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King Portland Farmers Market Hosts Urban Homesteading Fair on Sunday
Market invites experts on raising chickens, beekeeping, gardening, canning and other DIY projects for informational event
WHAT
Portland Farmers Market will host the first Urban Homesteading Fair at the King Portland Farmers Market. Shoppers can ask questions and learn more from specialists on the subjects of home gardening, beekeeping, urban chickens, wild foods, food preservation, DIY home/personal care and more.
- Slow Food Portland will have expert and author Harriet Fasenfest and staff available to discuss the Slow Food movement of good, clean and fair food.
- Portland Fruit Tree Project will bring a fruit fly trap display and instructions, persimmon fruit leather tasting and recipes, and a big call for tree tips! They will also have grafted fruit trees for sale with simple instructions on planting. Additional information about tree registration, tree care and food preservation workshops, and harvesting events will be available as well.
- Master Gardeners will provide expert advice about gardening in the Pacific NW
- Master Food Preservers will have canning equipment, books, recipes and other information about food preservation.
- Market Madness One Wok Cooking will give shoppers the opportunity to experiment with quick, Thai -themed stir fries for those ‘clean out the fridge’ night before market meals. Shoppers will have the opportunity to make mini-meals with seasonal produce and to experiment with flavors and produce combinations. Thai sauce kits will be available for purchase to get shoppers started at home.
- Hammer & Hand will educate homeowners on rebates, incentives, and financing available through Clean Energy Works Oregon for home energy remodels. Handouts and signage explaining the program and how to sign up will be on offer.
- Knitting 101 will teach the basics of knitting, including basic terminology and different types of stitches. Shoppers will have the opportunity to make their own swatch. Patterns for adult and children’s hats will be available for shoppers to take home.
- Wool Spinning 101 includes spinning demonstrations and plying yarn on a spinning wheel and drop spindles. There will also be a display of different types of animal fiber – wool from different breeds of sheep, from alpaca, etc. Small bags of wool, beginner spindles, and make your own spindle kits (materials & instructions) will be available for purchase.
- Just Us Chickens, a local chicken sitting and consulting business, will be present to discuss and answer any questions about raising chickens, including how to get started, choose breeds, find supplies, deal with common behavioral problems, integrate new chickens into an existing flock, and file for permits for more than three chickens. Information on resource books, basic supplies needed, and what to gather for a chicken first aid kit will be offered.
- Beekeeping will also be covered by Just Us Chickens. They will have a honeycomb from a hive that people can touch and see up close. If there is any honey in it, booth staff will demonstrate how to extract it. This is an opportunity to discuss honey bee culture, bee cycles, what flowers are best for honey bees, and how important honey bees are in pollinating crops. A resource list for chickens and bees in Portland will be provided.
- Fermentation 101 will provide handouts, information and sauerkraut samples demonstrating how to take a basic sauerkraut recipe and vary it endlessly.
- DIY personal & home care provides recipes for toothpaste and deodorant to make at home. METRO staff will be on hand with supplies and instructions for making a multi-purpose green cleaner.
WHEN
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Sunday, July 15
WHERE
King Portland Farmers Market
NE Wygant Street and NE 7th avenue