I can’t tell you how many times this past week I have heard people say, “the end of the State Fair, the end of summer!” I look at them and say…”seriously? What happened to August? And did they change Labor Day?”

With a glass half full attitude I have always let summer be summer and never have looked at Labor Day weekend as the end of summer. I know that the starting dates for school have consistently moved earlier and earlier into August, but summer is short enough without selling out summer the day after the State Fair ends, right? Take a look at the calendar and you’ll see that there are still 5 weekends left before Labor Day, which is on September 1st. There’s still plenty of time to take those day-cation trips to a local park or recreation area, albeit time is certainly slipping away to enjoy summer 2025.

Farmer’s Markets Continue A Tradition
As a kid in small town North Dakota, we always had a large (well large by a kid’s standard) garden. Even though I didn’t always appreciate the work that went into planting and maintaining a garden, I certainly enjoyed the fresh produce and vegetables from our garden.

Once the garden started to produce fresh produce, the supper table would be filled with favorites like new potatoes, garden lettuce & radishes just to name a few. Our kitchen would quickly transform into a processing and canning center for all of the extra produce…because there was just too much for one family to consume. Empty canning jars soon became full canning jars, stored on the pantry shelves in our basement. The freezer would quickly fill with frozen bags of peas and corn. Also, from our kitchen would come jars and jars of strawberry, rhubarb and raspberry jams and preserves. Neighbors would swap with each other. I can remember loading my little red wagon with extra pails of green beans and taking them to a neighbor who had more corn than she could handle. And then there’s the old joke about not leaving your car doors unlocked because your neighbors would take the opportunity to fill your car with zucchini. I have also been told that there are more recipes in Google that use zucchini than any other vegetable.

So, what replaces all of those large gardens that were once so popular? The farmer’s markets of course. There are 2 of these markets active in Minot. I am most familiar with the North Prairie Farmers Market which is held every Saturday from 11 AM to 2 PM at the old Trinity Health parking lot on North Broadway and Tuesdays from 4 PM to 7 PM on the parking lot near the new Trinity Health. “North Prairie Farmers Market connects local farmers, artisans and creators with the community” according to their Facebook page. “Enjoy fresh produce, homemade goods and handcrafted items.”

Besides the fresh produce, the farmer’s markets provide a great social atmosphere. A friend of mine, Anne Gates from North Prairie Farms is one of the vendors, and a quick text to her asking what might be available at this week’s market brought me a pretty long list. “This week we’ll have radishes, kale, cabbage, raspberries, lettuce, kohlrabi, sprouts, banana peppers, garlic and possibly some zucchini. Plus, my freshly milled whole wheat bread, honey and elderberry syrup from my own bushes.” But a fair warning, get there early because many of the most popular items (like elderberry syrup) will certainly sell out.

Whether you choose to purchase the produce and take it home and do the canning and freezing yourself or buy from producers like Anne, you are guaranteed that fresh garden flavor that makes these farmer’s markets so popular. From the farm to the table, yes indeed, it is a North Dakota tradition carried on by folks who work hard to bring you the very best.

Where To Be This Week
August 9th at 11 AM there will be a “Hands Across The Border” event at the International Peace Garden. The Peace Garden is a great place to visit this time of year, and Hands Across The Border will highlight the reason for the building of the Peace Garden and the friendship that exists between the United States & Canada.

Today’s Chuckle
Asking a stockbroker if you should invest in the market is like asking a dog if it wants to go for a walk.