![]() Written by Dan Jackson They just don’t know how to make salsa here like they do in Mexico. Fortunately for the Rocky Butte community, they can always depend on the delicious, savory, and genuine salsas from La Comelona Foods! Five years ago, after struggling to find authentically flavored salsas like the ones she grew up eating in Mexico, Patricia Cabrera decided to take matters into her own hands by launching La Comelona Foods. Her goal in venturing into the world of small business ownership was to simply promote the rich, flavorful, and piquant cuisine of Mexico through her unique salsas! Utilizing all natural ingredients and an array of flavors, La Comelona salsas, “can be used in many different ways. Cooked with, used as a dressing, or as a marinate which makes them different than many other salsas on the market”, says Patricia. La Comelona Foods currently offers three different products: Salsa de Chile Arbol, Salsa de Habanera (pictured right), and Salsa de Chile Negro. Patricia shared that her favorite salsa is, “the habanero salsa because it’s spicy but has a great bal-ance of flavor to go with the spice.” Though the Salsa de Habanera stands out as Patri-cia’s favorite, all of La Comelona’s salsas generate an explosion of zestful tastiness with each bite! Patricia takes immense pride in the authenticity of her salsas and feels that the business’s greatest triumph has been the ability to sell their products at Market of Choice’s eight separate locat-ions throughout the state of Oregon. Having been a seller at these supermarkets for three years, Patricia has been given the opportunity to obtain a grander reach to more customers with her salsas. However, in the Portland area, one of La Comelona’s biggest challenges, “has been getting into more local markets. My goals are to position myself in more markets and give people a chance to try our products”, says Patricia. Having such a passion for reaching local communities, La Comelona Foods makes for the perfect vendor at the Rocky Butte Farmers Market. Right from the start, Patricia says she was“interested when Rocky Butte Farmers Market began because we saw the opportunity for both of us to grow together and show our support to a community that has welcomed us with open arms”. Through the trials and tribulations of running La Comelona Foods, Patricia and her team have learned just how much work it takes to run a small business. But most imp-ortantly, they’ve also learned how rewarding it is to connect with the community and to meet new customers who enjoy their salsas! Facilitating such a mutually beneficial relationship between vendors and the community is exactly what the Rocky Butte Farmers Market strives to achieve. Come on down and dip your chips into La Comelona Foods salsas at the Rocky Butte Farmers Market, taking place on Saturdays, 9AM – 1PM at NE 80th Avenue and NE Siskiyou Street!
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![]() By: Dan Jackson From the chaos, confinement, and work from home culture brought on by the COVID pandemic, two dedicated community members were able to deepen their focus on their passions and transform a hobby of growing mushrooms and vegetables into a full-on business. Who are these two tenacious people, you may ask? Well, they are Harrison and Em from OneUp Farm, of course! OneUp is an urban farm in Portland, Oregon focusing on sustainable, organic practices with the intention of prioritizing both the health of the Earth and the community which they serve. In their own words, the business of One Up Farm is about, “producing food that gives you life, just like the Mario Mushrooms +1Up!” Owning and operating a farm such as this has truly been a dream come true for these two. One of the numerous facets of OneUp Farm’s uniqueness is that they are always searching for new ways to sustainably grow and sell their products. As vendors at two markets within close proximity to their operation, the Rocky Butte and Cully Farmers Markets, Harrison and Em stated that this allows them to reduce food miles which “is a major step in cutting CO2 emissions and curbing the effects of climate change.” Contrary to industry standards, OneUp Farm grows their mushrooms in reusable buckets instead of single-use plastic bags. In their market garden they’ve implemented only organic inputs, a “no-till” approach, and an integrated pest management plan, which leverages beneficial insects and native pollinators. Acting with so much enthusiasm, experience, and care, Harrison, and Em love to hear feedback from their customers. Whether it’s “a plant start that has taken off in someone’s garden, or a delicious mushroom dish someone tried for the first time. We love to hear how our produce has nourished people in our community,” said Harrison and Em. It is abundantly clear that OneUp Farm has assisted the well-being of their community. It has been a long road to this point, but they are motivated to continue striving forward. Creating affordable and accessible products for all members of the community consistently fuels their intentions. When asked to reflect on their journey, a significant moment that stood out to them was “the first check we received from PNWCSA (Pacific NW CSA Coalition) for selling our Community Supported Agriculture shares to customers with SNAP and DUFB benefits,” said Harrison and Em. As a vendor at the Rocky Butte Farmers Market, it is easy to see that they are putting their words into practice. Their quality products and dedication to the community are what pull people into their booth. Some of the treasures you may discover there include a variety of medicinal and gourmet mushrooms, seasonal fruits, vegetables, herbs, as well as freeze-dried and dehydrated products. Among OneUp’s favorite products are: “Really BIG meaty shiitake mushrooms and Syrian ruffled tomatoes,” said Harrison. And for Em, “Lion’s Mane is my go-to meat replacement. It’s perfect instead of chicken or fish. For veggies…Patty Pan! They are super pretty and have tender skin and meat. I love to stuff them with rice and peppers or slice them thick and grill them up!” To peruse their products, visit their Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/oneupfarm/ With each passing year, OneUp Farm has continued to grow more food thanks to the continued learning among the other farmers, growers, chefs, and gardeners they interact with. Their continued success comes from their commitment to consistently challenge themselves in order to learn and stay more engaged in the community. “We hope to expand our operation with a larger property in the future. We are in the beginning stages of expanding our product offerings but would love to have a full line of ready to eat mushroom dishes someday,” said Harrison and Em. With the start of the market season quickly approaching, OneUp Farm is looking forward to the dogs that light up so many faces at the market, seeing their fellow vendors again, and rocking out to the live music! They are excited for Rocky Butte Farmers Market’s new location and hope that it will bring out many new customers and returning friends. It’s vendors like OneUp Farm that make the Rocky Butte Farmers Market a unique, inviting, and fun place to spend a Saturday! Our market runs Saturdays starting June 1 from 9AM-1PM at our new location on the corner of NE 80th Avenue and NE Siskiyou Street! Come on down and be sure to pop into One Up Farm’s booth for some nutrient-rich foods to power you through the day! ![]() By: Meg Cotner The Rocky Butte Farmers Market wants you to join our Community Table! Along with our farmers, artisans, and entertainment, we’ve created a new program called the Community Table, for small vendors and backyard gardeners* to participate in the market. We know that some of you are incredible home gardeners and often have a surplus of produce, especially in the summer. This is a great opportunity for you to sell that surplus to your community, while also learning about marketing and what it’s like to sell at a farmers market. As a vendor through the Community Table program, you will be given a partial booth space and the fee is 20% of total sales. After using the Community Table five times during one market season, you’ll have a chance to check in with market staff and see if moving up into the standard vendor space would be a good fit. We love that the Community Table will offer opportunities to expand the concept of what a farmers market vendor is and increase diversity at the market, which is one of our goals that is highly valued among market-goers and RBFM staff alike. If you are curious about what you’ll need to do to join the Community Table, check out the full procedures and rules. When you are ready to join us as a vendor at the Community Table, you can sign-up using our Google Form. Additional inquiries can be sent to Market staff at [email protected]. We look forward to being in touch. See you at the Market! * Crafts, arts, and most other inedible goods are not permitted at the Community Table. Full booth spaces may be available upon completion of vendor application. By: Dan Jackson ![]() We’ve been hard at work this winter in preparation for the upcoming market season. One of our greatest feats was bringing on a new employee to our team. We are thrilled to introduce you to our new Finance Manager and Assistant Market Manager, Liz Braun! Liz should be a familiar face to most as she has been heavily involved in our organization as a volunteer for the past year. ![]() We are elated to continue having her support as we strive to grow our market. If she’s a new face to some, we are happy to share more about her! Liz has been living in Portland since 2019, making her way into the East Portland neighborhood in 2020 after purchasing her first home with her husband. Working hard as a Financial Planning Specialist, Liz began to feel a strong desire to become involved in the community with work that better aligned with her personal goals and values. She decided to leave her job and pursue more passionate volunteer opportunities. Enter RBFM! Liz began shopping with us and fell in love with the Rocky Butte Farmers Market community. “We attended as shoppers in 2021 and I loved the grassroots feel of the market. I loved how large the space for the market is, so I never felt too overwhelmed by other shoppers.” One day she noticed that the market had advertised a volunteer opportunity for assistance with accounting and bookkeeping. She quickly filled out the volunteer interest form, and the rest is history! “I volunteered regularly in 2022 as the bookkeeper and assisted our wonderful market manager, Marcy,” she explains. “I'm incredibly thankful that the work I did as a volunteer in 2022 has now been built into a paid role with the market.” Liz currently focuses on her duties as our Finance Manager, handling all things money related. “That means I'm tracking donations from individuals, sponsorships and grants, our SNAP and Double Up Food Bucks program, and more.” When the market starts back up in the spring, she’ll add to her plate as she steps into her role as the Assistant Market Manager, aiding in the operational challenges of the weekly markets. She is excited to bring her biggest strengths to her new responsibilities. “I am operationally focused and enjoy getting the nitty gritty behind-the-scenes work done! I feel that when I set out to do something, you can count on me to get it done.” As you can see, Liz works tirelessly with the rest of the team to ensure that the organization can continue to grow and succeed well into the future. She hopes that new vendors and shoppers continue to get involved in our organization. She feels that one of the greatest aspects of the market is our support in welcoming in new vendors. “There can be barriers that keep many new vendors from being able to participate in farmers markets, but one of our main goals is to eliminate those barriers,” she explains. “Our shoppers are incredibly friendly, supportive, and patient – they come to our market because they want to support local up and coming businesses, and it shows!” So, tell your friends, family, and colleagues to come see for themselves! A few of Liz’s favorite items to buy at the market are below:
On the weekends, you can find Liz at home, curled up with her cats while enjoying an entertaining book, or out on her bike exploring some of her favorite Gateway neighborhood shops, such as Jet Black Coffee, Food Fight, Rad Magic, or Lily’s Market. If all else fails, she may be off organizing other community events as she serves at the co-chair to her neighborhood association. The Rocky Butte Farmers Market starts back up on June 3rd , 2023, hosted in the parking lot of the Mannahouse Church. Come by and say “Hi” to Liz, thank her for her hard work in keeping the market running smoothly, and take time to explore all the amazing items our vendors have to offer! |
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June 2024
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