The Dane County Farmers' Market: A Personal History [Paperback]

Mary Carpenter (Author), Quentin Carpenter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 21, 2003 | Series: Wisconsin

    It’s a sunny summer Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin, and the eight-block square around the state capitol building is lined with booths bursting with handmade cheeses, fresh-picked berries and veggies, potted herbs and bedding plants, smoked trout and venison sausage, mushrooms, hickory nuts and honey, sprays of cut flowers, luscious baked goods and candies, and even newly spun yarn from the wool of local sheep.
    The Dane County Farmers’ Market has become one of Madison’s primary tourist attractions, rated as a top market by both Food and Wine and Good Housekeeping. It’s the place to be on Saturday morning from April to early November for locals and visitors alike. Among the early-morning foragers at the market are local chefs, including Odessa Piper of the nationally renowned, award-winning restaurant L’Etoile. Out-of-towners have been startled and delighted to encounter at the market a Holstein cow on Cows on the Concourse day, or galloping runners with canoes on their heads during the annual Paddle and Portage race, or Bucky Badger dancing atop a fire engine on an autumn football Saturday.
    Mary Carpenter, past market manager and a long-time vendor, and her husband Quentin offer in this book a lively history of the market’s first thirty years, its impact, and its future. It includes:
    o  Photos of the market, from its early years until the present
    o  Oral histories from the market vendors
    o  Anecdotes and insiders’ tips
    o  Recipes from vendors, growers, and chefs featuring foods from the market

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"In a sense, the thirty-year history of the market is played out every Saturday on the Square for those patient and observant enough to notice the changing landscape."-Mary Carpenter

About the Author

Mary and Quentin Carpenter own a farm near Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, and have been vendors at the Dane County Farmers’ Market since 1983. Mary served as market manager for eleven years. Besides farming, Mary teaches high school English and Quentin teaches at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press; 1 edition (May 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0299184641
• ISBN-13: 978-0299184643
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,618,334 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #78 in Books > Travel > United States > States > Wisconsin

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A warm and inviting testimonial and celebration, August 8, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dane County Farmers' Market: A Personal History (Paperback)

Written by Mary Carpenter with the collaborative assistance of Quentin Carpenter (veteran vendors at the Dane County Farmer's Market since the year 1983), The Dane County Farmer's Market: A Personal History brings together black-and-white photographs, oral histories, anecdotes, insider's tips, recipes, and more concerning this engaging tradition of commerce, confusion, fun and fresh food. A warm and inviting testimonial and celebration, The Dane County Farmers' Market is a unique and welcome contribution to personal reading lists and Wisconsin Historical Studies library collections.