OHSU Farmers Market

Oregon Community Food Systems Network is one of the collaborators connected to the OHSU Farmers Market, a Tuesday market on Portland’s medical campus where food access and food-as-medicine programs are built into the setup. The market runs in the courtyard of the OHSU Auditorium, in front of MacKenzie hall, and welcomes employees, students, patients, visitors, and neighbors. OHSU says the market started in 2007 and usually brings about 30 vendors each week to serve customers on campus. That campus setting gives the market a distinct role: it is a place to shop, eat, and connect produce purchases with health programs already active at OHSU.

Why it matters locally

The OHSU Farmers Market is tied directly to health care, with vendors serving on a medical campus where OHSU says the message of food as medicine is heard. That local role shows up in the market’s programs as much as in its location. The OHSU Food Rx program, developed by OHSU Food and Nutrition Services, gives clinicians a way to offer patients vouchers redeemable for fruits and vegetables. A Produce Subscription and community supported agriculture program also connects seasonal shares to OHSU locations, including Marquam Hill, South Waterfront buildings, Richmond Clinic, and West Campus in Beaverton. The market’s collaborator list also points to nutrition and food-access infrastructure beyond campus, including the Oregon Community Food Systems Network and the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Farm Direct Nutrition Program resources.

What you'll find there

The market’s weekly mix is organized through a vendor map and product search tool, with space-by-space listings that let shoppers see who will be set up on a given Tuesday. OHSU says it usually hosts about 30 vendors each week, and the market’s materials put equal emphasis on finding specific vendors and browsing product types.

• -Browse the weekly vendor map to see which vendor occupies each market space on a selected date.
• -Search by vendor name to locate a favorite seller before arriving on campus.
• -Look up product types through the market’s search tool to plan around specific items.
• -Use the clickable space listings for vendor details shown in the map interface.

The season closes with an annual Harvest Festival, adding an end-of-season event to the regular Tuesday market run.

Know before you go

No dogs are allowed, and all vendors are physically accessible to the public. The market is set in the courtyard of the OHSU Auditorium, in front of MacKenzie hall, so first-time visitors can orient around those campus landmarks rather than a street-side market row. OHSU encourages visitors to use public transit, bike, or walk instead of planning around parking. If you are coming from elsewhere on campus, MacKenzie hall is described as just across the bridge from the BICC library, which helps place the market within Marquam Hill. For shoppers following weekly changes, the market’s vendor map lets you choose a date in the top left corner and see that day’s setup before you arrive.

Payments & SNAP

SNAP is accepted at the OHSU Farmers Market, and the market also works to accept as many forms of payment as possible while offering subsidies where it can. Its materials also reference WIC and Senior Farm Direct Vouchers through Oregon Department of Agriculture resources, along with employee meal-subsidy badges and payroll deduction among the payment options emphasized by the market.