Portland Farmers Market: Eastbank
Yuppies, Children and Grazing OH MY!
Every Thursday, May to September.
SE 20th and Salmon, in the Parking lot of Hinson Church.
The Portland Farmers Market organization spread its wings last May and opened an Eastbank location Thursdays during the summer. Sponsored by New Seasons (the PFM people and New Seasons always have a booth/tent set up at this event), it overlaps with the PFM’s other Thursday event, at Ecotrust in NW Portland. PFM is expanding quickly, and seems to have no shortage of both produce and prepared food vendors ready to step up. Eastbank is buzzing with Grazing families from the Buckman/Sunnyside/Ladds Addition neighborhoods.
Perhaps most surprising about Eastbank is that not all of the produce vendors sell organic produce. Different produce vendors advertise different levels of ‘naturalness.’ Some are Certified Organic, some say ‘no spray’, or ‘biodynamic’, and some say little in general. All of the produce vendors here seem large enough to supply New Seasons’ produce departments, all though I’m not sure which do and which do not.
Eastbank is significantly smaller than the South Park Blocks main event, but significantly larger than the Co-op farmers market. Eastbank takes up the whole parking lot, which is sizable. On average there are: 5 large produce vendors (7+ items, in large quantities), 2 small produce vendors (5 items or less, smaller quantities), organic free range chicken and chicken eggs, sometimes Lamb, and nearly always wild Salmon out of the back of a truck. Two cheese/creameries (Rogue and Jacobs Creamery) most weeks, flower vendors, Vegan Truffles, prepared dips and spreads vendors, Canby Asparagus kitchen, Zuppa organic soup, Black Sheep bakery, two bread bakeries and the gluten free bakery cart, Cider/wine tasting/sales, Solpops, the Rice Triangle guy, an espresso truck and at least five Environment Oregon canvassers at each exit.
There is whacky Farmers Market music, as is the style of the time. There are chairs and tables, a tent and a PA for the performers, which I can’t say is a good thing most weeks. Last week they were giving away free strawberry shortcake (with purchase), courtesy of someone who wanted to make every attending nanny’s day a living hell. Yes, there are lots of nannies. They are often hot. No, I don’t go to there to meet women. Perhaps I should.
Eastbank is a lot like the SW Park Blocks Farmers Market; it’s a fair weather place for browsing and carousing as much as buying produce. I’ve yet to meet a farmer, but their workers are usually knowledgeable enough, and pleasant. The other visitors tend to be of the ilk that overlook a guy like me, which is preferable to hippie staredowns, but also lacks any real sense of community, unless your kids are running into classmates or something.
Fuck, I sound like a hippie.
