Travel Photos: Madison Farmers’ Market
This is not exactly a travel post, since going to Madison is not “travel” for me; it’s going home.
And this is not exactly a food photo post either, at least not a post about cooked food, that is.
This is simply a post about the greatest farmers’ market in the country.
(Ok, fine, my favorite farmers’ market in the country.)
But don’t just take my gushing words for it. Other sources all seem to name it as one of their top 10 farmers’ markets.
Madison (the Dane County Farmers’ Market) makes the Top-10 cut for: The Huffington Post as well as Apartment Therapy and The Daily Green, not to mention here, here, and here.
Maybe because it’s the biggest (“the largest producer-only farmers’ market in the U.S.,” according to the market’s website), or because of its support for organic farmers (like Harmony Valley Farm), though I think it could be because of the cheese.
Squeaky Fresh Cheese Curds! If you’ve never tried cheese curds, you need to book a trip to the Midwest. It couldn’t cost that much more than paying for cheese curds in a non-dairy-state Whole Foods…
You’ll know the cheese curds are at their freshest when they squeak between your teeth as you chew them. Cheese curds are the perfect size and shape for some serious cheese snacking. They are just a little salty and addictive and so so fresh. They are everything that cheese should be. (Seriously, visit the Midwest.)
Pan-fried Cheese
The cheese is one thing that makes the Madison farmers’ market unique.
That and the uni-directionally-(counterclockwise)-moving crowds.
The market also boasts plenty of non-produce baked goods, such as Stella’s “Hot & Spicy Cheese Bread” (not pictured), these monstrous 4 lb. country loaves (Cress Spring Bakery), and goat cheese croissants (from L’Etoile Restaurant).
Besides cheese, breads, and pastries, you can also find local honey, jam, pickles, garlic braids, flowers, potted herbs, nuts, mushrooms, smoked fish, grass-fed meats, organic eggs, and scrumptious pesto.
And there’s plenty of room to sit in the shade. (Although considering the temperatures so far this summer, even the shady spots probably sweltered with at least 90 degrees plus humidity…)
Luckily the market runs through the last brisk days of October.
Enough talking, though… I’ll leave you with a few more photos of the market’s offerings.
And just several of the reasons why I love my hometown, Madison:
If you are lucky enough to be reading this before a trip Madison, the market is held on summer Saturday mornings around the Wisconsin Capitol Square. (The market’s website is here.)
Related posts:
> Travel Photos: Markets and Street Food in Seoul
> Travel Photos: Beer and Cheese in the Netherlands
spontaneous tomato 
All these pictures are amazing!!
Thank you! :)
I love farmer markets posts, everything is so fresh and beautiful! :D
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Agreed! :)
Those beets look great! Also, I love the name of your blog. Really cute. :)
Thank you! (If you’re interested, the origin story of my blog title appears in this post: https://spontaneoustomato.com/2011/10/29/chilaquiles-verdes-and-tomatillo-salsa/ )
I find photos of different farmers markets throughout the country (or world) just as exciting as a recipe blog post. Just sayin’.
Thanks for saying so! :) I’m glad to hear it, because I wasn’t sure if this post would be a bit boring/disappointing or not… but I guess you can’t go wrong with a lot of photos! (And I like looking at this type of post on other people’s blogs, too.)
agreed. maybe it’s because i’m writing so often that what i mostly want to do when browsing other’s blogs is to look at the pictures. is that such a crime ;)?
I feel the same way! (Kind of makes me re-evaluate how much time I put into the writing, since on other blogs I sometimes skip over the reading to make way for browsing photos…)
Wow I want to go here! I actually haven’t been to farmer’s market ever since my 2nd kid was born… like 4 years ago. =O It’s time to explore and have some fun. This place looks very nice and love that people are hanging out on lawn.
Yes, Madison’s market is SO nice. (And it’s so gigantic– and crowded– that it can take a while to navigate, so it becomes a whole Saturday morning activity.) You should try bringing your kids to a farmer’s market; there are often free samples of fruit and cheese… I bet they’d like it!
Great pictures, in my country (Portugal) there are many.
I am a farmer and I love farmer’s market.
Greetings
Thanks! I’ve been to Portugal once and I loved it! (But I only got a chance to visit Lisbon and the surrounding area…) Thanks for stopping by & commenting!
Georgous pictures at the Market! Stunning!
Thanks so;much for sharing it with us! :)
Thank you; glad you enjoyed seeing the photos!
Aww! This makes me want to go home! I love your blog and am adding it to my list of regular procrastinations from work. Are you coming home for winter?
This makes me want to go home!! I’m adding your blog as part of my regular procrastination. You coming back for xmas?
Yay, procrastinate away… :) And yes, I think I actually am this year! We’re moving the solstice party from this winter to the summer solstice, but I’m still planning to be home for a while during the holidays in December. See you then!?