Farmer's Market Appreciation Video

Unfortunately, the summer market has ended, but the Winter Market will begin Saturday November 8 at the East End Rec on 210 Zumbro Street from 9 to noon.
Check out our video of a few of our vendors describing the best parts of the market. We are so thankful for our vendors and customers.

Farmer's Market Appreciation Video

And don't forget to mark your calendars with the winter market dates:

Exciting News!

This just in! Thanks to Seven Hawks Vineyards, every person who attends our dinner tomorrow night will have a chance to win one of two gift certificates for a bottle of wine!
Tickets can be purchased at the Co-op or by emailing winonafarmersmarket@gmail.com. They can also be purchased at the door for $45 for one or $80 for two.
We are very excited and we hope to see everyone there! Thank you for your continued support of the Winona Farmer's Market. 

This Week's Recipe: Chorizo Potato Hash with Fried Eggs

This Week’s Recipe: Chorizo Potato Hash with Fried Eggs

*Hyvee

Ingredients:

• 1/2 (15 oz) pkg chorizo
• 1 ½ C. potatoes
• ⅓ C. chopped onion
• 1/4 c. chopped red bell pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1-2tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 large egges
• Fresh cilantro, for garnish

Methods:

1. Remove casing from chorizo, if present. In a large nonstick skillet, cook chorizo over medium-high heat until brown, using spatula to break up the meat. Reserving drippings in skillet, use a slotted spoon to transfer chorizo to a plate lined with paper towels; set aside.
2. To reserved drippings, add potatoes, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat for 12 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are crisp on the outside, adding olive oil as necessary to avoid sticking. Stir in chorizo and reduce heat to medium-low.
3. In a small skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Break eggs into skillet; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover briefly. Uncover and cook eggs until whites are completely set and yolks start to thicken slightly.
4. To serve, divide potato mixture between two plates. Top each with a fried egg. If desired, garnish with cilantro.

Featured Vendor: Shao Her

This week's featured vendor is Shao Her. She is located in Holmen, Wisconsin and sells primarily vegetables such as: radishes, kohlrabi, peppers, green onions and carrots. Shao's favorite vegetable is the hot pepper.
Shao has been at the Winona Farmer's Market for seven years. She has been at the market as long as she has been farming. Her favorite part of the market is selling vegetables to her customers. Shao is also at the farmer's market in LaCrosse every Sunday.

Featured Vendor: Herbal Turtle Farms

This week's featured vendor is Bryan Crigler of Herbal Turtle Farms located in Winona, MN. He specializes in forest-grown mushrooms, specialty herbs and vegetables. He has also done garlic this year. All of the products are naturally grown without the use of harmful chemicals.
He cultivates a few varieties and is certified to find a few wild varieties.
Bryan got into sustainable agriculture after  away from a corporate job and spending a lot of time on a hobby farm. He really enjoyed it and that is what made him want to become a farmer.
Bryan has been at the Winona Farmer's Market for five years. He believes people are drawn to the farmer's market because it is a place for the community to get together. There is a good variety of vendors, coffee and live music making it a good place for people to hang out. Bryan's favorite part of the market is people talking to the farmers and meeting the people that grow their food.

You can learn more about Herbal Turtle Farm on their website, Facebook, Twitter, or Linked In page.

Don't forget Bryan's mushrooms will give you super powers and (probably) make you smarter!

This Week's Recipe: Tomatoes Stuffed with Sausage Red

This Week’s Recipe: Tomatoes Stuffed with Sausage Red

*Eating By Color

Ingredients:

6-8 Medium Tomatoes

1 lb ground sausage (can use beef or lamb for different flavor) browned

3 cups bread crumbs

½ minced onion

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2 eggs beaten

Salt and pepper to taste

Methods:

•        Cut the top off of the tomato and scoop out the pulp.

•        Mix the bread crumbs, cooked and drained meat, onions, parsley and seasoning.

•        Add beaten egg and mix again.  Should be slightly sticky. If too moist add more bread crumbs.

Should hold together.

•        Stuff tomato with filling. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes.

•        Serve with a salad for great summer meal!

Local Food Dinner

We have some exciting news! Tickets will soon be available for our 1st Annual Local Food Dinner at The Boathouse! Two seatings will be available and the menu will be announced soon. Come support your local non-profit Farmer's Market while enjoying great, locally grown food!

Featured Vendor: Claus Organic Orchard

This week's featured vendor is Claus Organic Orchard. They sell mainly apples, but they also supplement with jams, jellies, squash and the Chinese Lantern decorations. They started out with just apples, but started to supplement with jams and jellies. The orchard was started in 1980. They have been at the Winona Farmer's Market since 1990. 

Their favorite part of the market is meeting new people and seeing old friends. 

This Week's Recipe: Apple-Cranberry-Stuffed Acorn Squash

Apple-Cranberry-Stuffed Acorn Squash

Ingredients:

2 C. Cranberry Juice, heated

2 Acorn Squash, halved and seeded

2 C. chopped Granny Smith apples

½ C. packed brown sugar

½ C. dried cranberries

½ C. sliced almonds

6 tbsp. butter, melted, divided

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

⅛ tsp ground nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pour cranberry juice into a 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Arrange squash halves, cut-sides down, in cranberry juice. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, combine apples, brown sugar, cranberries, almonds and 4 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.Remove squash from oven; drain juice from pan. Turn squash upright and brush remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter over cut sides and cavities of squash.
4. Remove squash from oven; drain juice from pan. Turn squash upright and brush remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter over cut sides and cavities of squash.
5. Fill cavities with apple mixture. Return squash to oven and bake, uncovered, 60 minutes more or until squash halves are tender.

Featured Vendor: Fairview Farms

This week's second featured vendors are Mark, Laurie and Ben Timm of Fairview Farms located in Altura, MN. It is a fifth-generation farm, and their sons will be the sixth generation. It was named back in the 1860's. For years it was a grow crop and livestock, but they moved into vegetables when the children were little. It has expanded to about 20 acres. They are growing a lot of vegetables and small grains.
They started at the Winona Farmer's Market in 1991. Their favorite part of the market is the interaction with the customers. Introducing them to new crops and new foods is fun for them.

For more information on Fairvew Farms, view their website or their Facebook.

This Week's Recipe: Baked Green Apples with Dried Cranberries

Baked Green Apples with Dried Cranberries

*Eating By Color

4 large green-skinned apples such as Granny Smith

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

½ cup dried cranberries

2 Tbsp butter cut into bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Using an apple corer, cut cores from apples in neat plugs. In small bowl combine

sugar and cranberries. Divide mixture evenly and stuff into cavities of apples.  Top each with a bit of butter.

Place apples in a deep baking dish just large enough to hold them (8x8 should work fine). Pour in enough water to cover the bottom of the pan by ¼ inch.  Put pan in oven and bake until apples have turned golden brown, are slightly shrunken and easily pierced with a fork. (About 1 hour.)

Can be served warm or cool with drizzle of cream or ice cream.

* Can use any good baking apple as a substitute!  Super easy dessert. Can also add raisons, nuts, dried fruit in

filling.

Featured Vendor: Pork and Plants

This week's featured vendor is Ann Kreidermacher of Pork and Plants. They are located in Altura, MN. They are a family owned retail garden and wholesale greenhouse on an organic farm. They have expanded to 100 percent organic grass-fed beef. Their pork is grown on pasture in the summer time and open lots in the winter time with organic grain that they produce. The grass fed beef has higher CLA's in the meat. The pork has more fat in it and that makes the flavor better. Pork and plants does not use soy on their pork.
They have been at the market for three years now. Ann likes seeing all the different people getting excited about what they do and why they do it.

For more information on Pork and Plants, you can check out their website or like them on Facebook. 

Featured vendor: O'Neill Family Farm

This week's featured vendor is Cindy Wolf of O'Neill Family Farm. Their motto is to use sun, water, milk and grass efficiently to grow good food. They raise primarily lamb and beef. She has been living in this area for 21 years. Prior to that they were farming closer to the Twin Cities.
Cindy keeps her animals in the pasture as long as they can where they eat the crops that they raise. The benefits of keeping them mostly grass fed is that the beef is higher in Omega 3 fatty acids and the beef is more flavorful.
Cindy has been at the market for 5 or 6 years now. Her favorite part of the market is getting to interact directly with the customer and getting to know them personally. She also likes getting new ideas from them.

To learn more about O'Neil Family farm you can check out their website or email at wolf-oneill@siremax.com

This Week's Recipe: The Best Basic Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup light or regular sour cream
• 1/3 cup gluten-free mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup mixed chopped herbs such as parsley, basil and thyme
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1/2 small onion, chopped

Method:

Put potatoes into a pot, cover with salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 8 to 10 minutes. Be careful not to overcook. Test for doneness by inserting a fork into a potato chunk. It should slide in easily without breaking apart the potato. Immediately drain well and let cool 10 minutes.

Gently toss potatoes with sour cream, mayonnaise, herbs, lemon juice, celery, onion, salt and pepper. Cover and chill before serving.

Featured Vendor: Big Woods Orchard

This weeks featured vendor is Tom Wunderlich of Big Woods Orchard. They are located in Filmore County about 7 miles north of Mabel. They have been in operation since 1999. They are currently selling Zestar apples. It is a hybrid apple created by the University of Minnesota. Some other apples they grow include: Honeycrisp, Sweet Tango, Haralson, Cortland, Fireside, and McIntosh.
Big Woods Orchard has been at the Winona Farmer's Market for 6 years. Tom's favorite part of the market is interacting with people and having conversations with them. Big Woods Orchard is also at two other farmer's locations.

More information about Tom's apples can be found on his website at www.bigwoodsorchard.com

Featured Vendor: Blue Fruit Farm

This week's featured vendors is Blue Fruit Farm. The farm covers over 5 acres with mostly blue fruit such as: blueberries, elderberries, aronia berries, black currants, blue plums, honey berries, jostaberries, juneberries, and cherry plums. 

This is Blue Fruit Farm's first year back at the Winona Farmer's Market. It did help start the market back in the 1980's when the farm was used for vegetable production. It has been Blue Fruit Farm for five years.

Blue Fruit Farm features berries, juices and jellies. They love introducing customers at the market to new fruit that they may not have tried yet. Their jellies and jams are open for samples. 

You can find them on Facebook or check out their website for more information. Don't forget to check them out every Saturday morning until 1:00 p.m. at the Winona Farmer's Market on 2nd and Main.

Featured Vendor: Fortunata's Coffee

This week’s featured vendor is Joe Libera from Fortunata’s Coffee. Joe is the owner of Fortunata’s Coffee located in downtown Fountain City. He started roasting coffee in 2009 when he purchased an old roaster from a friend of his. After a trial and error period, he perfected his roasting technique. He then renovated an old building in downtown Fountain City, Wisconsin. That building became “Fortunata’s Coffee”. The coffeehouse is named after Joe’s Italian grandmother, Fortunata. Joe has been a vendor at the Winona Farmer’s Market for the past 3 years. He offers cups of hot coffee, iced coffee, and also bags of coffee. He enjoys coming to the Winona Market for the river view, the friendly people, fresh produce, good honeys, and the talented musicians. All of Fortunata’s coffee is fair trade, which means that the workers who pick the coffee are guaranteed a fair wage for their labor. On our final Customer Appreciation Day, Fortunata’s Coffee will be offering free cups of coffee! (While supplies last). Thanks Joe!

Featured Vendor: Tapestry Gardens

This weeks featured vendors are Will and Maxine of Tapestry Gardens. They are located just outside of LaCrescent with 22 acres in gardens. They are an organic farm.
They are on their 7th or 8th year at the Winona Farmer's Market. Will enjoys attending 6 farmer's markets a week to make his living. Will used to work construction, but turned to farming after learning that he had a heart valve problem. They started with a few acres of produce and worked their way into it.
Will's favorite vegetable is the tomato. It is also his most profitable.

Featured vendor: Alisa Hornberg

This week's second featured vendor is Alisa Hornberg. Alisa specializes in mainly annuals and perennials in the spring time. She also does free range eggs, herbs and vegetables. Her favorite herb is Sweet Margarine and her favorite vegetable is the cucumber.
She has been at the Winona Farmer's market since 2001. She believes people are drawn the market for the atmosphere. It is a great place to hang out and see what's going on in Winona.

Featured vendor: Katie and Ben Freitag

This week's first featured vendors are Katie and Ben Freitag. They grow fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers. They also do canned goods.

Their salsa buckets are a customer favorite at this time of the year. It has everything you need in it to make fresh salsa you just take it home, chop it up and add salt. 

Ben and Katie have been selling at the market for 14 years. Katie believes people are drawn to the market because of the nice stuff everyone has and because it's a nice place to hang out on a Saturday morning. 

You can find their Facebook at www.facebook.com/thefarm900

Water Bottles!

This Saturday at the market will be our third Saturday selling our new Winona Farmer's Market water bottles! We are very excited about them because we know the market can be a hot place with limited drink options. We will also have a water cooler available to fill up any water bottle that you bring to the market. This is an effort to reduce waste from paper cups and provide our farmer's market customers with a cool new water bottle that everyone always needs.
They will be available again this week at the Market Coordinator booth for $10. Stop by and get yours this Saturday! All proceeds go directly to improving the Winona Farmer's Market.

Featured Vendor: Out on a Limb Orchard

This week's second featured vendor is Esther Heyer of Out on a Limb Orchard and Gardens, located in Nodine, MN. The orchard started out with just apples, but Esther took over when her father had surgery and started adding on the garden vegetables as well. She has everything at her stand from asparagus to zucchini. The newest vegetable she has tried is her white eggplant. She has also tried purple cauliflower that is new this year.
Esther has been a vendor at the market for 20 years. Her favorite thing about the market is being able to talk about products from people that are interested. She also enjoys learning new things from her customers. She loves talking and learning from them.
Esther's customer favorites are her pies. Esther hears from her customers that everything is fresh and looks nice. She picks everything the day before market to keep it fresh.

Featured Vendor: Sweet Treats

This week's first featured vendor is Barb Pierce of Sweet Treats. She does baked goods such as scones, yeast breads, cakes, coffee cakes, biscotti, short bread, and fruit cakes. Her favorite scone is the Date Ginger.
This is Barb's twelfth year at the market. Her favorite thing about the market is the people. She enjoys meeting all of the people. She loves making new customers and teaching them new things about food.
Barb was a professional chef at an italian restaurant in Milwaukee before she moved back to Winona.
Barb got into baking by growing up on a farm where they made all of their own cookies, bread and cakes. Barb has a Facebook page called Sweet Treats where you can leave special orders if you like. Facebook page link.

You can find Barb at the Winona Farmer's Market on 2nd and Main Street from 7:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Come early if you want to have a good selection, as Barb usually sells out pretty quick.

Featured Vendor: Pang

This week's second featured vendor is Pang. She is a vegetable vendor located in Winona, MN. Pang sells vegetables such as carrots, celery, lettuce, garlic, onions, and kohlrabi.
Pang has been at the Winona Farmer's market for about 8-9 years. Her favorite part about the market is coming and seeing all of the people.
Pang could not choose a favorite vegetable, but she did tell us that baby green beans were her best sellers because most vendors don't grow the small ones.

To view the full interview with Pang, please check out our YouTube channel here

Featured Vegetable: Kale

This Week’s Featured Vegetable: Kale

History of Kale

Kale has been cultivated for more than 2,000 years. Popular in Europe during Roman times and the Middle Ages, it arrived in the United States in the 17th century.

Kale Chips

Kale chips are a nutritious, easy-to-make snack: Remove kale leaves from stems, tear into bite-sized pieces, drizzle with olive oil and a dash of salt, and bake 10 to 15 minutes in a 400°F oven.

Kale's Antioxidants

Kale is packed with antioxidants, which help neutralize harmful free radicals in the body. Some research suggests kale helps reduce the risk of certain cancers.

Vitamins in Kale

One cup of chopped raw kale provides more than 100% of the daily value of vitamins A, C, and K.

The Kale Family

Kale belongs to the same family as cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and collards.

Colors of Kale

Types of kale are differentiated by color (green, white, purple, or bluish green) and leaf shape.

*info found on webmd.com

Featured Recipe: Bean and Tomato Salad with Honey Vinaigrette

This Week’s Recipe: Bean and Tomato Salad with Honey Vinaigrette from eatingwell.com

INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 1/4 cups dried beans, preferably heirloom, or 2 15-ounce cans white beans, rinsed (see Tip)
• 1/2 cup minced red onion
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 4 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon peanut or canola oil
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste
• 8 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
• 1 pound tomatoes, sliced

PREPARATION

1. If using canned beans, skip to Step 3. If using dried beans, rinse and pick over for any stones, then place in a large bowl, cover with 3 inches of cold water and soak at room temperature for at least 6 hours or overnight. (Alternatively, use our quick-soak method: see Tip.)
2. Drain the soaked beans, rinse and transfer to a large saucepan. Add 6 cups cold water. Bring to a simmer, partially cover, and simmer gently, stirring once or twice, until tender but not mushy, 20 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the freshness of the dried beans. (If you’re using heirloom beans, be sure to check them after 20 minutes"they tend to cook more quickly than conventional beans.) If at any time the liquid level drops below the beans, add 1 cup water. When the beans are about three-fourths done, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. When the beans are tender, remove from the heat and drain.
3. Combine the beans (cooked or canned), the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, onion, vinegar, honey, oil and pepper in a large bowl. Stir, cover and refrigerate to marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
4. Cook green beans in a large pot of boiling water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Pat dry and add to the marinated beans. Stir in cherry (or grape) tomatoes and basil. Season with pepper.
5. To serve, arrange tomato slices around the edge of a serving platter or shallow salad bowl and spoon the bean salad into the center.

Featured Vendor: Mary Speltz

This week's first featured vendor is Mary Speltz. She is located just outside of Altura, MN. She specializes in baked and canned goods. Mary always has a large assortment of pies and breads to choose from. And her canned goods range from jams to homemade catsup and maple syrup.
Mary was the oldest of all her brothers and sisters and she learned to can when she was about 10 years old and she has been doing it ever since.
Mary has been at the market about 8-9 years and her favorite part about it is the people. She loves seeing her regular customers and meeting new ones.

You can find Mary at the farmer's market every Saturday from 7:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Come check her out! 

Featured Vendor: Whitewater Gardens

This week's second featured vendors are Sandy and Amanda Dietz of Whitewater Gardens located in Altura, Minnesota. They have been in operation since 1996 starting with a half acre of vegetables that grew into ten to twelve acres of vegetables with two greenhouses and two in the making.
They purchased their farm of 120 acres in 1991. They grow their vegetables for wholesale, CSA, and the farmer's market.They are also currently working on winter production.
Whitewater Gardens has been at the market since their beginning in 1996. Sandy believes people should come to the market because of the fresh food and the fact that the market is a social event. It gives people a chance to get to know the people who grow their food. Sandy herself loves the socializing and the people the best about the market.

You can find Sandy at the farmer's market every Saturday morning from 7:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. She can also be reached by phone at (507) 932-5225

Featured Vendor: Renaissance Breads and Pastries

This week's featured vendors are Sally Reimer and Harmony Bornk of Renaissance Breads and Pastries located in Galesville, Wisconsin. Their bread is made by hand in small batches by Sally and Harmony, who are devoted to providing the community with local, quality and organic baked goods. All breads are made from 100% organic flour and grains. They feature a selection of authentic artisan breads that include sourdoughs whole grains and ryes. Their pastries feature scones in a variety of flavors, cinnamon rolls, and cookies.
Sally and Harmony took the bakery over from a friend six years ago. They have been at the Winona Farmer's Market since they started. Sally's favorite part of the market is seeing people smile and being outside enjoying the weather.

You can find Renaissance Breads and Pastries products at the following outlets:

• The Common Market, Galesville, WI
• Bluff Country Co-op, Winona, MN
• People's Food Co-op, La Crosse, WI
• Festival Foods, Holmen and Onalaska, WI
• Viroqua Food Co-op, Viroqua, WI
• People's Food Co-op, Rochester, MN
• Kickapoo Exchange, Gays Mills, WI
• Winona Farmer's Market, Winona, MN

You can like Renaissance Breads and Pastries on Facebook here. To view the full interview with Sally, please visit our YouTube channel here.

Featured Recipe: Garlic-Roasted Kale

This Week’s Recipe: Garlic-Roasted Kale

• 3.5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 10 ounces kale, stems removed and chopped
• 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar

Preparation

1. Arrange oven racks in center and lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 425°. Place a large jelly-roll pan in oven for 5 minutes.
2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; toss to coat. Place kale mixture on hot pan, spreading with a silicone spatula to separate leaves. Bake at 425° for 7 minutes. Stir kale. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until edges of leaves are crisp and kale is tender.
3. Place kale in a large bowl. Drizzle with vinegar; toss to combine. Serve immediately.