Bend Farmers Market will open for the season next Wednesday, June 1 and dozens of vendors will return to offer shoppers baked goods, fresh flowers, flats of vegetables, berries and other fruits, plus more summer delights to take home. There are many fun surprises to discover, too, such as lavender, honey or jelly. Plain or fancy, many treasures will be brought to market, including some of the freshest organic goods available on Earth.
Central Oregon's farm to table scene is strong and the Bend Farmers Market is also the first farmers market in Oregon with a special Farm to School program through the Bend-La Pine School District. The produce is a part of the school lunch program, helping students to learn about healthy eating and providing them with a chance to visit local farms and take part in gardening programs. Many of the vendors will be familiar faces.
Some of the community supported agriculture vendors of the Bend Farmers Market include Field Farms from Bend, Groundwork Organics from Junction City, Rainshadow Organics from Terrebonne, Happy Harvest Farms from Mt. Angel and Juniper Jungle Farms from Bend.
The Bend Farmers Market will run every Wednesday and Friday in two different locations from June 1 to Oct. 12. On Wednesday, the market is located downtown in the quaint alleyway behind the Tower Theatre from 3 to 7 p.m. On Fridays, the farmers set up at Mountain View High School in the north parking lot, also from 3 to 7 p.m.
The NorthWest Crossing Farmers Market is a Saturday option that will run from June 18 to Sept. 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is located on NW Crossing Drive. In addition to fresh produce, the market also features live music and artists. (The Bend Farmers Market does not include crafts and artisan goods.)
Farmers rise early to get to the NorthWest Crossing Market for morning shoppers. Some may even pick a few last vegetables from the vine before dawn, knowing they won't keep until the next week, loading them into the truck at the last minute to take to town. At the market, aprons are donned, the tents are unfolded and raised, decorated and weighted down at the corners with milk jugs full of water, sandbags or stones.
The signs go up, clean table cloths are spread, and then the magical temporary world of the market is ready for visitors. Just before the shoppers arrive, the coolers are opened and the produce set out, with some set aside in the shade for later.
Though cultivation is a joy, it's not something everyone has the space or the time to do, and that's why farmers markets are all the more fun. Fresh local produce is a small luxury of summer and visiting the market is a fun way to find special items.There are dozens of vendors to visit in the Bend area farmers markets, including the following, with more to come.
Bend Farmers Market
Wednesday vendors:
Berkey's Blueberries, Bonta Gelato, Brandywine Fisheries, Community Supported Fishery, Esotico Pasta, Fields Grassfed Beef, Fields Farm, Gotta B Gluten Free, Great American Egg, Groundwork Organics, Happy Harvest Farm, Highland Meadows, Home Grown Food Products, Humm Kombucha, J5 Beekeeping, Juniper Jungle Farm, Justy's Jelly, Laurel Ridge Winery, Lone Pine Coffee Roasters, Market Fruit/Packer Orchards, Merrill Cellars, Pine Mountain Ranch, Quail Run Ranch, Rainshadow Organics, Rick Steffan Farm, Sun Sweet Flower Garden, The Sparrow Bakery, The Village Baker, Thomas Orchards, Tumalo Lavender, Vaquero Valley Ranch, and Victoria's Vegetables.
Bend Farmers Market
Friday vendors:
Bucha Buena Kombucha, Cascade Kolaches, Good Earth Farms, Gotta B Gluten Free, Highland Meadows, Humm Kombucha, Juniper Jungle Farm, Justy's Jelly, Kirsch Berg Orchards, Nature's Gifts, Quail Run Ranch, Radicle Roots Farm, Rik's Rubs, Sagestruck Herbary, Thomas Orchards, Tumalo Lavender, Whiskey Hill Berry Farm, and Vaquero Valley Ranch.
NorthWest Crossing Farmers Market
Saturday vendors:
Acme Hotdog Co., Adoboloko Hot Sauce, Americana Woodworks, Bliss Pillow, Bonta Natural Artisan Gelato, Bucha Buena Kombucha, DD Ranch, DK Designs Jewelery, Esotico Pasta, Fearless Baking, Four Acre Farm, Fur Friends Doggie Bakery, Geeky Chic Kids, Good Earth Farms, Holm Made Toffee Company, Humm Kombucha, Jumbo Size Tamales, Juniper Jungle Farm, Justy's Jelly, La Petite Savonnerie, Mahonia Gardens, Mailekai Creations, Manipura Kitchen, Maragas Winery, Marquam Hill Berries, Merrill Cellars, Michael Miller Ceramics, Navidis Olive Oils & Vinegar, Oregon Spirit Distillers, Pink Rakes Ceramic Studio, Radicle Roots Farm, Richie's English Style Sausages, Rik's Rubs, Rofe Designs, Scott Isom Woodturnings, Sew & Savvy, Southwest Salsa Company, Sunny Yoga Kitchen, Sweet Alchemy, Tallow Balm Skin Care, Thai on the Fly, The Sparrow Bakery, The Vegetable Man Produce, Thomas & Sons Distillery, Tumalo Lavender, Vaquero Valley Ranch, Venture Fermenters, Vicky's Vegetables, and Whiskey Hill Berry Garden.
Bend Farmers Market
Wednesdays and Fridays, June 1 to October 12
Wednesday: Brooks Street Alley
Friday: Mountain View High School
2755 NE 27th St., Bend
3 to 7 p.m.
NorthWest Crossing Farmers Market
Saturdays, June 18 to Sept. 17
NW Crossing Drive
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
