Collection of featured articles from the weekly market newsletter, known as the Grapevine. Subscribe today and never miss a thing!
There are those who say that living on a farm is like going to school. Then there are those who build their business around that idea. John and Christine Deck, the couple behind Deck Family Farm, have invested two decades into a unique blend of business and education. It’s hard to separate their farm from their intern program, or from their land, from their herd, or from their community. And it was all built to be exactly that way.
Read MoreAs the calendar turns to October, our minds naturally turn to crisp days, cozy evenings, and the approaching holiday of Halloween. What do all of these things have in common? The use of fall’s favorite fruit: apples!
Read MoreThis time of year, one of the most common questions at the information booth is, "when does the market end?" It's a question we love to joyously answer, because the response is: "we do not end!"
Read MoreA common rallying phrase for small businesses and farmers’ markets alike is the call to “shop local.” We’ve all heard it, but have you ever stopped to wonder why it might be important? In celebration of this Sunday’s Vendor Appreciation Day at Hillsdale Farmers’ Market, we are going to look briefly at just a few of the benefits of spending your money in your own community.
Read More“The PNW is a bizarre place for many reasons. One of the peculiarities and the beauty is our strong community.” As head of sales for a small PNW company, it is Trevor Lampert’s job to know. “People have so much support for the small players, the local businesses. We always planned for our farmers markets to be our foundation – we never expected it to be this successful.” Lampert spearheads the team for Good Wolf, a probiotic tonic company.
Read MoreThey say hindsight is 20/20. For Patricia Dabush of Meadowbrook Gardens, her past can feel like highway 20 - and it has always led right to where she is today. “My parents weren’t really farmers. They were like Green Acres – [part of] the ‘back to land’ers movement. [They] were getting older and thinking about selling the property. I wanted to raise my kids like I was raised, play in the creek, and throw rocks – I wanted to live on the land. I was like, ‘Wait! Don’t sell the property!’”
Read MoreWhen thinking about seasonal produce, squash tends to be a fall favorite. A total spoup-er star, squash is tasty roasted or pureed. With squash, our minds immediately jump to the hearty thick-skinned vegetables that make up our cold-weather menu. Did you know you can start enjoying squash right now, at the height of summer? Today we’ll take a closer look at summer squashes and how they can be used.
Read More“I kept saying ‘I’m going to start small and see if it has legs.’ And at every sort of step people were like, ‘make more!’” If you’ve tried Zicra Lukin’s babka then you know what those people were talking about. Babkush, Lukin’s pandemic-grown Jewish bakery, has the kind of products that make everyone scream for more.
Read MoreOne of my favorite internet memes reads, “The four seasons are depression, allergies, tomatoes, and spooky.” If you have been to our market recently, you will know that we are well and truly into tomato season. This weekend we will celebrate that juicy bounty by bringing back a beloved Hillsdale event: Tomatomania!
Read MoreThe season of summer bounty is upon us, and there’s no better time to celebrate your local market and the people who make it happen. National Farmers Market Week is August 6 - 12, 2023!
Read MoreSticks and stones may break my bones – but stone fruit keeps me healthy!
Read MoreHave you wondered about how the big decisions get made at the market? Do you love to linger by the info booth, chatting about your garden and this week’s market haul? Do you want to get more involved in your community’s connection to local and seasonal food? Now might be the time! Read below to learn about our volunteer program and our open board positions.
Read MoreKey ingredients for a Humble Pie: a background in restaurant work, a “yes!” attitude, and a once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic.
Read MorePortland residents Gabrielle and Thomas Chavez are dedicated solution seekers, undaunted when the problem they’re tackling is on an enormous – even global - level. From their shared skillset as chefs and their raw food, vegan background, the two have created The Climate Café, a pop-up organization seeking to literally change the world. “Like everybody, we’re looking for solutions to the looming climate disasters,” says Gabrielle. “We want to do that by offering people a taste of a way to eat that is life affirming and climate affirming.”
Read MoreSummer in the pacific northwest is the season of so many beloved elements of our region: outdoor theater, outdoor meals, days by the river, nights in the mountains, home gardens, and big, bountiful farmers’ markets. After a full year of attending every farmers' market, I have a few pointers for making this summer your summer at Hillsdale.
Read MoreWhen buying flats and flats of berries, your shopping can get a little out of hand - sometimes literally. Luckily, we have a resource to the rescuce! They're green, they're sturdy, and they've got big tires for negotatiating curbs and speedbumps. Today we're talking a bit about some of the hardest working farmers' market equipment around: our community wagons.
Read MoreKeeping track of which seasonal produce is available when can be hard to do, even for the pros! You may ask a farmers when their cherries are coming and often they can give you an idea, but not a solid answer. Farming can be both an art and a science.
Read MoreJune is here! In the Pacific Northwest, June brings with it warmer days, school’s end, and delicious strawberries.
Read MoreRemembering Glenn Bridger, a great friend of the Hillsdale Farmers Market
Read MoreIf you’ve been to the market recently, you may have noticed our beautiful new Information Booth tent. It’s clean, it’s sturdy, it has our logo on it… it’s pretty much everything we could wish for in a 10’x15’ tent. This tent was a gift from one of our generous market sponsors, Spitzer Technology Consulting.
