Last Sunday, my family and I (and a few friends) took the opportunity to visit the Kingfield Farmers Market in South Minneapolis. It's been ages since I've been there, but pretty much everyone I know raves about it. It's easy to see why.
The Kingfield Farmers Market, open Sundays throughout the summer, is located in an otherwise vacant lot at 43rd and Nicollet Ave. S. The lot's not huge by any stretch, which is part of the market's appeal. Although there are all sorts of foods and activites to explore (my kids were entranced by the sock maker for what seemed like eons) it's easy to cover the entire market in an hour. If you want locally grown cucumbers, kohlrabi, beets, carrots, anything at all - you'll find it here. What you won't find is 50 different people selling them. So while I imagine there are times when it would be nice to have more choice, most people I know are grateful to find one good vendor and keep coming back.
We bought corn (10 for $5), cucumbers (a tray of 12 for $3), kohlrabi (3 biggies for $2), and a big bag of basil ($1). We also bought jars of tomato sauce and my son's favorite-ever pickles (so he says) from an older farmer who grows and cans everything himself. My favorite find was an aged goat cheddar cheese from Love Tree Farm, a $10 hunk of cheese unlike any other I've seen or tasted. (Love Tree Farm sold a variety of "fish bait" cheeses as well - less than 6 weeks old, with all sorts of different flavors.)
You can find more information about the Kingfield Farmers Market here, including its address and when it's open.
Here are a few pictures I took when I was there. First, signs pointing the way:
Followed by lovely branded merchandise promoting the market:
Here's one of the vendors selling fresh produce:
And finally, the sock maker (pied piper) who cast some sort of a sock making spell over my unsuspecting children:
