By 9 AM on Saturday, the opening day of the Portland  winter farmers market got off to a rousing start as shoppers filed through the glass doors at 84 Cove St. in East Bayside. With plenty of spaces to park onsite, by 10 AM the place was packed as though farm-to-table was in jeopardy of becoming passé. But fear not, Portland shoppers can continue to source their foods from local purveyors as the winter market carries on the tradition that allows our passion to buy local thrive.

The space itself is a bit labyrinthine as the flow of rooms are  tight, but overall  the multi-room layout works, making the space feel more like a charming boutique than a cavernous warehouse.

Of the 25 vendors, all were familiar faces from the city’s summer markets.  From storage crops like carrots and potatoes to mounds of squash of all stripe piled high and the various cheesemakers and meat producers one can shop here to farm-fresh content without having to go to traditional stores for provisions. I was pleased to see some of my favorite vendors like Goranson Farm (great sweet potatoes, Alewive’s Brook Farm (perfect pastured eggs), 30 Acre Farm (kim chi and organic vegetables) Swallowtail Creamery (for dairy and cheese—and the best Greek yogurt), Green Spark Farm (hoop-house greens), Balfour Farm (luscious buttermilk, eggs and cheese).  And one of my favorite bread bakers, Good Shepherd Farm from Bremen had a nice little spot to display his beautifully crafted whole-grain breads.

Special thanks should also be given to Lauren Pignatello of Swallowtail Farm for her tireless efforts to organize and secure the new home for the indoor market.  In the coming weeks Pignatello will host a makers market on Sundays where she and various farmstead artisans will convene.

Flowering choi at Green Spark Farm

East Bayside is certainly shaping up as the next upcoming neighborhood where the home for light industrial uses is beginning to morph into creative Portland’s residential and retail enclave.