If you live in the greater Portland metropolitan area and enjoy fresh and local produce, you’re in luck. Portland boasts many impressive farmers’ markets year-round, plenty of which showcase delectable fruits and vegetables, irresistible baked goods, unique artisan goods, and more. One of their most endearing qualities is that they offer a multitude of activities for every member of the family. While this won’t be an exhaustive list of all the gems found in the myriad of farmers’ markets that pop up every spring, summer and fall in Portland, we hope you find some helpful tips that will help guide you.

St. Johns Farmers Market

Since 2009, St. Johns Farmers Market has been supporting a local, sustainable food supply while providing opportunity for emerging farmers. St. Johns has everything you’d want from your local farmers’ market. It even supports the local community through a matching SNAP program and connections to nutrition and cooking classes. It’s located in a central St. Johns area at the St. Johns Plaza (N. Lombard and N. Philadelphia). Open Saturdays 9AM-2PM, May 18th through October 26th.

Portland State University Farmers Market

Located in the heart of downtown, PSU’s farmers’ market is buzzworthy, and for good reason. It proudly hosts a whopping 140 vendors and is home to chef demonstrations, food education events, and of course, live music, positioning it as an ideal location for all ages. It’s open nearly all year on Saturdays from 8:30am-2pm from April-October and 9am-2pm from November to March.

Montavilla Farmers Market

Situated uniquely in a red barn in the Southeast district of Portland off Stark St. and 78th, Montavilla’s Farmers’ Market is convenient for its proximity to coffee shops, restaurants, bars and yoga studios. With over 60 vendors, this market also offers a progressive food program designed to help everyone receive access to quality foods and ingredients.

Lloyd Farmers Market

You might associate farmers’ markets with the weekend. But what if we told you Lloyd Farmers Market is open on Tuesdays from 10am-2pm year-round andoffers food trucks? Looks like you just figured out what you’re doing on your next lunch break.

Cully Farmers Market

If you’re seeking a place to do your midweek grocery shopping with farm fresh produce, eggs, milk, meats, fresh baked breads and more, look no further than Cully Farmers Market. Listen to live music while you shop, indulge in fresh tamales, and check out the community table and pop-up library. Cully Farmers Market is open every Thursday 4-8pm from June-September on 42nd Avenue in the charming Alberta District.

Portland Farmers Market at King

In addition to Cully Farmers Market, the bustling Alberta district also possesses a delightful Sunday afternoon option in the form of Portland Farmers Market at King. Perhaps its main appeal is breakfast and lunch in front of live music, family-friendly cooking classes and 35 farmers and food artisans. This market is open Sundays 10am-2pm from May 5th-November 24th.

Lents International Market

Should you be seeking to taste in the innumerable flavors that permeate this world, you’ll certainly find something at the only internationally-focused market in Portland. With its unique approach to showcasing cuisines from around the world, it is a crucial home base for immigrant and new farmers, as well as new small food business owners. Come share in the fun and leave with a full belly this Sunday from 9am-2pm until November 24th (re-opens June 2nd).

Conclusion

While this list could truly stretch on for miles, it suffices to say that there are several quality farmers markets to experience virtually every day of the week, all with unique offerings. We encourage you to check one or several out, as there is truly something for every age. For more information on vendors, recipes, news and upcoming events at farmers markets near you, check out http://www.portlandfarmersmarket.org/.

Sources:

https://fitt.co/portland/farmers-markets-portland/

Searching for ways to give back to the community this holiday season? This time of year always helps us see outside of ourselves and give more. Sure, you’ve tossed some change into a red bucket while bells are ringing, and the Salvation Army does much good work. But, if you’re looking for opportunities to share your time, your heart, and your money, we’ve found seven Portland charities that need you. Continue reading “7 Portland Charities That Need You” →

Multnomah County Animal Services (MCAS) provides important services for the entire Portland area. It’s the only public animal shelter and control agency, so they’ve got a lot on their plate! Here’s how MCAS makes life better for us and all our animal friends in Portland.

About Multnomah County Animal Services

MCAS serves all 700,000+ residents of Multnomah County. Its mission is to “protect the health, safety, and welfare of people and pets throughout Multnomah County.”

MCAS provides lost and found services, adoption services, licensing, 24-hour response to emergencies, and help resolving animal nuisance disputes. The staff also investigates cases of animal abuse and neglect, as well as helps deal with potentially dangerous dogs. (As you can imagine, the staff is very busy making sure everyone is taken care of.)

MCAS takes in over 8,000 animals each year, mostly cats and dogs, but also occasionally a bird, rabbit, or reptile. MCAS is an open-door facility, meaning that it takes any breed of dog or cat, regardless of health issues or adoptability. There are no exceptions to this policy (and we can tell you that this isn’t the norm with animal shelters).

Humane Shelter

The staff at MCAS is committed to doing everything possible to increase save rates for the animals that come their way. They’ve been able to partner with the community in several ways to increase save rates. These include:

• Transferring cats and dogs to private shelters and rescue groups
• Finding foster homes for high-needs animals
• Creating a work program for cats, where cats catch rodents in exchange for food and a comfortable place to live

Animals are only euthanized when they have serious health problems that endanger other animals in the shelter or when they present a danger to people in the community.

Adopting from Multnomah County Animal Shelter

All current adoptable pets are listed here. Depending on the animal, quite a bit of information is available right here. Information about the animal’s health, preferences around children and other pets, and sometimes even a short video are available to look at.

Animals that arrive at the shelter are given thorough health examinations. Dogs undergo a behavior assessment, while cats’ behavior is observed by staff for several days. This helps staff decide what kind of owner would be a good fit for the pet.

Multnomah County Animal Shelter Lost and Found Services

If you find a pet, there are instructions for what to do here. You can also fill out a report, which pet owners looking for missing pets can peruse. If you’re a pet owner who has lost a pet, you can search through those found reports here.

If you’re a pet owner who has lost an animal, you can also fill out  lost reports like these. (Just a helpful side note: make sure you always have a good, current photo of your pet in case you ever need to fill out one of these reports.)

Ways to Help

If you want to support the shelter’s mission of saving as many animals as possible, there are several great ways you can do that.

Donate

You can donate items that the shelter needs, buy items from the shelter’s Amazon wish list, or donate to your choice of five different funds.

The shelter also accepts vehicle donations.

Volunteer

The shelter is a great way to get some rewarding volunteer time in. You’ll need to attend a training, pay a small fee, and pass a background check. Youth as young as 12 can volunteer if a parent or guardian is present, which is pretty cool! Check out the details here. Who doesn’t need some more animal time?

Foster

The shelter receives a lot of animals that need special care (often very young animals, very old animals, or animals who have serious health needs). Fostering is a great way to get some animal companionship without the permanency of adopting an animal. Here’s everything you need to know to get started as a foster care provider.

Thanks to Multnomah County Animal Services for All You Do!

We’re grateful to have a shelter like MCAS here in our community, and we encourage you to support them and the work they’re doing however you can.