JARIYA: Summer Tomato: Farmers Market Update: Portland

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Summer Tomato: Farmers Market Update: Portland

Posted: 02 Jun 2013 10:28 AM PDT

Purple Artichokes

Last week I had the good fortune of heading to Portland for a few days. I made a stop at Kiva Tea Bar and Spa to talk about Foodist and sign a few books. If you’re in the Portland area, you can find books there and at Compote (an awesome breakfast spot).

Naturally while I was in town I had to stop at the farmers market, and I must say I was blown away. Multiple people recommended I visit the market at Portland Statue University, which is the biggest market in the city.

Portland Farmers Market

The market rested under a canopy of towering trees, which gave the entire market a lovely green glow and fresh smell. The abundance of seasonal produce, pastured meats and tasty treats was unbelievable, and I have to admit I was a little jealous.

Massive Favas

Despite the slightly gloomy weather, spring was in full effect at the market. Such beautiful greens, favas, and foraged goods.

Sea Beans, Fiddleheads and Morels

Morel Mushrooms

Stacks of kale, mustard, collards, chards and lettuces were on tables as far as I could see. There didn’t seem to be much variance in the quality of farms, as all the stands were equally impressive.

Amazing Mustard

I was really bummed I couldn’t buy anything to take home for dinner, since I had to catch a plane back to SF early the next morning.

Greens

The egg selections at the market were particularly impressive. There were quail eggs, turkey eggs, duck eggs, and of course immaculately cared for chicken eggs. I couldn’t help but think of the infamous restaurant scene from Portlandia.

Chicken Book a la Portlandia

The local butcher scene in Portland was even more impressive than we have here in SF, which is saying a lot. I sampled a few of the cured meats and pates, and they were unbelievably delicious.

Salumi

With the exception of a few strawberries there still wasn’t much fruit yet at this time of year, but I imagine that will change soon. The vibrant colors of all the vegetables more than made up for it, however, and it didn’t feel like anything was missing.

Tuscan Kale

Purple Broccoli

Garlic Scapes

Microgreens

Even more impressive were the incredible colors of the wild flowers that were on sale at the market. Peonies and dozens of other seasonal flowers were available in huge bouquets for as little as $10 a bunch. It was spectacular to behold.

Peonies

Flowers

My only regret was that I wasn’t able to spend more time in the city to take advantage of all the amazing food, but I now plan to make Portland a regular stop in my travels.

What did you find at the market this week?