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, 
It is Fall at the Farmers Market. The Market does not close in Fall or Winter it just changes with the season, like nature. That is the part of the charm and enjoyment of buying local produce. It can be a little sad to see a favorite fruit or vegetable leave in Fall but that is balanced by the joy of seeing it return again in the next season.
In the last few years the Market has added several new classes of vendors. One of these is the meat vendor. There are now at least three meat vendors offering beef, chicken, bacon, lamb and buffalo. I have purchase from all three and recommend all of them.
If you prefer traditional vendors here is Alex Nemeth and his apples. Apples store well and are available at the Market all Winter unless the vendors sells out of his harvest. There are usually three apple vendors at the market until Spring; Nemeths, Kapnicks, and Wasems Orchards. I regularly buy from all.
The cold tolerant vegetables are still there too. My parents made saurkrut from excess cabbage in the fall. If you would like to try that follow the Farmers Marketer link in the right column of this page. Brussel sprouts are one of my favorites and they can even tolerate some snow.
Don't give up on the flowers either. Dennis Sparr is at the Market with mums and other cold tolerant flowers late in the season. I have purchased his greenhouse roses for our Thanksgiving table. He will have poinsettias until Christmas unless it gets very cold.
This post is a little different. I want to recognize a little known contribution of the Market to the Ann Arbor community. Many of the vendors regularly contribute their excess produce to Food Gatherers. Michael Scott of Food Gatherers stated that a typical pick-up from the Market is 1,000 to 2,000 pounds during the harvest season.
Duke Donahee selects tomatoes . . . 
and puts them in the Food Gatherers boxes.
Valerie of Jeff Nemeth's farm also packs a Food Gatherers box . . . . 
as does Tina Koski
Micheal Scott picks up the boxes from the vendors stalls . . . . 
and loads them into the Food Gathers truck.
Our thanks to Food Gathers and the many vendors that support them.
Here is another very simple dinner from the Market. Grilled shish-ka-bob from Hannewald Lamb. I added some mild chili peppers, also from the Market to the skewers.
Marinate the lamb in olive oil and lemon juice. You can substitute balsamic vinegar for a different taste, or soy sauce for an oriental flavor. A hot oil or chillies in the marinade would be a central Asian variant.
Following the theme of the simple Pizza I will present some more of the simple foods that I associate with the harvest season.
One is grilled eggplant. The goal is simply to grill the eggplant until it is soft without burning it or having it stick to the grill. This doesn't require a recipe but it may take a few tries to get it just right.
Start with small eggplants 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide. As small as you can conveniently cook without having them falling through the grill. I like the white and purple ones, like these from Tom Rumple. It is a lot easier to see the color change of the skin of these as they cook than it is on pure purple ones.
Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and place the cut surface in a pan of olive oil and lemon juice for about 1/2 hour. I use about 2 parts oil and 1 part lemon juice. The ratio is not important and you can use oil only. The eggplant will absorb the oil, reduce the tendency to stick to the grill, and increase the heat transfer. The lemon juice reduces the amount of oil absorbed and reduces flame up on the grill.
Place on a moderate to low temperature oiled grill, cut side down. The ability to close the grill cover to stop any flame up is helpful, but you can start cooking at the grill edge and then move them to the center. Cook and time the cooking until the eggplants look done but not burned. It will only be 3 to 5 minutes, flip and cook on the reverse side for about the same time, maybe a minute less.
Eat them!
Many years ago when I attended a conference in Naples I bought pizza from a vendor near the harbor. I was surprised at how simple and how good the pizza seemed compared to a typical US pizza of that time. Maybe it was just the location, but I have enjoyed making and eating simple pizza ever since.
Here is our variation of a simple pizza from the Market produce with a little help from the neighboring stores.
August is the beginning of the Fall Harvest Season. Perhaps the best time at the Market. Corn and tomatoes are plentiful. The early squash are in.
But best of all is the beginning of the fall fruit. Apricots are one of my favorites. Fresh peaches may be nicer for immediate consumption, but apricots make a better pie.
