Mud City Press

SOUTHERN WILLAMETTE VALLEY BEAN AND GRAIN PROJECT

We hear the slogan "eat local" over and over again, but what does it really mean? It's more than just eating fresher food. It's about preserving local food systems. It's about food security and common sense management of the pantry. Here in Oregon's Willamette Valley we have the agricultural potential to feed the valley residents twice over. And yet we grow rye grass and fescue for grass seed and more than ninety-five percent of what we eat here is imported. With the price of fossil fuels on the rise, this makes no economic or agricultural sense at all. Harry MacCormack of Sunbow Farm in Corvallis, Oregon has conceived a plan to turn this around.

The Southern Willamette Valley Bean and Grain Valley Project is a step by step strategy to rebuild the local food system by increasing the quantity and diversity of the food crops that are grown in the Willamette Valley. The Bean and Grain Project also seeks to evaluate deficiencies in the food system infrastructure, build buyer/seller relationships for locally grown food, and compile information on organic and sustainable agricultural practices specific to this region. As the name of the project states, central to the task is stimulating the cultivation and local marketing of organically grown staple crops like beans and grains to provide a foundation for year-round food resources in the Willamette Valley. Go to Bean and Grain Project Report One to read the first chapter in the story of this work.

Bean and Grain Project Index

Below is a hyperlinked listing of all the Bean and Grain Project documents. The first column contains reports from the farm tours, farmer meetings, and market events held by the Southern Willamette Valley Bean and Grain Project. They are listed in reverse chronological order and provide a complete history of the project. The second column contains Youtube videos, interviews, and articles related to the Bean and Grain Project work. The third column is a growing list of bean and grain recipes (submissions welcome) intended to introduce readers to an expanded diet of beans and grains. There may be no better way to stretch your food dollar and increase the nutritional value of your meals than learning how to cook with bulk beans and grains.

B&G PROJECT REPORTS RELATED ARTICLES BEAN AND GRAIN RECIPES
Project Report Twenty-one: 2014-2015 Quinoa in the Willamette Valley. Bulking Up Locally-Grown at First Alternative: Article by Chris Peterson, May 2006. Punjabi Cholay
Project Report Twenty: 2013-2014 Quinoa in the Willamette Valley. Bulking Up Locally-Grown at First Alternative: Article by Chris Peterson, January 2007. Garbanzo-Potato Salad
Project Report Nineteen: April, 2014 Annual spring Farmers' meeting. Genetically Modified Organisms: To What Purpose? Commentary on the 2013 discovery of GMO wheat in eastern Oregon. Garbanzo Bean Tempe
Project Report Eighteen: August, 2013 The International Year of Quinoa. The Yuba Girls interview Harry MacCormack: Harry talks about the Southern Willamette Valley Bean and Grain Project. Barley Risotto with Grilled Vegetables
Project Report Seventeen: December, 2012 Winter Farmers' Meeting: Jim Myers. Dan Armstrong and Harry MacCormack interviewed on Peak Moment TV: The Yuba Girls visit Corvallis and talk Beans, Grains, and Prairie Fire with Dan and Harry. Buckwheat Crepes
Project Report Sixteen: Summer, 2012 Two Farm Tours. Kicking the Commodity Habit: Organic wheat specialist Steve Jones provides the backdrop to local grain recovery. Wheat Berries with Snap Peas and Magenta Spreen
Project Report Fifteen: February, 2012 Winter Farmers' Meeting: Steve Jones. Rebuilding the Life of the Soil: An Interview with Shepard Smith of Soilsmith Services. Gluten-Free Waffles
Project Report Fourteen: November, 2011 Two Fill-Your-Pantry Markets. Reports from Sunbow: Harry MacCormack document list. Teff-o-Lenta
Project Report Thirteen, July-August, 2011: Two Farm tours. Compost Tea: Promises and Practicalities, Elaine Ingham. No-knead bread
Project Report Twelve, April 30, 2011: Fill-Your-Pantry Market 2. Bean and Grain Project YouTube Video: A nice encapsolation of the B&G Project as told by key members of the project. Falafel and Grilled Zucchini
Project Report Eleven, April, 2011: Spring Farmers Meeting. Crops and Yields 2008: Planting and harvest results from B&G growers. Barley, Beans, and Greens Soup
Project Report Ten, November, 2010: Fall Farmers Meeting. Why Beans and Grains? There are plenty of reasons to grow beans and grains. Dry storage, modest water needs, nitrogen fixing are just a few. Green Beans and Grain
Project Report Nine, October, 2010: Fill-your-Pantry Market. Rural Lane County Community Food Assessment: Danielle Hummel provides a food security assessment for Florence, Oakridge, and the McKenzie River Valley. Home Made Bread
Project Report Eight, August, 2010: Three Summer Farm Tours. Local Foods Project Final Report 2008: Ten Rivers Food Web. Potato-Garbanzo Bean Soup
Project Report Seven, March, 2010: Spring Farmers Meetings. A Visit to Open Oak Farm: Interview transcript and video.
Project Report Six, October, 2009: Three Farmers Meetings. Agricultural Transition in the Willamette Valley: A look to the future of agriculture in the Willamette Valley.
Project Report Five, July, 2009: Summer Farm Tour. A Conversaton with the Seed Ambassadors: Interview transcript and video.
Project Report Four, March, 2009: Spring Farm Meetings. Pulses Grown in Oregon Maritime Climate
Project Report Three, January, 2009: Winter Farmers Meeting. Video: Celebrate Great Grains
Project Report Two, June-November, 20008: First Growing Season. Ten Rivers Food Web and Southern Willamette Valley Food Security Report 2019
Project Report One, January-June, 2008: The B&G Project Begins.
Southern Willamette Valley Bean and Grain Project Working Documents: Early documentation of the B&G Project.
Prairie Fire