A gluten free Thanksgiving that grows within a day’s drive of Portland. Here’s what’s in season from the Bandon bogs to the Willamette Valley, the swaps that keep wheat off the table, and where to shop before the big day.
Tap a number to jump to itNot to scale, made with love
Nearly every Oregon cranberry grows along the south coast, around Bandon, Langlois, Sixes and Port Orford. Our harvest runs later than the rest of the country, from late October into early December, so the berries in the market right now are about as fresh as they get.
That long, foggy season gives them a famously deep red. Some Bandon berries even get shipped east to brighten up other states’ crops!
Find themFresh local cranberries turn up at farmers markets and specialty grocers through the holidays. Plain cranberries are naturally gluten free, and they freeze beautifully, so buy an extra bag for December.
Golden chanterelles, the state mushroom
Coast Range forests
Oregon named the Pacific golden chanterelle its official state mushroom in 1999, and the wet Coast Range woods are why. Late fall is chanterelle season, and they show up at market mushroom stalls by the basket.
Tear them into a buttery sauté with shallots and thyme, then fold them into a rice and chestnut stuffing. Nobody will ask where the bread went.
Buy, don’t guessLeave the foraging to people who know their mushrooms. A market vendor is the safe and delicious route.
From the valley
Orchards, squash and the state nut.
Hazelnuts, the state nut
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley grows more than 99 percent of America’s commercial hazelnuts, and the hazelnut has been Oregon’s official state nut since 1989.
They make the easiest gluten free pie crust there is: toast and grind them, add melted butter and a little sugar, and press the crumbs into the pie plate. No flour at all.
Where we lookFreddy Guys, a Willamette Valley family orchard, has long sold at the PSU Farmers Market, and its roasted hazelnuts are on Good Eggs. Plain roasted nuts are the simple pick; read the label on flavored ones.
Sweetmeat squash, the valley’s own pie pumpkin
Willamette Valley
That pale, blue-gray squash at the market is a sweetmeat, a Willamette Valley heirloom with dense, sweet orange flesh. It makes a deeper, silkier pie than anything from a can.
Roast it, scoop it, and bake the custard in that hazelnut crust. Or skip the crust and bake it in ramekins with a spoonful of whipped cream on top.
Make itRoast halves cut side down at 400 until a knife slides in, then puree. Extra freezes for soup on the first truly cold night.
Chestnuts, roasted close to home
Just outside Portland
Cascadia Chestnuts grows its nuts in northwest Multnomah County, just outside the city, and sells at the PSU Farmers Market.
Roasted and chopped, chestnuts give stuffing the soft, toasty heft bread usually brings. Pair them with wild rice, chanterelles, celery and plenty of sage.
Before you roastScore a big X on the flat side of every chestnut first, or they pop like popcorn in the oven!
Hood River pears, at their best now
Hood River
Hood River’s orchards are pear country, and late fall is when the winter pears like Comice and Bosc are just right.
Roast them with Bandon cranberries and a drizzle of honey for a no-crust dessert, or slice them raw into a salad with toasted hazelnuts.
Day tripThe Hood River Fruit Loop makes a good pre-holiday drive. Plan on farm stands, not bakery pies, if you’re celiac.
From the mill
Gluten free flour has a hometown.
The gluten free flour that grew up in Milwaukie
Milwaukie
Bob’s Red Mill was milling gluten free flours long before most of the country knew the word celiac, and it built a dedicated gluten free facility with its own lab testing in Milwaukie, just down the road.
For gravy, whisk sweet white rice flour into the pan drippings instead of wheat flour. It thickens smooth and glossy and never goes gummy.
Skip the pilgrimageThe Milwaukie Whole Grain Store and cafe closed in February 2025. The flour itself is on grocery shelves all over town.
If you want the real thing on the table, Portland’s 100% gluten free bakery has a holiday preorder with stuffing mix, rolls, pies and take and bake pie shells.
That covers every crumb on the plate, made in a kitchen where wheat never comes through the door.
Order by noon, Monday, November 16Pickup runs November 21 to 25. Every Thanksgiving deadline we know of is in New on the gluten free map.
The swap sheet
Same feast, zero wheat.
Instead ofTry
Bread stuffing→Rice, roasted chestnuts and chanterelles, or New Cascadia’s stuffing mix
Flour roux gravy→Sweet white rice flour or a cornstarch slurry
Wheat pie crust→A pressed hazelnut crumb crust, or a gluten free take and bake shell
Canned cream of mushroom→Chanterelles, butter, cream and a spoon of sweet rice flour
Crispy fried onions→Shallots tossed in rice flour and fried until golden
Soy sauce in the brine→Tamari that says gluten free on the label
Dinner rolls→Rolls from a dedicated gluten free bakery
Where to shop
Go early. The good chestnuts go first.
Saturdays9 to 2
PSU Farmers Market
SW Park & Montgomery
Open every Saturday all winter. November 21 is the last one before Thanksgiving, and it’s closed December 26.
Saturdays9 to 1
Hollywood Farmers Market
NE Hancock between 44th & 45th
Weekly through December 19, then the 2nd and 4th Saturdays January through March.
Wed, Nov 25One day only
Shemanski Park Harvest Market
SW Park & Main
A special harvest market the day before Thanksgiving, for the things you forgot.
After New Year’s, Portland keeps nine winter farmers markets going through March. Hours can shift with the weather, so check a market’s own page before you go.
Next up: crab season
The most Oregon holiday dinner of all.
Oregon’s commercial Dungeness crab season aims to open December 1, but it waits until the crab are full and test safe. Last year most of the coast opened December 16.
Steamed crab is naturally gluten free, which makes it the holiday table’s easiest yes. Crab cakes and crusted crab are another story. We’ll map where to eat it in Portland once the boats go out.
Coming in December
How we sourced this
Growing regions and seasons come from Oregon agricultural history, growers and the coast’s own visitor guides. Market dates were checked against each market’s schedule on November 4, 2026. Spot something that changed? Tell us on Instagram and we’ll fix it.
Celiac? You’re the expert.
Whole ingredients are naturally gluten free, but anything packaged can change. Read every label, every year, even on brands you trust.