Dane County Farmers’ Market Celebrates 50 Years

Many of us have spent a Saturday morning or two (or more) strolling along the Capitol Square, awakening all five senses with the experiences of the Dane County Farmers’ Market.

The sight of rainbow rows of produce, flowers and jams are commonplace. The scents of freshly baked scones and herbs waft through the air. Babies’ cries are heard intermittently as farmers and patrons communicate about products.

“Edible flowers, right. These taste like pepper. Use sparingly.”

Samples of creamy or spicy or tangy aged cheese kickstart your taste buds. Your canvas bag starts to dig into your shoulder as you add more to it.

These are just some of the joys that are part of the Dane County Farmers’ Market (DCFM), an event which has become a foodie destination and celebrates 50 years in existence this fall.

Beyond home cooks and culinary enthusiasts, the DCFM has had an undeniable impact on the strong farm-to-table movement in local restaurants. Odessa Piper’s early promotion of the market has grown into a squad of chefs who make a regular habit of visiting today.

“Sal’s would not be who Sal’s is without the DCFM,” says Patrick DePula, owner of Salvatore’s Tomato Pies in Sun Prairie and Madison.

DePula says it was difficult to get farm deliveries to their original Sun Prairie location when they opened in 2011, so he started visiting the DCFM. At first, he brought a bag, then a little red wagon, a giant cart, two giant carts and, eventually, a van. DePula goes every Saturday, rain or shine.

“It’s been such a great place to meet people and develop relationships with farmers,” says DePula. “You get such an added value from farmers that you wouldn’t get from large produce providers.”

What has evolved into a source of pride, nostalgia, and tradition for so many looks quite different from the early iterations of the market, but the spirit and mission remains steadfast.

Madison’s unofficial history with farmers’ markets actually dates back to the 1850s, when farmers’ markets were held at the water tower on East Washington, just off the Capitol Square (note the capitol building was completely different, too).

Small markets and stands continued here and there, but the concept of a large-scale farmers’ market was first proposed by Mayor Bill Dyke in the early 1970s. Dyke was inspired by large markets he had seen as far away as Europe and as nearby as Sauk City.

Dyke, along with his administrative assistant Bob Brennan, Dane County Extension agent James Schroeder and Dane County farm management agent Ron Jensen were all motivated to make it happen. The circle wasn’t complete until Jonathan Barry got involved.

Barry, a “city guy” from Milwaukee who caught the farming bug, was harvesting produce off five acres of land near Primrose in southwestern Dane County and selling what he grew out of his truck in front of Ella’s Deli (which had a State Street address then). Unfortunately, parking restrictions put a halt on his sales. When Barry turned to Jensen for advice on where to sell, he was recruited as the first market manager of the DCFM.

Sites at both West Towne and Hilldale malls were considered, but management feared a market would be “too messy” for their space. Noting the idyllic background of the Capitol building and the central location downtown, sights were set on the Square. City officials were concerned about waste management and liability. When the Central Madison Committee (Downtown Madison, Inc. today) offered to cover the costs of waste removal and sponsor the new market, including it in its liability insurance, everything else came into place.

On September 30, 1972, 11 vendors grouped together along Monona Avenue (now Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard) and quickly sold what they brought. The next week, 85 vendors set up around the Square, selling to several thousand customers. Everyone agreed the market was a success, and planned for a full-season version to open in June 1973.

As the years went on, the outdoor market expanded from April to October and Wednesdays were added. There are also indoor markets at Monona Terrace (over the holiday season) and Garver Feed Mill (January through April).

While the look of the DCFM has changed quite extensively over the last 50 years, the concept remains steadfast. Everything is Wisconsin grown, made, or raised, making the DCFM the largest producer-only market in the U.S.

“It’s unique that it is a producer-only market,” says Jamie Bugel, current DCFM market manager (since April 2021). “The person be - hind the stand is the person who owns the business, who is making the product, and can tell you about it. There’s a great diversity of products—all types of vegetables and fruits, vendors come from all over the state. You can have fruit from Door County and then vegetables from five miles away.”

The DCFM is a private corporation—"People are often surprised to hear that,” says Bugel—led by nine board members, all farmers. A small but mighty crew keeps the DCFM running each week. Bugel is joined by her assistant market manager (who also runs the Wednesday market) and a part-time food access coordinator who runs the info booth on Saturdays, coordinates volunteers, and makes sure the FoodShare/EBT program is running. Volunteers are stationed at the info booth to process EBT transactions.

The FoodShare program offered through DCFM (and surrounding markets) allows customers who are eligible for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to obtain an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card to pay for products at the market. In addition, from June to October, participants can double their dollars (up to $25).

Bugel says the program promotes invaluable food access. She relays a phone conversation with a participant who told her “having this program allows me to afford the luxury of fresh strawberries,” putting into perspective how grateful participants are for accessible farm produce.

In the early days of the market, farmers would arrive well before dawn, waiting in their vehicles for a coveted space on the Square. These were administered on a first-come, first-served basis. By the 1990s, a much-needed seniority system was instituted and additional limits needed to be put into place.

“The number of members blew up to over 300 at some point,” says Bugel. “Because of that, a blackout period had to be instituted and newest members were not allowed to vend during August and September. Our goal is to never have that happen again, to keep the number reasonable so the members who are a part of the market can always depend on coming on a Saturday.”

In 2022, the total member count is near 250. Only about 150 members fit comfortably around the Square but it works out because not every vendor comes every week. For instance, greenhouses typically show up for spring and early summer, to be replaced by orchards in the late summer and fall.

Coming to market since the 1980s, Kopke's Greenhouse holds the top seniority spot and is known by many. And almost everyone who has paid a visit to the market has heard the cries of “Hot spicy cheese bread!” Many have succumbed to temptation and ripped into the warm, round loaf, nibbling while shopping. Only market originals will know, however, that Stella’s Bakery began by selling eggplant. Like many delicious innovations, their hot, spicy cheese bread was a happy accident. Owner Coralia Harn was making empanadas to send with her workers before the morning market but something wasn’t quite right with the dough. Short on time, she quickly wrapped the dough around the Monterey Jack cheese anyway and baked it. What resulted was the iconic loaves Madisonians have come to know and love.

Of course, we mourn the loss of original vendors such as “Jelly Jim” Schroeder, whose Summer Kitchen jellies were a favorite of many, and Schroeder’s personality was equally as sweet.

The DCFM is an indelible part of Madison, creating two-way access between farmers and consumers, driving the farm-to-table movement in restaurants, and enhancing tourism. We can’t wait to see what the next 50 years have in store.

50th Anniversary Events & Celebrations

Some special events are lined up to celebrate the accomplishments of the DCFM:

• The “Hitch Your Wagon to the Market” fundraiser showcases wagons decorated by local sponsors in August and September.
  
• A virtual cooking class.
  
• A cookbook with recipes solicited by vendors and customers is slated for publication in 2023. From Terese Allen, editor of the DCFM cookbook:
  How do you celebrate fifty years of farm-to-table excellence, weekly gatherings of hundreds of food producers and thousands of shoppers, plus an ever-expanding array of seasonal crops and specialty products? With a cookbook, of course. Slated for publication in 2023, the Dane County Farmers’ Market’s cookbook will be a keepsake collection featuring topnotch local foodstuffs in dishes from around the world. The book will share recipes and stories from the DCFM community—the farmers, buyers and chefs who support and cherish the market. And it’ll show readers how to "buy local, cook global." As a taste of things to come, here’s a recipe from the book contributed by one of the DCFM’s longtime customers, Lisa Dussault...