We visited this farm multiple time for U-pick blackberries, raspberries, peppers and grapes! Love…read moreit!

There really isn't anything bad to say. Staff were sooo friendly to us and the kids, made them feel…read moreso welcome. Directions were clear and the whole family had fun with our first berry season picking experience. We will absolutely go back for the different produce in upcoming seasons to come.

This farmers market is a little less hectic I'd say, and I dig it!…read more Nestled in a square parking lot, next to a few small businesses and a New Seasons, is the Orenco Farmers Market. Many times I've seen it and many times I've avoided it. But now I regret not checking it out the first time they opened up a few years ago. Here's a few tips and details: * Parking * Most folks park in the New Seasons parking lot, or down the residential streets. The times I've been here, the lot has never been full. So I've never had any issue finding parking. * Favorite Vendors * ~ The Pie Guy - out of North Plains. If you yelp that, you'll see why he's different. Love their variety of pies. ~ Pilgrim's Roasted Nut'z - Another North Plains favorite! You can literally go nuts buying more than one bag. ~ Kookido - UGH, mochi-filled cookies! I'm a mochi lover and chewy soft cookie kind of guy. These are heaven in a container! ~ Pablo Munoz Fruits - I'm all about their peaches and berries! ~ Martinez Family Farms - Come here early for these guys. They always have a long line to pay. ~ Favorite Produce - I dig their fresh flower bouquets. ~ Helvetia Vineyards & Winery - Another local wine favorite. Try a sample! ~ Baird Family Orchards - mmm mmm, gotta love them peaches! Especially their Sweet Sue yellow peaches. ~ Our Little Farm and Nursery - Haven't bought anything from these guys, but they're the ones that freshly roast peppers. People love'em! ~ Slow Rise Bakehouse - Located out of Forest Grove. Check out my ROTD for them ;) ~ Thompson Farms - The "pear guy"! He's picking bosc pears soon. I cannot wait! ~ Papa's Sunflower Seeds - Flavored roasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds. These are the guys that do team fundraising. ~ Ochoas Catering & Events - Necessito burrito! They wrap up fat burritos (and more) and their salsas are simply el mejor! For the most part, if it's a hot summer day, the market can close a bit early due to excessive heat. I've yet to go here on a rainy day. But in closing for my next visit, I'm trying the pasta lady, the hot sauce guy, and the fresh mini donuts. Oh and the mouthful momo stand. Support your locals folks!

I absolutely love visiting Orenco Station - Hillsboro market for the first time last weekend. From…read morethe moment you step foot into the market, you're greeted with the vibrant colors of fresh produce, hand-craft goods, yummy food, and more! It's a good opportunity to support local and small. Parking wasn't an issue as there is desinated parking areas in apartment lots in front of the market. My favorite part was the local food vendors! We grabbed momos (delicious), tacos (best tacos in Oregon in my opinion), and hummus. HIGHLIGHT OF MY WEEKEND! S/O to Ochoa Catering and Events and Hummus Spot for putting my partner and I in our taco and hummus era. The service from these vendors were great and it was fun chatting about how their business started. Orenco Station - Hillsboro market is laid back and a good break from the hustle and bustle of city life. We will be back!

So I have farmgirl aspirations. I love barns. Chickens excite me. Compost? So amazing. Alpacas?…read moreNifty beasts. When I was single living in Eugene I had an enormous vegetable garden and lived out there spring till fall.It was my obsession, my haven. I blame my years living in the desert for this fascination with green, growing, blooming stuff. I lived for trips to nurseries, crop rotation, my fresh herbs, collecting salad fixings five minutes before a great meal. Social worker grind by day, earth mother the rest of the time. Bliss. I always had dirt under my nails, tomatoes to share, and I slept really really well. Things changed though when I moved to Portland and got a man, then a kid, then had aging parents to take care of in addition to my day job. I could barely get to the store much less a farm stand or the farmer's market. Enter the CSA. What a great idea. Support local farms, share the risk, reap some of the harvest. My first attempt didn't go so well ( long story about a crazy lady, slugs, and the Sheriff) and expensive. 10 weeks for $780. Ouchie. My kid got to meet the llamas and chickens though. That was sweet. This time we tried Sun Gold Farms. It is way more reasonable, 18 weeks for a full share, less than $500 and the produce is outstanding. I pick ours up every Wednesday evening in my neighborhood. I love the recipes and stories on their website, the people are great, they have honey shares too if you are interested, We have had some awesome dinners and my kid has tried new veggies. (Ex: fresh chickpeas on a chunk of the bush! ) They have an open house ( we unfortunately were out of town) every summer for their csa members which is cool, too. I think this farm really does everything well. Its not certified organic but its spray free and focuses on sustainable green practices. I can't think of anything more to tell you. I'm including a photo of this week's share. ( there are three of us at home plus my brother in law eats here a lot, so we have a fulll share) Oh, it runs summer into fall. You missed it this year. I'm going to go eat some homemade apple pear crisp now ( fruit from my csa basket). I'm a lucky farm girl. Ish.

My contact with Sun Gold Farms is through the Saturday Farmers Market at PSU. Sun Gold Farms has…read moredelicious produce at fair prices and offers Portlanders the market's best sweet corn as well as an amazing variety of winter squash. If you're like me and think butternut and acorn are the only squashes around, talk to Charlie and try the more tasty varieties -- carnival, red kabocha, sweet dumpling, blue hubbard, harlequin, delicata (one of my favorites), Thelma Sanders, red curry. The list goes on and on and on. Charlie's always happy to explain the differences between these types and he and his wife offer tips on how best to prepare the various kinds, either roasting them or turning them into soups. We like all of the produce they sell. Sun Gold is one of the best farm stands at the PSU Saturday market and an absolute must for sweet corn and squash.

It's pretty great to discover a new to you spot. I did not realize what an amazing selection they…read morehad! When the whole SNAP benefits nightmare happened, many places were giving out to those of us who are on benefits. I was grateful and held onto my credit which worked out perfectly. I got a last minute invite for Thanksgiving with friends and I wanted to make a few dishes to bring. My $20 credit was good till 11/30 so I spent a little over $6 on my SNAP card. All their produce is from local farms and I was in shock as to how gorgeous it is. Certain root vegetables like rutabegga, turnips and pearl onions can be challenging to get but they had them and they were some of the best I've ever seen! I couldn't resist some lemons and blood oranges because they looked so amazing. I also had to get apples, kale, and green onions. I realized I was dancing around while bagging some produce to 'Can I Kick It?' by A Tribe Called Quest... they even play good music??? Also, it's not often that the owners are right there working there at a business. Plus they're super nice and clearly love what they do! Thank you so much Kristin and Jason!

Jason & Christine are truly the nicest people in the small business grocery world…read more Their produce is always fresh, flavorful, and delicious, and we love that it is local, non-GMO, organic, and pesticide-free. For the past two summers, we have stopped shopping at other stores entirely to buy exclusively from them. The prices are also incredibly reasonable for such high-quality, organic items. As a vegetarian and an organic enthusiast, the 185th Grocery store is absolute heaven for me. Our family is thankful for everything they do to serve this community and we appreciate this locally owned business

Lowkey berry picking farm with lots of berries to choose from during peak berry season! You get…read moreyour bucket or tray from the tent and the adventure begins! The rows aren't as well-maintained as some of the other farms in the area (a little jungle like lol) but maybe that's part of the adventure. Can't beat $2/lbs on all berries! We came home with a BUCKET full of Ruby Raspberries and our favorite Marionberrries for under $6! No frills, friendly service, come early before it gets too hot! We were in and out in 30 minutes and happy with our harvest!

Just the best place to go for berries. They have them all. Their blueberries are really plentiful…read more The staff is super friendly and helpful.

I happened upon Ben's while looking for a place to buy some locally raised flowers on the way to…read morevisit my mother. After seeing a sign on the main road, I followed it to a lighted reader board out in front of an immaculate home and farm, about a quarter mile west of Highway 47. I was right away struck by how pretty and well-maintained the grounds and stand area were. The proprietors and 2 friendly dogs greeted me. My sunflowers were personally cut from a large garden near the stand, while I browsed for corn and cucumbers that looked too delicious to pass up. It was a very hot day, and she took extra care to choose individual flowers that would last a while in the weather. The price was extremely reasonable, 6 stems for $2.50. Their website notes that the young brother and sister owners are 4th generation farmers of the land, descended from the orignal Dutch farming community of Verboort. Neat! They grow heirloom seeds, tomatoes, corn, pumpkins, peppers, string beans, onions, carrots, gourds and squash, in addition to cukes, corn and fantastic sunflowers. Ben's is open during August, September and October from noon to dusk (sixish), and, if they happen not to be there, a sign on the counter says they offer self service on the honor system. A nice touch--this does not happen in Portland! I've already recommended Ben's to a couple of people in Forest Grove. I'm happy to support this sustainable, community-oriented business and will make a point to go back whenever I'm in the area.

After finishing my work at the library, i figured I would take in some culture. I dropped off my…read morenotebook at my car and went over to the festivities at the Market. I really wish my dad was there with me...the band was playing all his favorites...Dylan, James Taylor, Carole King, etc. it felt like he was with me. It was raining a little bit, but hey, it's Portland. I came prepared with a windbreaker. It wasn't that bad though. I walked throughout the Market and looked at the offerings. There was a lot of 3-d printed items and crocheted items. Unfortunately I didn't have much money to spend so I window shopped a bit then I went back to Ocean Drive...they were really good and I gave them a good tip. It was definitely a really nice and relaxing way to spend a couple hours.

What can I say that hasn't already been said? This is arguably THE BEST Farmers Market in the…read moremetro-Portland area. I can't think of one thing you can't find here. Fresh produce (get there early if you want flats of blueberries as they sell out quickly and there's always a long line), bakery goodies, spirits, handcrafted items plus the prepared food is amazing too. Have breakfast burrito and a good latte, listen to live music, people watch, and then get some lunch before leaving. You can make a full day of it then go home and take a nap! My reason for four stars is the parking situation. The market is so huge and the lack of parking is what keeps me away. Nothing but street parking in the surrounding neighborhoods and many of the neighbors aren't happy about it and sometimes downright hostile (who can blame them?) Even the handicapped parking is woefully inadequate. Definitely worth a visit despite the parking issues.

This historic red barn is a hidden gem in Hillsboro. Tucked in between the new construction along…read morethis road, look for the green flag that says "Nursery". They have a variety of lovely garden plants, seeds, and local artisan treasures. They make their own hot sauces too; they offered samples of several and I was impressed by the variety of flavors. I saw jams and pickled goodies, local wines, candles, jewelry, wheat and rye flour, and even a shelf with books written by a local author. They mentioned that they plan to have fresh tomatoes and peppers a little later in the summer. The family has a regular booth at the Saturday Hillsboro Farmers Market and Sunday Orenco Market, and recently opened up this shop at the main homestead. Check it out, you'll be glad you did.