 Marcy working the mobile farm stand with the Coastal FoodShed. In this edition of Market News, we’d like to introduce you to our new Market Manager, Marcy Eichner! We are thrilled that she has joined the Rocky Butte Farmers Market in this capacity and are happy to tell you more about her. Marcy is a recent Portlander—she moved to Portland at the end of February from Newport, Rhode Island, a small city that hugs the eastern edge of the state’s Narragansett Bay. She decided to make a road trip out of her move and took two weeks to cross the country, exploring it with her fiancé. Taking a cross-country trip slowly is a great way to see the diversity and wonders of this continent’s natural world. She fell in love with Portland, and appreciates how welcoming it is here, and how tolerant it is of self-expression. “It’s a quirky place that is not shy toward uniqueness,” she explains. “I also love how interwoven the urban and natural settings are, and the ability to experience outdoor adventures.” That goes for her favorite part about her neighborhood, too: her close proximity to Washington Park. Marcy is deeply dedicated to working within local food systems, whether it was in Newport, RI or here in Portland.”I am very passionate about supporting the local food economy and entrepreneurs with intentions to better the Earth, our bodies, and our communities,” she says. “Farmers markets are a great place to empower the connectedness of our world, and to build relationships that help one another thrive in their goals.” She hopes to bring an equity lens to her work with the Rocky Butte Farmers Market, too. She believes accessibility and transparency are important in her work with new Market customers and vendors. And mingling with shoppers is one of her favorite things to do at a farmers market. “As a food-motivated person, I love connecting with shoppers about their purchases—I’ve swapped many recipes at farmers markets. (I have a scrumptious fennel salad recipe I’d be thrilled to share!)” You’ll also find her checking out all varieties of fresh greens and fermented products like pickles or sauerkraut at the Market. A few tidbits:
 Marcy has a lot of great memories over the years of working with farmers markets and sustainable food systems, so we asked her about them. She tells us about one of them, “My favorite memory working in the food access/agricultural world is encouraging children to explore their relationship with fresh produce.” “I ran the food program at a holistic preschool, where I prepared most of the meals for the children with fresh seasonal & local ingredients, many of which we grew together in the backyard! The kids would buzz with excitement when we picked our afternoon snack together right off the vine. I was amazed by their love for snap peas! It was a very rewarding experience to witness these little humans grow curious about the wonders of our relationship with the land.” Marcy is really excited to bring her experience, skill, and love of farmers markets to her role as Market Manager. “I put so much heart in what I do and I love acting as a conductor to help create harmony and connection within our community,” she says. “I look forward to connecting with this community and learning about what interests YOU!” Outside of the market, Marcy likes to garden, make jewelry (she has an Etsy shop), play games, hike and camp (her favorite spot right now is Cape Lookout). The Rocky Butte Farmers Market launches on Saturday, June 4. Stop by the Market that day and meet Marcy, then shop and hang out. It’s going to be a great day in the neighborhood. In the meantime, you can make the aforementioned fennel salad and dream of summer days at the Market atop the Rocky Butte.  Marcy’s Fennel Salad Recipe
marcy-fennel-salad.jpeg 2 bulbs of fennel 1/4 cup fresh torn mint leaves 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped 6 Tbsp olive oil 1 clove garlic, grated 1 lemon, zested 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar 2 oz shaved Parmesan 2 cups croutons Cut the fennel bulb root to tip and thinly slice the fennel bulb halves as well as chop the fennel fronds. Add mint and walnuts. In a separate bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and red wine vinegar into a vinaigrette. Add to the fennel and mix until well-combined. Fold in Parmesan shavings and top with croutons. Serves 6 as a side dish. By Meg Cotner As you read this, the Rocky Butte Farmers Market is hard at work bringing on vendors, strategizing logistics, engaging performers for the season, hiring a Market Manager, and putting everything in place for our upcoming weekly market starting this June. It’s going to be pretty great, and what will make it even better is … you! We welcome your financial support and help—no amount is too small. Here are a couple of ways to give. Donate to the RBFM GoFundMe Campaign We look forward to seeing you at the market, of course, but we also welcome your financial support prior to the season as a 2022 market donor via our GoFundMe Campaign. As an individual community member, donating to our GoFundMe is an easy way to support the RBFM. There are myriad reasons to support us in this way, as we aim to:
You can donate to our GoFundMe Campaign at any time, in any amount. Support the RBFM With a Sponsorship As we work to take the Rocky Butte Farmers Market to the next level, having a robust group of community partners with us will be critical as we continue to develop our larger, weekly market. You are invited to help us make this happen with a gift through your work/organization—here are the various support tiers to consider: See below for details on what benefits your organization or business will enjoy with each tier, which at minimum includes a prominent listing on the RBFM web site; at least one dedicated social media post; and a mention in our monthly newsletters. Plus, knowing that you are supporting the work that strives to support our local community through the farmers market. To discuss sponsorship or a corporate contribution, please contact us at rockybuttemarket@gmail.com Subject line: “Sponsorship Inquiry”. Thank you for supporting the Rocky Butte Farmers Market. Got questions? Reach out to us at rockybuttemarket@gmail.com and someone will get back to you. We value your support!  By Meg Cotner
For our first season of weekly markets, the Rocky Butte Farmers Market is looking to hire a Market Manager. Is that you? Read on for more details! The Rocky Butte Farmers Market is going weekly this year, on Saturdays from June 4 through September 23, 9am-1pm. Our Market Manager will be the director of operations for the market, on both market days and behind the scenes. Experience managing, co-managing, or serving in a leadership role in operating a farmers market is a big plus. We will soon be releasing an expanded job announcement detailing the desired qualities for this role. Check back on here soon to read the posting and learn how to apply. The Market Manager position will be listed as seasonal & part-time but it could evolve into a full-time year-round position, depending on fundraising and growth. Target compensation will likely be $20/hr and the position is part time at 20 hours per week from May through October 2022. Professional development training and support are available through the Oregon Farmers Market Association Network and other opportunities identified by the Board, core volunteers and Market Manager. The manager may set their own schedule aside from required attendance at all markets. If you are interested, please reach out to us at rockybuttemarket@gmail.com.  By Meg Cotner
Are you considering becoming a vendor at the Rocky Butte Farmers Market this season (June to September 2022)? You should! There are many reasons to sell your products at our Farmers Market as part of our community, and here are ten reasons why. 10. The Market is going weekly this year. After three years of developing the Rocky Butte Farmers Market, it became clear how desirable a weekly market is for the community. Weekly = consistency and opportunity to participate and grow your business. 9. The Market site is huge—with room for expansion. The site is a massive parking lot adjacent to Mannahouse Church atop the Rocky Butte itself. There’s lots of room for booths, display, and product visibility, not to mention ease of socially distancing in this day and age. 8. Parking is easy. At the Rocky Butte Farmers Market you get to park very close to your booth for ease of loading in/out and prepping your space. Need to grab backstock or stash some empty bins? No problem, your vehicle is only about 15 yards away. 7. Indoor restrooms are available. This detail is a real win for anyone—vendor or customer—attending the market. 6. Flexibility in market attendance + low booth fees. We’re happy to work with vendors in choosing specific dates they can attend throughout the season. We also have an “all-in” benefit: vendors that commit to and attend 16/17 or all of our markets will receive a 10% rebate at the end of season. We also have some of the lowest booth fees in the area—contact us for more information on that. 5. RBFM’s administrative support structure is solid. Another way for us to help you is that we give each vendor access to our Online Vendor Handbook, updated in real-time with detailed explanations of market criteria and policies. You’ll be able to attend a vendor orientation prior to the season’s start, and during the market season we share guidance on booth set-up/displays that attract more sales and customers. We are committed to nurturing a growing and supportive vendor pool, right from the start and through the season—and even over the years. 4. Open to new/beginning vendors who may be first time farmers market participants. Are you just starting out or have you been doing markets for just a short time? We want to help! Our goal is for you to be successful, so we would love to offer relative newbies a chance to get their “farmers market sea legs” with the RBFM. 3. The market is sited among supportive neighborhoods desiring local food access and supporting local businesses. Nearby neighborhoods of Sumner, Roseway, and Madison South are historically disadvantaged when it comes to things like a farmers market. Since we’ve been producing the Rocky Butte Farmers Market, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and supportive. Neighbors are hungry (literally!) for this market and are truly grateful to the farmers and artisans who participate and make our collective lives better. It’s hard to turn away from such good energy! 2. Robust RBFM marketing campaign. We use social media, paid advertising, website, and community visibility/word of mouth to spread the news about the Rocky Butte Farmers Market. We dedicate our time to talking about our farmers and artisans in RBFM press releases, on our website, and in spotlights on social media, including our Farmer Fridays, which you may have seen already on Facebook and Instagram. We love to spread the word about the good work our market vendors are doing. 1. Committed to working with vendors to remove barriers to participating in the Rocky Butte Farmers Market. This is a biggie—we want to help you thrive and succeed at our market, and we are committed to helping you reach that goal. Your success is our success. This really is a community effort! Here’s who we are looking for:
Join us! You can start the process of becoming a Rocky Butte Farmers Market vendor on our Vendor page. |
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