This interview originally aired on In the Moment on SDPB Radio.
Navigating the Farmers Market
by Chris Madsen
Up here in the middle of the Big Dirt Ocean, when summer finally rolls around, you’ve got to take full advantage of all it has to offer.
It’s time to get outdoors, get on some water, watch kids’ sporting events, camp, hike, garden, or simply soak up some warm sun. My personal favorite is hitting up local farmers market to lay my hands on some fresh local produce.
Farmers markets light up all my favorite emotions like a pinball machine. The fresh vegetables, flowers, fruits, meats, plants, and other products are all grown, raised or made in the surrounding area.
It gives someone who likes to cook a real sense of place. It more than makes up for the fact that I lack a suitable location, motivation, patience, and personal discipline to garden in any sort of effective manner. This is all a major complication when I get the urge to go all Ma Ingalls canning and processing fresh vegetables into salsa or other things to enjoy year-round, like my mom and aunts did when I was a kid. I like being able to touch base with that part of my life and thanks to local growers, I can.
Sioux Falls has a very nice facility for the farmers market that runs from May to October every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The place comes with a couple caveats, though. The location is not exactly convenient for most residents of the metro area. The Falls Park Farmers Market is immediately north of Falls Park and west of the Smithfield plant. There is one point of ingress and egress, and the parking can be a little wonky. Now, couple all that with groups of people who do the sorts of innocently inconsiderate things people do when they wander, seemingly aimlessly, with no other real purpose or intent than to take it all in. And some bring their dogs, despite the signs prohibiting dogs in the “market area.” Apparently, that is an amazingly vague directive.
If you’re a person with a passion for fresh produce but gets road rage at the grocery store or has to double down on blood pressure meds to hit the big box joints, don’t despair. The trick for anyone navigating a farmers market is to know thyself and plan accordingly.
I myself am a mission-specific shopper. I know what is in season, and I have put at least some thought into my menu planning for the coming week. I might have a specific idea to make salsa or a desire to can some quarts of spicy pickles. When these sorts of inspirations strike, I might write the items I want down on a slip of paper.
My personal seek-and-destroy missions are best accomplished as early as possible; ideally around 8 a.m. The traffic and parking are easier, most people and their dogs are just getting moving at home, and the selection is best. I might make a quick lap to assess the overall situation, but I’ve got my favorite producers that have never let me down. If I see some friends along the way, I will say hello. Otherwise, we tag it, bag it, and bug out.
On behalf of all my fellow mission-specific shoppers, I’d like to advise all lookie-loos to venture out after, say 9:30 a.m. But, we can all co-exist at the Farmers Market, just like the ‘Brosia Bowl folks can sell their plant-based salads, wraps and other delights within footsteps of the lovely Robinson Ranch people selling beef raised on their ranch in northeast Nebraska. But, please, leave the dog at home.
In all seriousness, though, there is nothing wrong with taking a slow cruise around the market to visit the vendors and explore the great variety of products available. You’ll find all the best local produce, of course, but so much more.
For instance, you’ll find delicious bread and pastry options from Breadico and CH Patisserie. Dakota Mushrooms and Microgreens have a spot where they sell the most beautiful fungi you’ve seen. The guys at Little Shires Honey offer local honey infused with all sorts of flavors (I like the Lava Honey to mix with some butter to spread on sweet corn.) And, check out Sweetgrass Soapery with their handmade soaps that will make your skin feel as good as it smells. If you get hungry while enjoying all the tastes and smells, you can grab pizzas, breakfast sandwiches, bowls, or other treats.
It’s all a great adventure and, perhaps, a little overwhelming. Everything looks so inviting. You will probably want to buy a little bit of everything, even if you started with the intent of getting a breakfast pizza and a cup of coffee. This is, again, where I strongly recommend you go with a list. All that produce is great, and it doesn’t get any fresher, so it needs to be used if you want to enjoy those peak flavors. I know exactly one person who has the artistic vision and culinary chops to get inspired by a few ingredients and whip up a tremendous meal. I am not that person. I think about what I am going to make and then I go find the ingredients. It keeps a few dollars in my pocket and beautiful veggies out of the compost pile.
Enjoy the season and all it has to offer at your friendly local farmers market.
Chris Madsen is an award-winning chef, a food writer, a former state lawmaker, and an attorney. He contributed to the book "City of Hustle" with a chapter on restaurant culture in Sioux Falls.
