POP CLUB

Welcome to the POP Page Kids! We’ll post info. here each week for you.

If you are between the ages of 5-12 bring your parents to the Oregon City Saturday Market and have them fill out your “Passport To Health” after you have signed it!…we’ll keep the Passport at the info. booth to track your “steps to health”  Once your parents/guardians have filled out your Passport we’ll give you:

A POP Club reusable shopping bag, a POP Club button to wear,  AND……$2 in wooden tokens (in a little drawstring bag) to spend on fresh veggies and fruit and food plants!!!!!!! Once enrolled you will receive $2 every time you come to the market ……..as long as funds last

After 10, 20, 30 stamps on your Passport we give you a coupon for a Market Surprise!

The POP Club (Power of Produce!) was sponsored by a HEAL (Healthy Eating, Active Living) grant from Clackamas County , which has enabled us to give out approx. $12,000 to local kids this season!

A really BIG thanks go out to the County for helping us start this program and for awarding us additional funding once we realized how BIG this was getting! Hearing that we ran out of all funds the following business have stepped in to keep us going with sizable donations! McLoughlin Dental Care (Milwaukee OR.) , Beavercreek Co-Operative Telephone Co, and On Point Community Credit Union have each donated $1000 to the POP Club as well!!!

  Clackamas County Soil and Water Conservation District has stepped up recently and made a fantastic donation too, yeah! Come by and collect your $2 in wooden tokens next time you are at the Market kids!!!!

Take the time to fill out a comment form about the program at the market! We would like to remind our sponsors how much value this program is creating.Thanks:)

POP Club News February 2012

Calling all Power of Produce Club Members: Come on down to the Winter Market on 8th and Main in downtown Oregon City. Yes!!! We are running throughout the Winter season thanks to a generous grant from Clackamas County Soil and Water Conservation District. Check the ‘Times and Dates’ tab on the website for more information on weekends we will be open. Each POP Club member will receive $2 in wooden tokens to spend for fresh fruits and veggies for each of the remaining 7 Winter Markets BUT we start a fresh at the summer Saturday Market which opens on May 5th 2012, at the County site. The Winter Market is still filled with great choices for healthy eating and snacking. Fresh apples and pears, multi colored carrots, Brussels sprouts, several varieties of potatoes, cabbage, spinach, kale and chard. Try something new. How about roasting some parsnips or beets in the oven, drizzled with oil? Slice a turnip and eat it raw. Toss a handful of fresh spinach into your scrambled eggs or omelet. Stop by and taste a new variety of apple or pear and take one home for lunch. Winter squash are plentiful, bake and serve, or mash and add the pulp to baking recipes for muffins or bread. The possibilities are endless.
Get your Passport stamped. There is still time to earn your 10, 20 or 30 red tractor stamp surprise before we start over with the opening of the Summer Market in May. Since November 5th we have had 9 POP Members earn their 10 stamp surprises: Kenzie, Lane, Indigo, Liana, Isabella, Ryan, Zach, Austin and Noah all received a surprise from Savory Et Sweet. Thanks Chris and Gary for providing those sweet treats. On January 7th Padriac received his 30th red tractor stamp making him the 3rd POP Club member to do so this year. Way to go kids!!! A big Thanks goes to all the parents, grandparents, friends, and neighbors who make it possible for these POP club members to visit the Market each time.
Checking in with some of the POP Club Members as they pick up their tokens we find that many are choosing apples. Indigo choses the pink ones each week to take home, slice and eat for lunch. One family of five POP members chose both apples and pears for some sweet baking. Dehler loves Brussels Sprouts roasted in the oven drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt. If you are not familiar with the cooking techniques for a new veggie ask the farmer who grew it. They will have lots of great ideas and love to share.
While most of our POP Club members are shopping and spending their tokens we have a few that are saving. Padriac is diligently tucking his wooden coins into his token bag, saving for an apple tree. He has 25 tokens saved and will be able to take his tree home soon after the Summer season starts. Quinten is saving for a Blueberry bush. Saving is perfectly OK, but remember to keep your tokens in a safe place so you can spend them when the time is right.
We are currently selling donated hand-knitted stocking hats as a fundraiser for the POP club. Each hat has been lovingly made of bright acrylic yarn. Several sizes are available. At only $5 each they are a well-made bargain sure to last several seasons. Look for the clothesline of hats on display in the information booth and pick out one in your favorite color.
This weekend’s weather for February 4th should be dry so head for the Oregon City Farmers Market on 8th and Main in Downtown Oregon City from 10am to 2 pm. Look for the POP Club table in the Information Booth and pick up your wooden tokens so you can take home some fresh, local, ‘good for you produce’ to share at your dinner table. We’ll be glad to see your smiling faces.

POP Club News October 15th

Another eventful day for POP Club members at the Oregon City Farmers Market: the Aliens invaded, fresh Market tasting, and making bookmarks. The volunteers would like to welcome 10 new members and loved seeing the 55 returning POP Club members as they all picked up their tokens courtesy of Clackamas County Soil and Water Conservation District.  Garrette, Andrhea and Dustin all earned their 10th red tractor stamp and picked up their surprises from La Petite Provence.

POP Club members and Market shoppers were greeted by dozens of Aliens made from recycled milk jugs and other plastic containers. The Aliens, made and donated by Market customer Bonnie Carter, were sold as a fundraiser for the POP Club.  Each Alien consisted of parts and pieces cut from 5 milk jugs held together with plastic zip ties. Over 30 Market shoppers took home their very own Alien for fall decorating and the POP Club is the recipient of more funds to help continue the wonderful program. A Big thank you goes out to Bonnie for all her time, talent and creativeness.

Chef Amy was cooking again this week and the smell of bacon wafted through the Market throughout the afternoon. Hope you stopped by for a taste. Amy always has some wonderful things made from fresh Market products with a dash of creativeness.

OSU Master Gardeners staffed the POP Club Fun booth helping members make bookmarks from pretty leaves, ribbons and beads. A great idea for those school                       books they bring home. Thanks to all the Master Gardeners who helped out.

A current count of POP Club Passports shows 1234 Members enrolled and a total of 3832 visits to the Oregon City Farmers Market so far this year. WOW!!

These numbers far surpass any expectations Market Manger Jackie had for the Power of Produce Club, and thanks to CCWSCD this groundbreaking program will continue through the Winter Market, (starts Sat. Nov. 5th at 10am) as long as the funds last. So get up early, grab your shopping bag and head for the Market this Saturday to stock up on all the freshest fall veggies and fruits for a week of healthy eating and snacking.

 

ACTIVITY SATURDAY OCT. 8th  was apple-pressing…the kids made their own cider to taste (once we heated it) …very excited kids tossing apples in the press and then winding it down to squeeze the juice!

                         POP Club News September 10

 It was a very HOT day at the Oregon City Farmers Market today. Our thanks to all the POP Club members and their parents, grand parents and friends who made the trip to the Market to stock up for the week on fresh fruits and veggies this week. The volunteers signed up 9 new members and 40 POP members stopped by the booth to get their passports stamped. We love to see your smiling faces each week. And yes, we are still looking to secure more funds for this great Power of Produce program.

Our activity for the day had OSU Nutritionist Kelly helping kids build a healthy lunch on paper. They chose their favorite fruit or veggie, grains (bread, crackers etc.), a protein and beverage; drawing a picture of each in a brown bag shape. Kelly talked to kids about the importance of a balanced lunch and heating healthy. As each POP member finished they were awarded with a red ‘Healthy, It’s my choice’ bracelet and a multi-colored pencil. Hayley stopped by the sign in booth to show us her paper lunch: she had chosen an apple, crackers and peanut butter and some milk. Emily also showed us her lunch; choosing a turkey sandwich, carrots and some milk. Way to go girls! Those would be very healthy lunches to take to school.

Three POP club members earned their 10 stamp surprises today. Silas, Tim and Sarah each chose a surprise. BIG thanks to On Point Credit Union and Java Talkin’ for those surprises. We have several POP Club members that are very close to 10 stamp surprises, a few more closing in on 20 stamp surprises and two that are almost to a 30 stamp surprise!! Stop by the sign in both and get your red tractor stamp this week.

We still have great activities each week for POP kids. This week, Sept 17, will be a gardening activity with Master Gardeners. Plan to check out the POP Club Activity booth during your weekly visit to our Oregon City Farmers Market, along with picking up fresh fruits and veggies for your healthy eating all week long.

POP Club News from Aug. 20th

 The Oregon City Farmers Market was bustling today, filled with 24 new and 52 returning POP Club members picking up their tokens, shopping and making healthy choices to take home on this hot summer day. Many members stopped by the POP Club Fun Activity booth to watch Greg Winteroowd and his apprentices show off their amazing techniques with Yo-yo’s at the Yo-yo University.

If you missed it you missed a great show. They sure made it look easy. Tuc from On Point Community Credit Union was our POP Club volunteer for the day. Thanks’ Tuc for spending part of your work day with us.

Every Saturday our POP Club volunteers are able to award several 10 stamp surprises and this week we had 6 members making their choices from 3 selections. Kennedy, Mitchell, Jackson, Benjamin, Evan and Luke all earned their 10^th red tractor stamp today. A BIG thank you goes out to Big Foot Bread, Java Talkin’ and On Point Credit Union for those surprises. And on this special day the volunteers were able to hand out not one, but two 20 stamp surprises. Nick and Emily both earned their 20^th tractor stamp and earned a surprise of their choice. I think Nick and Emily might soon be crowned POP Club King and Queen. Remember POP Club members to check to see how many stamps you have so you too can join our 10 or 20 Stamp Club soon.

Checking in with our POP Club members as they made their choices for the day I found many wonderful things going home with them. Emily chose some Donut Nectarines and Blackberries. Isaiah picked out a box of Strawberries. Josie had a box of Blackberries she was nibbling as she left the Market. Benjamin and Rachel chose onions, zucchini, and carrots for Spaghetti sauce from a special family recipe. They planned to add fresh herbs from the garden. Ethan found a small watermelon and a peach with his tokens. Kirsten picked out a box of Strawberries while Justin and Kalena had Blueberries to take home. Kamille loves her Raspberries. Kimee chose Cherries and Blueberries. Cameron picked up some tomatoes for fresh salsa. Khristyn filled her tote with a cucumber, beans and corn. Jeffery picked up some fresh red beets to grill and tomatillos and tomatoes for Salsa. Halle went for some dark green leafy spinach. Zachary was happy to find Strawberries were still at the Market. Spencer spent his tokens on fresh yummy corn and Ian picked up a box of Raspberries. Lilly and Abby chose a Lavender plant to take home for their garden. They love to sip fresh Lavender Lemonade. Mmmm sounds very refreshing. Olivia picked up some green bell peppers to take home and stuff for dinner. Alaynee smiled as she showed off her bag of cherries. McKayla was delighted to take home Strawberries once again. All great fresh healthy choices, way to go POP Club members.

How are your gardens doing? Any veggies ready to harvest yet? With all this great hot weather the tomatoes will soon be ready, squash and melons too. Anyone have any Brussels Sprouts yet? Bring in your harvest and have your picture taken for our Harvest Hall of Fame. So far we have 4 POP Club members who have shared their harvest with us. I know there are many more harvests to be shared and I’d love to take your picture with the Farmer who sold you the seedlings.  Farmers love to have their picture taken too.

Come early this Saturday and get the best choices of the freshest produce. Bring your tote and fill it with your favorite fruits and veggies so you too can eat healthy all week long. Our smiling volunteers will be waiting. And don’t forget to sign the big Thank You poster for our sponsor this week, Beaver Creek Telephone Company. Thank you BCT for helping to continue this great Power of Produce program.

Barbara Fleming

Reporter

POP Club News from the August 13 Market

Warm days and bright sun bring new varieties of fruits and veggies to the Farmers Market and this week was no exception. Early apples, ripe juicy peaches, plums and more berries made big impressions on our POP Club members this week. Green beans, corn, lettuce, patty pan squash and of course carrots were tops on the veggie list. It was another incredible day at the Oregon City Farmers Market. Our volunteers were kept busy signing up 55 new Pop Club members and handing out tokens to 92 returning members. That makes 147 Pop club Members for the day choosing fresh fruits and veggies for healthy eating. Our current POP Club total is 1095!!! And with every Market it grows, just like the produce on the farms.

Farmer Laura from Family Table Farm and her green bean cooking demo was our POP Club Fun for the day. I saw several POP members and their parents watching Farmer Laura’s cooking demonstration and tasting her flat wavy green beans. I’ll bet many of you did not know beans could be shaped into letters???? Laura found the perfect beans to spell out ‘POP’ for her demonstration. Her ‘letter’ green beans were naturally shaped and no knife was needed to create her fun poster. An don’t forget POP Club members, green beans can be eaten raw without cooking too. Try it you’ll like it.

Our POP Club volunteers were very pleased to hand out six 10 stamp surprises today. Ceana, Jonah, Betsy, Ella, Ryan and Rachell all qualified for their surprises. A BIG thank you goes out to Big Foot Bread and Java Talkin’ for providing those surprises. I know there are several POP members who will be choosing their surprises soon… are you one of them? Remember visiting the Wednesday downtown Oregon City Farmers Market will get you to your 10 stamp surprise even faster.

Checking in with our POP Club members as they left the Market I found many yummy, healthy choices in their arms and totes. Emily chose apples, donut nectarines (juicy and very sweet), blackberries, cherries and blueberries. She and Mom will be making jam this week. Thanks Mom for those matching funds. Nick decided to get some first of the season corn and a lemon cucumber. Ethan, Autumn and Evan all love fresh corn so they each chose 5 ears of corn with their tokens. The family was planning on having corn for dinner 3 times during the week. Great choice kids. Ceana and Nick each picked up a box of plump Blueberries. Paige had some peaches she purchased with her tokens. Corn was also in Sarrai’s bag.  Justin was eager to try his white cucumber. He said he had never eaten one before.  I hope he reports back to let us how he liked it. Rachell picked up some lettuce and nectarines. Sounds like summer salad makings to me.

Benjamin chose cucumbers, radishes and onions. He likes to have sliced cucumbers on his sandwiches… so do I Benjamin.  Nia found ripe tomato to purchase with her tokens along with some Loganberries and Strawberries. Yes, we still have Strawberries at the Market. Natalya found a box of ripe red cherry tomatoes to take home with her. Grace chose a lemon cucumber and a peach for her healthy eating. Abby is saving her tokens. She doesn’t know what for yet, but she will know it when she sees it. Simone saved her tokens from last week and combined them with the ones from this week to purchase some lettuce, plums and a patty pan squash. Kaya smiled as she showed off her box of red juicy Strawberries. Like Kaya I could eat Strawberries everyday. Spencer picked out some corn and carrots while his brother Ian chose Strawberries. Haley must have tasted Farmer Laura’s cooking demo since she had green beans in her bag along with some broccoli. Freida loves her fruit and chose Blueberries, cherries and Blackberries. Olivia chose some fresh from the dirt carrots. She planned to use them in Taco salad and soup. All our POP Club members made wonderful choices with their tokens and will be eating fresh and healthy throughout the week. Great Job kids.

We would like to continue to thank On Point Community Credit Union for the funds to keep this great Power of Produce program running and hope each and every POP Club member signs the Thank You poster each week as they pick up their tokens. This week we would like to also thank Sok from On Point for spending part of her work day with us in the POP Club sign in booth, it is much appreciated.

This Saturday, August 20, our POP Club fun will feature a Champion Yo-yo competitor. So get up early, come to the Market and learn some simple Yo-yo techniques. Bring your shopping list or just look around for something new to try. And remember to bring in your harvest for a photo in our Harvest Hall of Fame. The sun will be out and our Farmers will be well stocked with fresh picked choices for healthy eating.

            POP Club News from Aug. 6th

WOW! It was an amazing day at the Oregon City Farmers Market. Our Power of Produce Club received National recognition from the National Farmers Market Coalition during a short program featuring speakers fromOregon City,OregonandWashingtonDC. Our own Market Manager Jackie Hammond-Williams, Suzanne Briggs from the National Farmers Market Coalition and Farmer Larry Huckaba from Family Table Farm all were featured speakers. We would like to thank all POP Club members and their parents, grandparents, friends and neighbors who got up early and were able to attend the rally. The visitors were very impressed with our Market and the number of people at our Oregon City Market.

The fun continued throughout the day with our sponsor On Point Community Credit Union handing out a water bottle or Frisbees to each and every POP Club member who signed in for the day. On Point also sent not one, but two volunteers: Rochelle and Cindy, to help out with all the activity at the POP Club booth for the day. Branch Manager Cindy smiled as she showed off two empty boxes that had contained water bottles. She also estimated they handed out over 50 Frisbees. THANK YOU on Point for those great prizes for our POP Club members. And a BIG thank you to Mary Milan (GrandMary’sHerbGarden) for spending her first Saturday off this season by volunteering in our POP Club booth. We LOVE our volunteers.

At the start of the day the total POP Club member count stood at 996 and we soon signed up our 100^th member, just before the 10:45 rally. Young Noah was attending the Market with older brother Isaiah, his mom Brianna and dad Ross. When dad signed his passport Noah became the 1000^th POP Club Member! We quickly posed the family with Oregon City Mayor Doug Neeley and Market Board Chair Tom Winteroowd (standing in for Market Manager Jackie) for a commemorative photo, but Noah was very camera shy and hid his smile. At the end of the day we had signed up 29 new POP members and 73 returning members had picked up their tokens. We now have over 1100 Power of Produce Club members. Way to go kids, and a great big thanks to everyone who brings each POP Club members to the Oregon City Farmers Market so they can participate in this ground breaking program.

Over the course of the day volunteers were able to award four POP Club members with their 10 stamp surprises. Sarah, Quinnten and Hannah were all smiles as they made their choices. Thanks to Big Foot Bread and Java Talkin’ for those prizes. We have more POP Club members getting their 10 stamp surprises each week and have awarded 28 ten stamp surprises this season. How close are you?

Each week brings new fruits and vegetables ripening during the season and with the sun out in full force this week was filled with great choices. Many POP Club members had matching funds help from Mom and Dad with their choices. Spencer chose some fresh early corn and his brother Ian picked up a box of Raspberries. Gabe filled his tote with a cucumber and some green beans. Jeffery and his Mom had Raspberries, red potatoes, cherry tomatoes, lettuce and a cucumber. Makena was loaded down with Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, carrots, zucchini and a cucumber. It sounds like she was set for a week of healthy eating. Greg snagged some late cherries. Kristen and Addy both had boxes of plump sweet Blueberries. Ollie smiled as he showed off his box of Sylvan Blackberries. I’m guessin’ that not many of those berries made it home. Malakai picked out some sweet Nectarines. Leianna had a box of cherries she planned to slice and serve on ice cream. Mmmmmm. Summertime and the eatin’ is easy….

Our hard working young farmer Padraic brought in a second box filled with harvest from his garden. This time he showed off a Mexican Gray squash, a zucchini, Blueberries, Strawberries and a small yellow tomato.  Farmer Larry Huckaba proudly called Padraic up in front of our recognition rally to show off his harvest. Farmer Larry says our future is in our kids growing their own produce and Padraic is in the lead. Way to go Padraic and Farmer Larry!!! They have been working together since Padraic purchased his veggie starts from Farmer Larry early in the season.

Our thanks go to the Master Gardeners and others who donned the GIANT veggie costumes (kindly lent to us by Portland Farmers Market!) and strolled around the Market greeting everyone. They were a great addition to our recognition rally. We had a giant carrot, pumpkin, tomato and strawberry, did you see them? So you see, it was a fun filled day of adventure at our Oregon City Farmers Market. Hope you were there. If not come, this week and see what is fresh, in season and good for you. Bring your shopping list or just see what catches your eye for good healthy eating. We’ll be waiting.

Barbara Fleming

Reporter…and POP Club /Market volunteer!

POP Club News July 30

 A great day to be at the Oregon City Farmers Market,  over 100 POP club members checked in and picked up their tokens to spend. Thanks to a grant from On Point Credit Union we have the funds to continue this great program. Our volunteers signed up ten new members and we are very close to our 1000^th POP Club Member. Amazing!!!  The long awaited sun has been busy ripening berries, cherries and other summer fruits and vegetables. Our POP Club Members were a delight to see, filling their totes with fresh healthy choices to take home and share with their families.

 Seven POP Club members acquired their 10th red tractor stamp on their passport today. Rebecca, Dehler Paige, Justin, Mindy, Dimitra and Jeffery all received special surprises from Big Foot Bread. Thanks Greg, better bring more for this week. We still have almost 20 Members close to getting their 10stamp surprise. Are you one of them?

Berries still top the shopping list for many of our POP Club members but cherries and veggies are frequent choices also. Brianna couldn’t decide so Mom helped her purchase cherries, Raspberries and Marionberries. She sure loves the summer fruits. Emily picked out some cherries and green beans. She planned to steam the beans for dinner. Rebecca chose a box of Blackberries. Mikayla had a box of plump, juicy Boysenberries.Jacksonmanaged to find some of the last Strawberries with his tokens. Spencer found an early watermelon and a bunch of carrots to fill his tote.  Ian proudly showed off an early golden apple and a box of Strawberries that he planned to share with his younger brother. What a wonderful brother!

Diana wanted to add to the family garden and purchased Sweet Pickled Pepper  and Tarragon plants. Remember Diana to bring in one of the peppers when it ripens, we want to see it and take your picture for our Harvest Hall of Fame. Jeffery had help from Mom as he chose a zucchini, cucumbers, cilantro and spinach. Sounds like Jeffery and Mom were planning a big salad. Michael found some early corn and a head of cauliflower. Emma took home a box of Blueberries and Boysenberries. Dad says they don’t last long.

Our Harvest Hall of Fame has a new POP Club member! Padraic brought in a box filled with fresh produce from his garden: green and yellow zucchinis, a Banana pepper and a cup of ripe plump Blueberries. Farmer Terry from Three Brothers Nursery proudly posed with Padraic for their picture with his Blueberries. Way to go Padraic! Thanks for bringing in the results of your hard work.

We would like to thank On Point Credit Union not only for the funds to continue this wonderful Power of Produce program but also for sending a volunteer each week to help with the POP Club booth. This week our thanks go to Karen for spending part of her work day with us at the Market.

This Saturday, August 6^th, Stacey Miller from the National Farmers Market Coalition will be at our Oregon City Farmers Market to kick off National Farmers Market Week and give our Power of Produce Club national recognition. We would like all our POP Club members to be at the Market by 10:30 am, with your purple or red shopping totes, to show Stacey how much you love shopping for fresh fruits and vegetables at your favorite Farmers Market. There will be a giveaway for POP Club members from On Point Credit Union and special cooking demonstrations from 10-1. Really Big veggies will be visiting our Market also, so bring a camera get your picture taken with your favorite, bigger than life sized, vegetable. Be there or be square, and bring your shopping list too!

Barbara Fleming

Reporter

The day started out drippy but as noon approached the weather started to clear and POP Club members arrived at the Oregon City Farmers Market looking for fresh local produce. Berries were tops on most shopping lists. The volunteers signed up 26 new members; giving them their totes, token bags and buttons. We were able to hand out tokens to 74 returning members, thanks to Dr. Don Nimz and his generous donation.  Our activity for the day had Master Gardeners helping POP Club members to make seed tapes. Hope many of you were able to stop by and make yours.

POP Club members stopping by the sign-in booth shared their purchases; raspberries seemed to be on everyone’s list today. Freya picked up her box and Madaline planned to eat hers in the car on the way home. Eric spent his tokens on Raspberries and some sugar snap peas. Jeffery filled his tote with some cherries, radishes, cilantro and beet. Our budding chef, Melissa, took home a Trinidad Perfumed Hot Pepper plant and a Ring of Fire Pepper plant to take home to her garden. Hope she has some good recipes for them. Audrie chose a cucumber and a zucchini, which she was planning to grill. Nina showed me her red gooseberries. She told me that they were sweeter than the green variety. Liam chose his favorites some fresh velvety fennel and a bunch of parsley. He loves to eat them raw, smiling as he munched away. A family of four brothers: Jackson, Joseph, Wade and Logan signed up for the first time. With their tokens they picked out apricots, radishes, broccoli, peaches and carrots. What a feast!!

Logan, Jack and Cassidy chose blueberries and blackberries. They planned to eat them on the way home. Chloe picked out a box of blueberries. She planned to make fresh Blueberry pancakes for breakfast on Sunday. David ate his box of blackberries before he left them Market! Berries were certainly the big winner with POP Club members today.

Four POP Club members received their 10 stamp surprise today. Katelin, Miles, Tiffany and Nicholas were all smiles as they made their choices. Thanks Big Foot Bread and Java Talking for those surprises. We have several POP Club members very close to getting their 10 stamp surprise. How many do you have???

A big thank you goes out to On Point Credit Union and branch manager Cindy for helping out at the POP Club sign-in booth today. On Point has been providing a volunteer for several weeks now. It is very much appreciated.

We are expecting much better weather this Saturday, so POP Club Members get up early, grab your shopping tote and come on down to the Market. We will have all kinds of fresh luscious berries, sweet cherries, pie cherries, gooseberries, peaches, apricots and of course, rhubarb. Lettuce and cabbage will be plentiful for making salads along with carrots, beets, onions and zucchini. Stop by the POP Club booth to share your favorite way to eat your veggies: raw, steamed, grilled or oven roasted. And remember to bring in your harvests to get your picture taken for our Harvest Hall of Fame. We’ll be expecting you.

POP Club News from the July 9th Market

Another beautiful day at the Oregon City Farmers Market: sunshine, amazingly fresh produce, Dr. Buttler cooking, and smiles everywhere. The biggest smiles were on the faces of our 33 new and 92 returning POP Club members.  Each member picked up $2 in tokens courtesy of Dr. Don Nimz, a local dentist, who generously donated funds to keep our Power of Produce Club running. Dr. Don now has two big posters full of colorful signatures to hang in his office, page three coming up. POP Club members don’t forget to sign the card when you pick up your tokens this weekend.

With more varieties of berries and other new produce in the Market this week some POP Club members had a little trouble deciding which ones to choose. Aliyah chose Raspberries while her brother Luke picked up a bundle of fresh carrots. Bernice, Devin and Brayden added their new tokens to the ones they had saved and purchased snap peas, raspberries, carrots, lettuce and cucumbers. Sounds like they had a good selection for a dinner salad and dessert. Rachel decided on the early Blueberries and Blackberries. Makena purchased Raspberries, Strawberries and some fresh cilantro. Elliot wanted to fill out his home garden so he picked out a tomato and a cucumber plant. Paige decided to try some fresh cherries and Justin picked up a zucchini to make some fresh muffins. Quinten tucked his tokens into his token bag saying he was saving them for a Blueberry plant. I asked him how many he had saved. He grinned and proudly told me he had 11… only four more to go Quinten. I’ll call Everett and tell him to make sure he brings one this weekend. Emma filled her tote with a big bunch of fresh carrots. Lavke chose a box of ruby red Raspberries. Sierra and her sister Mykenzie chose Blackberries and Raspberries to make fresh fruit smoothies. Can I come home with you girls? I think Aiden had fresh salad on his mind, he chose a cucumber and some carrots. Great choices POP Club members! It’s really inspiring to see everyone eating so fresh and healthy.

Our big surprise of the day involved a POP Club member bringing in his harvest to show us. Jeffrey has been purchasing Strawberry plants from Hanson Family Farm for two years now. Every day for the past 2 weeks he has picked a bowl full of ripe, red, shiny Hood Strawberries. This morning he carefully packed them and brought them to the POP Club booth to show the volunteers. Market Manger Jackie and Farmer Christie both were amazed and proud of his hard work, and his beautiful berries. Way to go Jeffery!!! We love to see the harvests from the seedlings purchased with POP Club tokens from the Oregon City Farmers Market. Bring yours in soon and get your picture taken for our POP Club Harvest Wall of Fame.

We welcomed back Dr Jesse Buttler to our POP Club Fun booth this week. Dr. Buttler fired up his grill to cook up some fresh market produce for tasting. This week Dr. Buttler and his assistant, Heidi, made a stir fry with bok choy, onion and zucchini which they served with a small taste of fresh sautéed white fish. Mmmmm Good. Dr. Buttler really knows how to whip up fresh goodness quickly. Hope you were able to try it, if not Dr. Buttler will be back August 13 for another Taste of the Market.

A big thank you this week goes out to Market volunteers Holly and Austin. We were almost out of POP Club member buttons and the two of them quickly pressed 100 buttons in no time. Thanks Holly and Austin that was a big help.

Hope to see all our POP Club Members this weekend. Bring your tote bags and shopping lists and check out all the fresh selections. And don’t forget your harvests. We want to see your fruits and veggies and snap a picture for our Wall of Fame. Berries of all varieties will be plentiful this weekend as will the freshest onions, potatoes, zucchini, lettuce, spinach (try it fresh in salads or on your favorite sandwich), Swiss chard, kale and don’t forget that good old favorite: carrots.  The Market will be full of fresh, good-for-you produce, come check it out… we’ll be waiting.

Barbara Fleming

Reporter