Stinging nettles are a NW native and early spring crop
The People’s Farmer’s Market in the heart of Southeast Portland has been offering one of the best choices of organic foods per square foot year-round every Wednesday. Whereas the Portland Farmer’s Market is big and bustling, often slightly overwhelming, the People’s Farmer’s Market feels like a quaint little community patroned by hippies and local families. (They even accept food stamps.) The whole market fits in the front patio area of the People’s Co-op, a spot that can’t be more than 50×50 feet. The concentration of unique local and organic goods, however, always makes a trip worthwhile. Following are some of the highlights from my latest visit.
Photo Album
People’s Co-op Website
Yacon, a rare tuber grown by Sunbow Farms.
Sunbow Farms always provides a large selection of certified organic produce to market customers. On my last visit, I noticed an item I hadn’t seen before, the yacon (pictured above), a Peruvian potato relative that maintains much of its crispiness even when boiled. They were selling it dried as well. Sunbow was also carrying some nice oriental vegetables, such as pac choy and tat soy.
Regular patrons of the Portland Farmer’s Market are familiar with Osmogaia, the best source for tomatoes come summer. The yuppie masses tend to avoid the ultra-hippy proprieter, unfortunately. I look forward to his stand, however, and it’s one of the best features of the People’s Co-op Farmer’s Market that Osmogaia is always there. Osmogaia’s April bounty includes stinging nettles (see photo above), shallots, edible flower petals, various greens and flowering greens, and Jerusalem artichokes.
Wild Things, from Beavercreek, usually has a small selection of interesting goods. On my last visit, this included fiddlehead ferns, dried nettles, maitake mushrooms, and large eggs, either from a duck or goose.
The rustic German loaves of Fressen Bakery.
Fressen Bakery is a new vendor this year at both The Portland Farmer’s Market and the People’s Co-op. They make German-style breads utilizing whole wheat and rye grains leavened without yeast. The breads are nutty, earthy, moist, dense, and sweet. If you don’t want to buy a whole loaf, most breads come in rolls as well.
Currently, the market’s only cheese vendor is Fraga Farm, an organic goat cheese producer from Sweet Home. (See a great little feature on them at PNW Cheese Project.) They sell tasty cheves and fetas, both plain and flavored.
Wingnut’s organic vegan chocolates.
Wingnut Confections is a vegan chocolatier that I unfortunately missed in my chocolate survey leading up to Valentine’s. They use palm oil and it shows in the texture of their truffles. But given their disadvantage, the texture is adequate. The infusions overwhelm the chocolate a bit, but remain quite enjoyable and not overly sweet. If you miss the farmer’s market, you can get their chocolates in the refrigerator section of the co-op or at Food Fight and Whole Foods.
