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 In l987, a small group of market managers from around the state organized the Oregon Farmers’ Markets Association (OFMA) to support their work recreating traditional markets in their communities. By 2004, 64 communities within the state enjoy the benefits of a farmers’ market. Recent estimates indicate that more than 1,000 Oregon farmers participate in farmers’ markets each year and that farmers' markets attract more than 90,000 people each week during the peak summer months.
Farmers Markets strives to bring you healthy local food. There are activities and fun for the whole family. So come experience the market. Enjoy the events. Learn from top chefs. Make your own statement in support of local food!
Portland's love affair with farmers markets continues to get stronger. The Portland Farmers Market had record attendance in 2009, with more than 620,000 people shopping at the five area markets. That's a 16 percent increase from the year before. Those shoppers spent nearly $6 million, a nine percent increase from 2008.
A Hungry Shopper’s Guide to Portland
What really sets Portland apart isn’t the inventiveness of our menus or the degree of our chefs’ obsession with entrails. Our real treasure lies in the quality and diversity of ingredients available to cooks from the city’s network of farmers markets, food artisans, import stores and specialty shops. It’s an uncommon bounty for a town of our size, and one that has never been adequately cataloged until the Willamette Week did it in April, 2009. Click here to access the markets.
Food Hub Links Food Producers and Buyers
 FoodHub, an online directory developed by Ecotrust links food producers and buyers. The program, funded by federal money passed through the Oregon and Washington departments of agriculture, allows restaurant owners, for example, to find a local supplier of fruits, vegetables or meat. Farmers with produce to sell can list it in the system. The program requires a $100 annual membership fee. Users can customize searches to find or offer products by farming method, location and other factors.
Shopping Off the Grid: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
Call it shopping off the grid, where urbanites do business directly with producers, set a time and a place to receive the goods, then fill their fridge and freezer with all kinds of edibles. The buy-direct habit often starts with a CSA, where a household gets a weekly share of a farm's vegetable harvest. What's different now is that you can get a lot more from the source than just fresh produce. The metro area has close to 50 CSAs.
For a complete list of Portland area CSAs, visit the Portland Area CSA Coalition Web site.
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