Whether you're a lifelong Madison native or new to the community, make sure you keep your Saturday mornings free for the Dane County Farmers' Market on the Capitol Square. The market, which is the largest producer-only farmers' market in the United States, is open from the last Saturday in April through the first Saturday in November from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Vendors offer a variety of foods, plants and homemade products.
Inspired by the open-air European markets, the Dane County Farmers' Market was organized by several county committees to unite the rural and urban cultures of Dane County. By 1974, farmers flocked by the dozens, forcing the market organizers to issue permits for kiosk and stall areas around the square. The market continues to grow, with a four-year waiting list for vending space. The rest, of course, is history, and the Farmers' Market is now a Madison tradition, with more than 300 participants sharing their homemade creations and green thumbs with market enthusiasts from all over the state.
While the number of tents and kiosks seems limitless and the products often appear identical from vendor to vendor, there are several \must-stops"" on the slow mosey around the Capitol Square.
Keep your eyes peeled for a man donning a giant bratwurst hat in a large red tent boasting the best beef sticks. Weber's lives up to that claim, carrying some of the tastiest beef sticks available at the market and for a steal too, at 50 cents a piece. Manned by owner Lee Weber and his son Otto, Weber's has been a popular meat vendor at the market for 20 years. The Webers make the 74-mile journey every Saturday from Cuba City, Wis., to offer award-winning, quality meats, from a myriad of different sausages to their delicious beef sticks. While beef sticks may not be everyone's favorite, the enormous brat hats worn by both Lee and Otto are not to be missed.
If you're a vegetarian or gardener, you'll adore Rainbow's End Greenhouse and Country Market, located across from the U.S. Bank. Rainbow's End specializes in organically grown heirloom bedding plants and produce. Owners Todd and Sue Gronholz have been bringing pallets of hearty lush herbs and flowers produced from heirloom seeds to the Farmers' Market for 12 years.
If you miss Rainbow's End Greenhouse at the market, try to make the trip up to Beaver Dam, Wis., to visit their farm. If you do go to the Market, make it a point to stop by and pick up a planter of catnip, sure to please your feline friend'or as Todd Gronholz suggests, makes a wonderful tea for relaxation.
If you're walking the Square and suddenly need to satisfy that sweet tooth, seek out Tom's Handmade Candies, a white tent protecting some of the most delectable toffees and caramels. Vending at the market for eight years, Tom has been mastering the art of candy making in Sun Prairie, Wis., for more than 10 years, and it shows. Tom's offers many different candies with everything from nuts to espresso to Kahlua in quarter-pound slabs that you will not want to share. For $4.50 a block, you can afford to buy a few for yourself to take home. Tom also offers his delicious caramel in jars, offering eight rich recipes for $5 per jar.
Packaging his caramel in jars came about with a little inspiration from a hot summer's day at the market. Because the heat prevented him from displaying the blocks of caramel, Tom had the ingenious idea of putting them into jars, which spurred the idea of selling his caramel as a dessert topping. No matter what form Tom's Handmade Candies come in, they are an essential stop. You can also find Tom and his amazing caramel and toffees online at http://www.tomscandies.com/.
No trip to the Farmers' Market would be complete without purchasing Wisconsin's favorite'a bag of squeaky cheese curds. Many students find these booths to be the best part of the Farmers' Market.
""My favorite part of the Farmers' Market is the squeaky cheese curds,"" said UW-Madison junior Amy Roanhaus. ""You can't get those anywhere else!""
While the Market has numerous cheese vendors, all offering many different types of delicious cheeses, Chula Vista Cheese Co. from Browntown, Wis., has created the ultimate curd. Chula Vista cheese curds, different from many others in the fact that they're actually Munster cheese, retain their squeakiness until the last bite. In fact, these curds are so fresh that they were made less than 20 hours before sale.
These four vendors are just a glimpse of the products available at the Dane County Farmers' Market. As the season continues, buyers will find even more variety available from the farmers and agriculturalists surrounding the Madison area. The Farmers' Market continues to enhance the quality of life in the greater Madison area.
