This is the first time in years that I didn’t go to the Saturday farmer’s market in Deering Oaks. Not much is there in terms of local produce other than the long-awaited arrival of rhubarb and asparagus. Though I’ve ferreted out early arrivals at some of the farm stores like Spring Brook and Jordan Farm. But under present conditions the market is not much fun.
Portland’s farmer’s markets are still under pandemic rule. Farmers’ incomes are hurting because attendance isn’t what it used to be. In Portland the vendors are still spread out–not six feet apart but more like 20 feet–into two sections of the park, with vendors allowed to operate on only one side of the walkways, with one-way shopper traffic still the rule. And though the Portland Farmers Market lists over 40 vendors, I’ve not seen more than around 20 of them spread out through the park. Some like Green Spark Farm don’t even attend the market anymore, when at one time they were a mainstay at Wednesday and Saturday market days.
One way traffic at Portland’s Saturday farmers’ market Circa summer 2020
