A taste of peak season
No theme this week, just the best produce of the whole year and two musicians covering the morning between them. Sunday, August 23, 9 am to 1 pm under the Water Tower.
From the market journal archive. Dates, vendors, and events below refer to this article’s week.
There's no banner on August 23. No theme, no special programming, nothing on the schedule but a market. What there is, though, is the produce - and right now that's the whole argument.
Late August is the two or three weeks our growers spend the entire year getting to. Melons are in. Tomatoes and peppers are the real thing. Sweet corn, beans, greens, and whatever else came out of the field on Saturday will be on the tables Sunday morning, and none of it has been on a truck for four days. This is as good as it gets in Minnesota, and it does not last.
So come without a plan. Walk the full loop before you buy anything. Ask a grower which melon is ready today and which one wants another day on the counter. There's music from open to close and no reason to rush.
The weather is doing us a favor, too. Saturday looks damp - showers and a few rumbles, high around 74 - but it clears out overnight, and Sunday comes back mostly sunny and near 77 with a light north breeze. A rinsed-off, blue-sky August morning.
Straight From Nearby Fields
Beck's, Svihel's, Yang's Fresh Flowers and Vegetables, Bao Yang, 2JCK Produce, and The Farm of Minnesota anchor the produce rows with melons, tomatoes, peppers, sweet corn, beans, and crisp greens.
Mark Freiderichs Gladiolas is here with armloads of cut gladiolas. He's expected through the end of August, which means you have about two more Sundays to put a fistful of them on your kitchen table.
Bakers, Roasters & Specialty Makers
Café Verte, Great Harvest Bread Company, and Cornerstone Wellness cover the bread and pastry end of things. For the pantry, Caribbean Heat brings the island heat, Yummytizers brings the snacks, Chocolate San Jose is here for the sweet tooth, Summer Lakes Beverages handles something cold, and TNT Coffee Lab pours a proper cup.
The Pantry Shelf
Local staples that keep: pickles and preserves from Schyma's, a wedge or two from the Wisconsin Cheese Outlet, and pasture-raised meat from the Veteran's Farming Initiative.
Handmade & Homegrown
Give yourself time for this row. Elena's Cute Creations, Trinamimi Pottery, Your Craft and Collectible, Wonder Paper Art, Jules Creation MN, Weaving & Turning, Aletha Jean Decor, Hand Heart Beads, and Tropical Island Seashells bring the handmade goods. Loveage Root, Sarahgirl Soap, and Lovely Skin by Miriam have the self-care shelf, and Norwex and Wild Iron Cooking have the kitchen and the household covered, refurbished cast iron included.
Hungry Now? Ready to Eat
Come with an appetite. Crepe & Cake, JM Bistro, Atacama Catering, Natasha's Pierogis, and Lziza Mediterranean will keep you fed from open to close.
At the Music Tent
Two acts this week, back to back, so the music runs the entire market. Kirk & Low open the morning from 9:00 to 11:00, and Steve West takes it home from 11:00 to 1:00. Bring a chair if you're the sitting type.
Meet Our Community Partners
Say hello to the neighbors who make this a community and not just a marketplace: PRISM, the University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardeners (late August is when the good garden questions show up - bring yours), Calvary Center Cooperative, the City of Golden Valley, and Renewal by Andersen.
The Golden Valley Vikings are here too, with the story of ISD 275. If you've lived in Golden Valley a while, or if you just like knowing how a place got to be the way it is, it's worth a few minutes.
Start Your Sunday Right
Roll out your mat for a free yoga session with Hand Heart Yoga at 9:30 am, then let the morning carry itself.
See who's here this week on our This Week's Vendors page, and we'll see you Sunday, August 23, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at 7800 Golden Valley Road - under the Water Tower. Bring a bag bigger than you think you need.