King Neighborhood Farmers Market

The Market

Sorry for the long delay between posts, but Lori and I had to get in some vacation time. We did not find any farmers markets in the Rogue River Wilderness area. Black bears, yes every day, river otters, yes, deer, 37 lb salmon, yes and yes, a lot of fun people enjoying good food and wine and the river, yes. But no farmers markets up there.

So, well rested, we are back on the Portland Farmer's Market beat. King Neighborhood Farmers Market is located in the inner NE part of Portland and seemed to be a great fit for the community it serves. Not too big, not too small, but just right for the neighborhood. This is a very friendly, laid back farmers market that has all of the products needed to do some local shopping and enjoy one's self. Parking can be a bit of a challenge, but it is in the middle of a neighborhood. Nicely, the locals didn't seem to mind the extra traffic. Since it was Right next to the school, we saw some families set up blankets and settle in for a lazy afternoon on the grass under the shade of some trees on the school grounds as an extension of the market's social attraction. This was no rush in, grab your food and rush out kind of crowd. We saw great products, heard some great music and took home some great stuff to eat. Note the golden beets in the picture to the right. They are really great in a roasted beet salad and are not very commonly available. Try them if you get a chance. We bought a Butterscotch melon. Much like a small cantaloupe, very sweet and tasty. I may try to grow some next year. We also purchased some multi-color beans. Something really new to try.

The Table

The beans, as you can see from the picture, were shell beans. Like a fava bean you shell them before cooking, only these were much easier to prepare than a fava. These were simply shelled and steamed for about 10 minutes until tender but not mushy. Season to taste, I have been experimenting with some different sea salts lately. Something I highly recommend that will add some variety to your seasoning. You can find a variety of sea salts at Penzey's spice stores and now most of the large grocery stores.