This Saturday is the raffle you have all been waiting for! You still have a couple hours on Saturday morning to purchase tickets if you haven't yet. The drawing will take place at 10am and prizes include $50 in market tokens, a market gift basket, a $50 gift card from Hollywood Babylon, and many many more. Stop by the Info Booth this Saturday morning to buy your last-minute tickets.

The freshest tuna to hit Portland this year will be at the market on Saturday! Just caught and cut tuna loins from Linda Brand Crab is the perfect choice for eco-conscious seafood lovers. And with a healthy dose of omega-3s you can't go wrong! Linda Brand Crab will also have what proprietor John Edwards called "the very best smoked tuna I've ever tasted".    

Also this Saturday is the Summer Pie Contest! Fruit pies of all persuasions (berry, peach, apricot, etc.) can be entered at the information booth booth on 44th and Hancock between 8 and 10am. Judging will commence at 10:30 at the community booth across from Happy Harvest Farm, and winners will be announced at 12 noon. See the contest rules here. Good luck to all our contestants!

See you at the market! 

 Farm Profile: Winter Green Farm

by Diana Martin

Under the overcast Portland skies we experienced earlier this spring and summer, Winter Green Farm's produce provided a much-needed colorful contrast to an otherwise gray day. On the particularly dark Saturday morning that I visited Hollywood Farmers Market, Winter Green Farm's booth (located in the northeast corner of the market) displayed basil, carrots, two varieties of lettuce, spring onions, peas, potatoes, radishes, turnips, zucchini, berry spread, AND tomato sauce. My mouth started watering as soon as I arrived.

The farm, located in Noti, Oregon just west of Eugene, was started in 1980 by Jack Gray and Mary Jo Wade, and currently operates under the shared ownership of three different families. The families have a common goal: creating and promoting community. The farm is a tight-knit community where everyone - owners, workers, and volunteers  - keeps the farm running year-round. The Winter Green Farm community extends across Oregon through farmers markets and family memberships to the farm's Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Aside from the ten acres of crops grown specifically for farmers markets, Winter Green Farm also has another nine acres dedicated to crops for CSA members.

Everyone involved with Winter Green Farm is committed to biodynamic farming practices. Biodynamic is a word that encompasses far more than one might expect. According farm co-owner Chris Overbaugh, who shares ownership of the farm with his wife Shannon, biodynamics is a "fairly meaty subject" where the farm is seen "as an organism where everything is interrelated." This interrelatedness encompasses a multitude of aspects, including using a lunar planting calendar, composting to enrich the soil, fertilizing plants with composted manure from their cattle, and spraying the fields and compost piles with herbal preparations. All of these efforts, along with the community that has grown at the farm, gives an incredibly complex definition to the humble claims of "organic" and "biodynamic" on the chalkboard at their booth at the market. Aside from the Hollywood Farmers Market, Winter Green Farm sells their products at seven other markets: three in Eugene, one in Bend, and three others in the Portland area.

One of the farm's main goals is "producing quality basic foods for the local community." This goal goes beyond just providing food at local farmers markets. In 2010, Winter Green Farm had over 600 member families in their CSA program who received a weekly box of seasonal food from the farm from mid-June to mid-October. These boxes give members a chance to sample delicious organic, biodynamic, local produce, delivered right to their doors. Overbaugh and his wife also enjoy the benefits of eating with the seasonal harvests, which right now includes cooking with napa cabbage, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, spinach, and soon eggplant.

At farmers markets, Overbaugh notes that people seem to really enjoy the carrots and berries, but these are only two of the over 200 varieties of fruits, vegetables, and herbs grown on the farm - and the growing season is not even halfway through! I'm certainly looking forward to enjoying the rest of summer and all the organic, biodynamic produce to come. You can find out more about Winter Green Farm on their website! 

 2011 Photo Contest Winners

Thanks to everyone who entered the 5th Annual Hollywood Farmers Market Photo Contest! Check out the winning photographs here. (Sadly, there were no entries in the pets category.) The winners will receive gift certificates to Hollywood Camera Store.

People - taken by Anne Meixner

Product - taken by Christine Mallar

Music & Entertainment:

Anna, Paul & the Bearded Lady 

Community Booth:

Oregon College of Oriental Medicine 

Upcoming Events:

Raffle Drawing - Saturday, August 6, 10am

Summer Pie Contest - Saturday, August 6 

Cooking Demo with Robert Reynolds of The Chef Studio - Saturday, August 13

Featured Product

August 6, 2011

Tomatillos

Kimberly Farm

Kimberly Farm has three kinds of tomatillos. The green ones are bolder in flavor and the purplish ones have more seeds.

Cherries

Feeley's Fruit

Feeley's Fruit has two varieties of cherries; sweet, colorful Rainiers and bold, deep red Lapins. Stop by and experience one of each to find out which is your favorite!  

Pinot Noir

Laurel Ridge Winery

Laurel Ridge Winery will be doing blind taste tests of their three varieties of Pinot Noirs this Saturday! You will have the opportunity to try their Twin Forks, Barrel Select, and Chehalem Reserve. Prices range from $10 (usually $12 for the Twin Forks, but on special this week) to $28.

Heirloom Tomatoes

Sweet Leaf Farm

Sweet Leaf Organic Farm has several succulent varieties of tomatoes, including Early Girls, Big Beefs, Sungold Cherries, and even those funky-shaped and richly flavored Brandywine Heirlooms! 

Tamales

Micro Mercantes

Not only does Micro Mercantes have ridiculously tasty tamales, but their profits support a cooperative of Latina women which help vendors afford rent, utilities, health care, and education. Enjoy your tamale with filling options of jalapeno/cheese, spinach/cheese, chicken, pork, or veggies. Helping out a worthy cause never tasted so good. 

 Tip of the Week

brought to you by Robert Reynolds' Chefs Studio 

Fruit for Dessert - Eat fruit for dessert 5 days a week. Eat cake twice a month.

 Market Pics