A few years ago I met with Trang Sharbaugh, she and her biz partner were looking to start up a business that has since become masa fresh. They call themselves the first "online farmer's market" and make it easy to shop the goods of over 500 farmers around the Portland area. They're kind of like plantlust.com, but instead of selling plants to go in the ground, they sell plants (and other goods) to eat. Trang recently offered to send me a box of goods from the PSU Farmer's Market, of course I said yes, here's what I saw when I opened the box...
![]()
This tamale didn't last the afternoon...
![]()
It was amazing! There's a family that sells tamales in a parking lot near us, we've bought from them occasionally, but this tamale was in a whole different realm. So good!
![]()
The strawberries were perfectly ripe and delicious (they're not quite all gone...)
![]()
Yum!
![]()
This lettuce and those carrots were almost too lovely to eat.
![]()
We haven't tried the cheese yet, but I'm curious if I'll be able to detect a difference from regular mozzarella.
![]()
Opening the bag I first thought these were eggplant, but they're peppers! Violet Sparkle Peppers grown by @farmerevanpdx who says "superior sweet pepper flavor! The color turns blue when cooking." We haven't eaten these yet, they're so pretty it's going to be hard to cut into them, but I will.
![]()
This was delicious!
![]()
These are gone already, I had fresh mozzarella left from another dinner so I made a salad to go with our salmon Saturday night.
![]()
Eggs!
![]()
Ya, I'm just odd enough to get really excited about the fact the eggs are brown and some are speckled.
![]()
Here's a little more info from their website: "Masa started in 2016 on a Catalina sailboat while two long-lost friends reunited and took an online class on human-centered design. Through countless interviews as homework for the class, we connected with farmers from all over the world who strive to produce the best goods, regenerate ecosystems and build vibrant local communities. Working with them brings back wonderful childhood memories with our mothers, a zoo manager and a biochemist who share deep passion for plants and living things. Like many Vietnamese moms, they buy fresh local produce and cook on a daily basis because to them, "freshness is king."
We believe in a world where anyone can have access to fresh wholesome goods and farmers are equipped to be profitable. Masa is the result of continuous efforts to answer a question: "How might we build an economy around local and regenerative agriculture?"
![]()
If you live in the Portland area you can pick and choose from their multiple vendors online, order by 11:59 PM on Wednesdays, and your order will be ready for pickup or delivery on Saturday—pretty sweet right? If you're not in the Portland area check out their Instagram feed where you'll get inspired by gorgeous photos and inspiring stories. Thanks masa fresh for the tasty treats!
(Disclaimer: I received the box of farmers market goodness free of charge, but of course wasn't required to say nice things if I didn't want to... )
Weather Diary, Sept 7: Hi 91, Low 61/ Precip 0
All material © 2009-2020 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
This tamale didn't last the afternoon...
It was amazing! There's a family that sells tamales in a parking lot near us, we've bought from them occasionally, but this tamale was in a whole different realm. So good!
The strawberries were perfectly ripe and delicious (they're not quite all gone...)
Yum!
This lettuce and those carrots were almost too lovely to eat.
We haven't tried the cheese yet, but I'm curious if I'll be able to detect a difference from regular mozzarella.
Opening the bag I first thought these were eggplant, but they're peppers! Violet Sparkle Peppers grown by @farmerevanpdx who says "superior sweet pepper flavor! The color turns blue when cooking." We haven't eaten these yet, they're so pretty it's going to be hard to cut into them, but I will.
This was delicious!
These are gone already, I had fresh mozzarella left from another dinner so I made a salad to go with our salmon Saturday night.
Eggs!
Ya, I'm just odd enough to get really excited about the fact the eggs are brown and some are speckled.
Here's a little more info from their website: "Masa started in 2016 on a Catalina sailboat while two long-lost friends reunited and took an online class on human-centered design. Through countless interviews as homework for the class, we connected with farmers from all over the world who strive to produce the best goods, regenerate ecosystems and build vibrant local communities. Working with them brings back wonderful childhood memories with our mothers, a zoo manager and a biochemist who share deep passion for plants and living things. Like many Vietnamese moms, they buy fresh local produce and cook on a daily basis because to them, "freshness is king."
We believe in a world where anyone can have access to fresh wholesome goods and farmers are equipped to be profitable. Masa is the result of continuous efforts to answer a question: "How might we build an economy around local and regenerative agriculture?"
If you live in the Portland area you can pick and choose from their multiple vendors online, order by 11:59 PM on Wednesdays, and your order will be ready for pickup or delivery on Saturday—pretty sweet right? If you're not in the Portland area check out their Instagram feed where you'll get inspired by gorgeous photos and inspiring stories. Thanks masa fresh for the tasty treats!
(Disclaimer: I received the box of farmers market goodness free of charge, but of course wasn't required to say nice things if I didn't want to... )
— — —
Weather Diary, Sept 7: Hi 91, Low 61/ Precip 0
All material © 2009-2020 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.