02 May 2012

Get to Know Your Food at Buckman

Thanks to Weinstein PR

Portland Farmers Market and residents of Southeast Portland are counting the days until the opening of the Buckman Portland Farmers Market and the return of 25 vendors selling local farm-fresh produce, meats, cheeses, baked goods and other specialty foods. The Buckman Market season begins Thursday, May 3, and will continue every Thursday until September 27, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at SE Salmon Street and SE 20th Avenue, between SE Belmont and SE Hawthorne.

Opening day marks the launch of several new programs and promotions. Throughout the season, the Buckman Market will organize activities like family-friendly kids cooking classes, educational information fairs, and barbeque fundraisers.

“We want the Buckman Market to not only bring healthy farm-fresh produce to residents of the Southeast, but also to serve as a vibrant community gathering that reflects the surrounding neighborhood,” said Trudy Toliver executive director of Portland Farmers Market. “We hope the combination of new and returning vendors, events and programs will provide a lively market experience week after week for our valued shoppers.”

Know Your Food Opening Day – May 3

Opening day will include musical entertainment by James Clem, as well as Know Your Food, an informational demonstration by chef Bob Pullen and his traveling kitchen.

Know Your Food breaks down the mystery of ingredients and how to use them through education. Know Your Food will show shoppers how to use seasonal ingredients available at the farmers market that day by offering samples of dishes made from market ingredients. Pullen will then walk through the recipes and talk about what goes into each dish. Know Your Food encourages shoppers to experiment beyond their usual cuts of meats or go-to vegetables to try something new.

Pullen said, “From Buffalo to heirloom eggplant, there’s always a new discovery at the farmers market.”

Know Your Food’s daily menu is based on “Meat and Three,“ one choice of protein followed by three side dishes of vegetables, all sourced from the Buckman Market. Know Your Food is a fully mobile operation, featuring a traveling kitchen complete with BBQ range, demonstration space and bamboo countertops.

Buckman Market Vendors

About 25 vendor stalls brimming with farm-fresh produce, meats, cheeses, baked goods and other specialty foods will crop up every Thursday in the parking lot of Hinson Baptist Church. Four vendors new to the Portland Farmers Market family – Happy Campers Gluten Free Baking, Mudjoy Farm, Night Owl Roasters, and Scoop Handmade Ice Cream – will join the Buckman Market line

Happy Campers Gluten Free Baking – Lacy Gillham and Jan (pronounced Yawn) Taborsky are Camp Captains and founders of Happy Campers Baking based in Tigard, OR. They believe that life’s an adventure, and pure and simple foods help people stay energized. Their baked products are gluten-free, wheat-free, and vegan, and they contain no soy, corn, refined sugars, or GMOs. They source their ingredients and supplies locally whenever possible and donate baked goods to local charities twice a week. happycampersglutenfree.com

Mudjoy Farm – Hailing from Dayton, OR, this small family farm’s mission is to showcase novel and rare crops, while at the same time offering the traditional varieties. They aim to provide healthy and nutritious food that is grown with care in a sustainable manner. mudjoyfarm.com

Night Owl Roasters – These NE Portland-based coffee roasters offer fresh, great-tasting whole bean coffee. They carefully select the finest green coffee beans from around the world and roast each one to perfection. Each bean is different and requires a unique roast profile to bring out its best aroma and flavor. nightowlroasters.com

Scoop Handmade Ice Cream – From Portland, Scoop starts with local cream and milk and adds fresh local fruit and berries, organic fair-trade cocoa and other tasty flavors to create delicious hand-crafted, small batch ice creams. Their flavors include Salted Caramel, Triple Threat Ginger, Oatmeal and Brown Sugar, Avocado, Thai Iced Tea and more. They also make vegan sorbets, including strawberry balsamic, basil pineapple and dark chocolate marionberry. facebook.com/scoopicecream

 Farmers and Ranchers

  • Aichele Farms – Stanfield, OR
  • Arcane Cellars – Salem, OR –  arcanecellars.com
  • Baird Family Orchards – Dayton, OR – bairdfamilyorchards.com
  • Blue Heron Herbary – Portland, OR – blueheronherbary.com
  • C & K’s Flower Garden – Molalla, OR – cksflowergarden.com
  • Columbia River Fish Co. Treaty 1855 – Toppenish, WA
  • Dee Creek Farm / Farmucopia – Woodland, WA –  deecreekfarm.com
  • Denison Farms – Corvallis, OR – denisonfarms.com
  • Gathering Together Farm – Philomath, OR – gatheringtogetherfarm.com
  • Liepold Farms – Boring, OR – liepoldfarms.com
  • *Mudjoy Farm* – Dayton, OR – mudjoyfarm.com
  • Reister Farms – Washougal, WA – reisterfarm.com
  • Stonewall Banks Seafood – Oak Grove, OR
  • Tamiyasu Orchards Inc – Hood River, OR
  • Valley Berry Farm – Scotts Mills, OR

Bakeries and Food Artisans

  • Black Sheep Bakery – Portland, OR – BlackSheepBakery.com
  • Great Harvest Bread Co. – Portland, OR
  • *Happy Campers Gluten Free Baking* – Tigard, OR – happycampersglutenfree.com
  • Missionary Chocolates – Portland, OR – MissionaryChocolates.com
  • Nut-Tritious Foods – Vancouver, WA – nut-tritiousfoods.com
  • *Scoop Handmade Ice Cream* – Portland, OR – facebook.com/scoopicecream
  • Tails & Trotters – Portland, OR – tailsandtrotters.com

Prepared Food Vendors

  • Blackheart Bagels – Portland, OR
  • Canby Asparagus Farm/Casa de Tamales – Canby, OR – canbyasparagusfarm.com
  • *Night Owl Roasters* – Portland, OR, nightowlroasters.com
  • Zuppa – Portland, OR – zuppasoups.com

New and Returning Programs and Events

Throughout the season, the Buckman Market will organize activities to promote local seasonal produce, help marketgoers enhance their cooking skills, and attract new and loyal shoppers to the market.

“We have a terrific line-up of new and returning events this season at the Buckman Market,” said Anna Curtin, Program Manager of Portland Farmers Market. “There are activities for the young and old to learn how to cook, preserve, and handle a knife. We invite Southeast neighbors to join us for the festivities, fun, fruit and veggies on Thursdays from May to September.”

A sampling of new and returning programs include:

  • *Mealtime Makeover* – Taught by professional market chef Kathryn Yeomans, this new informational series on the first Thursday of every month from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. will focus on building kitchen know-how through drop-in demos, sampling, recipes, etc. Workshop topics include:
    • June 7 – Kitchen Basics (peeling, knife skills, chopping, dicing & stocks)
    • July 5 – Raw 101 – Creating delicious meals with raw foods
    • August 2 – Preserving – Fermenting – Water-bath Canning
    • September 6 – Back to School food – quick breakfasts, healthy lunches, homemade baby food
  • *Portlandivore Program* – Market organizers are launching the Portlandivore Program, a frequent shopper promotion. Shoppers who visit the market three times a month can enter to win a basket of $30 worth of market products. The draws take place on the last market of each month.
  • Franks a Lot- The annual barbeque fundraiser on Thursday, August 2, at Buckman Market will benefit Fresh Exchange, the token-matching program available to low-income residents receiving benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In return for a small suggested donation, market-goers are treated to a made-to-order hot dog with all the fixings sourced locally and from market vendors.
  • Bite Size Kids Cook – Kids can enjoy a free drop-in cooking activity once a month throughout the market. Each activity focuses on a simple recipe preparation using seasonal produce and few steps. Examples of recipes are green salad with berry dressing, veggie pita pizza, panzanella, etc. These classes will be taught by market volunteers and take place the last Thursday of the month.
  • *Meet the Market* – On Thursday, May 31, Buckman Market will host the first-ever open house featuring cooking demonstrations, market orientations, recipes showcasing market ingredients, product samples and giveaways from vendors and market sponsors, and market prize drawings featuring gift certificates from local businesses. Market organizers hope to attract new market shoppers to this informative, festive event.
  • Highway to Health Fair – The national peer mentoring non-profit HealthCorps partnering with students from Benson and Cleveland High Schools will host a health fair at the Buckman Market on May 31. This event aims to engage high school students and the broader community to raise awareness about the impact of individual choices on healthy eating, active living, and mental well-being. Event activities include relaxation techniques, making a stress ball, preparing a fruit parfait, and other interactive games.

* New for the 2012 season.

For up-to-date information on these events, shoppers can visit the Buckman Market page.

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

As with all other Portland Farmers Market locations, Buckman Market shoppers eligible for SNAP benefits will be able to receive $1 tokens using their Oregon Trail Card to purchase fruit, vegetables, meat, bread, cheese and some baked goods. Additionally, SNAP recipients can receive a dollar-for-dollar match up to $7 in tokens through Fresh Exchange, a program of Farmers Market Fund, at the King, Buckman and Northwest neighborhood markets.