Those of you in the Portland area might catch my talk on Thursday, June 11, at 7:00 p.m. at the Museum of the Oregon Territory. I’ll be discussing my book First Fruits: The Lewellings and the Birth of the Pacific Coast Fruit Industry. The museum is just a few miles up the Willamette River from where Henderson Lewelling planted his first orchard and where his brother Seth spent 46 years as a nurseryman, orchardist, and plant breeder. I hope a Lewelling descendant or two will attend!
I’ll be giving a similar talk on Saturday, June 13, at the Eugene Hotel, 222 East Broadway in Eugene, at 4:00 p.m. This time the host will be the Lane County Historical Museum, and entrance is free of charge.
If you can’t attend either of these events, you might listen to my interview with Feliks Banel, of the “Cascade of History” radio show.
After I finished writing First Fruits, I spent another year researching Seth Lewelling’s political views and activities. Anyone interested in Oregon’s racial politics before and after the Civil War will want to read my article “A Black Republican? Seth Lewelling and His Cherries,” available on the Academia.edu website.
Finally, here’s a recipe for you. I took the picture last January, but you might make the pickle now or in the coming weeks, since fresh local cauliflower is just coming into the market in the Pacific Northwest.
Pink pickled cauliflower is an eastern Mediterranean treat that can be made either with vinegar or through fermentation. Here I use the brine-pickling method. Beet or red cabbage turns the cauliflower pink. I love the firm texture and lurid color of the fermented florets.
Brine-Pickled Pink Cauliflower
1 pound cauliflower florets
½ teaspoon whole caraway, dill, or fennel seeds, or a combination
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 Mediterranean bay leaf
1 small raw red beet, or a piece of a larger beet, cut into chunks
2 small dried hot peppers, slit lengthwise
2 ½ tablespoons pickling salt
1 quart water
In a 2-quart jar, mix the cauliflower, spices, garlic, bay, beet, and hot peppers. Dissolve the pickling salt in the water, and pour the liquid over the cauliflower. Weight the cauliflower (you might use a freezer-weight plastic bag filled with additional brine), cover the jar loosely, and let it stand at room temperature.
The cauliflower will need 5 to 7 days to sour. When the flavor suits you, the pickle is ready to eat. If you won’t serve it immediately, tightly cap the jar, and store it in the refrigerator.