Local Farmer Open House, Milwaukee, 3/17 [past event]

Looking for something green to do on March 17? Meet some Wisconsin farmers.

Local Farmer Open House
11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday, March 17
Urban Ecology Center
Riverside Park
1500 E. Park Place
Milwaukee, WI 53211
More details.

I did attend this open house, which filled three floors of the center with about 30 farmers and a few other vendors, and pretty much focused on selling CSAs, which was a little disappointing for me. I had hoped to learn about Wisconsin farm stands, tours and farmers' markets, and even asking the farmers didn't get me much info.

I didn't expect to see fresh produce in mid-March, and there wasn't any, but there also wasn't much to let you distinguish one farmer's CSA offerings from another's, other than the info about drop off locations and prices. I'm not in the market for a CSA -- our life is too haphazard for that -- but if I were I wouldn't have been able to make a decision based solely on this event.

A few non-CSA food vendors were there, such as some cheesemakers and a sorghum mill, but many of these were rather vague about where to find their products. Bolsano Meats had some samples of their salami; this was their totally unseasoned variety, which really gave me an appreciation that the art of salami is in the spicing. (I also recently had some of Romanian Kosher Sausage Co.'s salami, which although a completely different style, was also bland. I really miss Best's Kosher.)

Have you been to the (East town?) farmer's market at Discovery World?

I haven't been to any of them yet. Is the East Town one an evening market?

It looks like it is just 10-2.
With the poor parking there I usually skip weekends at Discovery World.
http://programs.discoveryworld.org/archives/2342
Every 2nd Saturday | JAN-MAY | 10am-2pm
Featuring a rotating cast of vendors, including:
• Organic Meats, Eggs, Cheeses
• Natural Bath & Beauty Oils
• Handmade Candles
• Farm Fresh Veggies
• Handmade Housewares & Textiles
• Locally Designed T-Shirts
• Local Art
• Handmade Jewelry
• Handmade Kids Clothing & Baby Onesies
• Local Photography
• Baked Goods, Coffee & Tea!
• and much more….

Apparently the market at Cathedral Square Park had Tuesday evening hours last summer, but it doesn't look like they're repeating the experiment this year, just Saturday mornings.
http://www.easttown.com/events/east-town-market

However, the West Allis market is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 6 p.m., as well as Saturdays from 1 to 6 p.m., and the South Milwaukee market is open Thursdays from 3 to 7 p.m. Brown Deer's market opens at 9 a.m. but stays open till 6 p.m. Those are my kind of market hours -- I'm not an early morning person. Looking forward to visiting them, though I guess the season doesn't start till late May/early June.
http://www.farmfreshatlas.org/southeast/markets.htm