Spring is Farmers Market Season

Spring brings so many great things: flowers and the planting of new crops for the season, longer days and warmer weather, baseball season, and farmers markets. After months of buying spinach pre-washed, pre-trimmed, and pre-who knows what else in plastic bags, it was great to get out to the Minneapolis Lyndale Farmers Market last weekend and buy a basket of stem-on, dirt-on spinach direct from my farmer. I love farmers markets! There is a great buzz of activity with so many amazing sights, sounds, and smells.

But perhaps my favorite thing about shopping at farmers markets is getting to know the people who grow my food. When I bought that spinach, I knew exactly where it came from and could ask any questions I wanted and have a real person explain it to me, instead of sifting through fine print on the back of the package. On top of the traceability, I appreciate the personal connections – knowing not just where the food comes from, but who is growing it. It was great catching up yesterday with Jesse, the guy I have bought trout and eggs from for the past dozen years. We see each other practically every week from May to November and chat for 5-10 minutes each week, but then I go six months without seeing him. When I asked, “How was your winter?” I got more of a response than I expected. His partners’ brother died in a car crash the week before Christmas, a close friend has Lyme’s Disease, and he tried to stop someone from robbing his business and got dragged on the hood of the robber’s car before jumping off – a scene straight from an action movie. I really felt for him and all he had gone through over the winter. Hearing these stories, was a reminder of what you miss when you buy groceries at your Wal-Mart Super Center, or even Whole Foods for that matter.

When I decided to leave General Mills a year and a half ago and come to Wild Idea Buffalo one thing that really attracted me was that direct connection to the consumer. As someone who loves food, I really like knowing the story behind my food and the people who grow it. Buying food at the farmers market, I love that connection with the farmer or rancher – understanding not only how and where my food was grown, but also learning about life growing the food. Similarly, working for Wild Idea Buffalo it has given me greater connection to the consumers who are buying the food that I am selling. Our model of selling directly to the consumer is much like a farmers market on-line. It allows for us to have a close connection with our consumers, and learn best what is important to them.

I hope you feel that same connection buying from Wild Idea that I do when I buy trout or spinach at my farmers market. While unfortunately we do not get to talk to all of our consumers face-to-face every week, we do our best to create a similar personal connection. When you call the office, a real person (Jilian, Cyd, or Pete) who knows our products inside out is there to answer the call. They enthusiastically share tips on good cuts for different occasions and the share cooking tips and recipes so your buffalo will turn out perfectly. The pride in the product carries through to the butchering room where Roger, Shane, and the rest of the team carefully cut and trim each piece to perfection. With Dan and Jill’s blogs and stories, it gives you an insight of life on the ranch – and hopefully, they will not be writing about any dramatic burglary attempts foiled by rides on hoods of cars.

For those of you in Minneapolis, I look forward to seeing you again at the Mill City Farmers Market beginning on Saturday May 12 where we will be selling our buffalo again this year. For the rest of you, go enjoy your own local farmers’ markets and please continue to visit our virtual farmers market, and know that the people at Wild Idea Buffalo take a real interest in our consumers. We really appreciate the connections with all of you, stories and all!