Pioneering Spirit

Thanks to Weinstein PR

Monday, June 18 marks the return of KINK.fm presents Portland Farmers Market at the Square. In its third year, the downtown market features 35 vendors selling local farm-fresh produce, meats, cheeses, baked goods and other specialty foods, as well as four prepared food vendors for those looking to grab lunch. Opening day will feature musical entertainment by James Clem.

Pioneer Courthouse Square Market will be held every Monday from June 18 to September 24 (excluding Labor Day, September 3), from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Square is the city’s beloved outdoor “living room,” located between SW Broadway and SW Sixth, and SW Morrison and SW Yamhill.

Portland Farmers Market and Pioneer Courthouse Square are also partnering for the second year to bring A Taste of Portland Farmers Market at the Square from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons during the Noon Tunes Summer Concert Series which is free to the public. Running Tuesday, July 10 to August 16, the ever-popular Noon Tunes will showcase some of the best in regional and local musical talent. Concert-goers can enjoy dishes made primarily with ingredients sourced through farmers market vendors.

“Summer is truly here with the opening of these vibrant farmers markets on the Square,” said Trudy Toliver executive director of Portland Farmers Market. “We love partnering with KINK and Pioneer Courthouse Square to bring local farmers into the heart of the city to sell our region’s bounty to downtown shoppers, tourists, residents and workers.”

Additionally, the Square will serve as the backdrop of the Portland Farmers Market’s second annual COUNTRY Chef Challenge on Monday, July 16, 2012. The Challenge hosted by KGW-TV’s Drew Carney will pit three local chefs against each other in a live cooking competition at the Square.

Pioneer Courthouse Square Market Vendors

About 35 vendor stalls will crop up on the famous red bricks every Monday. Three vendors new to the Portland Farmers Market family – Fungi Farm Shiitake, Marshall’s Haute Sauce and Split River Growers – will join the market lineup.

Overview of New Vendors

• Split River Growers – Nestled on the southern tip of Sauvie Island where the Willamette River splits into the Columbia, Split River Growers sustainably plants, fertilizes and harvests by hand greens, table vegetables, herbs and flowers, using no chemicals or pesticides. Their produce never travels further than 20 miles, often much less. Their goal is to use as few resources as possible to offer the freshest of what the earth has to offer.
• Fungi Farm Shiitake – Started in 2005 by Tony Synarski and Bobbie Mohler, Fungi Farm allows people to grow their own shiitake mushrooms on logs. Their shiitake mushroom logs are produced from hand selected oak and alder trees and are cut, cleaned and inoculated at the perfect time of year to promote high nutrient levels in the wood, ensuring a long life and prolific mushroom production for years to come.
• Marshall’s Haute Sauce – Marshall’s Haute Sauce creates delicious fresh and local small-batch hot sauce to those craving heat and spice. Their sauces have unique spice blends and flavor combinations. All sauces are gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan. They believe in small business owners, farmers and producers, and work with as many as possible.

Farmers and Ranchers

• Baird Family Orchards – Dayton, OR
• C & K’s Flower Garden – Molalla, OR –
• Cherry Country – Rickreall, OR
• dancing light ranch – Portland, OR
• *Fungi Farm Shiitake* – Sandy, OR
• Lucky Farms – Gresham, OR
• Market Fruit/Packer Orchards – Hood River, OR
• Rick Steffen Farm – Salem, OR
• Salmon Creek Farm – Battle Ground, WA
• South Barlow Berries – Canby, OR
• *Split River Growers* – Portland, OR
• Tamiyasu Orchards Inc – Hood River, OR
• The Berry Patch – Woodburn, OR
• Unger Farms – Cornelius, OR
• Valley Berry Farm – Scotts Mills, OR

Bakeries and Food Artisans

• Black Sheep Bakery – Portland, OR
• Blossom Vinegars – Portland, OR
• Columbia River Smoked Salmon – Portland, OR
• Gabriel’s Bakery – Portland, OR
• Grand Central Bakery – Portland, OR
• HOTLIPS Soda – Portland, OR
• *Marshall’s Haute Sauce* – Portland, OR
• Missionary Chocolates – Portland, OR
• Nehalem Bay Winery – Nehalem, OR
• Nut-Tritious Foods – Vancouver, WA
• Olympic Provisions – Portland, OR
• Portland Creamery – Portland, OR
• Rogue Creamery – Central Point, OR
• Two Tarts Bakery – Portland, OR
• Willamette Valley Cheese – Salem, OR

Prepared Food Vendors

• C’est Si Bon! – Portland, OR
• LoveJoy Food – Portland, OR
• Tastebud – Portland, OR
• Verde Cocina – Portland, OR

* New vendor for the 2012 season

For up-to-date information on vendor maps and other events at the market, shoppers can visit the Pioneer Courthouse Square Market page.

In addition to the Portland Farmers Market at the Square, Portland Farmers Market operates seven other weekly markets – four neighborhood markets: Kenton in North Portland, Buckman in Southeast Portland, Northwest in Northwest Portland, and King in Northeast Portland; and three other downtown markets: PSU, Shemanski Park, and the Winter Market.