By Summer Taylor
Staff Writer

Every Saturday morning in Green Lot 1 of Clackamas Community College, the usually quiet campus turns into a bustling market. Year round, CCC partners with the Oregon City Farmers Market and brings it to life. Located on Clairmont Drive between S Beavercreek Road and N Douglas loop, the market offers fresh produce from farmers, baked goods, hand crafts, ciders and more. 

The farmers market in full swing. Photos by Morgan Armitage

To get through the cold months, the market recently switched from every Saturday morning to every other Saturday. It runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is a great way to stay up to date with local vendors and events.  

For many vendors, the farmers market isn’t just a place to sell, it’s a routine embedded into their week to connect with local shoppers. 

From the small business of making vanilla extracts, Edward and Raquel Muller have created a variety of flavors for baking and sell it at markets during the prime baking season in Oregon City. They also incorporate Edward’s woodworking and 3D printing skills into their business, available on their website, Muller Heavy Industries. 

“Each one of these is a different bean or alcohol mixture. Back like 10 years ago, vanilla was really expensive for a while so I started making it at home. I always wanted to do a food business but the food business is really hard, so this is my way of doing it without all the extra work,” said Edward. 

He usually sells at markets towards the end of summertime, and this is his first ever winter market. He plans to sell his product the entire season and give people a more exciting way to bake for the holidays. 

Transitioning to another form of sweets, Scott Campbell has spent every year since being diagnosed with a triple bypass and thyroid problems, in 2012 and 2017, looking for a solution to his sugar cravings. One night while craving chocolate, Scott started mixing up a solution for himself starting with a leftover sweet potato, cocoa powder and a blender. 

“I figured as much trouble as I have finding deserts that taste like food, and meeting my dietary needs, there’s got to be other people out there like that, and so here we are. My friends told me I needed to start selling it, and now I’m helping diabetics, people with digestive disease, food allergies and palate disorders all across the country.” 

The business, Good Pud, consists of sweet potato ice cream that doubles as pudding with a multitude of mixtures. He has perfected the recipes for lemon meringue, chocolate fudge, thin mint cookie, raspberry truffle and sweet potato pie. His distribution is available at the Market of Choice in Portland and Vancouver. “I started selling at markets in 2022 and it’s the best marketing and advertising you could get. Meeting new people, learning about their issues; and when I get a spoonful in somebody’s mouth, the shock value is so rewarding,” said Campbell.

Scott Campbell serving samples of his product.

His business had a rough start, trying to find a way to make something tasty as well as free from all additives was difficult. “Thank God the pandemic hit. I couldn’t sell anything, but it gave me time in the kitchen to play with formulas. I stumbled on allulose. It has no aftertaste, it looks, tastes and bakes like sugar. It’s a natural proven insulin regulator, perfect for diabetics.” 

The display of the flavors of Good Pud.

But sweets aren’t the only thing the Oregon City Farmers Market represents. It is also home to local farmers who bring fresh, self grown products straight from the land. 

Nicki Passarella started her Storybook Farm business in 2018. Everything she sells is grown and canned herself, her most popular item being her famous canned watermelon radishes and pickles. 

Nicki Passarella at her stand in the market.

She sells only at the Oregon City Farmers market during the winter, as it’s the best time for winter vegetables.

Starting in November and running until she sells out, Passarella says her biggest goal is to connect people through the love of fresh grown produce. 

“I feel like it is definitely a business that breaks even, but I have yet to really pay myself, so everything I make just gets reinvested into the business,” Passarella said. 

“I enjoy it, my favorite part is getting to share. And the connection point, I think that there are so many things in the world that make us different and a lot of that can be really unique and beautiful. And everyone eats food, so if there’s two people who are completely different that say, ‘oh I love pickles’ then great, I’m starting that connection point for people and I love it,” Passarella said. 

Nicki hopes to begin making a profit in the next few years so she can invest fully in her business. For now, she runs everything herself saying, “It’s just me. One person operating on a half acre in Sandy. Women owned, women run.” 

So, as the winter farmers market settles into the new schedule, the vendors’ work serves as a reminder that uplifting the community and building connections can be even more rewarding than sales.