Farmers’ Market – Winter

This time of year when there is snow on the ground and the high for the day is 34 F, it’s hard to think what could be at the farmers’ market.  We just had a fresh 6 inches of snow and ice accumulation on Thursday, and, although it looked very pretty this morning with the sun shining on it, I couldn’t conjure an image of fresh fruits and vegetables. I didn’t even realize the market was going on during the winter.  In St Louis we have the oldest continuous market west of the Mississippi, the Soulard Market.  But that market includes much produce flown in from the south and west and from central and South America.  The farmers’ market I am referring to is one held normally on Wednesday afternoons by our local natural and organic farmers.

A friend of ours, an organic farmer and bee keeper, invited us to come see her Saturday morning at the market. We typically only get to see her in the winter because she works about 20 hours a day during the ‘growing’ months. We missed her and we needed honey, so we decided to venture out and see how the market worked in the winter and how they manage to keep the farmers warm during this icy weather.

Easy.  They moved the market inside for the winter.

Schlafly Bottleworks, a St Louis micro brewery and restaurant, hosts the market in a part of its parking lot during the warmer months.  In the winter, one Saturday a month, they crowd the vendors inside in an open area between the brewery portion of the business and the restaurant.  Very cozy.

To answer my question of what could people possibly be selling?  Honey, nuts, root vegetables like sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips, and cheese, eggs, meats, mushrooms, home made breads and jams.  There were quite a few vendors and 50 to 100 shoppers.

In that crowd, our friend was still easy to find. Her stall was the first one in the crowded hallway of the building and she was standing behind her display table earnestly talking to a customer. As soon as she saw us she broke away from the conversation to give us hugs. We said a brief hello then let her get back to her customer while we picked out some jars of honey and some preserves. Another vendor nearby had home made breads, rolls, and brownies. It was hard to pass them up, and of course, we didn’t. After all, what good is local raw honey without some fresh home made bread to spread it on?

I’m glad we went out in the cold to get to the market on Saturday. It provided a welcome break from winter as well as giving us a chance to restock our cupboard. There’s something about a farmers’ market that brings good things out of people. Good food, fresh air, a happy crowd, lots of chatter. It just spills out and embraces you, even as you push your way through the masses to get to your favorite vendor. I’m looking forward to the good ole outside farmers’ market in a few months, but for now, I’ll take the hugs and love and warmth of the indoor winter market.