Market Report: They're Here! They're Here!

Word rocketed out of the Portland Farmers' Market at PSU last Saturday that pimentos de padron were spotted at the Viridian Farms booth. Within the hour there were meetings in Situation Rooms all over the city and strategies of attack were being devised for dinner parties and menus for the rest of the month.

Why the fuss over some little wrinkled green peppers? Well, my friend, these peppers, when fried in olive oil and served warm with a sprinkling of salt, are just about the perfect appetizer for end-of-summer dining. No utensils are required since the little stem provides a handle, and the whole pepper is small enough to pop in your mouth and consume in one bite.

There's even a thrill factor, since, while most of these tiny delights have a mild, sweet character, every once in awhile one will pack a frisson of heat that explodes like a capsaicin IED. Exciting!

Details: Viridian Farms appears at the Portland Farmers' Market at PSU on Saturdays from 8:30 am-2 pm and on Wednesdays at Shemanski  Park between SW Salmon & Main from 10 am-2 pm.

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And speaking of the Portland Farmers' Market, executive director Ann Forsthoefel has announced her resignation after two years at the helm. And no, political intrigue was not involved…her husband took a new job at a company in Missoula, Montana, and that's what has prompted the change. With the successful expansion of the PSU market and the start-up of the King market last year and two new markets this year at Pioneer Courthouse Square (Mondays) and in Northwest Portland at 23rd and Savier (Thursdays), attention shifts to possible candidates to take her position. And with attendance up by double digits, it's a key part of Portland's strategy to bring residents to, and to keep tourists spending money in, the downtown core, much rides on someone who can surf the political waves and balance the needs of vendors and the food community. Not an easy task!