Finding Farmers' Markets - Portland, OR (PSU)

This post is part of a series Much Ado About Fooding is doing on farmers' markets - Duc and I plan to visit as many as we can, starting in southern California, to get a sense of what sets each apart, what drives communities to them, and what gems people should look out for. To keep track, bookmark the "Farmers' Market" category.

If only we lived in Portland, we'd be able to go to what is now doubtlessly our favorite farmers' market to date. There are several farmers' markets that grace the city of Portland but the particular one we visited was at Portland State University. You might blame the clean air and gorgeous greenery around us for why I would pick it as a favorite but you'd have to rescind that accusation once you realized the vast abundance of this Saturday market. A robust gathering of more than 250 vendors all over Oregon and southwest Washington, this Portland Farmers' Market is impressive and jealousy-inducing.



The first test of your willpower for this farmers' market is the hunt for parking. One way streets and narrow roadways can make the vehicular situation a craze of a headache, especially if you are not quick to spot openings. During this search, be mindful also of multitudes of pedestrians loaded with tote bagged goodies who are crossing streets and stepping out from between cars. Though I can get impatient when it comes to finding parking, I can easily still keep this market at the top of my list because their offerings are worth the hassle.

Once you find your sweet spot and get out to amble towards the entrance, you'll notice that there isn't really one "real" entrance. The market stretches the length of the campus quad with rows and rows of vendors. It forms an oblong arena in shape with several walkways connecting the sides every once in a while. The pathways are bordered by vendors on each side and at every entrance point, there is fresh, fresh produce. Organic this, hydroponic that, GMO-free here, and heirloom there - it's all part of the recipe for such a varied and accommodating market. I actually doubt that most residents explore the entire market when there are so many farms present from which you could reap the rawest harvest.


While you shop, be prepared to be educated, entertained, and edutained. Just about every single vendor whose booth we stopped at engaged us in lively conversation no matter how busy the traffic was. Questions were enthusiastically answered and demonstrations happily given. What a shocker - everyone was genuinely here because they were excited to be! I love seeing the passion for food and overall, their products in people. At several points, there were also forms of entertainment such a bluegrass band, a very talented cellist, and even (what are the odds?!) a didgeridoo player! Some businesses also incorporated games into their displays such as Dave's Killer Bread which had a wheel of chance from which Duc actually won a loaf of tasty Honey Wheat bread.


By the way, you better believe that with so many vendors, there are bound to be samples. Tasters abound, the booths displayed their ware and fare with pride and encouragement. "Try this one! Try that one! What do you think?" We fell in love with the salami guys and drooled at their collection of foie gras and pates. I talked at length with the smoked salmon woman who had at least seven varieties of smoked fish that I really wanted to bring back to California with me (we tried to strategize ways to ice-pack the lot for the flight but it was too messy). A heritage dairy produced some of the finest chunks of cheese we've had, and a pot pie experimenter managed to contain a plethora of comfort foods between two pie crusts. Yes, there was wine, beer, and mead. Yes, there was live and freshly caught seafood. A pound of amazing hazelnuts were brought back home too, and our friend could not resist diving into a jar of pickled beets from a pickling master. If you love food, you need this market.


Not a chef/cook yourself? There's no need to worry because a whole fourth and perhaps third of the market includes prepared foods and hot meals you could buy on the spot. Lines wrapped around stalls and behind buildings for some of the more popular places include Pine State Biscuits. Plenty of seating gave people a reason to stay for longer and indulge in made-to-order dishes of just about every cuisine around. We even ended up buying more than a dozen (collectively) cookies from the cutest little spot - two tarts bakery.

As for the gardeners and green thumbs out there, the Portland Farmers' Market really caters to the food growing lovers with at least three different vendors slinging herbs, plants, and starters for everything. You could even step away with some beautiful bouquets from your visit. This lovely and enviable gathering happens regularly on Saturdays at Portland State University (PSU); an approximate address to use would be 1717 Southwest Park Avenue, Portland, OR. Go there - you won't be sorry.

Photography by Duc Duong. More photos available on Facebook here.

This post is part of a series Much Ado About Fooding is doing on farmers' markets - Duc and I plan to visit as many as we can, starting in southern California, to get a sense of what sets each apart, what drives communities to them, and what gems people should look out for. To keep track, bookmark the "Farmers' Market" category.