CartSubscribe To Our Newsletter
04 May 2012

KING, King, king! SUNDAY, Sunday, sunday!

0

SALAD, Salad, salad

Thanks to Weinstein PR

The King Market season begins Sunday, May 6, and will continue every Sunday until October 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at NE Wygant Street and NE 7th avenue.

On opening day, season sponsor COUNTRY Financial will unveil the winning design of its second annual Reusable Bag Design contest at 11:30 am at the music booth. All Portland Public Schools (PPS) high school students were invited to display their artistic abilities and illustrate this year’s contest theme, “Fill up on Fresh.” The student with the winning design will have his or her artwork displayed on thousands of reusable canvas bags and receive a $1,000 scholarship. The reusable canvas bags will be distributed to shoppers at Portland Farmers Market events throughout the season. Two runner-ups will also have their designs featured at the unveiling ceremony and will receive a $500 scholarship.  The bag contest will supplement initiatives to reduce waste and promote recycling at market locations.

In addition to the reusable bag winner unveiling, opening day will include musical entertainment by How Long Jug Band and Gypsy Jazz West, as well as booths featuring seasonal produce samples and recipes, planting activities for children, and community partners Metro Master Gardeners, Alberta Main Street and Slow Food Portland.

In preparation of opening day, King Market experienced some digging around its digs this spring thanks to the King Neighborhood Association. Community member Diego Gioseffi led a project to refresh the landscaping adjacent to King Market site replacing invasive plants with native groundcover, shrubs and trees.

New Vendors

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 King Market lineup.

  • Happy Campers Gluten Free Baking – Lacy Gillham and Jan Taborsky are Camp Captains and founders of Happy Campers Baking based in Tigard, OR. 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.  facebook.com/scoopicecream

Programs and Events

Throughout the season, King Market will organize activities to help shoppers build skills in gardening and cooking, promote local seasonal produce, and attract new and loyal shoppers to the market.

A sampling of new and returning programs include:

  • Get Growing – Throughout May, shoppers who spend $15 or more on plant starts purchased from market vendors can enter to win a drawing for a basket brimming with market goodies on the last Sunday in May. Plus, volunteers from the Metro Master Gardener Program will be on hand to answer questions and kids can take part in a hands-on a planting activity. To help neighborhood residents get a jump start on this year’s planting, the first 50 shoppers to purchase tokens at the market on opening day will also receive an edible plant start sponsored by Farmers Market Fund, a companion charitable organization to Portland Farmers Market dedicated to providing low-income, elderly and under-served populations in the region increased access to healthy, locally grown food.
  • *Bulk Buy*– This new program to promote height-of-harvest produce will feature vendor specials on bulk purchases of seasonally abundant crops. The program provides incentives and inspiration for bulk purchases including shopper discounts, recipe packets, and education on how to preserve the

    Asparagus

    harvest. Look for bulk buys at vendor stalls throughout the season.

  • *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.
  • Build a Burger – The annual barbeque fundraiser on Sunday, July 1, at King 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 grass-fed burger with all the fixings sourced from King Market vendors.
  • Bite Size Kids Cook– Kids can enjoy a free drop-in cooking activity once a month throughout the market day (10-2). Each activity focuses on a simple recipe preparation using seasonal produce and few steps. These classes take place the second Sunday of the month and are hosted by nutritionists:
  • *Ask the Expert* – This new urban homesteading information fair was created for shoppers to ask questions and learn more from specialists on the subjects of home gardening, beekeeping, urban chickens, wild foods, food preservation, DIY home/personal care, etc. It will take place Sunday, July 15.

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

As with all other Portland Farmers Market locations, King 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