We all love to eat right? The Scoop certainly does and it's for that very reason that Southern Oregon grown foodie website - The Local Dish - is our first business review of the new year. Whether your a hardcore food fan or someone who simply enjoys the occasional binge eating, TLD has you covered.
The meat of the site prawns from the basics - (shameless I know). You can find tips for cooking (recipes, videos, how-to's,) tips for growing food (growing herbs and veggies, working on raised garden beds, etc.) as well as videos, restaurant reviews and a variety of other tasty informational morsels. Navigation is simple and easy, keeping with the basic tabs we have all grown accustom too.
Recently the site has been pushing its new blog. As The Local Dish works to make a national name, owner Barb Magee has brought in a variety of bloggers from popular food areas in the country (San Fran, Chicago, Portland...) that are sure to get you in the mood to try something new. There have been rumblings of even bigger changes in the future and we'll be watching to see what TLD cooks up as it works to bring local food communities to the national stage.
To all the faithful (no matter how few :) ) readers: The Scoop will be back after the winter hiatus in the near future. Thanks for taking a look and if you like what you see throw a link this way and tell your friends!
A few bucks admission gets you a snazzy commemorative tumbler (pictured) or wine glass (not pictured) and a drink, then you buy additional "tickets" for food.
The Pita Pit isn’t what you’d call adventurous eating, but it does make for a nice departure from weekday lunch-land’s fare of a dusty can of soup in your bottom desk drawer or a McBurger Bell combo meal. Locations in downtown Ashland and on Crater Lake Highway in Medford make it a convenient spot for takeout or eating in.
The ordering setup is reminiscent of Subway: pick a pita, then your bread and toppings. Options to customize your lunch are fresh and abundant (spinach, pineapple, sprouts and mushrooms are among the less-expected choices). Lots of sauces, from ketchup and mustard to ancho chipotle to tzatziki, are available too (though the Scoop wants to know who seriously puts ketchup on a pita…yuck).
At $6.75 for a pita (“sandwich” only – not a combo) in Medford, the price is a bit steep for a fast-food lunch. Two people could probably split a pita, though it would be a light lunch. Hummus and avocado are $.50 extra.
A note about the gyro (lamb and beef) pita: the appearance of the brown lump they throw on the grill decidedly fits into the category of “mystery meat,” but the presentation is misleading. That’s not to say it’s like lamb and beef carved from a spit by a street vendor in some Lebanese city, but it tastes a whole lot better than what your eyes would have you believe. It’s definitely recommended. Try it with the hummus and feta.
Because Pita Pits are franchised, there might be a little variation between the location in Medford and the location in Ashland.
It's no secret that the Scoop is enamored with Southern Oregon. Though there are many wonderful aspects to living here, natural beauty is high on the list. This 5.5-mile loop is a 20-minute (or so) drive from Ashland, and about 35 from Medford (from the south freeway entrance). Here are some good directions to the Grizzly Peak Hike.
A few recommendations:
The point is, what are you supposed to do with all that produce? There are plenty of people in Southern Oregon whose crops didn't pan out quite like they'd hoped (the Scoop being one of them. My heirloom tomato plant and I are not on speaking terms), and plenty more who didn't have crops to begin with. Connect your veggies with those folks. How?
-List your bounty in the "free" section on craigslist. Just leave them in a box on your porch (or wherever) and put up a listing. They'll be gone before you know it.
-Bring them to work, church, soccer practice...anywhere you see lots of people.
-Get in touch with an organization that will pick up your food. Try:
Neighborhood Harvest: http://harvest-nw.heroku.com/ Shockingly, the newspaper article mentioned on their site is worth reading.
The Southern Oregon Gleaning Network: http://gleaningnetwork.com/
ACCESS: take a look at the list of food banks
Just a heads-up...Octoberfest in Jacksonville is this weekend. It's 12p-10p Saturday in the historic Jacksonville School, and put on by Frau Kemmling Schoolhaus Brewhaus. Beer, pretzels and sausage are obviously the best way to welcome fall. Check out www.fraukemmling.com for more information.
Crater Lake – Southern Oregon’s Beautiful Blue Gem
Recently, The Scoop was fortunate enough to visit the world famous Crater Lake located here in our own beautiful Southern Oregon. For those of you who have lived here but haven’t made the trek…for shame! Few areas of the Rogue Valley, and likely the world can even come close to touching the natural beauty present at Crater Lake. If you’re visiting, it should be a “must do” on your list.
Today marks the first article in a series The Scoop is going to put up regarding this natural marvel, and hopefully if you haven’t bothered to make a trip or taken advantage of some of the activities presented you’ll be motivated to get off your duff and do it!
The Crater Lake Boat Tour
Nothing sounds like more fun the hiking around at 6000 feet…at least The Scoop would rather do that than be run over by a car. Unfortunately for those of us with chronic buttstucktothecouchitis the only way to take the Crater Lake boat tour is to get up, go, and yes, even hike a bit.
The hike is short (only about 1 mile up and down) but it’s steep and will likely even have those of us who are pretty physically fit huffing and puffing on the way back up. Be sure to bring water and plan some time to make the hike down as the decline is quite steep and takes a careful step. The only water available is sold (16oz for $1.50 – ouch!), unless you want to drink out of the lake, which yes you can do. Also, at the time there was no food available either.
The boat tours range in length of time with the variation coming as a result of stopping at the Crater Lake’s famous Wizard Island. Here you can fish, swim, and hangout for the afternoon if you so desire before completing the trip (this does cost more, bring food and The Scoop does not recall if toilets are available on Wizard Island).
If you’re happy just boating around the lake bring some sunscreen, sit back, and enjoy the ride. The back of the boat is the safest place to avoid getting splashed if that’s a high priority.
Along the way you’ll be introduced to a multitude of fascinating facts about the lake, its history, it’s founder and why exactly people care so much about a bunch of water in a crater. You’ll also get some pretty cool views along the way, and frankly, The Scoop believes getting to peer into the pristine water is almost worth the trip (but you can just hike down to the boat area and swim as well…).
Take it easy on the way back up, plan to stop and rest if you are a more “experienced” traveler or have been working too hard in front of the computer. If you choose to really move you can make the climb back up in under 20 minutes, but you might need a few dozens towels to dry you off after you reach the top. You’ll also be much more likely to attract the mosquitoes that take pride in getting as much out of every traveler as possible. Not sold on making the effort yet? Hopefully these photos The Scoop grabbed will help you find the value in Southern Oregon’s most well known attraction.
