08 June 2018

Make the Most of Your Farmers Market Experience

It’s our favorite time of year! With this week’s opening of the Lents International Farmers Market and Kenton Farmers Market, five of our markets are now open for business (Pioneer Courthouse Square opens June 18!) and bursting with more fresh food every week. Unassuming neighborhood spaces transform into bustling marketplaces—community gathering places alive with shoppers and kids and vendors and chefs with different backgrounds who all share one important thing: the market experience.

Chelan cherries in season now!

Summer is an extra-rewarding time to be a market shopper. Every week farmers watch our fresh food go from barely ripe to peak-of-the-season, and pick it just in time for you. Thanks to a sunny spring we’ve seen an early start to the hotly anticipated Oregon strawberry season. The biggest surprise so far? A few local tomatoes and cherries have already made their way to vendor stalls (and market baskets)! Before we know it, we’ll be in the heart of stone fruit season, and the tantalizing fragrance of sun-ripened peaches and nectarines will guide your nose to the best of the best.

Farmers markets really do offer something for everyone. Live music, kid-friendly activities, people-watching and great food abound. Small local businesses bloom and grow, supporting our local economy. Add to all of that the allure of just-picked produce, handcrafted goods, convenient hot foods and toasty sunshine, and you have the recipe for the perfect family outing.

Carpool with a neighbor, bring your out-of-town guests, or finally meet up with that friend you’ve been aching to see. Or just come alone and visit with the vendors. You’ll get the inside scoop on what’s good now, and what to watch for in the weeks ahead. You can learn the names of the new baby goats. And you may even score a new recipe for those wild morels or learn the best way to serve fava beans.

The market experience is whatever you make of it. So, what will you be making this week?