Arboretum to Host Mill City Farmers Market on March 15

Above - shoppers enjoying the March 2013 market at the Arboretum.

Via a February 20 e-newsletter from the Mill City Farmers Market:

On Saturday, March 15, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum will host the Mill City Farmers Market and over 40 of its fabulous vendors in a bustling marketplace full of quality, locally produced, homegrown products. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Arboretum's Oswald Visitor Center, shoppers can choose from an abundance of fresh produce, freshly milled grains and flours, preserves, artisan cheeses, pastured meats, beautifully crafted ceramics, kitchen utensils, jewelry, and much more.

Here's a glimpse at participating vendors for the March 15 event: Ames Farm (honey, beeswax candles), Bliss Granola, Buffalo by Bike, Cafe Palmira (coffee beans), Down in the Valley Bakehouse (gluten-free goodies), Gorkha Palace (chutneys), HeathGlen Farm (jams and jellies), Kiss My Cabbage (kimchi, lacto-fermented veggies), Jeanne Beatrice (handmade baskets), Martha's Joy (pickled vegetables), Northern Lakes Wild Rice (locally harvested wild rice), Olsen Naturals (all natural bodycare), Spring Finn and Co (leather handbags and handmade jewelry), Singing Hills Goat Dairy (goat cheese), Stones Throw Urban Farm and Women’s Environmental Institute (fresh local produce!),Sunshine Harvest Farm (pastured meats and farm fresh eggs), and Sunrise Flour Mill (freshly milled whole grains and flours).  A full list of participating vendors can be found at millcityfarmersmarket.org.

Founded in 2006 by local acclaimed chef and restaurateur Brenda Langton, the Mill City Farmers Market has earned a reputation for its promotion and support of local, sustainable and organic agriculture.  Typically located next to the Guthrie Theater and Langton's Spoonriver restaurant in downtown Minneapolis, the market is making its third annual appearance at the Arboretum! As a special treat at the March 15 event, Mill City Farmers Markets own chef, Heather Hartman, will also be on-site doing a cooking demonstration and sampling MN Wild Rice-Bison Meatballs in BBQ Sauce. Need another reason to visit the Arboretum on March 15? Check out these fun activities:

• Tiny Treasures: Fairy Gardens, exhibit of miniature gardens in the Oswald Visitor Center's Great Hall, open during visitor center hours, Feb. 22-March 23.
• Welcome Spring Sale, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Oswald Visitor Center. Arboretum Auxiliary's spring sale of green and growing gift items. Proceeds benefit the Arboretum.
• 'Best of the Arboretum' photo exhibit, Restaurant Gallery, & 'Minnesota Magic' member art exhibit, Reedy Gallery, both in Oswald Visitor Center
• Weekend Family Fun: Sprouts Alive! Noon-4 p.m. (drop-in) Saturday & Sunday. Learning Center. Learn how seeds turn into sprouts, make a sprout snack and plant seeds to take home. Free with gate admission.
• Winter Wonders Bus Tours, noon & 1:30 p.m. Sat. & Sun., $3. Narrated bus tour on Three-Mile Drive. Highlights new Sculpture Garden, winter wildlife and plants in their winter shapes.
• Saturdays in the Kitchen Cooking Class: Premium Olive Oils & Balsamic Vinegars. 9-11 a.m. March 15, Learning Center. Learn about these amazing culinary ingredients and make your own "signature vinaigrette."  $35 Arb member/ $45 non-member. Register: www.arboretum.umn.edu/cookingclasses.aspx.
• Sustainable Trees and Shrubs class. 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Learning Center. $38 member/$50 non-member. Learn how to use trees and shrubs effectively in sustainably designed landscapes with horticulturalist Julia Bohnen. www.arboretum.umn.edu/gardeningclasses.aspx

The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, the largest public garden in the Upper Midwest, is part of the University of Minnesota College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences & located 9 miles west of I-494 on Highway 5 in Chanhassen. The Arboretum is disability accessible and smoke free. Admission: $12 adults; free for members & ages 12 and under.