There really is nothing quite like the taste of a juicy, vine-ripened summer tomato, the milky texture of savory sweet corn drizzled with butter and perfectly accentuated with a dash of salt, the starchy goodness of a potato, or the scrumptious strawberry with all of its pinkish-red-dainty-seeded glory; and when they’ve only recently been plucked from the rich soil from where they began, well, it’s just this side of heaven.
Which is why August—when most items are ready to harvest—is the perfect time to peruse the aisles of the Maple Grove Farmers’ Market, where you’ll find rows upon fastidious rows of delectable veggies and fruits, as well as a myriad of jams, freshly-baked breads, sweet treats, pasta, dipping oils, cheese, eggs, frozen meats, candles, honey, flowers and much more.
Located in the parking lot of the Maple Grove Community Center, the market, now in its 9th season, is open every Thursday from 3-7 p.m., June thru September, and ends one hour earlier in October. If you’re one of those folks who needs fresh produce and fabulous fare later in the year, the market moves indoors for four Thursdays during November and December.
“We are the largest farmers’ market in the Northwest Metro,” says market manager, Kristen Bansen Weigle. “We usually have between 50 and 55 vendors and see about 2,000 shoppers per day.”
A city-owned market with a moniker of “vendor-grown, vendor-made,” this virtual one-stop-shopping extravaganza also offers family story time, chef demonstrations, recipe giveaways, meet-the-grower events, and live music.
“Besides providing a wonderful opportunity for our food entrepreneurs to sell their goods, we also want to be a place where the community can come to gather, we want to help people connect with the source of their food, and to help educate those who want to eat well and nutritionally, through our demonstrations, recipes, and other events,” says Kristen. “We like to say we have good food from great people.”
From Germany to Maple Grove
One of those food entrepreneurs, Aki Berndt, is the owner of Aki’s Backstube in Osseo, and has been dubbed “the pretzel guy” by many market enthusiasts.
Every morning of the week except one, Berndt wakes up at 3 a.m., when most folks are deep in their REM state, and heads into his bakery to make the hearty German breads, pretzels and sweet rolls that were the mainstay of his life in the Lower Rhine area of Germany until he moved to Maple Grove with his wife, Nancy, and children, Celina and Allison, in 2000.
A cabinetmaker by trade who considered himself a “hobby” baker until the move here, has fully embraced the baker within.
“I’ve always liked to cook and bake and entertain,” says Berndt in a lovely German lilt. “And when we came over in 2000, I realized I couldn’t get the hearty types of German breads I had in Germany, those with rye, wheat and spelt, so I decided to make them.”
Armed with some recipes from his mother and aunt that he tweaked to make his own, Berndt set to work making the breads of his youth which he now sells at his bakery. And, for the farmers’ market folks who can’t seem to snatch up his baked goods fast enough, he makes braided breads (Hefezoepfe), pretzels (Laugenbrezel), pretzel sticks (Laugenstangen), streusel coffeecakes (Streuselkuchen) and cinnamon-walnut rolls (Zimt-Walnuss-Schnecken).
How could anyone resist?
For Berndt, the making of the bread, the smell of the yeast and butter and cinnamon and salt and tradition, and the way the dough feels in his hands, is only part of the allure of being involved with the market.
“The farmers’ markets are a lot of fun,” he says. “The interaction with the customers is something I love; I don’t even consider it work. My kids fight to come with me, and because we live in Maple Grove, it only adds to the overall experience.”
In Their Own Words
As is the case with most businesses, happy and satisfied customers make for a booming, thriving business. So, we thought it would be fun to chat with some loyal Maple Grove Farmers’ Market attendees and find out just what they love about the event.
Ann Mishler
“As a loyal customer for the last two years, I appreciate being able to buy locally grown food. I think about food all the time and enjoy cooking and, subsequently, EATING!” she says. “I love seeing people interact with each other, talking with vendors and purchasing good things to nourish their bodies. I am really happy to see the variety of produce and each time I go, I buy something that I haven’t eaten before, like so many of the Asian vegetables.”
Glenn Rengo
“My wife and I are both working professionals and I consider myself a hunter gatherer,” says Rengo. “Most of our meals consist of game and fish that I harvest. Since I spend my time hunting and fishing, I don’t have time to plant, maintain and harvest a garden, so we use the farmers’ market to get the freshest produce that is locally grown.”
Anna Plonske
“I’ve been attending the MG market for years, but started attending on a weekly basis three years ago,” says Ploske. “I love that I can purchase directly from people in and around the community—directly paying them for their hard work. Additionally, I almost never attend alone—whether I’m attending with my mom or bringing friends over from neighboring communities, it’s a chance to take time out of our busy schedules to connect and spend time together while enjoying all the delicious items the market has to offer. And who can argue with the samples?”
