Farmers markets throughout Oregon strive to make their communities happy and healthy. This goodwill has spread outside the Beaver State with programs like the Power of Produce and the Double Up Food Bucks that have benefited other operations in the United States and Canada. Here are some farmers markets to check out when making your next trip to Portland or Salem.
Oregon City Farmers Market
The Oregon City Farmers Market (OCFM) is a farmers market of distinction. Located in a southeastern suburb of Portland, Oregon, Oregon City has been named “One of the 50 Best Markets in the USA” by Clean Eating Magazine and 2019’s “Outstanding Large or Urban Market of the Year” by the Oregon Farmers Market Association.
However, it also is notable because OCFM originated the Power of Produce (POP) Club in 2011. Now found at operations all across the U.S. and Canada, POP helps to show youngsters where their food comes from and demonstrate how to make healthy food choices.
OCFM recently moved onto the grounds of Clackamas Community College (S. Beavercreek Road and Clairmont Drive) so that it could “reach a greater demographic and join with the college in expanding our programming, allowing future opportunities to serve our community,” as Jessica Land, OCFM’s executive director/market manager, told Garden & Health.
The year-round market runs every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. from May through October and then every other Saturday during its winter months (November to April).
It averages 65 vendors during the summer season and 60 in the winter.
Supporting the community and healthy food are central elements of the market’s mission. Around 75% of its participating farms are located within a 10-mile radius of OCFM, and nearly half of these farms have been designated as Certified Naturally Grown or Certified Organic farms.
OCFM has also teamed with the Clackamas Volunteers in Medicine to host events such as health fairs and yoga. A partnership with the Oregon State University Extension program brings monthly food preservation classes. Plus, seasonal chef demos use items bought at the market to reveal great make-at-home dishes.
Photo Courtesy Portland Farmers/Oregon City Year Round Farmers Market
Portland Farmers Market
Oregon City is far from the only impressive farmers market in the Portland area. The nonprofit organization Portland Farmers Market (PFM) currently operates a handful of marketplaces in the Rose City metro area containing more than 200 vendors. The flagship (and namesake), which opened in 1992, is located on the Portland State University (PSU) campus (SW Park and Montgomery) on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. April through October and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. from November through March.
Two markets — King (7th and Wygant) and Lents International SE (92nd and Reedway) — are held on Sundays from May to November from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and June and November from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., respectively. The other two — Shemanski Park (SW Park and Main) and Kenton (N. Denver and McClellan) — are on Wednesdays. Shemanski operates from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. from May through October, while Kenton runs from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. from June to September.
PFM’s markets host a broad range of community programs, too. Grants are available to support new farm and food vendors.
The King, Kenton, and Lents work with the Oregon State University Extension Service to provide kids with educational activities and hands-on demonstrations. Those three markets also offer booth space to nonprofits and community-serving groups.
Moreover, all the markets participate in a sustainability initiative that includes eliminating the sale of disposable water bottles and starting the Durable Dining program, where hot-food vendors at PSU and King use reusable dishware.
Photo Courtesy Portland Farmers Market
The PFM’s good work extends beyond its city’s limits. In 2009, it helped to start Fresh Exchange at the King operation as a way for people to double their SNAP dollars on purchasing produce. Fresh Exchange proved so successful that it kept expanding. Renamed the Farmers Market Fund, it started running the Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) in 2015 and now is in more than 75 farmers markets around the state.
Salem Community Markets
Salem, located between Portland and Eugene, is another Oregon farmers market hot spot. The Salem Community Markets (SCM) operates at four different weekly locations. The original operation (865 Marion St., NE) has been around for over a quarter century and runs on Saturdays from March to October from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Averaging 180 vendors, the Salem Saturday Market is one of Oregon’s largest marketplaces and all items sold there must have been hand-grown, handmade, crafted, or cooked by the vendor.
Photo Courtesy Salem Community Markets
The weekday operations kick off with the Monday Hospital Market on the Salem Hospital Campus (875 Oak St.) which operates from May to September from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. May to September also is the season for Wednesday’s Chemeketa Market (45th Ave and Fire Protection Way) from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., which is done in partnership with the Chemeketa Community College Agricultural Hub. It is the newest member of the Salem family. The West Salem Market (1260 Edgewater St.) happens on Thursdays from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. from May to mid-September along the Edgewater Parkway.
If those aren’t enough, there’s also the big holiday event in early December that presents more than 250 vendors.
No matter the market, Salem aims, in the words of Kirsten Bachmeier, executive director, “To provide a one-stop shop for community members to fulfill their weekly needs with homemade, handcrafted, homegrown goods.”
SCM does a great job with this community service, especially its youth programming. Besides having a Power of Produce club, it also offers an Emerging Artisans program where youngsters (ages 18 and under) can sell items from their own table. They first go through a jury process, just like regular vendors.
Similarly, the market allows “student buskers” to also perform; however, young musicians must simply sign up. Always looking for ways to improve, SCM continues to grow. In 2023, it added the DUFB program, which Bachmeier told Garden & Health “has been a huge benefit to our SNAP community members.”
