A Foodie's Guide To Mt. Hood Territory
By Guest Author: Matt Wastradowski
Article At A Glance
- More than 4,000 farms cover Clackamas County, producing everything from berries and pumpkins to honey and cheese.
- This guide introduces you to different farm experiences across the region, as well as markets and restaurants where you can sample fresh fare all year long.
- Pick the freshest possible snack at u-pick farms, and see how your favorite cheeses are made at a local dairy.
- Stop by farmers markets and farm stands for fresh produce, jams, jellies and other locally made delicacies.
- Cap your visit with a meal at one of our acclaimed restaurants, where farm-to-table dining is the rule — not the exception — and inventive menus change with what’s fresh.
Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory resides at the northeastern edge of the Willamette Valley, whose fertile soils have provided sustenance for thousands of years. Here, the bounty ranges from plump strawberries at u-pick farms to hop fields, vineyards, apple orchards and pumpkin patches — all grown on more than 4,000 farms.
With all those local ingredients throughout this scenic region, being a “foodie” doesn’t demand you make reservations weeks in advance or pony up for fine-dining restaurants with multiple Michelin stars. Around Mt. Hood Territory, all it asks is that you support local — whether picking your own blueberries and pumpkins at family-run farms, grabbing seasonal ingredients at farmers markets (usually from the people who grew them) or sitting down at laid-back eateries whose menus change with the season.
I’ve been eating my way through Mt. Hood Territory for most of my life, so by way of an introduction to all that appetizing fare, I’ve put together a guide to some of the region’s top food stops that bring you through each step of the farm-to-table process. Those include friendly farm visits, on-site cooking classes, markets and world-class restaurants; no matter the experience you’d like to have, you’ll develop an insider’s connection to the culinary scene through these one-of-a-kind encounters. Just be sure to bring an appetite.
See Where Your Food Is Grown And Even Pick It Yourself
Begin your food tour of Mt. Hood Territory at the source: where your favorite ingredients are grown. Plenty of farms open their gates and invite visitors to enjoy a variety of down-home experiences.
Start by filling a bucket or two at some of the u-pick farms in Mt. Hood Territory. Grab blueberries, apples, pears and more at Morning Shade Farm near Boring and Sandy — and five varieties of the namesake berry at Captain Blueberry. (There are few finer culinary pleasures in Mt. Hood Territory than a juicy blueberry picked right from the bush.) U-pick farms typically open in late spring and continue through the fall harvest. Visiting in October? Learn about visiting pumpkin patches along the Mt. Hood Territory Harvest Trail.
If you’d like to see how your favorite cheeses are made, take a self-guided tour (or sign up for a behind-the-scenes experience) at TMK Creamery near Canby. There, you can say “hi” to TMK’s “cowlebrities” and see how the cheesemaking process unfolds. Afterward, pair your visit with a gooey grilled cheese sandwich, curds and ice cream in the on-site eatery. The creamery makes its own craft vodka from whey that’s left over from the cheesemaking process and personal suggestion, the vodka lemonade never tastes better than on a warm summer afternoon.
Morning Shade Farm offers a wide variety of berries, other fruit and vegetables depending on the season.
Prepare — And Savor — Farm-Fresh Fare
Now that you’ve chatted with local producers and have seen how some of your favorite foods get their start, you’ll find plenty of creative ways to enjoy farm-fresh fare around Mt. Hood Territory.
Start with a cooking class at The Kitchen at Middleground Farms just outside Wilsonville. An on-site vegetable garden provides produce for each of The Kitchen’s classes, goats and hens provide milk and eggs and other ingredients are sourced from nearby farms. Classes last two to three hours and cover a variety of topics — like making jam, preparing a variety of street tacos, cooking with cast iron and crafting the perfect bowl of pho. Some workshops sell out early, so peruse The Kitchen’s list of classes to see what might be offered on your visit.
If you’re pressed for time or aren’t a whiz in the kitchen, savor the literal fruits of somebody else’s labor at farmers markets and farm stands throughout the region. Fiala Farms sells fresh-picked produce, as well as jam and jellies made from farm-grown ingredients, just outside Wilsonville. East of Canby, meanwhile, Lady-Lane Farm is a small-batch dairy that offers up-close encounters with resident cows, leads guided tours and sells milk, ice cream and other items. Just outside of Sandy and Boring, Liepold Farms hosts a farm stand between June and August; there, you can grab blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and other juicy treats.
And if you're looking to bring a jar of honey home, see where to find honey from local farms — some of which boast creative flavor profiles.
The Kitchen at Middleground Farms offers a large selections of classes throughout the year.
Enjoy Farm-To-Table Meals At Top Restaurants
No guide to the flavors of Mt. Hood Territory would be complete without a nod to the restaurants and eateries where creative chefs develop flavor-packed, yet approachable menus around whatever’s in-season.
The Parkway Grille resides in the Hilton Garden Inn Wilsonville Portland, and chef Justin Webb has spearheaded globally inspired menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Highlights include a salmon cake Benedict with Chinook salmon and a smash burger topped with Oregon-made blue cheese.
Nearby, Our Table Cooperative is best known for a farm store that sells locally grown items — but its seasonal events include monthly pizza nights, holiday feasts and other meals that put the work of local producers front and center.
Just outside Oregon City and in the community of Carver, Stone Cliff Inn is a community mainstay, beloved for a rotating, European-inspired menu that routinely highlights fresh ingredients from neighboring farmers and growers.
And in the ranching community of Markum, the long-running Markum Inn is one of several historic restaurants across Mt. Hood Territory — bringing satisfied diners back with meats that are sourced from regional producers. I’m partial to the French dip but hope to make it back on a future Sunday for the weekly prime rib special.
Our Table Cooperative hosts seasonal events and tastings with local producers.
Matt Wastradowski loves the Pacific Northwest more than any rational human should — and has written extensively about the region's best craft beer, natural beauty, fascinating history, dynamic culinary scene and outdoor attractions for the likes of Outside, Portland Monthly, AAA's Via magazine and Northwest Travel & Life.
Since 2018, he's also authored three Oregon-centric guidebooks for Moon Travel Guides — one on scenic hikes, one on the Columbia River Gorge and Mt. Hood and a general guidebook to the Beaver State's top sites.
