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In the spring, when the garden bounty is sparse, it’s easy to feel grateful for radishes. Members of the Cruciferae family, radishes are high in dietary fiber, folic acid, potassium, riboflavin, vitamin B6, calcium, magnesium, and copper. They’re a colorful, fresh vegetable that’s great tossed in salads and slaws, served with dips, used as a garnish, or simply enjoyed with high-quality butter and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Radishes are also easy and fun to grow as the soil warms up. The greens are as good as the radishes themselves. Save them for cooking with the radish or separate them for braising, pasta stuffing, bean dishes, or soups. This spring, look for a variety of radish plant starts at the market or take home bunches of whole radishes, available from many vendors throughout the season.


This April, when you spend $30 or more on plants, you can enter to win a prize from garden vendors. Just pick up a “Get Growing” card at the Market Information Booth and show it to vendors when paying for garden and nursery stock. Vendors will validate your card with the amount purchased. Once you’ve reached $30, return the card to the Information Booth and you’ll be entered to win a prize, such as herb container gardens, perennials, a flat of vegetable starts or summer bulbs. All Get Growing winners will be selected on April 26, at 1pm. Winners do not need to be present to win.

On June 5th, we’ll join the city’s First Thursday celebration with the opening of our Ecotrust Market in the Pearl District. Start your First Thursday evening with a stroll through the farmers market for a light snack – cheese, bread, fruit – and catch a cooking demonstration by local journalist and culinary pro Ivy Manning, who will share a recipe from her new book, The Farm to Table Cookbook: The Art of Eating Locally.

Sort through tables of gently used cookbooks and gardening books at the market’s first Dig and Dine Book Exchange where you may find a new favorite or discover a treasured classic. You can help make the Dig and Dine Book Exchange a success by donating gently used cookbooks and gardening books to Portland Farmers Market any Saturday during the months of April and May. Only cookbooks and gardening books, please!





  

More than 100 local vendors will gather on the Park Blocks of the Portland State University campus. Come and welcome them back to the city and peruse the stalls for early season produce, herb and vegetable starts, flowers, locally-raised meats, fresh eggs, artisan cheese and chocolates, nuts, honey and prepared specialty foods.

In May, look for Chefs in the Market each Saturday at 10am on the main stage, opening with Chef Scott Dolich, owner of Park Kitchen, on May 3rd. Junior chefs can watch this space for details about this summer’s Kids Cook in the Market series. Classes take place every other Saturday in June, July and August.

Generous support for this year’s Portland Farmers Market comes from:

SEASON SPONSORS


APRIL 5
Linda Beutler, renowned floral designer, a member of the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon and current president of the Pacific Northwest Clematis Society, will kick off the garden lecture series with a session on caring for early-blooming clematis.

APRIL 12
Linda McMahan, Staff Chair and Community Horticulture Faculty at Oregon State University Extension, will discuss landscaping with native plants to attract wildlife.

APRIL 19
Lucy Hardiman, garden designer, author and plant expert will lead a tutorial on potting and caring for container gardens – from simple to stunning. As part of the Earth Day celebration planned for this market day, kids can pick up a free packet of ladybugs to sprinkle in their yard. Offer good while supplies last.

APRIL 26
Vern Nelson, The Oregonian Homes and Gardens of the NW columnist, will present on the art of pairing edible plants for aesthetics, ease of harvest and smarter use of space.

On-Site Potting Station
Pick a pot’s worth of flowers, herbs or vegetable starts and take them to the potting station where volunteers from the local gardening community will plant your purchases in containers to take home and enjoy all summer long. Soil and fertilizer will be provided by Sun Gro Horticulture, producers of Black Gold® potting soil.

For a complete schedule of Garden Month special exhibitors, Earth Day treats and activities, visit http://www.portlandfarmersmarket.org



Westwind Gardens, located 35 miles west of Portland in Forest Grove, is run by the husband and wife team of Elizabeth and Phil Smith who tend a system of 13 greenhouses on four acres of land. The Smiths are known for their expansive display of organic plant starts and colorful hanging baskets in the spring, and for their aromatic roasted peppers in the fall. They have been a part of Oregon’s thriving nursery industry since 1991 and vendors at the Portland Farmers Market for more than a dozen of those years. Elizabeth and Phil are passionate about sharing advice on preparing soil and giving shoppers tips on what to plant, where and when. They also enjoy helping city dwellers select plants that thrive indoors, on condo terraces or windowsills. Stop by Westwind Gardens’ stall in April to shop for hardy organic vegetable starts, including greens, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, cabbage and tomatoes. In May, they’ll add a great selection of sweet and hot peppers.


PFM welcomes Renegade Rose Morris, performing traditional English Morris dances from the villages of England’s Cotswolds. The group dances every Thursday from 7-9pm and welcomes new dancers of all ages, no experience necessary. Dancing to live music on the accordion, concertina, melodeon, mandolin, tin whistle and recorder, is part of the tradition and interested musicians are also welcome to join the troupe.

For more information about joining or hiring Renegade Rose for your next event, please call Linda at 503.284.9581 and explore www.renegaderose.net

A treasure trove of plants and garden art will be on hand for purchase at the HPSO’s spring sale. This annual fundraiser event for HPSO is open to the public and takes place at the Portland EXPO Center on April 12 and 13, beginning at 10am.

For more information or to volunteer, please see www.hardyplantsociety.org.