May at the Market

It is now May at the Market. Spring is in full bloom.


Dennis Sparr is back with many flowers and plants.
Linda Hormes is making her selection.


Early spring food has also appeared.


Asparagras from the Merry Berry Farm



and Ruhbarb from Alex Nemeth

First Spring Flowers at the Market

These daffodils were at the Market February 28. A little warmer March weather and they will be joined by many others.

Puzzy willows may not be generally considered as a flower, but they really are the flower of this shrub. Bruce Upston stated that these are field grown, not assisted by a green house so they are the first true native Michigan flower of the season at the Market.

Valentine's Day Dinner from the Market

The Farmers Market may not seem a likely place for the basis of a fresh locally grown dinner in February, but it is possible. We didn't start with the goal of an all local dinner but we were surprised how close it came.

First course was fresh salad greens from Brines Farms. I think february 14th was the first time Shannon Brines was at the Market in 2009. The earlier absence was hardly surprising considering the temperature and snow. I was quite happy to see his hoop house could keep a crop even under the January adverse conditions and deliver fresh greens with just a bit warmer weather and some sunshine.

The main course was an elk steak. The steak came from Gary, the beef/buffalo vendor at the Market, through his speciality food distribution company. It was not local and is not available at the Market. Gary has been at the Market all winter representing TMZ Farms and substituting a cut of beef or buffalo from them would have kept the main course local and from the Market.



The final element of our dinner, was dessert from the market. Two alfajores from Maitelates of the Market were an outstanding conclusion to a simple, but elegant diner, primarily from the Market.

Late Winter at the Market

There are two primary reasons to shop at the market, local and fresh products.


In the middle of Winter the meat and egg vendors are the only farm vendors meeting both of these criteria. But Millpond bakery and Maitelates , the chocolate cookie person, were there last week with fresh local baked products. Maitelates now sells jars of Dulche de Leche, a creamy caramel, that is wonderful as a sauce over Hagen Daz vanilla ice cream from Sparrow Market.

All three apple vendors are very consistently there selling local farm produce from storage. One vendor was there with stored root vegetables. A few artisans also come all year. Throughout the coldest days of Winter there has been 10 to 20 vendors at the Market every Saturday.

Last Saturday, Gary the TMZ beef/buffalo vendor was using the very cold weather to complete the freezing of some freshly packed beef and buffalo. Of course we bought some. At the time another customer asked "What does buffalo taste like" Gary referred the question to me, and the short answer is beef. A more complete comparison is here.

The Ann Arbor Chronicle has more information on Maitelates.

The Market in Winter

The Farmers Market changes after January 1. The Saturday market is still open but the Wednesday Market does close. The Saturday Market becomes very peaceful. In general the apple vendors, the egg vendors, meat vendors, and some bakers will continue to come unless the weather is very bad.

The food vendors at the Market on Jan 3, 2009 included:


Alex Nemeth - apples
Kapnicks Orchard - apples
Wassem Orchard - apples and jams
Our Family Farm - eggs and honey
TMZ Farms - beef and buffalo
Millpond Bakery - breads
Fusilier - eggs
Hannaweld - lamb
Brines Farm - fresh salad greens
Maitelates - chocolates
Kern Road - jams and jellies
about 4 artisan vendors

Holiday Dinners from the Market

The Holiday season is upon us and it is a reason for a great dinner. You can go from very good to really interesting and great by choosing something different, something from a local farmer, or both. Here are a few of our past Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners from the Market vendors for ideas. Just remember that an unusual item will be a special for a vendor and may require ordering well in advance.

First, here is a buffalo standing rib roast from TMZ Farms. Garry is the vendor for TMZ beef and buffalo at the Market. This was the main course of our 2007 Christmas dinner. The carrots and parsnips were also from the market.



This is the turkey of our 2008 Thanksgiving dinner. Nothing else seems quite as appropriate for Thanksgiving. It was locally raised and provided by Farmer John of Our Family Farm. During the winter John is at the Market almost every Market day, look for him selling eggs.



Here are some dessert and table decoration ideas. Roses from Dennis Sparr, apple and pumpkin pies.

You probably won't find roses at the Market at Christmas, but there are many evergreen table decorations available. If it warms up a bit Dennis Sparr will be there with poinsettias.

Apples for an apple pie will certainly be plentiful from Kapnicks, Wasems, and Alex Nemeth. Wasems may still have pie pumpkins. If you don't want to make the pie yourself, there is a vendor that makes very good sweet potato and other pies. Both Millpond bakery and Anatolian bakery often have a delectable selection of holiday cookies.



There are many other options. If a rack or crown of lamb appeals to you, then talk to Judy Hannewald, the lamb vendor at the Market. For a traditional goose, talk to John, the egg vendor. He may not be able to supply one from his farm, but may know of another local source. Garry, the beef/buffalo vendor is another possible resource. His sister company, Eat Local Eat Natural, supplies many restaurants with local farm produce. There is a link on the blog list in the side bar.

Some vegetables will still be available at the Market. Look for Dwight Carpenter and Shannon Brines as two notable winter sources.

One great convenience of the Market is that the Kerrytown Shops, the Peoples Food Coop, and Zingermans are all very close. If a food item that you desire is not available at the Market it is very likely available at one of these shops.

Early Winter at the Market

It is now early winter at the Market. The Market does not close but it does change. Many Ann Arborites may not know, but it is a good location for seasonal decorations such as:





a large wreath,










smaller wreaths,












or a tree.

Traditional produce is also still available at the Market. Many items such as:







apples,

and fresh greens will be available all winter.