Andrea Bemis has been an organic farmer for more than 10 years and is intimately connected to the Pacific Northwest and its seasons. Today, she and her husband now farm more than 50 different types of fruits and vegetables as the owners of Tumbleweed Farm, a small organic farm on Mt Hood. In addition to documenting their everyday farm life and bringing fresh, local produce to the area through their CSA and the Hood River Farmers Market, Andrea has written a fantastic cookbook with Harper Collins, Dishing Up the Dirt, which focuses on simple, seasonal food. She shared her excellent recipe for Winter Harvest Pizza with us as part of our Bob's by the Book interview series!
Read on to learn more about Andrea, then check out our fabulous video below, and enter to win a copy of Dishing Up the Dirt.
Bob's Red Mill: What’s the first thing you ever learned to cook on your own, and how has that dish impacted your life in the kitchen?Andrea Bemis: The first thing I learned to cook in the kitchen was a simple stir fry. Nothing fancy but just rice, sauteed veggies, meat and a tasty sauce. To this day when I'm short on time or trying to use up veggies that are going limp in the back of my fridge, I still turn to this always reliable staple!
BRM: What’s your favorite food memory?AB: Growing up we had steak and baked potatoes every Friday evening. My parents let all of us kiddos doctor up our baked potatoes with a toppings bar (butter, fried bacon, green onions, shredded cheese, sour cream, parsley) and we absolutely loved it. The steak was always prepared simply and didn't need as much doctoring up as our potatoes. My grandfather was a grocer and worked behind the meat counter, so stories of him and his love for steak were always passed around while we indulged in our Friday evening feast.
BRM:Name a dish everyone should learn to make, and why.AB: A simple whole roasted chicken!!! When you master the art of roasting a whole chicken, you have multiple meals to make (including bone broth) all week long. Plus, your house will smell amazing while the bird slowly cooks.
BRM: If you could only take one dish to every social event for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?AB: Oh boy . . . this is too hard to answer. But if I had to choose, I'd probably bring my beet butter (from my cookbook) as a dip for crackers and bread. It's flavor always surprises folks and the dip disappears quickly. It's beautiful to boot, and beets are available year round so the dip is always in season!
BRM: What’s the one kitchen rule you swear by?AB: Don't take cooking so seriously, and have fun while you do it. I think too many people think cooking is a chore. And yes, it can be, but if you make it a fun activity, slow down and enjoy the process, it can become your favorite time of the day (at least in my case it is!).
BRM: If you could only grab for one Bob’s Red Mill product, what would it be and why.AB: The all-purpose flour! I use it year round for quick breads, pizza dough, sourdough bread, cookies, for thickening gravies and stews. It's hands down one of my favorite go-to ingredients.
Our thanks to Andrea for the insightful interview! Make sure to watch our video of Andrea on her farm, and enter to win a copy of Dishing Up the Dirt by November 18, 2019.
Andrea Bemis has been an organic farmer for more than 10 years and is intimately connected to the Pacific Northwest and its seasons. Today, she and her husband now farm more than 50 different types of fruits and vegetables as the owners of Tumbleweed Farm, a small organic farm on Mt Hood. In addition to documenting their everyday farm life and bringing fresh, local produce to the area through their CSA and the Hood River Farmers Market, Andrea has written a fantastic cookbook with Harper Collins, Dishing Up the Dirt, which focuses on simple, seasonal food. She shared her excellent recipe for Winter Harvest Pizza with us as part of our Bob's by the Book interview series!
Read on to learn more about Andrea, then check out our fabulous video below, and enter to win a copy of Dishing Up the Dirt.
Bob's Red Mill: What’s the first thing you ever learned to cook on your own, and how has that dish impacted your life in the kitchen?
Andrea Bemis: The first thing I learned to cook in the kitchen was a simple stir fry. Nothing fancy but just rice, sauteed veggies, meat and a tasty sauce. To this day when I'm short on time or trying to use up veggies that are going limp in the back of my fridge, I still turn to this always reliable staple!
BRM: What’s your favorite food memory?
AB: Growing up we had steak and baked potatoes every Friday evening. My parents let all of us kiddos doctor up our baked potatoes with a toppings bar (butter, fried bacon, green onions, shredded cheese, sour cream, parsley) and we absolutely loved it. The steak was always prepared simply and didn't need as much doctoring up as our potatoes. My grandfather was a grocer and worked behind the meat counter, so stories of him and his love for steak were always passed around while we indulged in our Friday evening feast.
BRM: Name a dish everyone should learn to make, and why.
AB: A simple whole roasted chicken!!! When you master the art of roasting a whole chicken, you have multiple meals to make (including bone broth) all week long. Plus, your house will smell amazing while the bird slowly cooks.
BRM: If you could only take one dish to every social event for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
AB: Oh boy . . . this is too hard to answer. But if I had to choose, I'd probably bring my beet butter (from my cookbook) as a dip for crackers and bread. It's flavor always surprises folks and the dip disappears quickly. It's beautiful to boot, and beets are available year round so the dip is always in season!
BRM: What’s the one kitchen rule you swear by?
AB: Don't take cooking so seriously, and have fun while you do it. I think too many people think cooking is a chore. And yes, it can be, but if you make it a fun activity, slow down and enjoy the process, it can become your favorite time of the day (at least in my case it is!).
BRM: If you could only grab for one Bob’s Red Mill product, what would it be and why.
AB: The all-purpose flour! I use it year round for quick breads, pizza dough, sourdough bread, cookies, for thickening gravies and stews. It's hands down one of my favorite go-to ingredients.
Our thanks to Andrea for the insightful interview! Make sure to watch our video of Andrea on her farm, and enter to win a copy of Dishing Up the Dirt by November 18, 2019.
