So, you're driving down Hwy. 12 and you see a cow directing traffic with carrot sticks. Think I'm kidding? Think again! It happens every Thursday come 3 p.m. in Maple Plain, Minnesota. You should come just to see the faces on some of the drivers when they round the corner! Or listen to how many semi drivers honk their horns and wave to our cow.
Actually, you could spend the entire four hours of the market just watching our crazy cow. It makes for great entertainment and lots of laughs. He dances, jumps on stage with the musicians and sings, hugs old and young shoppers, dons Zorro garb and slices vegetables, plays Twister with the kids, poses for pictures, and delights all who meet him. Or, is it a her? Name is Buttercup Brown, so you tell me. Or, better yet, come meet Buttercup at Udder Market Maple Plain and see for yourself!
And, while you are there, pick up fresh produce from Yang Farms and the prettiest bouquet of flowers you will ever want to bring home from W.F. Produce. Grab some Thai stir fry sauce from Wild Tree, herbs from G5 and peppermint from Young Living Oils.
While you shop, you'll have the pleasure of hearing live and FREE MOOsical performance by a variety of performers. For a complete schedule, see www.uddermarket.com.
When you get home, put the flowers in a vase in the middle of the table. Stir fry some chicken in the Thai sauce. Add fresh produce and herbs. Easy, somewhat healthy. Very delicious. Mix the peppermint with water and drink after dinner for fresh breath.
If you want to eat without cooking yourself, head on over to McGarry's Irish Pub where they prepare an Udder Market special each week using our vendors products! Plus, they have a pretty deck and a cold one to enjoy on that deck.
But, before you do, take a peek inside the cutest museum you will ever lay eyes on...the Maple Plain Museum. I dare you to stump Marlys with a question about the area or history of the area that she doesn't know!
I could go on and on with things to do on a Thursday night at Udder Market and in downtown Maple Plain. Look for MOOs on a wine tasting, movie in the park, a beer tasting and more...or get the MOOs delivered right to your e-mailbox by signing up for our MOOsletter at www.uddermarket.com.
Looking for an Udder Market in your town? Give us a holler.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
WeeDs, sEEds, TWigs and fiGs...Enviro-Friendly Kid Krafts!
Yeah, it's warm outside! So, get the kids out of the house and into the backyard collecting all sorts of fun things for earth-friendly craft projects.
Here are ten from www.familyeducation.com
- Twig Vase
- Fork Flowers
- Nature Bracelet (I love this one. Wrap masking tape around the wrist and stick on leaves and twigs....)
- Wind Sock (using an oatmeal container)
- Eggshell Mosaic
- Newspaper Leaf Prints
- Rock Necklaces
- Wiggle Worm (made with egg cartons and paper towel rolls)
- Potpourri Pinecones (scented with cinnamon and nutmeg, yum!)
- Painted Nature Pictures
Have fun! And remember to join us at Udder Market in Maple Plain every thursday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. starting July 7. Besides shopping for fresh produce and artisan wares, look for our vendors offering Calve's Corner activities for the kids. We'll be making our own nature bracelets and rock necklaces!!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Udder Market Maple Plain Update
Hay! Have you herd the MOOs? The herd is coming together quite nicely for this year's Udder Market in Maple Plain, Minnesota.
We're udderly thrilled to announce that Lisa from Wild Tree is coming back for her third season and can hardly wait to buy her MOOey Bueno sauces and dips. W.F. Produce and Flowers returns again, too, with the prettiest bunches of flowers you ever did want to smell! And, Jenny and Craig from G5 Gardens will be supplying us with fresh herbs and breads and, if we're lucky, some vegetable animals!!!
Rumor has it that Janelle from Blue Water Vision has been busy creating one of a kind jewelry perfect for gift giving. Holy Cow! Sounds like Sam has been honing her acting skills and will be entertaining us on our stage (hay wagon). Speaking of waggin', our wacky cow will be gracing us his presence throughout the summer, too!
Shucks, we're so excited to see our old friends come back.
We have MOO friends, too! The Yang Family will be hoofin' it down to the market each week with and udderly awesome array of fresh produce and we're lucky to have Penny from Lucky Penny Farm with her beautiful soaps!
To get all the MOOs as it comes in, follow Udder Market on Twitter!
We're udderly thrilled to announce that Lisa from Wild Tree is coming back for her third season and can hardly wait to buy her MOOey Bueno sauces and dips. W.F. Produce and Flowers returns again, too, with the prettiest bunches of flowers you ever did want to smell! And, Jenny and Craig from G5 Gardens will be supplying us with fresh herbs and breads and, if we're lucky, some vegetable animals!!!
Rumor has it that Janelle from Blue Water Vision has been busy creating one of a kind jewelry perfect for gift giving. Holy Cow! Sounds like Sam has been honing her acting skills and will be entertaining us on our stage (hay wagon). Speaking of waggin', our wacky cow will be gracing us his presence throughout the summer, too!
Shucks, we're so excited to see our old friends come back.
We have MOO friends, too! The Yang Family will be hoofin' it down to the market each week with and udderly awesome array of fresh produce and we're lucky to have Penny from Lucky Penny Farm with her beautiful soaps!
To get all the MOOs as it comes in, follow Udder Market on Twitter!
Friday, April 1, 2011
MOOching On Some Carrots......
Mimi and I started Udder Market, an udderly unique farmers' market in 2007. Our goal was to offer local communities a market with a fun approach to shopping for veggies and learning all about what it means to be "green." Well, we are now in our third season of Udder Market in Maple Plain and this year is going to rock!! Now that road construction is done we'll be seeing 18,000 cars drive by every day, which means plenty of shoppers stopping by for a snack; particpating in one of our healthy living demos or kids' activities; listening to great MOOsic on our main stage (a flat bed), all while catching some summer rays! So, we hope you'll join us this summer at Udder Market. Buttercup Brown, our wacky cow, will be entertaining the kids, moms and dads will be picking up fresh produce for dinner, and Mimi and me will be in the shade of the old oak tree MOOching on some carrots. Maple Plain's Udder Market, Thursdays, July 7 to August 25, 3 - 7 p.m., off of Hwy 12 and Main Street.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
A Little Patch of Heaven Way Out West
Imagine cruising along Hwy. 12 and seeing a dancing cow on the side of the road. That's right, I wrote dancing. This cow is pointing to a pasture filled with tents and activity. You can hear music and see musicians performing on a hay wagon. Curiosity gets the best of you and you turn onto Maple Avenue in Maple Plain, Minnesota and park your car on Main Street. As you enter the scene, you discover that this is a farmers' market. But, it's not just any farmers' market. It's Udder Market! And, for the next hour, you are mesmerized by what's happening on this little patch of heaven way out west.
Not only is there plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, but everything imaginable to compliment those fruits and vegetables. There is chocolate sauce to dip strawberries into and gluten free pasta to make fettuccine primavera. There is fresh baked and herbed bread and infused oils, honey and jams to enhance that bread. There are perennials and Minnesota native plants and Alfalfa's alfalfa mulch to feed them.
Children are creating their own jump ropes out of yarn at "Calves' Corner" where My Healthy Beginning hosts free "hooves on" art and garden projects. Afterwards, they go for a prize at Estimation Station where they guess how many pea pods are in the jar. Moms are trying their own luck by signing up to win a market basket and then get in line for a chair massage.
Families are sitting at picnic tables enjoying free range chicken sandwiches while listening to the free entertainment. This week, that entertainment is Nuance Duo and these talented musicians have just asked the kids in the crowd to join them on stage (a hay rack) for a song. That song is--ironically or not so ironically--"On the Other Side of the World." But Nuance Duo has replaced the word "Other" with "Udder," and soon everyone is singing along.
There are soy candles in flavors like Polo and Fall; natural dog biscuits being sold by teenagers for a charity; pancake mixes in a variety of yummy flavors; and Adirondack chairs crafted by a local woodworker. You get a free hand exfoliation at Aihu's organic skin care booth and buy a customized bracelet for a friend at Blue Water Vision.
As you meander, you come across a small group of people sitting on bales of hay and intently listening to a representative from Dynamic Healing Center. She is discussing the benefits of a healthy life style change vs dieting and how to prevent diabetes. Apparently, there are educational demos at this market each and every week.
And, the cow? He is everywhere! Playing Twister with the kids, taste testing fresh baked apple pie, and waving at the passing semi drivers who voluntarily greet him with a honk of their horn.
Sound far fetched? It isn't! This was the exact scenario at Maple Plain's Udder Market on Thursday, September 10th. You can experience it yourself on the last day of Udder Market which is Thursday, September 24, 2009. Just MOOve it on down the road...Hwy 12. that is...to
our little patch of heaven way out west.
Mimi Doran
Not only is there plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, but everything imaginable to compliment those fruits and vegetables. There is chocolate sauce to dip strawberries into and gluten free pasta to make fettuccine primavera. There is fresh baked and herbed bread and infused oils, honey and jams to enhance that bread. There are perennials and Minnesota native plants and Alfalfa's alfalfa mulch to feed them.
Children are creating their own jump ropes out of yarn at "Calves' Corner" where My Healthy Beginning hosts free "hooves on" art and garden projects. Afterwards, they go for a prize at Estimation Station where they guess how many pea pods are in the jar. Moms are trying their own luck by signing up to win a market basket and then get in line for a chair massage.
Families are sitting at picnic tables enjoying free range chicken sandwiches while listening to the free entertainment. This week, that entertainment is Nuance Duo and these talented musicians have just asked the kids in the crowd to join them on stage (a hay rack) for a song. That song is--ironically or not so ironically--"On the Other Side of the World." But Nuance Duo has replaced the word "Other" with "Udder," and soon everyone is singing along.
There are soy candles in flavors like Polo and Fall; natural dog biscuits being sold by teenagers for a charity; pancake mixes in a variety of yummy flavors; and Adirondack chairs crafted by a local woodworker. You get a free hand exfoliation at Aihu's organic skin care booth and buy a customized bracelet for a friend at Blue Water Vision.
As you meander, you come across a small group of people sitting on bales of hay and intently listening to a representative from Dynamic Healing Center. She is discussing the benefits of a healthy life style change vs dieting and how to prevent diabetes. Apparently, there are educational demos at this market each and every week.
And, the cow? He is everywhere! Playing Twister with the kids, taste testing fresh baked apple pie, and waving at the passing semi drivers who voluntarily greet him with a honk of their horn.
Sound far fetched? It isn't! This was the exact scenario at Maple Plain's Udder Market on Thursday, September 10th. You can experience it yourself on the last day of Udder Market which is Thursday, September 24, 2009. Just MOOve it on down the road...Hwy 12. that is...to
our little patch of heaven way out west.
Mimi Doran
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