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Market Fresh

Host a scrumptious brunch using farmers’ market fare

Photo by Maki Strunc Photography
Styled by Jennifer Dickey
Food Styled by Lara Miklasevices

The Mill City Farmers Market in Minneapolis is a happy fusion of sights, sounds, and extraordinary smells. Twin Cities’ foodies, young and old, amble from booth to booth, filling bags with organic vegetables, free-grazed meats, and handcrafted cheeses trucked in from local farms. Artisan products tempt, too—local honey in all shades of golden and crusty flour-dusted rounds of bread. Is there anything more perfect than the farmers’ market in the fall?

The three-year-old Mill City market fills the narrow strip of concrete between the Guthrie Theater and the side entrance of the Mill City Museum, which showcases the city’s original agricultural industry. “We think of it like we’re here with the next phase of food—sustainable, organic, and direct from farmers—so this location’s ideal,” says market director Marjorie Hegstrom.

A visit to Mill City Farmers Market serves as productive leisure, an experiential way to pull together a Saturday or Sunday brunch featuring the freshest in local, organic ingredients. Market vendors offer enthusiastic guidance, while the tempting prepared foods go a long way in keeping your kitchen stress-free.

Start at Lucille’s Garden Kitchen, near the market entrance. Zoie and Amy Glass went pro last September with their hobby of making jams and jellies, but they still get their ingredients the old fashioned way—from a friend’s backyard rhubarb patch or from their own sprawling St. Paul garden. They always leave out samples of their unique combos (think rhubarb strawberry basil), as well as recipes that pair their products with whatever is in season. At this time of year, with zucchinis abundant, they love latkes (see recipes) that highlight their pepper jelly. “It’s the perfect recipe for zucchini lovers,” Zoie says. “Plus, it’s one of our favorites.”

As you enter the market’s train shed, make a stop at Black Cat Natural Foods where Phil Ward and Karen Cross show off their ability to whip up inventive dishes from fresh market ingredients, with offerings such as seasonal soups and fresh-made omelets. Among their brunch greatest hits: frittatas (see recipes) made from Mystic Prairie duck eggs found a couple booths down. “They have a really nice, naturally buttery taste,” Cross says. “We’re big fans.”

Head down the row of vendors to pick up the frittata’s seasonal greens. And don’t miss Adam Cullip and Laura Frerichs’ Loon Organics, based in Farmington, where the beet reigns supreme. “We love beets,” Frerich says. “You have to stop me or I’ll go on and on about what you can do with them.” In fact, she won first place in the salad division of the market’s recipe contest last season with her take on beet salad (see recipes), which uses the cheese of fellow vendors Prairie Hollow Farm or Shepherd’s Way Farms.

With those three recipes as a base, round out your brunch with pastries from Queen of Tarts, fresh European breads smeared with Castle Rock Organic Dairy churned cream, and a market assortment of Fischer Farms griddled sausages from the General Store booth. For sipping, visit the Brewery Creek Farm for mint-melon mimosa (see recipes) necessities, check out Mrs. Kelly’s hand-blended tea, or stop at Café Palmira to pick up fresh-roasted coffee from the Palacios, a St. Paul family that helps handpick beans on their Guatemalan farm. Add a gorgeous floral bouquet for a table dressing and you’re set to host a feast, courtesy of this fresh, homegrown Saturday morning attraction.

Berit Thorkelson is a St. Paul freelance writer.