Photos by Anevay Torrez/The Advocate
Gresham Farmers' Market patrons find fresh produce every Saturday from May until the end of October
Review: A trip to the Gresham Farmers' Market
By Anevay Torrez
The Advocate
While many view Saturday as a day for rest, relaxation and recharging from the long week just completed, Gresham is offering something new and local.
The Gresham Farmers' Market is held seasonally downtown from May 8 to the end of October. It is a great resource for MHCC students because of the great deals on food, bags, gifts and home improvement products that can help struggling students survive the hard economic times.
Cherie Williams, who owns Adornments By Cherie, is one of the vendors. "Students come here, but not often," she said, which is surprising since there are around 97 vendors who come around a broad area — from Canby, The Dalles and cities in between. Some vendors said they bring with them family recipes, and cultural influences from regions in Oregon that they hail from.
The Gresham Farmers' Market is an opportunity to get out of the comfort zone of the familiar and the spending atmosphere of a supermarket. It is a great way to practice meeting new and interesting people, as well as learning how to get your money's worth when it comes to food, which goes hand in hand with Gresham Farmers' Market's mission statement.
The mission statement is "to provide growers of agricultural products, prepared foods and crafts, with facilities, sites and services to market their products; to provide consumers with a market for purchasing farm products directly from the producer as well as educate the public about the benefits of fresh local produce, plants, foods and crafts and provide a sense of community where the residents can gather socially,"
There are different options to buying products at the market with food stamps as well as Oregon Farm Direct Nutrition Program checks and Visa cards being accepted. This comes in handy when you want buy in bulk because you find seedless watermelon selling for 50 cents a pound or for fresh yellow corn on a cob for a dollar.
The vendors are also helpful with questions about ingredients. They will even sometimes let you in on their secrets and experiences with food. It's also nice to be able to try something before buying it. "Especially if you're thinking of buying goat cheese. It's best to try a sample before buying because we offer a variety of goat cheese besides just plain cheese," said Alsea Acre, a goat cheese vendor.
The Gresham Farmers' Market is located on Miller at 3rd Street and is open from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. There's also is the Midweek Market at Gresham Station every Wednesday from 4-8 p.m.
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