Superabundant

Between Holi (Hindu Festival of Colors), Nowruz (Persian New Year), Shunbun no Hi (Japanese Vernal Equinox Day) and Ostara/Easter, there are so many ways humans have traditionally celebrated the return of spring. The vernal equinox represents a triumph of life over the dark, cold death of winter; of fertility and rebirth. In this week’s newsletter, we reflect on the ways in which the equinox is observed with the season’s symbolic foods.

Basketball is great and all that, but the only kind of March Madness we care about is Pi Day (3/14). We suppose you could make a pie that resembles a basketball if you’re a real sporty type. They’re both round and all. We just don’t get a basketball jones the way we jones for pie — and in this week’s Superabundant newsletter we share a little history about pie in the Northwest (and a baller recipe for Oregon’s official state pie).

A new study in collaboration with Oregon State University finds moisture plays a key role in soil’s ability to store carbon.

Nature has a way of bouncing back from a sudden flurry. Our gardens? Not so much. When it comes to planting our raised beds in, we know the general rules of thumb (most boil down to “wait until after the last frost”), but what about woody plants — what can we learn from the native plants that have close relatives in our backyard beds? And take heart: Spring really is right around the corner.

From the lava plains of the Alvord Desert to the fertile alluvium of the Willamette Valley, Oregon’s secret wealth is lying all around us. It’s an ingredient forged from stars, fire and ice and, though often overlooked, is key to the state’s food systems. It's the soil.

In this week’s Superabundant newsletter, we’ve got the dirt on what happens in healthy soil. And to help fully taste the richness of soil, we've got a recipe for miso-roasted root vegetables.

In this week’s Superabundant newsletter, we feature a buffet of food news tidbits from around the Northwest and a recipe for creamy-spicy West African collard greens.

In this week’s Superabundant newsletter, Heather Arndt Anderson, a Portland-based culinary historian and ecologist reminisces about Oregon’s centennial celebration and ponders the symbolic flavors of the state. She also offers the recipe for applesauce spice cake with cream cheese frosting — her spin on the birthday cake served at Oregon’s centennial birthday party.

In this week’s Superabundant newsletter, Heather Arndt Anderson, a Portland-based culinary historian and ecologist shares a little about the winter ingredients that make the Northwest a wonderful place to live. She also offers a recipe for a winter steelhead po’boy sandwich with Meyer lemon remoulade.

In this week’s Superabundant newsletter, learn about the history of America’s second-oldest (and second-largest at one time) Chinatown — in Portland. We also present a straightforward (but delicious) recipe for ginger-scallion lo mein.