Farmer's Market in the the Cold and Rain

"Nothing can stop us from going to the Farmer's Market!"  said my 10 year old daughter as we made our way to the Minneapolis Farmer's Market in the rain and cold at 7am today.  We bundled up for the weather and started off on our Saturday morning tradition.

My daughter was right.  We enjoy going to the Farmer's Market, rain or shine, cold or hot.  It's the spirit of the Market that draws us every Saturday.  We like the friendliness of the vendors and the blending of the world cultures just 12 miles from home.

Even though there are not a lot of fruits, vegetables, plants or flowers yet in season, there were plenty of other types of booths to browse through under the protective awnings at the Market.  There was pottery, clothing, jewelry, some hearty cold weather plants, artisan bread, relishes, salsas, humus, fish, buffalo, pork, beef, fresh eggs........  You can also get fresh coffee and bakery items to eat while shopping.  I even saw someone eating roasted corn and a brat at 7:30am!  Something for everyone - even in the cold and rain!

No trip to the Farmer's Market is complete without mini donuts.  I'm pretty sure my daughter enjoyed every bite!  Best $5 spent this morning!  (She also likes to walk by the coffee/breakfast bar.  The man there always gives her a Tootsie Pop.)

We managed to find other goodies that we shared with our family.  (My daughter ate every last mini donut herself!)

We bought pickles - southwest and habanero flavored.  My daughter shares my affinity for all things spicy.  She picked out the southwest flavor and I wanted the habanero flavored ones.  The "pickle booth", as we call it, sells a wide variety of dill pickles, sweet pickles and flavored/stuffed olives.  They have samples of everything they sell.  Prices vary by the weight and type of relish you are purchasing.  We always try to pick something new each time.  The containers above are a half a pound (that is the smallest size).  Both of the kinds we purchased were $3.50 per half pound.  Whenever we buy pickles here, when we get them home, I cut them in either chunks or slices.  Then everyone gets a taste.

We also bought artisan bread.  It's called Zesto Pesto and cost $3.75.  It is made with wheat flour, sourdough culture, chopped garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dried herbs (oregano, thyme, basil, sage, rosemary, savory, marjoram), salt and yeast.  It was made by the Saint Agnes Baking Co. in Saint Paul.  Besides tasting fabulous it smells wonderful!

The last item we bought was something I knew my boys would love - wild caught, smoked salmon.  It is the best smoked salmon I have ever tasted.  The store bought smoked salmon I have purchased always has an outer layer that is crusty and dry.  This salmon was moist, inside and out.  It was also kind of spendy ($9 a pound) but well worth it as an unexpected treat for the boys.  It was delicious and the boys loved it!  In fact, I think it was gone within about 15 minutes!

Don't wait for the perfect spring or summer day to visit the Minneapolis Farmer's Market.  There are so many things to see even in "not so great" weather.

"Go to the grocery store and buy better things.  Buy quality, buy organic, buy natural, go to the farmer's market.  Immediately that's going to increase the quality of the food you make."  -Michael Symon