Farmer's markets are flourishing all over the country and they provide an outlet for local growers and a place for us non-growers to get quality fruit and vegetables. Our Santa Fe Farmers Market is moving into a new home in the Railyard District. This new building, which will open to the outside for nice weather, will give us a year round source of local meat, vegetables, and fruit.

The one thing I miss about living in France is the market experience, available three times a week. You are fortunate to have a market in Portland. I enjoyed the photos. Thanks for sharing!

Never boring. "Old" and "lady" are just fine.

Definitely not boring. I am so hungry after reading this post! I have not gotten to any of our local farmer's markets in weeks, because they are not that local and take about a 15-20 minute drive, but you remind me that I ought to. The quality of the produce is so much higher, and I also enjoy the atmosphere much more than at a grocery store.

I will try to make it to one of them this weekend; there's not so much of summer left that I want to squander the chance at the fresh produce.

Old, yeah. A lady - well maybe - but boring, oh no never.
To me, farmers' markets are a joy and a delight. Their food has flavor. (And they are re-training people to eat seasonally, a dying skill in this Supermarket age). It's great that they are proliferating. More power to them!
And I loved your pics.

Farmer's Markets here are many and varied. I suppose that the current trend of eating locally has contributed to their success. We've had a CSA for four years now and relish things as they come into season. It brings memories of when I was a kid and we had a large garden, my Mother canned everything, veggies and fruits to see us through the winter. But it was the first raspberries and the first pears from our bushes/tree that we waited eagerly for. Nothing tasted so sweet. That same goodness comes in our CSA every week.

Boring , never - old, not yet - a lady, always!!

Enjoyed the photos of the Farmers Market, especially the sunflowers. :-)

I am sooooo jealous! I have to buy all of my produce at the grocery store and the tomatoes are tasteless, as are the peaches. Everything was picked so green that there is no flavor at all. I have to qualify that; our melons and blueberries were great this year and I feasted on them.

When fruit is in season and ripe I cut up every kind of fruit available and mix with yogurt. That is my summer breakfast and I miss it in the winter.

Mom and I are also learning (or, in her case, relearning) the joys of farmers' markets/stands and fresh vegetables or fruits. We paid a visit to a farm market she remembered from a while ago and found some beautiful small eggplants at 2 for $0.79. We could have bought a third for 20 cents more but held off. We can only eat so much and have a small freezer. The only time now-a-days I wish for more room is when I think how nice it would be to put more of this wonderful food by. I notice that a couple of comments mentioned CSA. We did look into it but found that it doesn't really fit for just the two of us with a very limited storage space.

Arugula? Ronni, you elitist! ;^)

Well if this is boring, I'm all for it! Love your photos of the market, and back in Toronto after a couple of months in Nova Scotia, I hear you on small town markets! It's great that there are farmers' markets in the big cities now, but they will never be so wonderful as the small town ones. Especially in Maine/Nova Scotia ;-)

Your pictures should be in a cook book. Age gives us perspective on what is worth doing.

I'm drooling doubly--first because I live in the Mojave Desert, and our weekly Farmer's Market isn't filled with the riches of yours, and second because your pictures were so vivid I could almost taste blueberries and tomatoes as I stared! Thank you for so lovely a start to my hot desert day!

Well, "boring old lady," ... (I don't think so on all counts -- wait until you're older than me to even consider being old and define "lady" for me.) ... your pictures remind me I haven't visited our local farmers market since my husband died. Actually, the surrounding communities within easy driving distance each have their own markets, too. They (about four I know of) are scheduled on different weekdays with three of them in the evening. The night markets feature local live musical groups for entertainment. Perhaps I should resume my market visits.

From Jan. thru July I haunt a strawberry patch about a mile north of my home closer to the foothills to feed my addiction. They sometimes offer tomatoes, sweet onions and other misc. veggies.

Your pictured blueberries look delish. I like to top my morning oatmeal with them if I'm not using strawberries and bananas. When the stores offer a good peak seasonal price on blueberries in years past I have bought quantities to freeze, then use throughout the winter -- so much better quality than the stores frozen packaged ones.

Oh boy! To think that two years ago in October, I went to that farmer market with you! Is that the one?
Lovely photos!

Beautiful photos, Ronni, you lucky dog. We have a small farmer's market in our little town; but, it closes at noon. Our summers are just too hot for produce (or people) to want to be in a hot lot for very long. Unfortunately, by the time I get my walk in (the market is beyond my normal walking range, anymore) and/or my yard work done and a shower taken, it is too late to go. More power to you, Interesting Younger (than I) Woman!

awesome pics, my mouth is watering!

My wife wrote about money or the lack thereof. I was just wondering, when did the inordinate desire for wealth supplant God, country, patriotism, and caring for humanity?