Students who frequent the Dane County Farmers’ Market on the square every Saturday morning understand its one-of-a-kind energy. The average Madisonian would almost surely cite the market on the square as the magnum opus of Wisconsin farmers’ markets. Not only a marketplace for regional farmers and merchants, the square functions as a “third space” for community members and students to socialize and make their voices heard. You would be hard-pressed to find yourself caught between a twenty-person line for spicy cheese bread to your right and a group of anti-evolutionists to your left anywhere besides the market on the square.
But the Dane County Market — regardless of its notoriety — is just one of Madison’s many farmers’ markets. For students seeking a serene Sunday morning reset or a change of scenery from the impressive but chaotic market on the square, the Monroe Street Farmers’ Market is an equally accessible — just off the D bus line — spot for students, especially those living around Camp Randall and the Lakeshore dorms, to get their weekly dose of fresh produce, baked goods and window-shopping.
In a way, the Monroe Street Market’s slow-paced environment complements the high-energy and quick-moving foot traffic by the Capitol on Saturday mornings. Co-owner of Morren Orchard and Nursery Henry Morren highlighted some of the key differences between the two markets…