Organic Farmers MarketOrganic Foods, Green Products, Books & Farming Information

Portland residents: how much access do you have to local produce/food?

I am thinking of moving out to Portland, Oregon. It is important for me to have access to good, healthy foods which I don’t think will be a problem there (in hopes there are food co-ops and health food stores around). But it is also important that I have access to local food from gardens and farms. Are there many in the area??? What about a farmer’s market? I am especially looking at the Alberta neighborhood, in which I would like your opinion as well. Thanks!

There are quite a few farmers markets operating around the area during the season. The granddaddy of them all—Portland Farmers Market—has spun off 3 or 4 additional markets on different days of the week. Besides that, there are about 20 other farmers markets operating throughout the metro area. Even a once-a-month market in Alberta.

I think New Seasons Market does a great job of providing reasonably priced excellent fresh produce. It is a local chain oriented towards organic foods and products. Whole Foods does decently too, but is much more expensive than New Seasons; there are fewer Whole Foods than New Seasons.

With wheels, there are a great number of family farms throughout the area where buying directly from the farmer on their property is common. Many farms also offer U-pick which typically runs about half the price of “they pick”. Blueberries, cherries, and raspberries are now in season; strawberry season ended a week or two ago.

Farms surround the Portland area quite closely compared to most U.S. metropolitan areas. Sauvie Island is about eleven miles NW of downtown; farmland surrounds the urban growth boundary at about 20 to 25 miles from downtown west, south, and east.

Besides all those sources, the Fred Meyer chain has a “nutrition section” in (almost) every store which contains several thousand square feet of bulk foods and organic products. Safeway stores do a little, but not nearly as well as Freddies.

There are a few dozen vegan and vegetarian restaurants, some being very nice restaurants, with others being more earthy.

Farmers Markets in Salem, Oregon

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The Farm to Table Cookbook: The Art of Eating Locally $3.20 A seasonally organized volume of recipes by leading chefs who are dedicated to the use of fresh and locally grown ingredients also instructs readers on how to incorporate farm-fresh produce into a daily menu.Title: The Farm to Table CookbookAuthor: Manning, Ivy/ Torrence, Gregor (PHT)Publisher: PgwPublication Date: 2008/04/28Number of Pages: 239Binding Type: HARDCOVERLibrary of Congress: 200704585…

Fresh from the Farmers’ Market: Year-Round Recipes for the Pick of the Crop $2.46 Offering quality and prices that can’t be beat, and emphasizing the enduring value of small local farms, farmers’ markets are popping up all over the country. Acclaimed food writer Janet Fletcher and photographer Victoria Pearson bring the freshness and flavor of peak produce to the kitchen with Fresh from the Farmers’ Market. The more than eighty easy and delicious recipes included here — many b…

Idaho, Montana, Oregon & Washington: The Best Organic Food Stores, Farmers’ Markets & Vegetarian Restaurants $6.99 “This is the resource book for vegetarian travelers.” — Healing Retreats. “This is a terrific and much-needed guidebook that makes traveling easy and worry-free for vegetarians. It lists and rates vegetarian restaurants and also reports on the best places to find produce.” — Society of American Travel Writers Foundation. “… a handy way to eat well on the road… celebrates the pleasures of …

Farmers Market (Paperback) $8.13 Colorful vegetables, delicious fruits, and lots of friends. . . . The farmers market is always fun! Illustrator Edward Martinez brings the hustle and bustle of market day to life.

Farmers’ Market Bridal Shower Invitations $1.81 These whimsical hand-drawn bridal shower invitations are reminiscent of posters you might see at your local farmers’ market.

The Irish Farmers Market Cookbook $15.99 Both a cookbook and a culinary tour of Ireland, celebrating the diversity and quality of local food and showing how the experience of shopping at farmers’ markets can transform your everyday cooking.Over 100 recipes range from new takes on traditional Irish favourites to dishes with more Mediterranean flavours, always emphasising seasonality, local produce and fresh ingredients the return to slow food.Includes a guide to the best farmers’ markets in each region of Ireland, with profiles of some of the farmers and producers bringing their food sensations to market.As well as using ingredients available at the market, recipes also recreate some of the breads, cakes, chutneys available, like Gallic Kitchens organic steak pies and Giana Fergusons baked cheese with winter herbs so even if you can’t visit the markets you can still enjoy a taste of Ireland.Recipes for everyday cooking Fried mackerel, Cork Beef Stew as well as more unusual offerings that reflect the wider range of produce available at farmers’ markets, such as Roast Pheasant with Apple and Sweet Geranium Stew.