Winter market delights
Reasons to hit the Famers' Market while it's still cold
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Think Wisconsin’s winter local food options are sparse? Then you probably haven’t visited the winter incarnation of the Dane County Farmers’ Market. Held in the Madison Senior Center (330 W. Mifflin St.) each Saturday morning from January through early April, the winter market offers a bright and welcoming retreat from the bleak winter skies and bitter cold. The winter market’s days are numbered, though, as it prepares to head outside to the Capitol Square on April 18. Decider set out to find the best remaining “only in winter” treats.
Food: Even before spring comes around, the market still offers buffalo, beef, emu, lamb, pork, poultry, eggs, cheese, fresh and frozen fruits, cider, root vegetables and tubers, fresh greens (yes, fresh, local greens in winter), dressings, preserves, salsa, sauces, maple syrup, breads, pastries, mushrooms, flowers, herb-infused salts, and cheesecake, among other options. While most of the winter vendors are also at the summer market, the more limited selection (let’s call it focused—there’s maybe only one person selling salsa) and smaller crowds mean you can actually talk to the producers and spend some time considering the options without being thrust back into a wave of counterclockwise walkers before you can even pull out your wallet.
“Taste The Market” breakfast: Sure, you can get breakfast at the market in the summer. But a round of “hot and spicy” cheese bread, a gloppy cinnamon roll, or a fresh bag of curds eaten in milk-herd motion somehow can’t compete with a skillet fry-up of sweet potatoes, apples, eggs, and sausage, apple-squash crumble, or apple-cinnamon French toast. Each week at the winter market, a guest chef takes market produce and spins culinary breakfast magic, all for about $7.50 including coffee. And did we mention that all of this comes on a real plate that can be eaten sitting down at a table? Breakfast is served at 8:30 a.m.
Music: The winter market has an eclectic soundtrack—everything from the African sounds of Djam Vivie on the djembe and Tani Diakite on the kamale ngoni to storyteller and banjoist Reid Miller to the Irish reels of Rolling Wave, featuring uilleann pipes, bodhran, tin whistle, guitar, and fiddle. While the outdoor market has its street musicians (of varying abilities), the winter market feels like more an intimate, free concert from some talented people you may not hear otherwise. Plus, it’s fun to see the kids getting down.
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