Winter at the Market 2012- 2013

The Saturday Market does not close in the winter, but the Wednesday Market does.  There is a reduced number of vendors but the vendors of meat, fish and eggs will be there all winter.   Vendors with root vegetables, fruit or other produce that stores well will be there all winter or until their supplies sell out.  Vendors with green houses or hoop houses will be there many Saturdays if the weather is not too severe.

Winter is actually a good time to start visiting the Market.  It is not crowded and parking is much easier.  Winter is also a good time for a sample visit to the Kerrytown Shops and the Peoples Food Co-op.   Many items not available at the Market in winter will be available at these shops.

Christmas Dinner 2012

Our Christmas dinner was from the Market, the Kerrytown shops, and the Peoples Food Cooperative; just as it has been for many past years.  The pinwheel appetizers in the above photo were made from sliced meat from Sparrow Meat Market, salmon from Monahan's Seafood Market, cream cheese and tortillas from the Peoples Co-op.  The dinner included:

Standing Rib Roast (Sparrow Market)
Yorkshire Pudding  (Our Family Farm eggs)
Honey Glazed Carrots, Parsnips and Brussels Sprouts (vendors and Sparrow Market)
Mincemeat Tarts (Mincemeat from Sparrow Market)

Here is a link to an earlier post on this blog with a picture of a Christmas standing rib roast.

I often hear people say they would like to see a supermarket in downtown.  This combination is a downtown supermarket, and it is a very good one.  The Market simply has the freshest seasonal produce in town.   In winter it has fresh cold tolerant hoop house greens, local grown green house vegetables, and local grown root vegetables that store well.  It also has local fruit, like apples, that store well.

I think Sparrow Market in Kerrytown is the best meat market in town.   The quality is very good and the selection is quite diverse.   Sparrow Market carries many other products, such as dried Michigan beans, dried chilies, even canned chilpotle peppers in adobo sauce that I could not find at a much larger food store.   They also carry citrus and other non-local fruit.  The emphasis is on the ingredients, not on prepared foods.   This is similar to the Market and complements it

The Peoples Food Cooperative is another very good store in the area of the Market.  Their selection of bulk grains, nuts, flours, spices, etc is outstanding.   They also have a reasonable selection of fruits and vegetables.   As a final note, you do not need to be a member to shop there.  If you shop there a lot becoming a member may reduce your shopping costs, but all are welcome.   Visit and try it if you have not.

There will never be a classic Kroger's; in downtown Ann Arbor; that is, a mammoth store with acres of free parking.   The real estate cost is just prohibitive.  But what we have now, specialty stores that complement each other is better.  I spend far more at the Market and these shops than I do at the Kroger's which is closer to my home.

The Market December 15, 2012

The Market is still very strong this winter.     It is a combination of a mild winter and vendors are more adventuresome in considering their offerings. Here is an example.     Carpenter's Greenhouse is now selling dried Carmen peppers.     Here is a photo.     There should be more peppers in the photo, but, well, I ate about half of them before I took the photo on noon Saturday.

They are sweet peppers, not hot.     Very tasty.     I don't really don't know how to cook with them because I have always eaten them as a snack within a day of the Market.     If you need to cook with them, think sun dried tomatoes with a roasted red pepper flavor.

I very much like seeing vendors like Carpenter Greenhouse extending their product variety with dried or other processed produce.     This will help the Market.    It gives the vendors increased reason to come in the off season.     It also encourages more customers to come to the Market in the winter.

The Market December 8, 2012

I am often asked "What is at the Market in the Winter?"    Here is photo of some the items I got today. Tomatoes from Carpenter's Greenhouse, lettuce and a giant turnip from Our family Farm.   I also purchased some very tasty dried peppers from Carpenter's Greenhouse.

The tomatoes are at the very end of their season.    The lettuce is still there because the winter has been mild so far and many vendors have hoop houses or green houses.   The root vegetables will be there as long as supplies last and the vendors have enough customers to bring them.   Squash and pumpkins are also still plentiful at the market.

The tomato and some of the lettuce have already been eaten in the last BLT of the season.   The bacon was previously purchased at the Market from Earnst Farms.