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FAMILY FARMS. Portland Farmers Market is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and among the farmers who are the heart and soul of the market are five Hmong families. Among the growers represented are (clockwise from top left) Kaleng Produce, Hummingbird’s Flower Farms, Early Mom Garden, Lucky Farms, and Favorite Produce. (Photos courtesy of Portland Farmers Market)
From The Asian Reporter, V21, #19 (October 3, 2011), pages 11 & 13.
Right at home: Hmong vendors of Portland Farmers Market
By Josephine Bridges
The Asian Reporter
Portland Farmers Market is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and among the farmers who are the heart and soul of the market are five Hmong families. The Hmong, who come from the mountains of what most of us think of as Laos and Thailand, are a people without a country, but at Portland Farmers Market, they seem right at home.
Kaleng Moua of Kaleng Produce in Canby was the first of the Hmong vendors to join Portland Farmers Market, in 1997, "when the market was still small." A veteran of the Lao army, he fled his native mountains in May of 1975, spent nearly a year in Thailand, and arrived in the United States in June of 1976. A worker in a sawmill in Montana for many years, Kaleng is retired now, and he calls Kaleng Produce his "retirement hobby." His favorite of the flowers he grows are dahlias, and it’s easy to see why.
Mai Moua of Early Mom Garden in Hillsboro has been a Portland Farmers Market vendor since 1997 or 1998. She has always been a farmer, and grew rice, corn, and flowers back in the mountains, though "the flowers over there are different than over here." Choosing a favorite flower proved too difficult for Mai, who considered lilies, dahlias, and gladioli, then decided, "Everything’s my favorite."
Hummingbird’s Flower Farms in Salem came to Portland Farmers Market about 10 years ago. True and Kaozoo Vang, father and daughter, lived in North Carolina and worked at a sock company before coming to the Portland area and returning to farming, though a different kind of farming than in their native land. True’s favorite flowers are red and yellow cosmos, and Kaozoo likes dark purple gladioli best of all.
Jimmy Thao of Favorite Produce in Beaverton joined Portland Farmers Market in 2002. A military policeman for the United States government on the other side of the globe, he was also no stranger to farming. "I used to be behind the water buffalo plowing the rice field," he explains, adding that flowers are more difficult to grow than rice. "Each place has a different way of life," he says. "I enjoy both."
The year 2002 also brought Lucky Farms of Gresham into the fold. Sue Meng, the youngest in her family, explained that while they grew corn and rice on their native land, it was in the United States that they began to grow flowers. They got the idea from a relative in Seattle who made bouquets.
"Our Hmong growers have for many years provided the market with exceptional floral bouquets, long-stemmed flowers, many varieties of Asian vegetables, and countless smiling faces," says Jaret Foster, Portland Farmers Market’s senior market manager. "I have watched many of the young ones in their families become young adults and take on some of the responsibility of managing different aspects of the family business, like weddings and special-ordered centerpieces."
The market’s information and manager booths are graced with flower displays provided by one of the Hmong flower growers. "It has always been a pleasure to see their bouquets change with the seasons through early spring to late fall varieties of differing flowers," says Foster. "And to have a chance to see their families working together happily, making the market great."
"There are so many things that make our markets special — from the sense of community that is created and the direct connection provided, to the food we eat and those that grow it, to the incredible variety and diversity of the offerings available," adds Mona Johnson, the market’s communications manager. "Our Hmong growers add to these vibrant marketplaces by offering unusual herbs and vegetables not found elsewhere in the market, as well as smiles and personalities as bright and colorful as the bouquets they create for marketgoers each week."
The Hmong may not have a country, but five families of Hmong vendors clearly belong at Portland Farmers Market, and, to our good fortune, it looks as if they are here to stay.
All five Hmong vendors are part of the Portland Farmers Market at Portland State University, which is open Saturdays from 9:00am to 2:00pm through December 17. Some of the vendors also participate in the markets held at other locations — Pioneer Courthouse Square, Shemanski Park, Buckman, Northwest, and King — on other days. To learn more, visit <www.portlandfarmersmarket.org>.