Lawrence Siulagi

Hold the smartphone, Oregon blueberries have gone wireless.

Oregon Berry Packing, a family-owned business based in Hillsboro, is one of many growers using new wireless sensor technology to monitor crop conditions in real time.

Technological advances in crop management from companies like Onset Computer Corporation have given rise to the use of wireless sensors, or data loggers, which can provide valuable feedback to the grower, like temperature and soil conditions.

The grower could modify their irrigation based on the data or alerted to extreme conditions of nature like frost.

Being half Filipino, I grew up with chicken adobo as a regular dish. Years ago, I asked my mom for the recipe and have been making it since.

Adobo literally means a marinade for meat but unlike marinades which require a time to … um … marinate, the meat actually cooks in it and produces a tangy taste unlike any other you will experience. Warning: the smells that fill the kitchen will make your mouth water.

The key ingredients are meat, soy sauce, pepper, garlic, brown sugar and vinegar. No frills here: just pure and simple. Some add bay leaves or onions but I like to keep things simple.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 chicken thighs with skin
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup vinegar
• 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large cooking pot, heat soy sauce and chopped garlic on medium heat. Place chicken thighs in pot skin-side down for a 1-2 minutes. Turn over thighs and cook for another minute. Pour in vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and turn heat to low for simmering. Sprinkle brown sugar over the thighs and cover the pot. Simmer for 40 minutes. Serve with white or brown rice and steamed broccoli or carrots and peas. This is Filipino comfort food at the highest level.