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RPFriday, October 5, 2012
MPLS farmers market underrated Cydney Froehlich Photo Editor
Photos by Cydney Froehlich
Top: An array of vegetables are available for purchase at the MPLS Farmers Market. Above: Locals enjoy the variety the MPLS Farmers Market offers. Right: Apples, oranges, and a multitude of fruits are displayed at the MPLS Farmers Market.
The Minneapolis Farmers Market has been around since 1937 and is still vital to the Twin Cities’ community today. The Minneapolis Farmers Market has over 230 vendors that occupy 170 stalls. The produce vendors are members of the Central Minnesota Vegetable Growers Association, which means that they directly market the fruits, vegetables, and farmstead products at the Minneapolis Farmers Market. Though not all of the food may be native to Minnesota, it is all grown within the state. “Students should get used to buying foods that are locally grown because that’s the wave of the future...HHS students can also meet the farmers that are growing these foods,” said Mr. Rob Fuhr, Technology Education. “The Minneapolis Farmers Market offers nutritious and organic foods, but it also gives students a unique cultural and diverse experience,” said Will Chizek, senior. The Minneapolis Farmers Market has an atmosphere much like a European-bazaar. HHS students who have never been to Europe or a foreign bazaar can go to the Minneapolis Farmers Market to understand what those markets are like. A huge bonus is that the Minneapolis Farmers Market is located only nine miles from HHS. With thousands of visitors on the weekends, the Minneapolis Farmers Market is a hot spot for students in the Twin Cities. “Going to the Minneapolis Farmers Market is an authentic Minneapolis experience and I like to support the local economy,” said Ellen Williams, senior. “It’s nice making new relationships with
the vendors and I enjoy using fresh ingredients to make meals.” The Minneapolis Farmers Market also has many booths that offer prepared foods. People will often munch on pastries, bratwursts, breakfast burritos, and/or mini donuts while shopping. Every weekend there are events ranging from cooking demos to live music. Also on the weekends some vendors will allow people to sample their products. Right next to the Farmers Market is the Farmers Market Annex where there is not only more food, but jewelry, clothes, flowers, and artwork are sold as well. The Farmers Market Annex has “Specialty Resellers” where people travel the globe and bring unique products back to Minneapolis to sell to the community. Some of these products come from places such as Poland, the Caribbean, and southeast Asia. The Farmers Market Annex has Artist Alley and Craftsman Corner on selected Sundays when artists can showcase their work. The Twin Cities is fortunate to have both the Minneapolis Farmers Market and the Farmers Market Annex. The Minneapolis Farmers Market was rated four and a half stars out of five on yelp.com and the Farmers Market Annex is said to be the best in the Midwest by Star Tribune. The Farmers Market is open everyday from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m, from the beginning of May until mid November. It is located at the corner of Lyndale and Glenwood Avenue North. HHS students can take advantage of these markets to promote local farms, as well as enjoy the perks it has to offer.
Other Local Farmers Markets Mill City Farmers Market
704 South 2nd street Minneapolis MN Every Saturday May 12th- Oct. 27th 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Hopkins Farmers Market
One block South of Main on 9th Avenue Every Saturday June 16th-Oct 27th 7:30 - 12:00 PM
St Paul Farmers Market
290 5th Street East St. Paul, MN Saturdays April 28November 17 6:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Fall attractions introduce new activities for students Elise Christianson Staff Reporter Some students find fall a difficult time to find interesting things to do, though there are three upcoming events that may be worth checking out. The Sever’s Corn Maze and Fall Festival is a family run business started by Sever Peterson and his wife. This year, the corn maze has a farm theme so that people can “harvest memories”. Creating the maze takes all year. “We start planning typically kind of late winter, early spring, thinking about our design, what we’re going to do, and then we plant it in may,” said Mrs. Nicola Peterson, daughter-in-law of Sever Peterson. The work that is done to create the maze is “pretty labor intensive,” according to Mrs. Peterson. About 30 people are recruited to tend to the corn and work the event. There is also a challenge within the maze that involves searching for pictures with a drawing prize of a $500 visa gift card
“...there’s so much more than a corn maze,” Peterson said. “We are very much a fall festival and there’s so much included in your admission that you could spend all day here...” There are other activities such as pig races, a corn pit, a pumpkin patch, a giant slide, live music, and an exotic petting zoo. A wide variety of people attend the festival. “[I have seen] grandma and grandpa with their children...high school kids, and college kids, sometimes in groups or on dates,” Peterson said. “I like going [to corn mazes], but the people that I’m with is what makes it fun,” said Taylor Beckenbach, junior. The maze, in past years, has had an average of about 40,000 to 50,000 people in attendance. Another family run maze is The Twin Cities Corn Maze and Fall Festival that was started by Bert Bouwman and his family. The Twin Cities maze is Minnesota’s largest corn maze at 19.5 acres. “Think of it more as a harvest festival that just happens to have Minne-
sota’s largest corn maze,” said Ms. Molly Bouwman, wife of Bert Bouwman. This year, the maze theme honors Minnesota military families. A portion of the ticket sales go to the Minnesota Military Family Foundation, or MMFF, which helps to support the families of deployed soldiers. The Twin Cities maze has many of the same attractions as the Sever’s Corn maze. “[People] are surprised at how many things there are to do: corn maze, shelled corn pit, huge straw bale maze, live music, petting zoo, plus several other rides and attractions,” Bouwman said. Of course, fall is when apple orchards start to open. “Being in an apple orchard isn’t something that’s just for little kids. It’s something you can enjoy over many years, and just the nature of it is so peaceful,” said Meaghan McConnell, senior. McConnell attended the Pine Tree Apple Orchard last year. “It’s nice to support the people who bothered
to plant the trees because they put effort into the work that they’re doing,” McConnell said.