Market Day ~ What a great time!

Thanks for coming out to the market this week everybody!  It was a beautiful day for a farmers market, and we have a great turnout.  Thanks for coming Scoop Organic Ice Cream and Kiyokawa Family Orchards… can’t wait to have you both back next week!

Coming this Wednesday is a demo with peaches by Leann Locher and our very own Erin McGovney…more details coming soon, so stay tuned, and stop by the market to see them in action!  We’ll get some great ideas for those Snow Queen white peaches and Sweet Sue Too yellow peaches.

All varieties of tomatoes are in full swing at Little Gnome Farm, Deep Roots, and Winters Farm.  Here are some varieties to look for on Wednesday and over the next few weeks:

Brandywine Yellow    Black Cherry 

Green Doctors   Mortgage Lifter

Black Krim  Marglobe  

Brandywine (Sudduth Strain)

Globe (Burpee’s)   

Orange Banana   

Anna Banana Russian    

Aunt Ruby’s German Green  

Market Day ~

Ok y’all, we know it’s a hot one, but there are some great reasons to come out to the market to cool down:

1.  Scoop Organic Ice Cream will be debuting at the market with cones and pints of their mind-blowing homemade flavors including blueberry-cinnamon, cake batter, zesty melon sorbet, vanilla, and if we’re lucky there might be some salted caramel, the crowd favorite, and strawberry, the favorite of yours truly. 

2.  The cool shade of Overlook Park, as always, is at our service as the perfect picnic spot.  Grab some watermelon or lime agua fresca to sip on from Hacienda/Micro-Mercantes, and maybe one of their tamales (pork, chicken, spinach-cheese or jalapeno-cheese) and head over for a relaxing afternoon of free live music and people watching.  Oh yeah, and go see Amaranth for some of her treats from Ammie’s Goodies for dessert!  They’re all vegan and gluten free, but if you don’t know that, you would never know

3. Not having to use your stove!  For $6 you can get a handmade delicious meal from Lisa at Thai Mama who uses all her mom’s best recipes for things like grilled chicken skewers with peanut sauce over jasmine rice, curries and noodle dishes, eggrolls and wontons, and more!  For $1.50 you can get a cold sausage wrapped to go from Fetzer’s German Sausage!

Also with the idea of not using your stove, stop by the info booth for recipes for killer cold meals like cucumber-mint salad with sesame vinaigrette, a new take on gazpacho, grilled summer veggies, kabobs and delicious fruit desserts!
Speaking of fruit, Baird Family Orchards will have “Sweet Sue Too” peaches which are an annual favorite yellow peach.  Also this week will be Snow Queen White peaches which are a true freestone peach (hear that all you peach canners & bakers?!) and their flavor is often compared to candy.  These guys really know their peaches and we’re proud to have the best of the best here at the market!

New this week are pears and apples from Kiyokawa Family Orchards!  Let’s welcome them to the market and vote with our dollars for local, high-quality produce!

The Better Bean Company will have their fresh refrigerated alternative to canned beans. I always keep a container or two in the fridge for quick, convenient protein in wraps, salads and even breakfast with some eggs, corn tortillas and fresh tomatoes!
 

We’re happy to see Little Gnome Farm back again this week.  This small-acre Market Farm has incomparable heirloom vegetables such as tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, red butter leaf lettuce, kale and chard, and garlic.
Also in the veggie category, we’ll have Deep Roots Farm with Orange cherry tomatoes, big heirloom tomatoes, 2 kinds of cucumbers, summer squash, zucchini, rainbow chard, peas, strawberries, basil, onions, big and beautiful green bell peppers.  DeMartini Family Farms with corn, beets, kohlrabi, squash, all lettuces, radish, parsley, cilantro, potatoes, rhubarb, collards, green onions and white onions, artichokes and more, and Winters Family Farm with tomatoes, peppers, carrots, potatoes, fava beans, corn (now bigger and cheaper!), onions, green beans, berries, squash.

Now I’d like to take a minute to talk about eggs. Guess who’s eggs have NOT been recalled for salmonella poisoning?  Raymond Kuenzi Farms who’s eggs (and other products) are Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth and Sweet Home Farms, a family farm dedicated to sustainable farming and humane animal husbandry, will have ground beef, steaks, leg of lamb, eggs, goat.
 
Gabriel’s Bakery will have  pistachio-chocolate croissants, a special on rugelach — Jewish cookies, pumpkin-raisin bread pudding this week.

And at Missionary Chocolates this week, Vanessa will be offering samples of salted caramel, passionfruit lime, dark chocolate, raspberry, meyer lemon, and ginger vegan, gluten free truffles!!  

Sage and Sea’s Drinking Vinegar selection this week will include: ginger, raspberry, grapefruit, huckleberry, Rainer cherry, and cherry-lime.  The prefect thirst-quencher when mixed with the beverage of your choice in a tall frosty glass, or even in your baking or on a special dessert!  I like mine in iced soda water, but they go well with whiskey or fruit juice…or try some in coconut water!

Shooting Star Lavender Farms will be back by popular demand with fresh-cut lavender bouquets and sachets for natural air-freshener and deodorizer.  Sprinkle some lavender flowers under the fitted sheet of your bed for a soothing, refreshing aroma during slumber.  Tossing some on the carpet before vacuuming works nicely to combat musty smells and animal hair.  But best of all, lavender is edible!!  Try lavender creme brulee, peppered lavender beef, and lavender salmon…just try it.  Trust me.

Music this week will be courtesy of Eric John Kaiser, and the Community Booth will be hosted by the Portland Timebank.  Definately check them out for some great tunes and some ideas about building community and getting and giving help with all kinds of things like gardening, cooking childcare, cleaning, rideshares, massage/ acupuncture, wormbins, rainbarrells, and lots more!

Don’t forget! You are welcome to use the KAISER PARKING LOT right next the market. And there’s also BIKE PARKING in front of the little Kaiser building next to the market facing the park. Of course, you can always take MAX, too. It’s easy to get here! 
 
 
See you at the market!

Market Day ~ The Dog Days of Summer

It seems lots of people think of ”the dog days of summer” as the time when it’s so hot all we want to do is hang out in the shade and sleep. Like a dog. But it turns out that the phrase comes from the appearance of the star Sirius, the brightest star in Canis Major (the Large Dog), according to this entry in Wikipedia. It goes on to say that the Romans believed this “to be an evil time ‘when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies.’”

COOLING DOWN!

Thank goodness for Portland, where we have cool evening breezes, parks with pools and water fountains, and the friendly and smiling faces of your local farmers!

The weather people say that by the time our market opens on Wednesday afternoon we’ll be enjoying more tolerable temperatures, perfect for relaxing in the shade of the trees in Overlook Park and picking up your midweek produce and treats.

And if you need a little extra relaxation let Judith Moran, LMT, work the tension out of your neck and shoulders with a chair massage.

This week we’ll have some of the last berries of the season. Get them while you still can! We’ll also have and kohlrabi, 8-ball squash, all lettuces, radish, parsley, cilantro, potatoes, rhubarb, collards, onions, and artichokes. Oh, and so much more.

And don’t forget the fabulous locally baked goods plus dinner from our prepared-food vendors.

THE BETTER BEAN COMPANY

We’re excited to welcome The Better Bean Company, pioneering a fresh refrigerated alternative to canned beans. They get their black beans from the Oregon Snake River Valley and their Red beans from the Idaho Magic Valley. Their cold press safflower oil comes from central Oregon and they use Northwest produce such as Washington and Oregon onions wherever possible.

Their Gourmet Refried and Caribbean style beans are handmade from natural Northwest ingredients. The beans are handmade fresh in small batches weekly in Wilsonville. They currently offer three products: Skillet Refried Red Beans - mild heat; Skillet Refried Black Beans - medium heat; Caribbean Style Organic Black Beans.   

Come say hello and try them out!

MEAT & PRODUCE & MORE
We’re happy to welcome two farms to the market. Little Gnome Farm, is a small-acre Market Farm specializing in heirloom variety vegetables. They’ll have tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, red butter leaf lettuce, kale and chard, and green beans. And Dymaxion Gardens, a microfarm here in Portland, will be selling basil, kale, salad mix, eggplant, hot peppers, tomatoes, summer squash, and snap peas.

Stock up on fresh fruits and veggies from Boones Berry Farm (their last week of the season!), Deep Roots Farm, DeMartini Family Farms, Liepold Farms, and Raymond Kuenzi Farm (who will have walnuts and eggs!), and Unger Farms, too. Baird Family Orchards will have stone fruits, including peaches and nectarines. Winters Family Farm’s bounty this week will include corn (yay!) plus honey, jams & syrups made from their own crops.

This week we’ll also have Fetzer’s German Sausage, a company that’s been making traditional old world German style sausages in the in Beaverton since 1978 using German family recipes from as far back as 1880. They use high quality ingredients and produce a naturally flavorful culinary experience.

Sweet Home Farms, a family farm dedicated to sustainable farming and humane animal husbandry, will have ground beef, steaks, leg of lamb, eggs, goat. 

BAKED GOODS AND YUMMIES

Visit Lillikoi, with flower blossom cookies, Hawaiian sweet bread, and passionfruit ice tea. Gabriel’s Bakery will have their fresh-baked spread. And Missionary Chocolates: beautiful, gluten-free and vegan! Ammie’s Goodies will have apricot and blueberry crisps and thumbprint cookies, all vegan and gluten-free.

The Pie Spot specializes in individual sized pies, made with fresh and local ingredients and scratch-made crusts. This week they’ll have burned butter pecan, blueberry, lemon-vanilla, blackberry.   

The popular Sage and Sea will be selling their delicious drinking vinegars.  Flavors this week: ginger, key lime, raspberry, strawberry, strawberry-lime, bing cherry-lime, blueberry, rainier cherry. New this week is blackberry! And in short supply this week is pie cherry - only two bottles left until next July!

Micro-Mercantes, a project that helps women with affordable housing and economic opportunities, will be selling their popular tamales and refreshing fruit drinks. And Thai Mama will have her usual line-up of curries and noodle dishes plus chicken wings.

TOO BUSY TO SHOP?
Many of you have signed up for our new Market Baskets offer, a CSA-type service that allows you to just swing by the market and pick up your pre-packed order. If you haven’t signed up yet you can still get in on this time-saving service. The LADYBUG BASKET is $25 each week and gives you a variety of the best produce in peak season that week.  The BLUEBIRD BASKET is larger and gets you more fresh produce, plus a non-produce extra, like bread, honey, eggs or cheese. It costs $40 each week.
 
Sign up for your Market Basket at the Info Booth. Then pick up your pre-packed basket at the market anytime between 3 and 6:30 PM. 

BEAUTY FOR YOUR TABLETOP
And don’t forget you can pick up a bouquet of fresh flowers from Herr’s Family Farm. And back this week is Shooting Star Lavender Farms with fresh-cut lavender bouquets.

Don’t forget! You are welcome to use the KAISER PARKING LOT right next the market. And there’s also BIKE PARKING in front of the little Kaiser building next to the market facing the park. Of course, you can always take MAX, too. It’s easy to get here!  
 

See you at the market!

Market Day ~ Blessed by Abundance

When I look at the list of locally grown foods our farmers are bringing to the market today I’m giddy with all the possibilities for making great dishes at home. This is one of those early-August weeks where we have a little of everything thanks to recent mild temperatures (no scorched greens!), plenty of water early this year (I know you all remember THAT) and all of the hard work on the part of our farmers.

This week we’ll have stone fruits and berries and squash and kohlrabi and artichokes, beans and potatoes and chard and basil. Oh, and so much more. And don’t forget the fabulous locally baked goods plus dinner from our prepared food vendors. Get your mid-week produce shopping done and stay for a picnic supper with your neighbors!

Don’t forget! You are welcome to use the KAISER PARKING LOT right next the market. And there’s also BIKE PARKING in front of the little Kaiser building next to the market facing the park. Of course, you can always take MAX, too. It’s easy to get here!

DIY COFFEE
Have you ever wanted to find out more about roasting your own coffee? Mr. Green Beans sells unroasted green coffee beans and the equipment to roast your own coffee at home.

MEAT & PRODUCE & MORE
Stock up on fresh fruits and veggies from Boones Berry Farm, Deep Roots Farm, DeMartini Family Farms, Liepold Farms, and Raymond Kuenzi Farm (who will have walnuts and eggs!), and Unger Farms, too. Baird Family Orchards will have stone fruits, including peaches and nectarines. Winters Family Farm’s bounty this week will include corn (yay!) plus honey, jams & syrups made from their own crops.

BAKED GOODS AND YUMMIES
Visit Lillikoi, with flower blossom cookies, Hawaiian sweet bread, and passionfruit ice tea. The Pie Spot will have their individual-sized artisan pies with pecans, blueberries and blackberries! Gabriel’s Bakery will have their fresh-baked spread. And Missionary Chocolates: beautiful, gluten-free and vegan! Ammie’s Goodies will have apricot and blueberry crisps and thumbprint cookies, all vegan and gluten-free.

GET A MARKET BASKET AND BE ON YOUR WAY
Many of you have signed up for our new Market Baskets offer, a CSA-type service that allows you to just swing by the market and pick up your pre-packed order. If you haven’t signed up yet you can still get in on this time-saving service. The LADYBUG BASKET is $25 each week and gives you a variety of the best produce in peak season that week. The BLUEBIRD BASKET is larger and gets you more fresh produce, plus a non-produce extra, like bread, honey, eggs or cheese. It costs $40 each week.

Sign up for your Market Basket at the Info Booth. Then pick up your pre-packed basket at the market anytime between 3 and 6:30 PM.

BEAUTY YOU CAN BRING HOME
And don’t forget you can pick up a bouquet of fresh flowers from Herr’s Family Farm.

Sweet Home Farm will be out this week but back next.

See you at the market!