Last month, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack declared August 2nd to 8th National Farmers Market Week. The nation's 4,800 farmers’ markets have a lot to celebrate.

Today the local food movement has captured the attention of the nation and farmers’ markets are growing at an astonishing rate. Over the last ten years there has been a 170% increase in farmers’ markets opening nationwide. In Oregon, the number of farmers’ markets has doubled over the past decade and there are currently more than 90 farmers’ markets throughout the state.  Oregonians are hungry for the fresh, nutritious food and community gathering places that farmers’ markets provide.

Why? They understand that purchasing food at a local farmers’ market has a positive global impact. Farmers that sell at farmers’ markets are dedicated to keeping small family farms alive and thriving, and investing in sustainable farming practices that make a huge difference to our environment, economy and social well being.  

The most obvious way that a small, sustainable farm makes a global difference is by reducing the consumption of fossil fuels. Producing and distributing conventionally grown food requires an enormous amount of resources. A 2000 study found that 10 percent of the United States’ annual energy consumption is used by the food industry. The shorter distance food travels, the less fuel is needed to transport it.  At Portland Farmers Market, more than 85 percent of our farmers travel 50 miles or less to participate at our five weekly markets.

Sustainable farming techniques used by many of Oregon’s small, family-run farms can produce truly dramatic reductions in resource consumption. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that we could save 80 million gallons of diesel fuel a year used to pump water onto crops simply by improving the efficiency of our irrigation systems by 10 percent. Likewise, reducing the amount of petroleum-based pesticides and fertilizers used on our nation’s major cropland would not only save us around $1 billion, but also help prevent water and soil pollution.  

There are more reasons to support farmers’ markets. Farmers’ markets offer the unique opportunity to make cities feel like small towns and strangers feel like neighbors. One of the greatest joys I’ve experienced was opening day of our Saturday PSU Market in mid-March. It was a typical early spring day—overcast and in the mid 40s—but with the ringing of the opening bell the energy of the market overpowered the weather. What I witnessed still brings tears to my eyes: Shopper after shopper hugging farmers, neighbors reconnecting and chatting, kids and adults alike swaying to the music and sharing their stories after a long, wet winter. It was community being built right before my eyes. Twenty weeks later, market turnout has swelled and the same joy reverberates through the market.

Farmers’ markets nourish and feed us in so many different ways. By forging connections between consumers and farmers and food producers, it creates a strong constituency for growing the local food economy – the backbone of a truly sustainable community.

Our deepest gratitude to all dedicated farmers’ market shoppers. To those who have not yet experienced a farmers’ market, we encourage you to attend your local market this week and start your journey toward building a healthy, vibrant, sustainable community and local economy.

See you at the market,
Ann
 

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Get Cooking with Market Chefs

During the month of September, Market Chefs will be at the Sunday King Market to help cooks shop for, prepare and enjoy local foods with confidence and inspiration.  Each week at 10:30am and 12:30pm, Chef Kelly Myers and a guest chef will share lessons on a variety of themes, including A Farmers Market Menu for the Whole Family and Fresh for Less: delicious ways to get more from your farmers market dollar.  Guest chefs will include chef, writer and Garden of Wonders founder Linda Colwell, Jeremy Daniels of Nostrana restaurant, and Slow Food USA regional governor Katherine Deumling.

Sunday King Market Extended Season

Due to the popularity of our new Sunday King Market, we will be extending the season an extra month, through October 25, 2009.  Thank you to our valued shoppers and vendors for making this market a wonderful weekly gathering place for the neighborhood.

Tomato Turn On

Back by popular demand, the annual Portland Farmers Market tomato tasting will take place at the Saturday PSU Market September 12th from 10:30am-noon. Volunteers will be slicing and dicing a rainbow of tomatoes for customers to taste and compare. After sampling all varieties, market shoppers are encouraged to cast votes for their favorites in the “slicing” and “cherry” categories. Join in the fun and help a farmer win “Top Tomato” bragging rights!

Eat Your Words

On September 26th, Wordstock volunteers will be on hand at the Saturday PSU Market to talk to shoppers about this year's festival (October 8-11), which will have a focus on food.  Look for them near the Powell's Books booth in the center of the market.

See You Next Year

As September comes to a close, so too will the 2009 season for our Thursday Eastbank and Thursday Ecotrust Markets.  Thank you for supporting our local farmers by making these your neighborhood markets.  Don't forget to join us for the Eastbank Thanksgiving Reunion Market on Tuesday, November 24th from 1pm-5pm.  There will be free hot cider and everything you need to create a sumptuous Thanksgiving feast!

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Walk Now for Autism

Walk Now for Autism Portland will host a non-competitive walk in the South Park Blocks in Downtown Portland in order to increase awareness of Autism, as well as help raise money for Autism Speaks to fund critical research, advocacy, family services, community grants, and more right here in Oregon. Join the crowd on Saturday, September 26, 2009, 10am at SW Main and Salmon to show your support.

Portland VegFest

This month, Portland VegFest celebrates five years of food, fun, and community. This annual vegetarian festival features free samples of delicious food and drink, musical entertainment and a prestigious roster of popular cookbook authors and wellness experts.  The festival is on Saturday, September 19, 2009 from 10am-8pm at the Oregon Convention Center located at NE MLK Blvd. The price of admission is $5 at the door (free for children 10 and under) and you can visit their website for a printable $1-off coupon.

Free Grand Central Baking Demos

Just in time for fall meals and holiday baking, Grand Central Bakery will host a series of six, free baking demonstrations featuring their line of U-Bake products.  All of the demonstrations will feature two recipes—a savory and a sweet—that celebrate local and seasonal ingredients.  September's classes will feature a Roasted Tomato Tart and Marionberry Pie one week and Quiche Lorraine and Tarte Tatin the next.

The hour-long demonstrations will take place at Grand Central Bakery’s 714 N. Fremont Avenue location in Portland at 4pm on the second and last Wednesday of the month, from September 16 through November 18.  No pre-registration is necessary and walk-ins are welcome.

Premiere of "Ingredients"

Meet the filmmakers at the premiere of the locally made documentary film Ingredients.  This feature-length documentary reveals the people — including many Portland-area farmers and chefs — who are leading the movement to bring good food back to the table and health back to our communities.  The premiere at the Bagdad Theater on Friday, September 25th at 7pm will be followed by a panel discussion with chef Greg Higgins and Anthony and Carol Boutard of Ayers Creek Farm.  Tickets are $5 at the door and proceeds will benefit the Multnomah County Sustainability Program.

Composting Workshop

On September 20th, the Institute of Biowisdom will be holding a Making and Understanding Composts and Compost Teas Workshop at Sunbow Farm in Corvallis, OR. Instructors Shephard Smith (owner, Soil Smith Services) and Harry MacCormack (owner, Sunbow Farm) will share basic information and techniques on topics such as converting conventional to organic, making composts in various climates, making compost teas and extracts, and strategies for fertilization, disease protection and fungal control.  For more information about this practical and hands-on introduction to the complexities of the Soil Food Web paradigm, click here.  The workshop runs from 10am-3pm (bring your own lunch) and tickets are $30 at the door.

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MIX celebrates the energy and excitement of the country’s hottest food and drink scene.

MIX combines the ingredients that make the Portland food scene so special: friends gathering for casual entertaining, an emphasis on local produce and artisan foods and drinks, a vibrant restaurant scene, a booming wine country, craft beer nirvana and the people who make it all happen.

We are so pleased to be one of the sponsors of the Portland Farmers Market and grateful for the vitality the markets bring to our city and the accessibility to local agriculture they bring to our urban neighborhoods!

Martha Holmberg, editor of MIX, sees Portland’s culinary culture as unique because it has such strong roots in the rich agricultural traditions of the state. “There’s a respect for great ingredients shared by everyone who’s involved in the scene. It’s not just about being cool. It’s about being GOOD and cool!”

After taking the helm of The Oregonian’s weekly FOODday section (which was awarded The Association of Food Journalists Best Food Section in the nation the last two years), Martha saw MIX as a natural extension of The Oregonian’s coverage. The vibrant, growing food and drink scene inspires passion in Portlanders and makes life in our city special.

MIX strives to highlight the freshest local artisan ingredients and offers readers a wide range of seasonal recipes using those ingredients. In the MIX June/July issue, Leslie Cole writes, “I’ll take a visit to a farmers market as my sentinel of summer. Here I can see, smell and taste the rhythms of the season, from the first nibble of a snap pea, to the search for the sweetest berries among the stalls, to the sharp, earthy aromas of roasting peppers and craggy wild mushrooms in the fall…. The question becomes not what to cook, but do you have time to cook everything you imagine?”

Each issue of MIX magazine features unique stories on the Portland food scene. Join a Friday Night Dinner Party and kick back with some new friends; take a culinary Walkabout through a Portland neighborhood; learn about seasonal ales in Pub Crawl; learn secrets of top bartenders in Mixmaster; learn about specific wine varietals in Selects; get restaurant reviews in Scene; take a road trip in Eat Here; discover cool implements in The Goods; and more! Plus, check out past articles and lots of great recipes on MIXPDX.com.

MIX magazine: Portland’s Magazine of Food + Drink. MIXPDX.com: Portland’s Food + Drink Scene. Your guides to the Portland food scene. MIX is available on selected newsstands and by subscription. Go to MIXPDX.com for more information.

MIX is published by The Oregonian’s Lifestyle Media group, a leader in developing innovative publications that combine well-designed, insightful, page-turning editorial features with quality advertising directed to a focused audience.

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