One Last Time

Today was the last Westside Community Farmer's Market of the year. I really have a lot of respect for the vendors that come every week to offer up their goods. Despite the cold, wet weather there were a lot of smiles today. We only made a quick visit and picked up a few things.

My usual Saturday breakfast is some tasty baked good from the market, either a sweet something from one baker or a little fancy bread from another. Today I got a gorgeous brioche from Madison Sourdough. It was delicious slathered with raspberry jam I made with berries from the market. A cup of hot Magnolia Oolong tea from Teasource warmed me up nicely.

I also snatched up a bunch of "scratch and dent" tomatoes for a really good price. This vendor apparently has a pretty high standard for their regular tomatoes. Once peeled they looked great. As I type this they're simmering down on the stove to make a tasty batch of sauce. The house smells wonderful!

I'm going to miss the regular Saturday morning ritual of visiting this market. Over the years our attendance at the Dane County Farmer's Market--the big one--dwindled as it became more and more of a hassle to just go and buy things. That sort of destination event is fine for some people, which is obvious by the enormous numbers of people who visit it. But I'm grateful now to have a farmer's market that is close to home with ample, convenient parking. Spring can't come soon enough and this is one of the biggest things I'll be looking forward to.