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!