Vol. 4 Issue 9                                                                         september 2022

Cozy Up to Fall​

While it doesn’t feel like it due to a late start to summer, fall is just around the corner. Now is the perfect time to start thinking of comfort foods such as curries and chutneys. Luckily for us, Masala Maza curry sauces, marinades, and chutneys are made locally and delicious to boot. Because everything is at least three weeks behind schedule this year, some fruits such as Hermiston watermelons are just now peaking. Read on to learn what makes this melon so extra. A perennial fall favorite in the northwest is Steelhead trout. Find out why this fish is so tasty and good for you. What are you waiting for? Go ahead and cozy up to fall with this issue of Sheridan Scoop. 

Curry in a Hurry

Nothing feels more like a hug from the inside than a warm, fragrant, and spicy bowl of curry. Originating from and made popular by East Indian cuisine, many versions exist worldwide but none are as prevalent or as popular as Indian curries. ​

Autumn is the perfect season to enjoy curries and it just so happens local food manufacturer Paradigm Foodworks makes a line of Indian curry simmer sauces, marinades, and chutneys under the brand Masala Maza. Made with all-natural ingredients, these top-of-the-line sauces and chutneys are devoid of artificial colorings, high-fructose corn syrup, and preservatives. In fact, they are sweetened only with fruit juice. These sauces are the key to a quick, easy, and satisfying meal on a cool, crisp, fall day. 

We currently carry the full line of Masala Maza products. The Madras Coconut Curry is a rich and mildly hot curry sauce perfect for meat or vegetarian dishes. Their mild and nutty Korma Simmer Sauce is made from almonds and Indian spices. It is perfect for braising meats and hearty vegetables such as squash and sweet potatoes.  

The Tandoori Grill Sauce is ideal for making your own tandoori dishes. Simply marinade the meat or even tofu with a little yogurt and grill for an authentic tandoor taste. If you made tandoori chicken and have leftovers, add a jar of Tikka Masala Sauce and simmer for this classic creamy and mild dish. If you’re looking for a dish with a little more kick, the Vindaloo Marinade is just your ticket. Cook with meat or meat substitutes such as seitan, tofu, or even jackfruit for a tangy and spicy dish.  

An Indian meal is not complete without chutneys and Masala Maza makes two types of delicious Mango Pineapple Chutneys—a sweet and tangy version with key lime, and a sweet, tangy and spicy version with jalapeno. They will complement and complete your Indian meal. 
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Through October 3rd., all Masala Maza products are on sale for $5.15 ea. when you shop instore or via curbside pickup or delivery offered by our store. Sale pricing are not valid on Instacart.

Watermelon
​Sugar High!

When you plant a seed from one of Hermiston's outstanding melons in your own garden, the resulting fruit will not taste the same. The secret is all in the terroir. Terroir is a French word usually used to describe the taste and flavor imparted to wine by the environment in which the grapes were grown in. This includes the soil, climate, and topography of the area.  

Food connoisseurs have recently realized the terroir phenomenon not only applies to wine but most food in general. Specialized produce such as Walla Walla onions, San Marzano tomatoes and even cheeses like Parmigiano Reggiano owe much of their unique taste and flavor to the terroir they were cultivated in. This is also the case with Hermiston’s famous melons. 

Hermiston, Oregon is in northeast Oregon and has a semi-desert climate. The long, hot spring and summer days, cools nights and nutrient rich volcanic soil allow the sugars in Hermiston melons to slowly and steadily develop, resulting in incredibly tasty fruits. 

Once you’ve tasted a Hermiston watermelon, you’ll never want to eat any other watermelon. Vibrantly red, super sweet, juicy, and crisp—this melon is perfect when eaten chilled on a hot summer day. Ripe melons should be heavy for its size. Watermelons have a pale underbelly where the melon rested on the ground. Look for a melon with a creamy yellow or yellow underbelly. Melons with white underbellies were picked underripe.  

Another good method is to tap the underbelly. A ripe melon will have a deep hollow sound (like slapping your belly) which means it is brimming with juice and at the peak of ripeness. To gauge the level of sweetness, some people look for “bee stings” which are brown scars with small raised black orbs or buds on the watermelon rind. The idea behind this is if a bee has stung it, it must be sweet.
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These local melons have a short season and are at their peak right now. Come on by and get some or have them delivered to you via Instacart.com.

Local Steelhead
​is Still the Best

Is steelhead salmon or trout? Most people think Pacific NW steelhead is a type of salmon. It looks like salmon, tastes like salmon, and behaves like salmon so it must be salmon, right? Not necessarily. 
 
Pacific NW steelheads belong to the same species as rainbow trout with the difference being steelheads are the anadromous form that migrate into the ocean. There, they change color and get a lot larger than the resident rainbow trout. Just like Pacific salmon, steelhead return to the rivers where they were born to spawn.
 
The Pacific NW steelhead we carry is locally farmed by Pacific Aquaculture (a subsidiary of local company Pacific Seafood) in Nespelem, Washington. It is located on the Columbia River in a remote part of the Okanogan Highlands, with ideal conditions for raising steelhead with its steady cool river flow. Absolutely no growth hormones, growth promoting antibiotics, pesticides or herbicides are used in the all-natural fish feed. The only additive to the fish’s diet is phaffia yeast (a human grade health supplement) for color.
 
Within hours of being harvested, the steelheads are sent to their processing plant in Clackamas, Oregon to be cleaned, chilled, and shipped to our store, ready for you to purchase. Pacific Aquaculture is also dedicated to minimizing its carbon footprint and the steelhead farming helps the habitat by contributing to the food web in the Columbia River. They are also committed to growing the local economy and provides employment for members of the Native American Colville tribe.
 
According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, Pacific NW steelhead trout farmed at Pacific Aquaculture is one of the healthiest types of seafood that you can eat. It is rich in lean protein, vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids while containing a low level of contaminants like mercury, pesticides, dioxin and polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs.

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