Local Seasonal Eats

Strawberries Photo:Lindsay

We returned to the Saturday Dane County Farmer’s Market on the square after what had seemed like a very long time.  Of course, the weather was pleasant, and our continuing attempt to arrive early enough to avoid some of the crowds failed miserably.

Right away, something on one of the tables caught my eye.  There were strawberries, ripe strawberries!  We picked up two quarts, and went on our way, buzzing about dessert ideas and plans of sweet summer salads.  Although not generally available till the first or second week of June, these early berries are great.

With a roast still waiting to be cooked, and a few other meats in the freezer, we focused primarily on veggies. The exception being the last two ingredients we needed to make a batch of French onion soup: Gruyere cheese and a French baguette.  In a world of a thousand cheese curd vendors, finding a local cheese vendor with Gruyere, was harder than expected.  But in the end we succeeded.  Here’s this week’s bounty:

Lindsay told me about a Thursday market she heard about in Fitchburg, so I think I’ll be checking that out this week. Have any experience at the Fitchburg market?  Tell us about it.

Spring Green and Tofu Stir-Fry with Red Onion Fried Rice Photo:Lindsay

As soon as we saw the bok choi at the Westside Community Market Saturday, I immediately thought of Stir-Fry.  I mean, come on, what makes for a better crunchy, flavorful green in the common stir-fry than the green and white bok choi?  So I set out to find other seasonal ingredients to throw in.  In addition to the bok choi from Primrose Community Farm, we used Asparagus from Green Barn Market, the last of the onions from Black Earth Valley Farm, and half a bag of sauté mix from Harmony Valley.

The veggies were tossed with some extra firm tofu and the last of our Trader Joe’s General Tso Stir Fry Sauce.  I did feel like I was cheating a little using the bottled sauce, but it did need to be finished off.  All the greens cooked down nicely, and in hindsight I could have probably used the whole bag of mix.  When the stir-fry was ready I transferred it to a covered serving dish and whipped up  some homemade Red Onion Fried Rice featuring red onions from Ka Vang Garden. This turned into a great one-wok meal; minimal cleanup, maximum flavor.  Can’t wait until the season brings some more colorful editions for the next stir-fry.

Bok Choi Photo:Lindsay

After visiting the Saturday Hilldale Farmer’s Market 2 weeks ago, I got a great recommendation from Nichole over at Madison A to Z.  After reading about my disappointment regarding the lack of coffee the week prior, she suggested the nearby Westside Community Market, where there was FREE coffee.

With the new knowledge of another biking distance market, and this one with free coffee, I was sold.

While we had planned on trying to get over there early, Lindsay’s flight didn’t come in until very late Friday night.  Letting her sleep in, we didn’t get to the market ’til almost noon, missing the free coffee by almost an hour (it’s available until 11, or whenever it runs out).

The farmers and vendors still had plenty of goods available, and much like the Hilldale market, the reduced crowd made for a very pleasant experience and plenty of time to talk to each seller.  We saw some familiar names from both the downtown and Hilldale markets, as well as some new ones.  Here’s what we ended up with:

• Red Onions – Ka Vang Garden
• Pork shoulder and Beef Soup Bone – Jordandal Farms
• Bok Choi – Primrose Community Farm
• Country Sourdough – Madison Sourdough
• Tomatoes – Flyte Family Farm
• Yogurt  - Sugar River Dairy

In addition to picking up our week’s goods, I also got to talk with one of the market’s board members about the history of the market.

As Lindsay and I found out, the Westside Community Market, sometimes mistakenly called the Hill Farms Market, was started back in 2005 when a group of longtime Hilldale Vendors decided they wanted to move locations in response to the new location set out for them at Hilldale.  The vendors established a board made up of member-vendors, and set guidelines mimicking the rules of the Dane County Farmers Market.  This limits the vendors to selling only goods they produce or grow.

The market is car, biker, and pedestrian friendly, with plenty of free parking available.

Overall, we really enjoyed the market and all the great vendors we got to talk to. We’ll definitely go back to the WCM again – but this time I’d make sure to go early enough to score some of that free coffee!