Summer is in Full Swing at Portland Farmers Market!
August 19, 2021
It’s peak season and there is something for everyone at our five farmers markets. Summer fruits and vegetables abound, including fresh peaches and melons, tomatoes and cucumbers, and so much more! And as always, you can find fresh bakery items, cheeses, meats, pickles & krauts, sauces, coffee, hot food and more. Come to the market to meet neighbors and support local entrepreneurs.
Happiness Family Farm’s mission is to bring Happiness to the community and celebrate their Burundian culture by providing fresh, organic family-grown produce. Happiness Family Farm brings a bounty of Portland-grown hard-to-find traditional African crops to local farmers markets, including eggplant, squash leaves, bean leaves, okra, chili peppers, amaranth leaves, and lots of greens. In addition to selling at four area farmers markets, they have a CSA program (with pick-up Wednesdays at Kenton Farmers Market).
“We have to invest in the food system that we want, and that starts by buying from the farmers you want to see succeed! Have you been asking yourself, how do I support our local food system and purchase directly from Black farmers? Go to farmers markets and buy from them, follow @happinessfamilyfarm to learn more.” – Japhety, Happiness Family Farm
Grab a Meal at the Farmers Market
The options to satisfy your cravings at the farmers market are endless: Planning the perfect picnic? Explore the bounty our region has to offer. About to shop hangry or decaffeinated? Grab a baked good and coffee. Loaded up on seasonal fruits and veggies? Purchase a meal to-go for an easy lunch or dinner. Our small farms and local vendors bring quality products to the community to meet your grocery shopping and takeout food needs. Here are just a few of the fine vendors taking care of your next meal at the farmers market.
Money Bowl‘s Mandy King brings you a cuisine inspired by the traditions of those who have farmed the terraced hills of the province of 广西 (Guangxi) in SW China for centuries. At our markets each week, you will find her preparing rice noodle bowls, hot pot veggies and sticky rice balls with seasonal fillings as well as her signature goji berry and chrysanthemum cooler.
Want to pull together the perfect picnic? Look no further than the incredible vendor lineup at your nearest farmers market. Kenton Farmers Market shines in it’s assortment of local grower and food artisans. Shop any week—and every week—to find the perfect snacks to make a meal of; including By George cheeses, Frux Farm pickled veggies, Roundhouse Hummus and Sidekick Provisions dips, Orange & Blossom baked goods and Wild Roots and Westward Whiskey spirits.
Great Tang makes Xiàn’r Bǐng—a traditional northern Chinese hand pie—or what Zoey calls the “Chinese Hamburger”. Zoey learned how to prepare Xiàn’r Bǐng from her mom and grandmother. When asked about this traditional street food, Zoey shared “Northern China is drier, and they grow more wheat in that area and so their cuisine is ‘heavier’, more wheat-based as opposed to Southern China where they produce more rice because it is a wetter climate.” On the menu at PSU, you will find both vegan and meat Xiàn’r Bǐng—filled with vegetables and lamb sourced directly from the market’s farmers.
Fill Your Pantry’s Tomato Week will be celebrating peak season at Portland-area farmers markets the week of September 5-11. This is the time to support local growers at the height of the season. Get ready to freeze, can, dry, eat, prepare, and share your bulk purchase to extend your enjoyment of summer. By investing in bulk quantities of produce, you invest in local farms.
Follow Fill Your Pantry Portland (@fyp_pdx) to stay up to date on the festivities. Find recipe inspiration and resources at Fill Your Pantry.
Looking to preorder from Portland Farmers Market vendors to pick-up a bulk purchase during Tomato Week? We’re compiling the information now and will post to @portlandfarmers soon! Preordering helps to most efficiently move the delicate produce from the fields to you.
Join us this summer to learn ways to use your bulk fruits, connect with the local food system, and grab the summer abundance while you can!
Talking About Food Justice
Staff at PFM and Farmers Market Fund have teamed up for a monthly discussion club to learn about anti-racism, historic disparities in food and farming, and the current food justice movement. This is part of moving our equity and food justice work forward. It’s opened our thinking about policies and practices. Here’s what we read and discussed last month:
Mask wearing is recommended at our markets. Some vendors may require a mask while shopping at their particular booth. We appreciate your efforts to help us protect those who are unable to be vaccinated against COVID-19 due to age or health conditions.
