Bite Of Minnesota: Market Season Is Here!

People have been asking me, "When do the markets open?" for about a month now. Since the weather has been unusually warm, this question is not surprising; we've all been craving some local produce.

Even I started to get antsy as I heard about spring foraging favorites like morels and ramps showing up at the co-ops. After a month of waiting, I'm happy to report that the markets are now open!

I made a run to opening day at the Minneapolis Farmers Market on Saturday to see what I could find. Donning a rain jacket and layers, I found plenty of parking under the bridge and joined the other market lovers on a quest to find things like asparagus, cheese, herbs, bread and bean sprouts for meals this week. Although I'm still without an oven (darn gas leak and incredibly slow repair people), I made good use of my toaster oven to melt Alemar Cheese Company's Bent River Camembert over slices of New French Bakery's baguette and used my electric tea kettle to soften up Untiedt's asparagus for spring rolls with herbs and bean sprouts.

Just these little tastes made me even more excited for market season and what's to come. St. Paul Farmer's Market is also open and smaller markets are gearing up for their opening dates in May and June. Keep an eye out for markets opening near you and start enjoying some local produce in your meals.