Enjoying the flavor of a dried mandarin orange slice may seem like a simple pleasure, but given it was only one of a bounty of dried items for tasting, it was a pleasure worth exploring.
In fact, there was plenty to taste, see and do, as well as a chance to peek behind the curtain to get a look at what the North Willamette Research and Extension Center in Aurora has been up to.
The facility, part of the OSU Extension network, threw open its gates July 17 for its annual Community Open House. And while the temperatures may have teased 90, there were plenty of people excited to see what has been happening in the fields around the research center.
For some, the wait for the yearly open house is always worth it.
“I try to come each year because I find it interesting and I love to taste the berry varieties,” said Simon Chapel, who drove over from the Estacada area. “I had a small farm for about 15-20 years and even though I had to give it up, the dirt and work is still in my soul. I loved it.
“Fortunately, this event fills a little of that hole in my soul,” he added with a chuckle. “There’s so many interesting things out here that have a direct impact on what we consume, or what we may be consuming, that I like to keep up on it. But it usually comes down to the berry tasting for me.”
Each year, the open house offers produce for visitors to take home, as well as several tables with a variety of berries to sample, some of which are so new they don’t even have a name yet.
Rebecca Sample was putting berries in a small cup, then throwing them in her mouth in a workmanlike demonstration of enjoying the berry-infused moment. In her left hand was a plastic sack with greens stuffed into it, while her right hand was berry hunting.
“I love blackberries and they’ve got multiple varieties of them this year, along with those blueberries, so I’m pretty happy right now,” she said. “I think something like this is important to examine because it’s so easy to kind of ignore a place like this, minimize it’s importance within the food chain and agriculture at large. But they have so much going on out here, so many trials and experiments that it’s fascinating not only to find out what they are doing, but their applications moving forward.”
This year’s Community Open House featured berries and veggies, but also a farm equipment display, hay wagon tours, Clackamas County Master Gardeners offering tips and advice, food preservation tips from Family Food Educators, 4-H activities for children, and the chance to explore the world of native bees.
Visitors were able to learn about NWREC programs focused on berries, Christmas trees, nursery and greenhouse, hazelnut and fruit trees, nursery pathology, olives, vegetables and specialty seed crops, small farms, pesticide registration, and agrivoltaics during the three hour event.
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