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This year, King Farmers Market has expanded its season until Nov. 24 so shoppers can continue to purchase fresh produce, meats and seafood, wines, coffees, flowers and prepared specialty foods such as jams,
honey, salsa, sauerkraut and cheeses from about 30 local vendors.

“These extended market days are perfect for people stocking up on gift items and food for their Thanksgiving tables,” points out Mona Jackson, communications manager at Portland Farmers Market, which
sponsors the King market on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. beginning each year in early May.


Since 2009, nonprofit Fresh Exchange has provided a dollar-for-dollar match to King Farmers Market shoppers who use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. During November, these shoppers will receive from $5 to $7 worth of tokens for every $1 deducted from their Oregon Trail Card at the King Farmers Market.

Fresh Exchange, administered by Farmers Market Fund, is funded through private donations and grants from Portland companies including Whole Foods and New Seasons markets. For several years, the Sabin Community Association Board has donated between $250 and $750 to Fresh Exchange to help their neighbors afford the farmers market’s fresh, local and organic produce.

- Susan Goracke

Do you have ideas about how to make our community more resilient and more sustainable? We hope you'll be part of the new Sustainable Sabin team. For more info, contact Diane Benson at [email protected].

is happy to spend time in the garden, where she grows kale, cucumbers and tomatoes in addition to basil in her small raised-bed plot. “It’s been therapeutic for me,” she says of spending hours each week at the garden. “It’s  much more than just a garden for me. It’s my main outdoor experience.”

The Sabin Community Garden is among a number of community assets featured on Sabin Community  Association’s website. This time of year, most of the Sabin Community Garden’s 50-or-so well-tended plots are lush with plants and ripe produce ready for harvest. Willwerth, a professional landscaper, admits his day job has gotten in the way of faithfully tending the 20-by-20- foot community garden space he’s rented for a number of years.

"I hope to do better next season,” Willwerth says as he picks a handful of almost 100 garlic plants. Earlier this summer, he harvested rhubarb and asparagus, and soon his ‘Russian banana’ fingerling potatoes will be ready. “In general, I like to grow things in the community garden that don’t require a lot of hands-on work.” He also grows a variety of herbs and tomatoes in a vegetable garden at his Sabin home. “But this garden is such a wonderful community resource,” he adds.

The Sabin Community Garden opened in 1995 and was expanded in 2008. All plots were rented for this year, but anyone interested can sign up for next year’s season, which runs from March through October. Because demand for community garden plots is high within inner Northeast Portland, there often is a waiting list.

Plots rent for $21 a year for a 100-square-foot space, $42 for a 200-square-foot space and $85 for a 400-square-foot space. Rental fees pay for land  and water. Gardeners provide their own tools, plants, seeds, soil amendments and other supplies. Gardeners are required to use organic growing methods, and each gardener must volunteer 6 hours a season on general community garden upkeep.

For more information about the Sabin Community Garden or to sign up for a plot for next season, call 503-823-1612 or go to www.portlandoregon.gov/parks and type in “community gardens” in the search field.

 — Susan Goracke

The Sabin Community Orchard just keeps growing better every year.  Last year, we harvested 156 pounds from the mature apple tree, the berry bushes bore fruit and the young trees became more established, thanks to the generous volunteers who took turns watering them throughout the hot, dry summer months.

This season, we plan to install educational signs in the Orchard, plant more fruit trees and other plants that will support beneficial pollinators and, of course, keep up the weeding.  Mike Scott, a horticulturist with more than 30 years experience, will be leading our March Work & Learn Party about perennial plant maintenance.

Monthly work sessions run from 2 to 4 p.m. the third Sunday each month and are held at the orchard, located at NE 18th and Mason. Don't forget your work gloves!

Interested in growing food in public spaces, while working with your neighbors on a fun project?  Become a Sabin Community Orchard Steward! 

The Sabin Community Orchard is a collaborative project between the Portland Fruit Tree Project and the Sabin Community Association, designed to provide delicious fruits and berries - and an opportunity to learn about edible gardening.  It's located on a small city-owned lot on Mason Ave, between 18th and 19th.

Orchard Stewards commit to:
* attend an orientation meeting on Tuesday, February 12
* participate in monthly work & learn parties, from 2:00 - 4:00 on the third Sunday, February - November
* be the note-taker for one or two of the work & learn parties, and share your notes with others
* one mid-summer watering shift to keep the young trees and shrubs healthy

To apply, request an application by calling 503-284-6106 or by emailing [email protected] with "Sabin Orchard Steward Interest" in the subject line. Applications are due Friday, February 1. No experience is necessary, though gardening or orchard experience is a plus! 

At the October Work and Learn Party, the orchard stewards and community members learned about responsible tree care and pest and disease management.  Arborist James Kinder of Green Options Tree Care generously volunteered his time and expertise to advise us on how to keep the orchard’s trees healthy.  He taught the orchard volunteers about the importance of proper planting and showed us that trees shouldn’t be deeply mulched right around the tree trunk.  We also learned how to make pruning cuts that a tree will be able to safely heal.

November’s Work and Learn Party will focus on putting the orchard to bed for the winter.  Please join us - it's a great opportunity to meet the neighbors and learn about fruit tree care.

When:  Sunday, November 18, 2:00-4:00
Where:  Sabin Community Orchard, NE Mason between 18th and 19th Avenues

Contact:  [email protected]