The Dane County Farmer’s Market opens on the Capitol Square in Madison on Saturday, with an expected 100 vendors ready to sell spinach, baked goods, meats and winter vegetables.
The year-round market’s summer version draws an estimated 20,000 people per Saturday, incoming manager Bill Lubing said on Friday. He said the market will host 160 vendors at the height of summer.
“It’s a hopping place,” he said.
Lubing attributed the market’s success to its high-quality standards and the mix of cooperation and competition among vendors. The market is the country’s largest producers-only market, which also means that every vendor has to have created the product they’re selling -- another mark of quality, he said.
“There’s a lot of diversity, there’s a lot of quality,” he said. “People can come there knowing the quality is going to be there.
“You’ve got to be good, or you just won’t last,” he said.
Lubing, who is replacing retiring market manager Larry Johnson, said his ultimate goal for the market was to mainstream it.
“I really like it when people say, ‘We come here every week to buy our fresh vegetables, our meat, our eggs, our cheeses … and it’s just a part of what we do,’” he said.
He said the key to that goal was building visitors’ familiarity with the products available.
“A lot of people are uncomfortable dealing with fresh vegetables, or dealing with a cut of meat they may not be familiar with,” he said. “My feeling is if people are educated and they understand the food, they’ll be more inclined to cook it.”
As for making that weekly trip to the market a little easier, despite the crowds?
Lubing’s advice was to arrive early and come prepared to store food.
“Most of the people who are seriously buying their groceries tend to come by 7 a.m. or 8 a.m.,” he said. “A lot of people bring a cooler and leave it in their car because they want to spend more time at the market.”