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BY CHRISTINA MELANDER
Markets exist in all cultures. Italy has leather and gold markets, gorgeous flower fairs line the streets of France, and open-air vendors in Prague mix rice crackers with wooden toys on the same table. Right here in Portland we have Saturday Market, the country's largest outdoor forum, as well as a half dozen farmers markets in the Metro area. Malls have replaced the markets of yore as teen centers for goods and gossip, but do public meeting spaces exist for a more mature population? The media glut has long displaced markets' function as news centers, but folks gather for reasons beyond mere commerce, and markets are still educational. In addition to helping shoppers identify unusual produce and offering cooking tips, many markets are introducing customers to a new way of shopping. Women, Infants and Children, the USDA supplemental-nutrition program for pregnant and breast-feeding mothers and children five and under, introduced a farmers-market project three years ago. Mothers receive 10 two-dollar coupons and must participate in a fruits and vegetables nutrition class. 6000 families profited from this program in 1995, and this year 12,600 families are involved. Kelly Paige, WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program Coordinator, points out that this system benefits two groups of people--small-scale growers and women who normally shop at Fred Meyer. The six farmers markets I visited, with the exception of the Weekend Garden Market, redeem WIC coupons. Here's how they measure up in size, spirit and merchandise.
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HOLLYWOOD This two-year-old community start-up is surprisingly the only eastside farmers market, unless you count Gresham's. With an average of 25 vendors and a strong neighborhood vibe, it's also one of the best. The Hollywood Market comes equipped with nostalgia-invoking courtesy red wagons to tote your food and volunteers who help disabled shoppers; signs in Russian are on the docket. This is strictly an agricultural forum showcasing products grown in Oregon and Washington, with a few prepared-foods vendors. |
Washington Mutual Bank parking lot, 4333 NE Sandy Blvd., 233-3313. 8 am-1 pm Saturdays through Oct. 31. |
Alsea Acre |
lobster mushrooms | one | full-on | |
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People's looks like a house, so it makes sense that the market on the lawn projects a yard-sale atmosphere. A dozen or so friendly merchants congregate to share their homegrown fruits, vegetables, fermented tea and beauty products; vendors willingly offer tastes and discuss their wares. While the produce is all grown without pesticides and herbicides, it is not all certifiably organic. |
3029 SE 21st Ave. 2-7 pm Wednesdays through Nov. 25. |
Kombucha | ||||
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Set in the verdant, shady Park blocks, the Portland Market is the most beautiful one I visited. It's also super-busy; expect long lines. With two downtown locations and a seven-year history, this market is a firmly established forum for the usual fare of veggies and fruits, as well as nuts, cheese, seafood, baked goods and plants. Cooking demonstrations by local chefs add to the bustle. Downtown workers can treat the Wednesday market as a pre-lunch happy hour and cruise the booths for samples including sunflower bread chips, smoked salmon, ostrich sausage and ravioli. |
Southwest Park Avenue and Salmon Street, 10 am-2 pm Wednesdays through Sept. 30.
Southwest Park Avenue and Market Street, 705-2460. 8 am-1 pm Saturdays through Oct. 31. |
Goldberg's Bakery bread | ||||
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TIGARD FARMERS
If you live in the western suburbs, the Tigard Market is a good bet for swift Saturday morning shopping. Relatively spartan, this market is small but refreshingly manageable. Many markets ban crafts-- seemingly their presence undermines the purity of a produce market--but Tigard allows juried handmade crafts. I didn't see anything spectacular. |
Healthfirst Clinic parking lot, 9250 SW Hall Blvd., 244-2479. 8 am-1 pm Saturdays through Oct. 31. |
Goldberg's Bakery bread | Rasmussen Farms berries | Donut Express fresh-fried fritters | ||
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VANCOUVER FARMERS MARKET This market provides a reason to visit Vancouver, if only for the fresh Donut Express doughnuts. Decent fritters are exceedingly hard to come by in these parts, but this Vancouver market vendor cranks out small sweets left plain or delicately doused in your choice of confectioner's sugar or cinnamon for about 14 cents apiece. Like Tigard, this market also supports crafts. |
5th Avenue and Broadway, (360) 737-8298. 9 am-3 pm Saturdays through Oct. 31. |
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WEEKEND GARDEN MARKET Corralled in a forlorn lot off the Tualatin Valley Highway in Beaverton, a smattering of oddball merchants waits out six hours each Saturday with little hope of successful sales. Despite Backyard Gardeners' lovely lavender bouquets, the market emits a junky, inauthentic feel. The most winsome salesman on the pavement hawks veggie dips; they're tasty, but they hail from faraway Oklahoma. There are some local hazelnuts and berries lined up alongside weird chairs shaped like the palm of a hand. |
Tualatin Valley Highway at Southeast 160th Avenue, Beaverton, 359-1705. 9 am-3 pm Saturdays through Oct. 24. |
Blackberry lemonade | ||||
originally published August 26, 1998