The Madison Farmers' Market --- An Event You Won't Want to Miss
Hubby and I made our first trek of the year this weekend to the Dane Country Farmers' Market --- better known as "The Big One on the Square." That's right, this is the BIG ONE! The line of sellers' stalls stretches all the way around the Capitol Square every Saturday morning from 6am to 2pm.
This farmer's market always feels more like a festival than just a place to buy fresh tomatoes. Street musicians and street performers entertain at almost every intersection. The corner of State Street and the Square is filled with arts and crafts booths. Hubby and I even spotted some fun stuff to pick up for an upcoming kids' birthday party we'd been invited to.
This early in the season, the produce is a bit limited. But we picked up fresh spinach, onions, and hothouse tomatoes, as well as a flat of bedding annuals to spruce up our front porch pots. The fun part of going to the farmers' market, we've learned, is watching how the fresh produce varies throughout the season, and then thinking of all the yummy ways we can use what's "in season" on any particular weekend. And of course, there's always a huge variety of bakery stalls, cheese stands, fresh flowers, jams and jellies, and fish and meat items for sale. You could eat an entire meal just grazing as you went along on any given market day.
What surprised us the most? The size of the crowd. I guess it shouldn't have. The Dane County Farmers' Market is the place to go on a Saturday morning, even in mid-May.
For more information and a list of special event weekends, you can check out the Dane County Farmers' Market website at: www.madfarmmkt.org
