A bounty of local food at Market

July brings great weather and tons of produce to THPRD’s Cedar Mill Farmers Market!

Already bursting at the seams with several dozen vendors, CMFM welcomes Bonny Slope Market Garden in early July with their herbicide- and pesticide-free all-natural heirloom tomatoes, grown on one acre just a couple of miles from the market. The small farm is run by Brian Hill & Craig Bell, college students of both agriculture and horticulture, with an all-natural approach to food production and a keen interest in soil health, plant health, and people health. Brian and Craig would like their Bonny Slope Market Garden produce to be thought of as hand-grown with care for guests of the farmers Market! This summer, Bonny Slope Market Garden’s hoop house is devoted to heirloom tomatoes including Amish Paste, Aunt Ruby's German Green, Black From Tula, Cherokee Purple, Green Zebra, Italian Heirloom, Koralik, Nebraska Wedding and San Marzano varieties. They plan to sell beet and cucumber pickling kits, heirloom squash and squash blossoms, kale and kale chips (if they don’t eat them all first!), living lettuce, other leafy greens, both fresh and dried herbs, and—later in the season—plums, apples, and pears. Since Brian & Craig’s farm is just up the road a piece, you can bet their vegetables and fruits will be fresh!

RhoJo is the Market’s new breakfast & lunch food vendor, starting in July and featuring delicious grilled burgers, sausages, and more, including vegetarian options, served up on homemade buns, along with a menu of both sweet and savory baked goodies such as cinnamon rolls, pepperoni breadsticks, scones, and more.

A favorite vendor at the Market this season has been Decadent Creations, with their quality all-natural artisan pastries, cakes, and breads, made in their nearby bakery. If you haven’t yet tried Mindy’s goodies, made without compromise, with the best ingredients (locally-sourced when possible) check these photos: facebook.com/DecadentCreationsPDX or just look through the gallery at decadentcreations.com. Once you do, you’ll be sure to stop in at Decadent Creations to see what Mindy has been up all night baking.

Great Feeling Foods is another hit at the Market, with several varieties of ice cream cookie sandwiches and more—all gluten-free, which is a feature more people find important these days. For more information, including how to have your gluten-free event catered, see greatfeelingfoods.com or call Great Feeling Food’s dedicated gluten-free bakery right here in Cedar Mill at 503-329-2750.

Galin-Flory Farms returns with their natural-practices produce. Teresa Galin puts it this way: “We grow the kind of produce your grandparents used to eat…all natural.” Years ago, their farmland was home to the world-famous Steele’s Pansy Gardens, but Teresa & Matt’s generation has breathed new life into the farm, including a chemical-free program of sustainable farming, and a new dedication to growing food that they would be comfortable eating. In recent years, they added a wide array of vegetables to the no-spray blueberry farm, as well as raspberries and a selection of plums and pears. The people at Galin-Flory Farms believe that organic, sustainable farming practices promote a healthy environment and lifestyle. They do their part for us by growing healthful, high-quality food for families—without chemicals, without herbicides, without pesticides, and without genetically-modified seed. Galin-Flory Farms offers a CSA program, too; find them online at galinflory.com.

Later in July, the Farmers Market plans the annual Blueberry Bash, with a visit from fun-loving Ima Blueberry on the morning of July 21. Guests will have several opportunities to win prizes, such as half-flats of plump delicious blueberries and $5 Market tokens. Kids always enjoy the blue balloon creations, face-painting with a blue palette, and games such as the blueberry toss. Lauren Sheehan & Spud Siegel provide the bluegrass music from 10-1:30, adding to the lively Blueberry Bash atmosphere.

Bluegrass music for the Blueberry Bash is a tradition, but every Saturday brings a wonderful musician or group to the Market. Of note is the up-and-coming vocalist and ukulele player, Ryan Furukawa, a college student and YouTube sensation, who will perform for us on July 7. The following Saturday, Carley Baer, just back from a tour of some mid-western cities, will delight us again with her fabulous vocals and guitar (as well as a little ukulele, too).

If you are a Facebook user, “Like” the Cedar Mill Farmers Market to keep up with the latest goings-on, including updates on what to expect at each Saturday’s Market in the way of music, vendors, and special events. Look for vendor posts with new products and specials for Market guests!

Another way to keep in-the-know is by signing up for the weekly e-news. Just email cmfmarket@gmail.com with “start e-news” in the subject line. E-news recipients enjoy weekly recipes for what’s fresh in the Market, courtesy of super-volunteer Pat Taylor, whose husband, Larry, also provides invaluable help to the Market.

CMFM loves its volunteers! Email cmfmarket@gmail.com if you’d like to be a part of the fun. The Cedar Mill Farmers Market is all about providing a great place for the people of Cedar Mill and surrounding communities to get together and enjoy themselves while supporting healthy lifestyles. The good news is that while doing so, we’re all supporting wonderful local family farmers, bakers, artisans, and more. Eat fresh & buy locally by shopping at THPRD’s Cedar Mill Farmers Market this summer, open Saturdays from 8-1:30 in the Sunset Mall across from Sunset Park on NW Cornell just west of Murray.

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