27 April 2012

April Showers Bring May Markets

Every week as the weather warms there is a new crop hitting the Market. We can barely contain all the goodness at PSU, our biggest market. Just in time, Portland Farmers Market is opening three more of its Markets this coming week. The Shemanski Park Market on the Park Blocks between Salmon & Main is back this Wednesday at 10-2. Buckman kicks off its season Thursday at SE 20th & Salmon between 3 and 7. And then King Market opens Sunday May 6, 10-2, adjacent to King Elementary at NE 7th & Wygant. Plenty of time to shop, plenty of things to throw in your basket.

Last week at PSU, Saturdays from 8:30-2, we saw sun starved people. Sometimes, especially this time of year, when the fleece gets peeled off and the waterproof gear gets stowed, Portland looks like a vampire convention. Sookie Stackhouse would have her hands full shopping the Market. Buffy would explode. But now that our shoppers replenished their vitamin D, they can fearlessly select asparagus, peas, pea shoots, ramps, garlic scapes, spring onions, chives, and it’s getting close to strawberry time.

This week at PSU, Sexton Ranch, who supplied me with the steak pictured will have beef, right next door, Temptress Truffles

Barely fit on the grill, which is small, but the steak was big

has mushrooms. Two good things that go together, are together. Although they are 25-30 feet apart, Lady Lane has milk as nature intended and Petunias has cookies to wash the milk down with, or vice-versa. And this is just in one corner of the Market.

At the other end of the Market, we want to give a special shout out to Winters Farms. Not only does Winters supply our Markets with high quality, exceptionally priced produce – I dare you to find cheaper Yukon Gold’s anywhere – Winters was the first vendor I saw with asparagus and rhubarb this year and, here is the big thing, Winters has joined the Twitterverse @wintersfarms and they’re on Facebook too. If you follow them, you can learn things like they’ll have honey this week, baby spinach and other goodies. You can even catch Marven tweeting from his booth. Check it out.

Think these go well with steak?
Try a sprinkle of truffle salt.

Busy week for us but we hope to see you at least one of our four open market locations.