Ripe City: December eNews from Portland Farmers Market

Recipe by:
Melissa Ward, Sisters Bakery

Winter Market Opens
January 5, Shemanski Park
Get a fresh start in the new year!  Our Winter Market at Shemanski Park brings locally grown and produced food to downtown Portland every Saturday in January and February.

Season Sponsors

  Northwest Market Sponsor

EverGreen Sponsor

Fresh Exchange Sponsors

Chef in the Market Sponsor

How Portland Farmers Market Selects
Hot Food and Food Artisan Vendors

At each of our eight Portland Farmers Market locations, we strive to create a well-rounded and lively mix of vendors and products.  We are so proud of the many farmers and food artisans in our region offering high-quality fresh and prepared foods; they are truly what make our markets world class.With so many creative businesses coming to life in Portland and so many food-loving Portlanders, we have a lot of interest from prospective vendors each season.  In order for our small staff to manage all of these requests, we open the door once a year to peek at the fresh ideas flowing in from the food community.

This is the time of year when we renew agreements with our current vendors and seek to add new ones.  If you or someone you know is hoping to become a vendor at our markets, now is the time to put that business plan into action!  Learn more>>

Holiday Cheer

Looking for unique local gifts and stocking stuffer ideas?  We’ve got you covered.  Here’s but a few of the treasures waiting for you at the market:

• Handmade candy canes and peppermint patties
• Hazelnuts–roasted, raw or chocolate covered
• Honey, jams and jellies
• Small batch pickles and vinegars
• Lavender soaps and sachets
• Beeswax candles and balms
• Fine chocolates
• Oregon wines
• Dried mushrooms
• Artisanal salumi
• Oregon truffle salt
• Portland Farmers Market notecards, t-shirts and totes
• Put together your own locavore gift basket filled with market goodies!

Giving and Receiving

This holiday season, we are thankful for our region’s farmers that work so tirelessly to put fresh, beautiful food on our tables.  We want everyone to be able to enjoy the benefits of healthy, local food and our sister nonprofit, Farmers Market Fund, does just that. Farmers Market Fund administers Fresh Exchange, a money matching program for SNAP/Oregon Trail that has helped support farmers and put over $150,000 worth of fresh food on the tables of families in need since its inception in 2009.

Looking for other opportunities to support local food and farms programs?  Here are several for consideration, all of which are valued PFM vendors and community partners.  Click the links below to learn more and donate:

• FoodWaves
• Food Works
• Grow Portland
• Hacienda CDC’s Micro Mercantes food micro-business incubator program
• Urban Gleaners (check out this recent article too!)
• Kitchen Commons
• Partners For a Hunger-Free Oregon
• Friends of Family Farmers
• Farmers Ending Hunger
• Northwest Earth Institute
• B-Line’s B-Shares program

Thank you for helping to feed families, farmers and the local economy this holiday season!

2012 Market Schedule