To Market... Again

Farm fresh on Capitol Square. 7/2/22 dwm

  Another rite of Madison returned in 2022.  The Dane County Farm Market is once again ringing the statehouse with tents offering everything from vegetables to flowers to sides of beef.

 Yesterday was our first trip this year.  We started the southeast corner with a cinnamon roll that was smartly cut into sticks so they could be dunked in a small container of frosting.

 I couldn't manage eating while walking so I found an empty bench where I thoroughly enjoyed them.

Madison has hosted the Dane County Farmer's Market for years downtown, I wrote about it in for this space back in 2014.  Covid-19 shut it down for two years, leaving an empty space on calendars for farmers, customers, and the economy.

Almost everyone walks counter-clockwise.

Just walking each side of the square reconnects you to people - the farmers - responsible for the abundance of food available.  Honey.  Gourds. Tomatoes.  Wonder Cookies.  The color and smell make it fun before you taste or buy anything.

It's part of the Farmer's Market to have others literally on the city square encouraging others to sign petitions or join veterans opposing war.  Those were two groups I saw represented yesterday.

Light crowds are early, we were there at 8:30. In pre-Covid times, by 9 the sidewalk would be shoulder to shoulder around the block.  If you haven't been to the Farmer's Market yet, it's time to get back.  (Next Saturday's Market is at Breese Stevens Field according to flyers posted on most of the tents.)

It's not called Capitol square for nothing!

You can spend the day.  You can spend a lot, a little, or nothing (if you find a free place to park).

After enjoying my cinnamon roll sticks, it took me a while to find my wife.  She took more pictures than items purchased but did come home with a few special treats (although we did stop at a grocery store on the way home).

I gave my new camera lens a workout, focusing (camera pun-intended) on the state capitol building.  Wisconsin gave its capitol four wings instead of two like the building in Washington, D.C.  That creates a nice sense of depth from the angle I used in the photo at left.

We don't rely on the farmer's market for a lot of groceries, so going is more of a treat than a chore.  It seems that even the most ardent shopper on the square was happy to be back.

                  All photos by the author 7/2/2022