon rivers, salmon are protected species, and most salmon eaten in restaurants will be farm-raised Atlantic salmon or, if the diner is lucky, Alaskan salmon. A coastal state, Oregon boasts many local seafood items shipped to Portland and the Willamette Valley within two hours of the catch. If you order seafood in western or central Oregon, it will be fresh.

Cheese

The Tillamook cheese factory is located along the Oregon coast on Hwy 101, in the town of Tillamook. They offer a variety of Cheddar, Jack, Swiss, and Colby cheeses. The factory offers daily tours at their visitor center, a great way for families to spend the day.

Hazelnuts

According to the Oregon State University Extension Office, Oregon produces 98 percent of the nation's hazelnut crop, with the majority of those grown in the Willamette Valley. Locally, this medium-sized nut is called the filbert. Beginning in 1989, an annual Filbert Festival was held in Springfield, though it has not taken place in recent years.

Blackberries

Multiple species of blackberry share Oregon's soil, as well as Loganberries, Boysenberries and Marionberries. The wild Himilayan blackberry, native to Germany, is a weed in Oregon, growing in profusion around any object that holds still longer than a few weeks-yet folks forgive this for the gift the aggressive canes bestow each summer. Masses of the sweet dark berries ripen and beguile on roadsides from July to September. Jam, jelly, pie-the berries are multi-use and always delicious, fresh, dried, or frozen (or mixed in chocolate). But the blackberry's thorny nature made commercial growing difficult, until early last century. According to Oregon Berries.com, in 1926, Mr. Philip Steffes of Sublimity, Oregon found a thornless plant identical to the thorny Evergreen blackberry, native to England. It soon became the main blackberry sold in the United States, and is grown extensively in Oregon. For good local preserves, try Oregon Hill Farms, Sisterfields Gourmet or Harry and David, headquartered in Medford. Oregon.

Cranberries

Bandon Cranberry Festival statistics show that Bandon, Oregon is one of four cranberry-producing areas on the West Coast, representing approximately one-third of the total West Coast crop, and 95 percent of Oregon's crop. The lively festival is held in Bandon every fall. Ocean Spray utilizes Oregon cranberries for their products, found everywhere.

Oregon Wines

With a temperate climate well-suited to growing grapes, notably Pinot varietals, Oregon wineries have climbed the lists of vintners not to miss. Oregon is such a large state, however, there would be no way to visit all of Oregon's wine country in a single day. Internet resources such as Oregon Wines.com can help plan winery tours. The San Francisco Chronicle's Top 100 Wines list of 2008 named many wines from Oregon. Among these were2006 Bergstrom Winery Cumberland Reserve Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and 2007 J. Christopher Willamette Valley Riesling .

So what wine does go with salmon? Pinot Gris is a good choice. You can even enjoy wine that is produced salmon safe.