My Market Year(s)

The first outdoor Dane County Farmers’ Market was bright and sunny and the crowds were out to celebrate Spring and the arrival of fresh local produce.  We ate well this first week.  It was good to see my favorite farmers again after Winter.

We went down to the square later than I usually go and the crowds had arrived.   It is a good thing to see so many people out to see what the local farmers have to sell.  The produce is a little thing this early in the year but there was still plenty to see and buy.  We bought trout and spinach and cherry tomatoes for the the Trout with Lemon and Tarragon Dressing dinner.  I had leftover grilled trout that I used to top a salad for lunch.

We the bought watercress and cherry tomatoes that went into the Watercress and Tomato Risotto along with a variety of cheeses.   I’ll write up my favorite cheese vendors and selections in another post.

We picked up a flank streak from Fountain Prairie Farm.  Their beef comes from grass fed Scottish Highland cattle.  They dry age it for 14 to 21 days which makes the meat richer and darker.  We had the Arugula and Apricot Salad as a side dish with the grilled flank steak and herb crusted oven chips.  I’ll write up that recipe later.  Thinly sliced flank steak topped another salad for lunch on another day.

We also bought an eggplant “Mpinata” from Cabibbo’s Bakery.  This had a light crust with nicely spiced roasted eggplant filling.  It made a great lunch on market day.  We also picked up some of their Anisette biscotti which are great with tea.

There were other greens – red mizuna that is a spicy mustard green which makes a great salad and the radish micro-greens we used in the arugula salad.  All things considered, it was a great way to start the week and it was great to see so many people out.