Farmers markets move inside for the winter!
Even though it’s cold outside, you can support your farmers all winter long!
The Neighborhood Roots farmers markets are moving inside to the greenhouse at Bachman’s on Lyndale this winter.
Join vendors from Fulton, Kingfield and Nokomis farmers markets to stock up on produce, meats, cheese and eggs, along with breakfast and lunch, packaged foods, canned goods and handmade crafts.
Spend your grocery dollars directly with our produce farmers to buy fresh greens, radishes, cabbage, mushrooms, winter squash, carrots, beets, potatoes, onions and other storage crops. Stock your freezer with pasture-raised pork, beef, chicken, and lamb from Driftless Hills Farm, Johnson Family Pastures, Dancing the Land Farm and Braucher’s Sunshine Harvest Farm. And don’t forget to pick up eggs from Braucher’s and Brand Farms. Matt Oxford from Wild Run Salmon will have wild-caught Alaskan salmon. Visit Lovetree and Cosmic Wheel Creamery for farmstead cheese. For apples visit Havlicek’s Orchard, Mary Dirty Face Farm and Brand Farms. Pick up micro greens from Great Northern Microgreens, and purchase a grow kit so you can grow your own at home. Dancing the Land and Whetstone Farm will be bringing wool yarn from their flocks of sheep.
Stock your pantry with granola, lacto-fermented vegetables, honey, maple cream, fruit leathers, maple syrup, jams, pickles, and sauerkraut.
Pick up a cup of coffee from Wildflyer Coffee, and don’t forget to buy beans from both Wildflyer and Cafe Palmira. Enjoy pastries and doughnuts (including vegan options) from Bakery Box and Sunstreet Breads, and Arie from Northern Fires Pizza will be serving up a surprise (it won't be pizza).
As far as handmade crafts, look for pottery, bird feeders, hand-knit goods and toys and accessories for dogs and cats.
Grab a drink from the bar where all proceeds support Neighborhood Roots farmers markets, and enjoy music by both Steve West and the Northern Stars and Matt Yetter.
A huge thanks to the generous support from our sponsors, Book Club Restaurant, Hero, Nicollet Ace Hardware, and the Kamie Augustine Team.
Neighborhood Roots indoor winter markets
Where: Bachman's Garden Center, 6010 Lyndale Ave.
When: 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, Feb. 8 and March 14
Fall Bake Off Winners Announced!
Congratulations to the winners of our Fall Bake Off series! Special thanks to all the bakers who submitted their favorite autumn treats, as well as everyone who purchased a sample plate and voted for their favorites. This fundraiser helped support all three of the Neighborhood Roots markets, Kingfield Farmers Market, Fulton Farmers Market and Nokomis Farmers Market. Our mission is to bring neighbors together to buy, eat and learn about local food. Thank you for your support!
Heading over to Fulton neighborhood, the winner is Megan Borgert-Spaniol with Pumpkin Snickerdoodles followed by Sarah's Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake. Looks like Fulton folks really appreciated the incorporation of autumn produce into the entries. Great work, bakers.
Last but not least, our Kingfield tasters ranked Lee Watkin's Apple Delight Bars at the top! It was a squeaky close race with Laura's Apple Fritters and Dave's Pecan Pie Bars. That caramel apple drizzle might have cinched the deal. Simply delightful work, everyone!
If you are inspired by our contestants, head over to your neighborhood farmers market to pick up ingredients for your next adventure in seasonal baking. You will find fresh apples, pumpkins, honey, maple syrup and more to make this fall extra sweet and delicious. Share your favorite recipes with us on Instagram (@neighborhoodrootsmn) or on the market pages on Facebook (@kingfieldmarket @fultonfarmersmarket @nokomismarket).
Want to know what's happening at the market? Sign up for our newsletter! Just fill out the form to the right of this blog post. Love your market? Become a volunteer or donor today! The markets cannot happen without awesome neighbors like you.
Bake-Off Entry? Tell us here!
Season 2 of the bake-offs are finally (almost) here! Let us know if you plan to attend or bring a baked good with the links below!
Kingfield Bake-Off - September 15th
Entries are due at 9:30am and judging starts at 10!
Nokomis Bake-Off - September 18th
Entries are due at 4:30pm and judging starts at 5!
Fulton Bake-Off - September 21st
Entries are due at 9:30am and judging starts at 10!
Prove Your Dough at the Bake-Off
Much like the superheroes on TV, behind each of our favorite local businesses lies an origin story. While some of us have only heard of “Bakewell tarts” from shows like the Great British Bake Off, Jessica Pearse grew up visiting England with her family where her nana always had a tin of British treats waiting at her house. She loved working in the kitchen with her and learning about the history of the snacks. When she came back home to the US though, she found it hard to find the classic treats she grew up with at the same quality that they were in England. Jessica played with the idea of starting her own business, but the prospect was daunting. Instead of jumping in all at once, she explored the possibility slowly and carefully. During their weekends, she would explore the Minneapolis neighborhoods with her husband. They’d pick a business or area they wanted to try and go check it out. As they did this, she picked up things she liked and disliked about different stores and noticed that there were no classic British baked goods around!
One weekend, she stumbled across the Neighborhood Roots website and saw our post about the Fulton Bake Off. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to test one of her flagship recipes: Cherry Bakewell Squares. Though a small contest, it still gave her a chance to hone the recipe and get feedback from the community while she worked towards opening her own shop. When she won the contest, it was a huge boost of confidence and gave her another reason to believe her dream is possible. She’s currently still moving forward with her idea and researching the licensing and permits needed. Her store, named after her nana, Blanche Wade, will be called Nana’s Bake Shoppe and is set to launch in October as a cottage food business. Her focus will be on the traditions she grew up with around British baked goods and the history of her family while also honoring her own nana.
Their slogan will be “Baking memories, one British treat at a time.” Jessica and her husband hope that their treats will remind people of their own visits to grandmother’s house (or nana’s as the case may be). It’s been a long road even to get this far, and Jessica is so excited to see where her dream takes her. Like many of our vendors, Jessica will start in markets and as an online business for private orders, with the hope of eventually making it to her own store. Keep an eye out for her this fall! We can’t wait to try more of her recipes.
Bake-Off Season 2!
It's time for the great Neighborhood Roots bake-off, season 2!
Just like last time, all you need to do is make 100 sample sized bites of your favorite baked item and bring your creation to the info table. We know 100 samples sounds like a lot, but even 25 cookies or your standard 9x11 baking dish can bear that many!
If you can't make it to the market, contact Emily at emily@neighborhoodrootsmn.org to make alternative arrangements.
For just $5, your neighbors will purchase a sampler plate of all of the entries and vote their favorite. Eating Judging will start after and all proceeds will support the market. The winner will receive a special market prize and 15 minutes of fame!
Dates and times for each market are below, along with links to the Facebook events and entry forms! Let us know if you have any questions.
Kingfield Bake-Off - September 15th
Entries are due at 9:30am and judging starts at 10!
Nokomis Bake-Off - September 18th
Entries are due at 4:30pm and judging starts at 5!
Fulton Bake-Off - September 21st
Entries are due at 9:30am and judging starts at 10!
Nokomis Bake-Off Winner!
Smiles like this one can only be found after eating delicious baked goods. Thanks to our Nokomis neighbor Abby Crow and her amazing chocolate chip cookies, there were many happy faces at the market last night!
Congratulations, Abby! Please enjoy your fame, glory, and bragging rights. (And stop by the info tent soon to pick up your prize!)
Market Cancellation Tonight
Memorial Blood Drive
This summer we are excited to be partnering with Memorial Blood Centers to make it easy for market goers to donate blood. In August, each of our markets will be hosting a blood drive on site!
Be sure to follow our Facebook events for each market so you can come hydrated and prepared.
How To Series with Ace Hardware
You might have heard of DiWHY... You know, when you try to do something yourself and it goes horribly wrong?
With help from our friends and sponsors at Nicollet Ace Hardware, we are going to have a DIY (do it yourself) "how to" series this season at Kingfield Farmers Market! Dates and activities are below, along with Facebook event links to help you remember when and where to be!
We'll help you improve your urban farming through the following classes:
We need your help!
One of our favorite parts of the markets we run is the magical transformations we see each day. At all three locations, we change an ordinary parking lot into a vibrant community gathering place and back again within just a few hours.
If you've ever been at the market at closing time, you may have caught a glimpse of how quickly things go back to normal, but did you know that all of that work is done by only a few people? Along with a dedicated corps of volunteers, the Neighborhood Roots staff move about 1000lbs a day to help create your market!We could use your help. Our Nokomis market has plenty of opportunities for new volunteers
If you're interested in learning more about the behind the scenes view of the market, sign up for volunteering now! You can fill out an interest form here. Not only will you learn a lot about the market and help your community, if you do set up or tear down, you'll also get quite the workout. Several volunteers have told us that their work with us is their new favorite arm exercise.
If heavy lifting isn't your thing, that is okay! We have lots of other opportunities for volunteers to get involved. Just let us know in your interest form what might work for you. As you see in the photo above, we've got volunteers of all ages and abilities, and we'd love to see what you bring to the table!