The Best of Both Worlds

In Oregon, late September and early October are our golden days of fall, and nowhere is that clearer than at the farmers’ market. The sun is still shinning, though the heat has dropped. The mornings are crisp, the evenings coming on sooner and sooner. At the farmers’ market, it is easy to see the way summer and fall blend into one another.

On Sundays in September, the evidence is on display at each and every stall. Herr Family Farms is selling the last of their dahlias, beside their gorgeous autumn sunflowers. Sun Gold Farms has boxes and boxes of gourds, for sale next to their peppers and tomatoes. Gathering Together Farms has their winter hardy kale, bundled and ready to go, alongside their gorgeous golden and purple beets. The market is still full of abundance of every kind – fish, eggs, summer berries, winter squash, melons, and pumpkins.

As we move into October, you will notice that the market will begin to change. Some farmers’ seasons may be over, while some farmers will have just begun. CGI Orchards came back to market just a few weeks ago, bringing all their varieties of apples, while Van Hevelingen Nursery is done with their plants and starts until the spring.

Back in June we put together this seasonal produce map. It’s a handy way to know what to expect when you come to market each week. Instead of labeling each item by month, we’ve created more of a spectrum. As you’ll see when you look at the graphic above, Oregon is slowly spinning away from our warm berry summer, into our hardier produce autumn. This is the time for apples, zucchini, beans, and squash. Please feel free to download this image or pick up a hard copy the next time you are at the market. We created it for you, for your personal garden, for your weekly shopping, for conversations with your children or your favorite farmer.

Hillsdale Farmers’ Market is happening weekly until November 20th. After that, we will be gathering every other week, continuing to offer great value to the community through the winter. Sunday, December 4th will be our own version of the Fill Your Pantry event, where our vendors make it easier than ever for shoppers to buy in bulk and plan for the winter. Sunday, December 18th will be our holiday market, full of craft vendors and every kind of holiday sweet treat you might desire. We’ll take a break for the winter holidays and the new year before picking back up on Sunday, January 8th, 2023. It has been our honor and our pleasure to serve Hillsdale and the greater SW Portland region for twenty years. This fall, amidst so much transition, we are looking forward to another twenty more.