Portland has such an abundance of farmers’ markets that it’s a shame for me to only go to one, but that M-F life has a way of limiting a girl. Luckily, besides being convenient to me in both scheduling and location, the Saturday market at the PSU Park Blocks downtown is one of the best in the country. Citation: everyinternetlist ever.
This season’s been so strong that the Saturday PSU market extended its typical March-December season and continued all winter. That’s right—we kept beet-ing and kale-ing and prancing around with our steamy lattes straight through January and February, like Southern Californians without abs or tans. (Do you hate us? I’d hate us too.)
Of course, the market is as much a social event as it is a shopping trip. Music is a constant presence. Some people leave with heaving bags of greens and root vegetables, with a flower bouquet tucked under one arm and a loaf of bread under the other. Others just mill about, sample jams and cheeses, eat a breakfast burrito, and call it good. In the summer, there are chef demonstrations and cooking classes for children. The kids’ classes, by the way, are no joke: Vietnamese spring rolls! Crepes! Sushi! No boxed mac-and-cheese nonsense here. Grover from Portlandia is real, and he just made you some market veggie tacos with goat cheese. You’re welcome.
Danguole Lekaviciute cooks, eats, and drinks in Portland, and also really needs to know if you’re gonna eat that pickle spear. You can check out her food blog here, or come say hi on Twitter.
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Apples: I moved to Portland in October and they were here. They are still here, in countless varieties.
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Asparagus: Asparagus was not around last week. You're supposed to give new-to-the-season produce a couple of weeks to reach its peak, but I gleefully ignored perfectly good advice and grabbed a bunch. I have baby potatoes and a mustardy dressing it needs to meet.
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Charcuterie: Olympic Provisions is one of many Portland institutions, along with Pine State Biscuits and New Deal Distillery, that are here every week.
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Fiddlehead ferns: Fronds of a young fern, ready to be blanched, sautéed, and introduced to some pasta or fish.
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Radishes: All the radishes.
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French breakfast radishes: So many varieties of radishes these days. The green and black ones don't look as cute, but sliced thinly on buttered toast with a sprinkle of coarse salt, there is no such thing as an ugly radish.
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Lilacs: Food is for your belly, flowers are for your soul.
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Plants and seeds: If you give a man (or a woman) a fish…
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Rhubarb: Those ruby-red stalks are clearly begging to be made into an apple-rhubarb butter.
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Spring onions: These are everywhere, along with green garlic and leeks.