Cross-posted from Flying Tomato Farms.

Members of the Dakota Rural Action Small Farms Committee (myself included) will be traveling to Pierre on Monday, December 7 to meet with representatives with the State Health Department, Department of Agriculture, and Extension in order to help clarify existing food safety regulations for direct farm to consumer sales.

The meeting is part of a DRA Small Farms Committee campaign to help locally-based producers and farmers market vendors and managers to better understand and implement the food safety regulations at their markets and farmstands, and to avoid conflicts such as those that occurred at the Black Hills Farmers Market in the 2009 season.

Additionally, the meeting represents a first step in working with the state agencies to draft a South Dakota “pickle law” that helps small producers sell directly to consumers at farmers markets, farm stands, and from their home businesses without undue legal and administrative burdens.

It is my hope that the rules clarification can help to pave the way for legislation that supports our growing local and regional food systems in the state by allowing us to provide consumers nutritious, affordable, and widely available local foods without sacrificing safety.

If you are a producer, farmers market manager or vendor, or a supporter of local foods and you have questions or comments about food safety and/or local food sales and processing in South Dakota, please feel free to share them with me either in the comments below or by e-mailing me at organicpeas(AT)hotmail(DOT)com.

Thursday, October 22 is our last market of the regular season. Stock up on all your favorite fall produce–apples and winter squash keep well in a basement, as do potatoes and cured storage onions. This is also a LAMB week!

Gary Bye has been selling 50lb. burlap sacks of his great local potatoes (reds and golds) for $20.  While that might seem like a lot of spuds, it’s about right for even a small family for all those holiday meals and warm winter soups.

Conventionally grown potatoes are often aerial-sprayed with herbicides to kill off the foliage before the potatoes are harvested, meaning the produce is sitting in chemical-soaked soil.  Local potatoes grown on a smaller scale (even those that are not certified organic), tend to have a much lighter chemical load.

Pumpkins have been selling for the bargain price of a buck or two, and there are a few melons left.  Carrots and beets will also keep a good long time in your refrigerator’s crisper drawers once their green tops are removed.

Bob from Dakota Harvest is bringing some great new lamb and beef products–new flavors of brats, lamb breakfast links, and beef sticks with no MSG.

This Saturday, after Thursday’s final market, is the Vermillion Area Farmers Market Harvest Dinner from 6-7:30pm at the Extension Hall (4-H Building).  The cost is $5, or you can bring a dish to share made primarily with local ingredients.

And where can you pick up those ingredients?

The Vermillion Area Farmers Market
Thursdays, 3-7pm
Clay County Fairgrounds
Corner of Cherry & High Streets
Vermillion, South Dakota

Vendors in this next-to-last week of our regular season will be bringing all sorts of great local products–pumpkins and long-keeping winter squashes, potatoes, leeks, a few of the last melons, parsnips, onions, ornamental corn, beets, and more!

Have you decorated for fall yet? Buy local pumpkins and gourds and support your local farmers. We’re got great prices and nice variety, too.

See you there!

Vermillion Area Farmers Market
Thursdays, 3-7pm
Clay County Fairgrounds
Corner of Cherry & High Streets
Vermillion, South Dakota

From south of Irene, Ruckus Ridge Farms will be attending our market for the first time today!  They’ll be bringing a variety of great produce such as leeks, potatoes, onions, beets, daikon radish, acorn and Lakota squash.

They’ll also have sweet and hot peppers, ornamental and popcorn, horseradish, birdhouse gourds for you crafters, plus jade plants to bring some green indoors for the winter months, and possibly some basil as well.

Other vendors have been bringing loads of squash and pumpkins, plus melons and peppers, savory root crops, jams and jellies, and baked goods.  Everyone’s favorite market baker, Red Wagon Bread, will be back with his awe-inspiring sourdough loaves and chocolate chip cookies.

Flying Tomato Farms will have a couple new items in limited supply this week: “Rubine” heirloom purple Brussels sprouts and heirloom “Large Prague” celeriac with their tasty tops.  I’ll also have sweet and hot peppers, leeks, and maybe a few greens as well.

See you at the market!

Vermillion Area Farmers Market
Thursdays, 3-7pm
Clay County Fairgrounds
Corner of Cherry & High Streets
Vermillion, South Dakota

We’ve been seeing all kinds of variety lately from our produce vendors at the market–the pumpkins and squash look great this year!

There are still a few tomatoes coming in as well–so pick up some of those last fruits of summer today.  We’ve also had a few vendors with late sweet corn–that won’t last much longer, so pick up some ears for roasting, boiling, or freezing.

Vermillion Public Library will be holding its last storytime of the season right after school lets out–so get down to the market with the kiddos and do your shopping while they listen to a book from 3:30-3:45pm.

What a great fall day it is for something warm and inviting from the oven or stovetop–squash soup, stuffed peppers, or a hot n’ hearty casserole.  Pick up your ingredients at the market and support local farmers!

See you there!

Vermillion Area Farmers Market
Thursdays, 3-7pm
Clay County Fairgrounds
Corner of Cherry & High Streets
Vermillion, South Dakota

Fall produce is hitting the stands of our vendors–including variety of winter squashes including acorn, buttercup, butternut, and pie pumpkins.  They’re bringing in melons and carving/decorating pumpkins, too, as well as a variety of summer goodness like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, beans, and more.

This will be the last appearance of Dakota Harvest Lamb until the last market of the season on October 22nd, so stock up.  Bob’s got brats again, so plan ahead for your tailgates and barbeques, and try his new heritage Dexter beef summer sausage as well.

We should see Laurel today with her colorful tie-dyes, and Gail and Lip Smakin’ Jellies will both be on hand for sweet, spreadable treats.  What to put those treats on?  How about Red Wagon’s famous breads?

Vermillion Area Farmers Market
Thursdays, 3-7pm
Clay County Fairgrounds
Corner of Cherry & High Streets
Vermillion, South Dakota

There’ll be lots of fresh produce and baked goods, too!

Laurel, the “tie dye lady” will be back with her colorful wares, and we’ll have childrens story time hosted by the Vermillion Public Library starting at 3:30pm.

Stop and shop after picking the kids up from school today!

Vermillion Area Farmers Market
Thursdays, 3-7pm
Clay County Fairgrounds
Corner of Cherry & High Streets
Vermillion, South Dakota

He’s baa-ack! Bob the lamb guy will be bringing his grill with a limited supply of brats plus all kinds of other tasty cuts of lamb this week.

Amy and Darcy will also be back with their Tweets–tiny cakes and truffles.

We’ll have a bounty of late summer produce as well, plus breads from Red Wagon.

Lip Smakin’ Jellies regretfully won’t be able to make it this week due to car trouble; they’ll be back next week.

See you at the market!

Vermillion Area Farmers Market
Thursdays, 3-7pm
Clay County Fairgrounds
Corner of Cherry & High Streets
Vermillion, South Dakota

Paul, “the wood guy” will be bringing his gorgeous planks of ash and walnut for all you woodworkers.  Erin Nelson of Irish Twins Handmade Soaps will be back–and she has a new product–Honey Bee soap made from local beeswax.  She says it’s great for the little ones–very mild.

Another new item–Amy and Darcy will be bringing their Tweets luxury desserts–tiny cakes and truffles!

Red Wagon Bread (formerly known as Dad’s Bakery) has been baking up a storm for this week as well.

I’ll be sampling heirloom tomatoes today, and we’re expecting Kenny Hanson to be back with loads of great produce–including quantities of tomatoes for all you canners.  There’ll be cukes, squash, beans, eggplant, peppers–you name it!

See you at the market!

Vermillion Area Farmers Market
Thursdays, 3-7pm
Clay County Fairgrounds
Corner of Cherry & High Streets
Vermillion, South Dakota

In case you can’t wait for Thursday, you might consider heading over to the Elk Point Farmers Market this (Tuesday) evening from 5-7pm.

The market usually sets up in the City Hall parking lot, and you’ll notice the traffic cone in the center of the main drag, directing you toward all the fresh local goodness.

A couple of Vermillion market vendors regularly attend the Elk Point market–bringing jams and jellies, baked goods, and load of great produce.

Hope to see you there!