What Knocks Our Socks Off?! | Indy Winter Farmers Market

We’ve discovered local, well-grown food right here in the heart of our state.  And right in the middle of an Indiana winter! Incredible.  We can’t wait for Spring to appear (we’ve joined a CSA this year for the first time, and early harvest is due in late April!), but for now we are enjoying the fruits of Indiana farmers who are sharing their goods weekly at the Indy Winter Farmers Market in Downtown Indianapolis. It makes us anxious for Saturday mornings (you can grab breakfast at the market), and it makes creating meals even more exciting.  On our last visit we shared a rum raisin pastry from Rene’s Bakery (holy yum!) and devoured crepes stuffed with local apples, ham, white cheddar and maple syrup.  There are other wonderful ready-to-savor items too — fresh squeezed juices, breakfast sandwiches and lots of taste-testing.  The market is gaining in popularity; they are constantly setting attendance records…the last I’ve seen hit about 1,400!  So go early, go hungry, and go with an open mind to pick up some great foods to nourish you and your family throughout the week.  What follows is a sample of the foods we’ve enjoyed:

9th and Park is where you’ll find it

Sage Sausage and Apple Hash — market sausage and potatoes; apples from Indianapolis’ Adrian Orchard

Sausage and cheddar stuffed bread inspired by Emeril (local sausage).

Local free-range, pastured eggs…

Scrambled for a good start to the day!

These market Shitake mushrooms were delicious and fancied up an otherwise boring bowl of ramen noodles.

Bison burger!  Grass-fed, free range.  And the lettuce is from the market too!

Wild alaskan salmon (while not local) is available at market.  We paired it with butternut squash and sauteed spinach, both fresh from local growers!

Here are my iPhone photos from the Saturday we enjoyed breakfast at the market:

This is not farmers market related, but since we’re on the subject of food, I’ll share!  Today we celebrated National Pancake Day (some reports showed it as Feb 16, but we’ll go with IHOP on this one) with this stack of goodness – carrot cake pancakes!

Maybe this made you hungry, and hopefully it urged you to visit the local market where you’ll be supporting Indiana growers, getting really fresh food and enjoying it without the junk that harms us.  Happy eating!