Announcement of Hawthorne Urban Farmers’ Market Grand Opening on Sunday, 5 July
July 6, 2009
SE PORTLAND, Oregon (3 July 2009) – After a two week “soft opening,” the Hawthorne Urban Farmers’ Market (HUFM) will be celebrating its Grand Opening on Sunday, 5 July 2009, from 1-6pm and, operating every subsequent Sunday until Thanksgiving. This unique market is the only one in the Portland Metro Area that will primarily feature Ultra-local produce grown within the city limits, using the innovative distributed-network method. It is also the only Farmers’ Market in Oregon that officially accepts barter as payment.
The cast of characters at the Hawthorne Urban Farmers’ Market this week include, Melanie of Backyard Bounty, Calliope from Calliope’s Table CSA, Dylan from Cedar Mills Garden, Echo of Estacada CSA, Tom and Lauren from Mall56 CSA, Nikki from Sellwood’s RiverHouse CSA, Kat and Marie from the Sellwood Garden Club and, Farmer K and Deva of Sunroot Gardens CSA. All booths are attended by farmer-operators of either small farms or collections of tiny farms.
In addition to a relatively large number of diverse produce vendors for such a small market, you will find Sabrina and her cut flowers, Ann the Reiki Master, the woodworking guys, Pete and Libby’s useful and edible plants and farmer-made ceramics. There will also be a musical guest for each market. On the Hawthorne Market’s Grand Opening weekend, the solo-acoustic singer/songwriter known as Demon Squirrel will be playing a long set.
Most farmers’ markets in Portland and Greater Oregon are much larger and bring in folks from all over town for produce grown up to 75 or 100 miles away. The Hawthorne Urban Farmers’ Market is small, but it also has an effective range of 15 miles. Some of the vendors perform their farm-work and come to market by bicycle. Through an arrangement of goodwill and mutual benefit, nearby businesses on the upper blocks of Hawthorne Boulevard allow their facilities to be used by market-goers.
Just as the the Distributed-network Urban Farming Movement in Southeast Portland has grown up due to necessity on the part of a handful of intrepid, young farmers, the Hawthorne Urban Farmers’ Market arose to supplement several unique and innovative styles of produce production and marketing. “Though it will seem like any Market from the outside, everything about this market is pragmatically cool and very South-east,” said Marie Richie of the Sellwood Garden Club, one of the more than half-a-dozen produce vendors expected to be present on any given week. “It’s the way Portland will feed itself in the future,” added Farmer K of Sunroot Gardens.
The Hawthorne Urban Farmers’ Market is an experiment in self-organization that allows each vendor ultimate freedom to conduct business as he or she chooses. The market is also not affiliated with the Oregon Farmers’ Market Association. It operates without fees from vendors but instead, relies upon a gift economy. For instance, vendors pitch in to give the entertainment and lot owners a bag of produce or give goods between each other to exchange what one might call the capital of goodwill.
Products available at the market on the Grand Opening weekend of 5 July will include cherries, lettuce, beets, turnips, spinach, chard, kale, zucchini, herbs, fancy greens, flowers, carrots, green onions, peas, collards, black raspberries, sprouts and many unusual or ethnic crops.
The Hawthorne Urban Farmers’ Market will operate from the parking lot of the Hawthorne Auto Clinic, at 43rd Ave., every Sunday until Thanksgiving.