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.

Courtesy of Portland Farmers Market

It’s officially spring. Asparagus and other seasonal goodies are popping up on menus throughout town. Best of all, the mother of all Portland markets has returned. As of Saturday, March 17, the Portland Farmers Market is back for its 21st season.

Visitors shouldn’t shy away thinking this is just a market meant for stocking your kitchen with fresh produce; this is also the perfect place to pick up freshly prepared breakfast and lunch before biking, walking or driving around to explore other parts of town. So, enjoy a biscuit and a wander through the market to see what’s in season. Chances are you’ll see some of the very same items on your dinner menu — Portland chefs love to search the market for the freshest ingredients.

To market we go

The Portland Farmers Market at the Park Blocks at Portland State University (SW Park & Montgomery) has officially opened!  The market opening is a welcome sign of spring. It’s a great community gathering of local farmers, food vendors, foodies and all those who want to live and eat well. (more…)

Our Portland Farmers Market salads

Recently, my co-worker, Karen, and I created a lunch that came almost entirely from the Portland Farmers Market at Shemanski Park. It’s only a block from the Travel Portland offices and we go there all the time, but we’d never created an entire meal from there … so off we went. 

And what a lunch we had! We created a salad of mixed greens, carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and Ba-a-arely Blue Cheese from Dee Creek Farm. To go with our lovely bounty, we purchased a link of Arles salami from Olympic Provisions and a peach, arugula and feta hand pie from Little Pots & Pans Co. for dessert. 

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Piles of veggies at the downtown market (Wednesdays)

Today on my lunch break I took a walk out onto the Park Blocks, just to wander around the Portland Farmers Market. I didn’t need to buy anything, I just wanted to look at all of the beautiful flowers and produce, and be entertained by all of the people buzzing through the stalls deciding what to purchase for their lunch and dinner. It is quite a sight, and it can be difficult to choose between piles of pastries, baskets of berries, wood-fired pizzas, and sizzling sausage.
 
We’re so lucky to have so many of these markets in the Greater Portland area. In the summer season (when produce is at its peak) there are markets in the city five times a week! And then there are all of the markets in the suburbs, like Beaverton, Lake Oswego and Oregon City, selling food even closer to its source out in the country. Portlanders might assume that the Saturday market at PSU is the biggest in the area, but that distinction actually goes to the Beaverton Farmers Market. And these markets are only a tease of what is to come from our local farms — soon U-pick farms will be open, farm stands will dot our country roads and food festivals from Forest Grove to Hood River will be on the calendar every weekend.