What is the best way to know what is fresh in Oregon this week?  Just head down to the Portland Farmers Winter Market at Shemanski Park.  That is what my husband and I did this past Saturday.  The winter market is open every Saturday from January 5th through February 23 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.  The Winter Market is located in the South Park Block at Shemanski Park between SW Salmon and SW Main street.
As we entered the upper end of the market I could not believe the fresh piles of fruits and vegetables at Groundwork Organics.  I started picking out some fresh leeks, potatoes and onions for the potato leek soup I will be making this week.  Their big display of brussels sprouts were perfect for the new dish I am making with the butternut squash and apples I had at home.  It was a cook’s dream at every booth I passed.  The broccoli, kale, chard, fennel, cabbage, turnips and parsnips made me dream of more soup in the future.  If you did not stock up on your favorite squash last fall there were all kinds to choose from including pumpkins that would make the best pie.   Thinking of pie my favorite apple place, Kiyokawa Family Orchard had a large selection of apples and pears and some great looking Honeycrisp my number one apple for everything.  Carrots, did I tell you they had orange, yellow, white and purple I had to have some of each.  The farm fresh eggs were stacked on tables and if you wanted some fresh meat there was pork, beef, chicken and salmon.  One also can not resist the fresh bread vendors and of course handcrafted cheeses.  I got some delicious samples of Irish Cheddar and Gouda from Jacobs Creamery.  They also had some hand churned Irish butter, churned on Friday and I could not hold myself back and now there is a tub in my refrigerator.

So if you need some of the freshest items in Portland a trip to the Portland Farmers Winter Market should be on your list for next Saturday.