We enjoyed a lovely Sunday morning at the Northside Farmers Market. This farmers market is located…read morein the parking lot in front of Willy Street Co-op. It's a really large space and has plenty of parking all around it. They had everything you could hope for; micro greens, baked goods, produce, meat, personal care items, live music and more! Several booths were offering samples to try before purchasing. We enjoyed trying cheese curds and baked goods from various stands. The live music was a really nice touch. People were dancing and singing as they were browsing the different booths. It was a lovely morning and we got to take plenty of delicious produce home with us. We will be back!

Wonderful small farmers market with....actual farmers! Eggs,…read morelamb, cheese, beef and pork all local. Alot of whatever is seasonal and not alot of everything else. A few truly authentic food stands and more friendly folks than you could chat with. I love its intimate size and knowing that I now have 'a guy' for nearly anything local and organic.

Took a weekend trip to check out the farmer's market, which did not disappoint at all! They had so…read moremany vendors (flowers, lots of delicious bakery items, produce, etc)! One thing I really liked about the farmer's market is that it opens super early! It's also located near lots of coffee shops and breakfast places, so if you're needing a pick me up, there's lots of places to choose from! All of the vendors were super friendly and most offered different forms of payment (cash, card, venmo). There were some vendors who only accepted cash, however, there's several ATM's across the street!

Easily the best and most scenic Farmers Market I have been to! I've heard rumors that Madison held…read morequite the market on Tuesdays and Saturdays but didn't believe it till I visited. The market is fully around the four sides of the capitol building as well as another off branch down a street for artisan goods. It was nice to see so many local vendors from all throughout Wisconsin. The variety of products being sold was impressive; from baked goods, breads, flowers, produce, honey, sauces, meats, popcorn, sweet treats, and no shortage of cheeses! It took us about 75 minutes to fully walk and enjoy the market. I could not recommend this market more to anyone visiting Madison! Items Purchased: -Yummee, Chocolate Chip & S'mores Cookies -Dickson Artisan Fudge, Stumbling Cowboy Flavor -Stella's Bakery, Hot & Spicy Cheese Bread -Honey Strawberry Lemonade -Sweet Grass Bread, Parm Garlic Knots

The is a much easier to get around farmers market than the one downtown. The vendor selection for…read morethe size of it is great. Bloom bake shop is a constant fixture for some pastries, some being vegan&gluten free. There are few options for vegetables. I love getting fresh tomatoes here. Cher's garden has beautiful options for bouquets and very friendly! Finding vegan and gluten-free macarons was an awesome surprise. Something for everyone.

A small but very lovely farmers market. All the vendors were so welcoming and invited you to camp…read moreout in their tents during a summer rain. We loved the vendor who gave us a "rain" discount on his truly unique photography. Would go again, even in the rain :)

I ventured over to Hilldale to meet my roommate and her bf to shop at Hilldale and didn't realize…read morethere was a Farmer's Market in the parking lot across from Macy's. There were a lot of great vendors and I didn't feel claustrophobic like I usually am at the capitol. Lots of vendors with flowers. No cheesy bread, but it's okay. I am definitely coming here from now on...

Sometimes I'm in the mood for the madness that is the downtown farmer's market, but usually I just…read morewant a couple tomatoes. If you just need a couple tomatoes and maybe some herbs, eggplant, lettuce, eggs, peppers, flowers but don't need 17 different kinds of pickled veggies, this is the farmer's market for you. And by the way, the egg guy will sell you just one single egg if that's all you need for the scones you're making.

We joined the Plowshares & Prairie Farms CSA for the first time this year and it was fantastic! We…read morehad a choice between either a regular or a large share and we opted for the large. Our household of two eats a lot of veggies so this was a fine size for us. Many couples would probably be just fine with the regular sized share. The best part was getting introduced to new veggies we may not try if we just saw them in the grocery store. Dragon tongue beans - Yum! Who knew! Our pick-up spot was conveniently in the Vilas neighborhood, they also offer a pick-up at the Fitchburg farmer's market or at the farm. The farmers, Scott & Chelsea, were very communicative throughout the season and accommodating. Halfway through the season they invited all members out to the farm for a potluck and tour. How fun to see where all the delicious goodies came from and meet other CSA members. It was also probably one of the best potlucks I've been to - people really went above and beyond in preparing fresh, healthy dishes. Incredibly vegetarian-friendly too, lucky me! I was apprehensive about joining a CSA at first as I was worried about ending up with a lot of stuff we wouldn't use / want but those fears were unrealized. I was sad when the final week rolled around and look forward to next season already.

Back when I was just learning what a CSA was, I asked someone to recommend a farm and they…read moresuggested Vermont Valley Farm. It's been a number of years now and I'm still a happy, loyal customer. There are a few things that set Vermont Valley Farm apart from the competition: 1) Farm events. It's great getting a box of vegetables delivered to a convenient pick-up location once-a-week during the summer. But you know what's even better? Getting the chance to go out to the farm occasionally to see where all the magic happens. Vermont Valley Farm hosts awesome annual events like pesto fest (they provide all the basil, you bring everything else you need and make all the pesto you can eat right there on the farm), corn-boil and pot luck, along with u-pick tomatoes and pumpkins! 2) Add-on cheese shares. They partner with Dreamfarm to offer goat cheese CSA shares you can pick up with your veggies. While you'll find Dreamfarm cheeses in local stores, some flavors are only made for the CSA. 3) Awesome farmers. This is a family operation and it's clear they love what they do, and love sharing it with their members. They're also socially responsible, and donate large quantities of produce to a local food pantry to help fight food insecurity in our community. You can feel good about being a member! That they have great produce goes without saying. They also offer a variety of shares to meet your needs, including spring, fruit, and storage shares. Can I recommend them enough? No. No, I can not. These guys & gals rock!

Let me set the record straight on this one!…read more For the last 3 years I have been coming here just about every Tuesday when the market is open. They have just about all the essentials of a perfect Madison farmers market. Farmers Johns' Cheese with its ever popular, extremely fresh cheese curds and award winning cheeses. The Christensen's Farm holds down the organic produce with squashes, greens, cukes, kolrabi, melons, corn, eggs, and always delivers with a smile. Thanks Kady and family and I have had a marketshare with them for the last 3 years and keep returning. Adam at Roots Down provides the tomatoes, sprouts, garlic's, some of the hottest peppers in the world, and everything in between. Origin Bread brings the pizzetta, foaccia, and baguettes, plus some granola. Try the date and goat cheese focaccia, it is pretty bomb. The Bachhuber Family Farm comes with the spiciest arugula around, green salad mixes, herbs, and a variety of other fresh produce. Chrysalis Pops has the local popsicles for sale that acts as supported employment for folks with mental illness and are perfect on a hot day. Sitka Salmon Shares have the Coho and Keta frozen from Alaska. Plus, other vendors have flowers, baked goods, apples and ciders, frozen meats and pizzas, berries, jams, and honey. There is always live music and if you are lucky enough you can catch Madison's own, Beni Daiko, a Korean drum band play some unique tunes! So stop by McPike Park and get to know your farmers and cheese and meat mongers, picnic on the grass, enjoy some free music, have a beer (BYOB), and be thankful that this is the opposite of a food desert. Enjoy!

Love this market. It's just big enough to have everything you need and still easy to access. Even…read morehas some more unusual veggies, mushrooms, and meat.

Blink and you'll miss it…read more While I appreciate having a local farmer's market, the limited selection of products is going to make it difficult for this farmer's market to ever achieve critical mass. There are only six stands this year (three vegetable, one honey, one bread and one garlic and onions). The produce quality is hit and miss (sweet-smelling melons and fresh sweet corn were the highlights, the zeppelin-sized cukes and kohlrabi as big as your head looked pretty sad). At this week's market, there was not much in the way of fresh herbs, greens or hot peppers. While you can pick up a couple of items, you'll still need to go to the grocery store to complete your menu. While the location offers high viability, the sound of traffic rushing by doesn't create much in the way of ambiance. I wonder if moving the market to the more shaded Village Park would create a better atmosphere? I know I'm spoiled by the Dane County Farmers Market and something of that scale is never going to happen in Waunakee. Even something half the size of the Hilldale Farmers Market would be nice.

To Matt W.; First…read moreand foremost I would like to thank you for stopping by the Waunakee Farmers Market. Unfortunately the limited selection of products is not only due to the fact that there has been drought for more than two years now and farmers are finding it hard to find ways to keep their produce watered. Have you seen the corn fields lately? They are drying up and that is not suppose to happen until fall? Can you now imagine what the produce is looking like? And second the limited selection actually means that the vendors can make some money at the market unlike the HUGE markets out there. There is only a certain amount of parking for the vendors and to be honest I limit my market for the simple reason that I actually care about my vendors and hope that they make money coming to my market. And there are not only six stands this year- sorry but I don't know where you got that information from? I have six produce vendors alone, one honey vendor, one bakery vendor, one jewelry vendor, and had an asparagus vendor in the spring time. Maybe you did not walk completely around to see this. Produce is hit and miss only because the true farmers wait until they have it ready for the market patrons. So if something was missing, it most likely was not ready yet. As far as the over sized produce, did you take the time to ask the vendor what exactly it was? Because the kohlrabi as big as your head is actually suppose to be just that. It is a high breed and is guaranteed not woody like your normal sized ones. That is why that vendor grows them. As far as fresh greens, herbs, and hot peppers, I have two vendors who have fresh herbs, greens and almost all my vendors have hot peppers. Maybe the patron needs to actually walk around the market and look at what my vendors have on their tables. And as far as going to the grocery store, you will always have to go to the grocery store because the market can not sell soda, or milk, or processed foods per regulations from the State. I never seem to have a problem finding what I needed for a meal unless it was those items. I too wondered about moving the market to a different location only to find out that years ago it was in the park and my vendors did not make money there. So they asked the Waun-a-Bowl if they can park there because it was on a main hwy way. Thus brought them more income. If patrons are so worried about the atmosphere they would not come out period. I for sure would not go to the Madison market now since people are up there rioting because that is not a great atmosphere either right now. As far as having a bigger market, I am sorry to say this but that is not going to happen. I have been market manager for eight years now and I care about my vendors to know that if it gets too big, they don't make money. I want my vendors to make money. And that is not all that easy either when you have vendors who want to give this market a shot and then quit on me after two or three weeks. The vendor has to stick it out as well. They have to gain the trust of the patron. Several of my vendors have been with this market since day one, and have continued to show me they want to come back every year no matter how tough it gets. So as far as this market goes, I would say it has ran pretty good considering it has been around for more than 16 years. It is there for anyone looking for great, locally grown food, and friendly vendors. I have yet to met someone not friendly at my market. And I am so thankful that my vendors are loyal to this market. So it may lack something that you did not find there, it has plenty of produce for the next patron. And I sincerely hope that your posting didn't ruin it for the next patron of the market. Sincerely, Cheryl Lohry Market Manager