Go Green at These Three Portland, Oregon Area Farmers Markets

April is Earth Month, and a fun and friendly way to celebrate is to spend a day at a local farmers market. Portland, Oregon is home to a wide variety of farmers markets. Farmers markets are great places to buy local, limit your purchases of packaged foods and find delicious organic produce. If you crave an earth friendly market, organic fruits and veggies and love the laid back environment that these markets have to offer, here are three to try.

Leave your car at home when you go to the Saturday Market at Portland State University. With many public transportation options (and inconvenient parking) a trip to this farmer's market is an easy opportunity to limit your carbon footprint. Located at the Portland State University Campus between SW Montgomery and SW Harrison (in the South Park Blocks), the market is open every Saturday between March 21^st and December 19^th. Hours vary, so check out the listing at www.portlandfarmersmarket.org for all the information. There are a lot of local family farms featured here like the Deck Family Farm and the Draper Girls Country Farm, so if you are into supporting the local economy, shop this market. Also, if you have a hankering for some hazelnuts, do not miss Freddy Guys Hazelnuts. Just remember, vendors will vary, so go with an open mind and you will probably find a new favorite treat.

Hollywood Farmer's Market is my favorite market to visit. It is not that it is that much different than the many wonderful markets across town. What it does have is a very friendly atmosphere and easy to find parking. It features a variety of produce, products, and entertainment. This is a medium sized market with friendly vendors. There is an extremely detailed website at www.hollywoodfarmersmarket.org with directions, vendor information, entertainment information, and photos. Another convenient feature of this market is the token program. It allows shoppers to use debit cards to obtain tokens to use at the various booths. A similar program is set up for shoppers using food stamps (check the website for details and limitations of this program). Vendors range from family farmers like DeMartini Family Farms from Canby to farms specifically dedicated to ecologically friendly farming like Deep Roots Farm. If you are looking for eggs, oysters, calla lilies, gourmet cheese, artichokes, or artisan pasta, this is definitely the market for you.

If you are looking for an experience (in addition to your fresh produce) consider a day trip (carpooling, of course) to Troutdale, Oregon. The Troutdale Farmers' and Artists Market is located at 551 E Columbia River Highway in the heart of historic Troutdale (East of Portland), and features produce, gourmet goodies, arts, crafts, and live entertainment. Old Troutdale also boasts many antique shops, museums, restaurants and fun stores. The market runs Saturdays from 10AM to 3PM from April through November. It is open air and runs rain or shine, so do not forget your rain gear. For more information, visit the website at www.windancefarmsandart.com.

Portland, Oregon is the ideal place for farmer's market fans. Whether you are on a health kick, want to do some ecologically sound shopping, have some fun, or celebrate Earth Day, going to any of these markets will fit the bill.