Portland Spoke – The Official Blog of Travel Portland

In Portland, the signs of spring aren’t limited to robins picking at worms and bulbs bursting through soil. You also see tents popping up in parking lots and closed-off streets, as farmers’ markets set up shop.

The city’s biggest and most popular outdoor grocery is already up and running: Operating every Saturday through Dec. 21, the Portland Farmers Market at Portland State University isn’t just a great place to pick up leeks, kale and broccoli — it also sells some of the best prepared goods in town. From Alma Chocolate to salmon from The Smokery, there’s plenty to take home from the market’s more than 150 stands (even if your home is thousands of miles away). If you’re in the mood for take-out, grab some eats from local vendors like Verde Cocina or Pine State Biscuits and enjoy live music as you stroll.

Come May, more market locations bring fruit, berries, melons and veggies to downtown: The Shemanski Park Market runs Wednesdays, May 1 – Oct. 30, while the Pioneer Courthouse Square Market comes to Portland’s Living Room on Mondays, June 17 – Sept. 30.

And the bounty isn’t limited to Portland proper — there are farmers’ markets all around the metro area. In fact, at the height of the season, there’s a market somewhere every day of the week. And that’s a good thing — because, after all, springtime runs seven days per week.

Image courtesy of Sauvie Island Farms

Though there are four seasons of fun to be had on Sauvie Island, a rural paradise just north of Portland, you couldn’t pick a better time to visit than summer. That’s when local growers like Sauvie Island Farms and Kruger’s Farm throw open their gates and let families pick their own berries by the bushel — a truly sweet way to spend a summer day. About the size of Manhattan, Sauvie is one of the largest river islands in the U.S., and in addition to being a hot spot for fruits and veggies, it’s also a paradise for bird-watchers, beach-goers, bicyclists and kayakers.

But in the family-owned fields of Sauvie Island Farms, it’s all about the crops — from peaches to peonies. Open Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., this a great place to pick up some of nature’s candy. Right now, strawberry season is winding down, with blueberries and raspberries on their way.

Kruger’s Farm also lets visitors select sweet eats, with Marion berries, boysenberries and blackberries among their most popular hauls. The farm, which is open daily from 9 a.m. to sunset, also celebrates with events like farm-to-plate dinners and Thursday night concerts, which feature beer and food vendors, so you can order a hamburger or sausage, in case you’ve had enough of the farm’s fruits and vegetables — as if that could ever happen!

Photo courtesy of Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival.

Trees adorned with white and pale pink flowers line Portland’s downtown waterfront and Northwest 23rd Avenue to welcome spring. Brighter hues abound just south of town in Woodburn, Ore., where colorful fields reminiscent of Holland burst with acres of tulips in full bloom. Each spring we spend a day wandering the fields and enjoying a picnic (food available on site as well) at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival (through May 1, 2011, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.).

The owners have expanded beyond the flowers, gift shop and café in recent years to feature family fun in the form of a kids’ area complete with a cow train for rides through the fields, rubber ducky races and pony rides. Gardeners enjoy ordering bulbs for fall planting, and even the most amateur of photographers can capture amazing photos – you just can’t go wrong when you get 40 acres of tulips, a windmill and Mount Hood in the frame.

Daily field reports complete with photos highlight conditions (muddy or dry) and bloom updates (early to full bloom). Insider tip: if you have time, make it a day trip and head to nearby Silver Falls State Park, the Oregon Garden or the Aurora National Historical District, which features antique shops and an architectural salvage shop.

A concert in a field of flowers.

My friend and I were driving back from the beach on Sauvie Island the other evening when we spotted something happening at Kruger’s Farm. Picture this: a stage set in a field of sunflowers and zinnias, surrounded by people sitting on blankets, kids dancing and BBQ cooking nearby. We swiftly pulled into the parking lot to check it out. It turned out that this was one of the farm’s weekly summer concerts, where, for $10 a car, families can pile in to enjoy the music, idyllic farm setting and fresh local food. There are still two more concerts to go, the last one being Felicidades, playing salsa/reggae/calypso music on September 3rd. (more…)