Check it out:

Our mission on this (HOT) day: tomatoes and peaches.

We strolled through the bustling booths, all filled to the brim with fresh fruits and vegetables. The atmosphere was alive with enchanting smells and a symphony of voices.

After picking up two bags of tomatoes – there was no shortage! – we set off in search of the perfect peach. We enjoyed several samples before tasting Sweet Sue from Baird Family Orchards. We learned they are a family farm located in Dayton, Oregon and they grow a variety of fruits including cherries, peaches, nectarines, apples, and even pluots (a blend between a plum and an apricot). The energetic salesman offered a pretty good pitch, but the true selling point was the crisp, smooth texture and refreshingly sweet taste.

The Wednesday Downtown Market runs through October 28 and is located in the South Park Blocks at Shemanski Park between SW Salmon & SW Main. Hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visit the website here!

Of course I played it cool. Rachael Ray, no big deal – she only just won an Emmy for her talk show, which happens to be one of today’s top daytime cooking shows. Whew! The nerves started pick up, but luckily the busy working day kept me from daydreaming about potentially embarrassing scenarios…tripping and falling, starting a fire in my kitchen…okay maybe I did a little drifting, but it turned out to be such a blast!

I awoke Wednesday morning and after a quick dose of ‘why I love Oregon’ sunshine, I knew it was going to be a great day.

Call time 9:30 am. The Rach To The Rescue team was downstairs with cameras ready to roll. There were three guys, Josh, Alex and Zsolt, two cameras, and a huge RV out front. I think they could tell I was a bit nervous so Alex, the host and star of Around The World For Free, and Zsolt, the director, quickly explained what was in store.

Rach To The Rescue is traveling across the U.S. searching for hidden culinary gems and helping Rachel Ray viewers with their cooking dilemmas. Starting in NYC, the Rescue crew has hit several states and last week, they finally made it to the Pacific Northwest.

The agenda for the day was the following:
1) walk to the downtown farmers market.
2) explore the market and pick up ingredients for my favorite homemade pasta dish.
3) head back to my place and cook up a feast.

Alex and I strolled down Everett, through the Pearl and down to the Portland Farmers Market chatting away – I completely forgot that the cameras were rolling. Upon entry, I immediately bought a box of blueberries from Viridian Farms to munch on while we shopped. We soon met up with Lisa and Stephanie and together we stopped by our favorite Portland Farmers Market lunch spot, Tastebud Farm. There we chatted with owner and chef Mark Doxtader about his tasty Montreal bagel and Tastebud’s new home on the east side.

@ farmers market

Alex and the guys were in heaven – they were taken aback by the abundance of fresh, organic and local Oregon produce. Needless to say we got distracted. Orange, yellow and pink watermelon here and cheddar cauliflower there, we finally picked up our key ingredients – tomatoes, basil, maitake mushrooms and garlic.

We rode the Max back to Northwest eager to start cooking. The pasta dish came together beautifully. Alex and I christened my food processor, which finely chopped our four plump tomatoes. Alex took on the role of garlic mincer (my garlic press got lost in the move…) while I tore the basil into chunky shreads. Once the garlic was chopped and ready to go, 3/4 of it went into a large heated skillet with a splash of olive oil – it smelled so good! Next I cut the maitake mushrooms and threw them into a small heated pan with some butter and garlic. Who doesn’t love garlic?! Finally, we combined everything into the large skillet with a bit of salt and let it simmer for about 20 minutes while the water boiled and…

Alex and I paused for a quick photo in my kitchen

30 minutes later, we enjoyed my homemade fresh tomato basil pasta dish.
Easy, healthy, fresh and sooo delicious!!

The segment is now live! Check it out here.