Join Northside Farmers Market on Facebook! click here

Get ready for the 2010 Season!
by Chris Moore

The first Northside Farmers Market of the 2010 season starts this Sunday, May 2, from 8:30am until 12:30pm. The market is located at the corner of North Sherman Avenue and Northport Drive. We have over 30 vendors that have returned or joined our market, including four bakers.

One of the basic tenants of our market is that vendors who are selling at the market must either have grown and gathered, produced, or processed their products themselves in Wisconsin. This means, not only do we offer local products, but we give you the opportunity to interact with each vendor to learn how they grow or make their products.

This Sunday, to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, we will have freshly prepared Mexican food and a sampling of salsas. At 11:00am, kids can take a swing at the treasure-filled piñata.

Again this year we will be accepting food stamps. Simply bring your Food Share card to the Market Info Booth, purchase $2 worth of tokens and spend the tokens at any of our farmers' booths.

You can think of the market as our community crossroads. It is a great place to say "Hi" to your neighbors while shopping for fresh, local foods. Get a bite to eat, a hot cup of coffee and enjoy the different cultures and artists.

See you at the market!

Bakers Delight at NFM
by Chris Moore

This season, we will see a plethora of bakers at the market. Come start your Sunday with a variety of breads and pastries. Capital City Cookies will return with excellent dessert bars and a variety of delicious cookies. (link)

Dark Chocolate Mint Cookies from Capital City Cookies

Cupcakes-a-Go-Go, an artisan cupcake bakery will be providing gourmet and specialty cupcake flavors. (link) Entirely new this season is Honey Bee Bakery. They will be offering hand crafted, local, seasonal, and organic breads. These will include whole grain organics as well as some European style breads. (link) Also new, but joining us later in the season is Ethel Ann's Southern Bakery. They will be offering products such as biscuits, muffins, croissants and cakes.

Come celebrate the return of Spring with a fresh pastry, bread, or cookie to go along with freshly brewed coffee - all in the company of your neighbors!

Carrot and Radish Salad
Recipe by Angela Trentadue
Photo by Cathy Perry

Carrots may seem like a vegetable to enjoy later in the season,butsometimes we're lucky enough toenjoy the especially sweet over-wintered carrots. This is a super simpledish that highlights early season radishes and goes good with just about anything - spicy entrees, on top of fresh greens, even in a sandwich.

Ingredients

2 medium carrots, washed & peeled 6-8 radishes, washed and trimmed 2 broccoli stems, trimmed and peeled (peel deep, past the woody exterior)
2 Tbs canola oil
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Salt to taste
1-2 Tbs rice wine vinegar
1/4 c raw sunflower seeds

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. and roast seeds about 8 minutes or toss in a skillet until they begin to get toasty brown. Cut carrots, radish and broccoli stems into narrow matchsticks, about 1 inch long. Keep each ingredient in its own seperate bowl. Heat the canola oil in a skillet or wok over medium-high heat

Directions, continued

Add the smashed garlic cloves and fry, stirring often, until the cloves begin to brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove the garlic. Carefully add the carrots to the hot oil and saute, stirring often. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Allow to cook about 2 minutes, or just until they begin to get tender.

Add radish and broccoli and continue to cook about 2 minutes more. Season again with a pinch of salt. Keep the vegetables moving in the pan to ensure even, fast, cooking.

Once all of the vegetables are tender, turn off the heat and add the vinegar. Stir to incorporate fully. Remove vegetables to a bowl, toss with sunflower seeds and serve.