Tomatoes!

There are quite a variety of tomatoes at the Madison farmer's market.  My favorite are the dark pink "Brandywine" heirlooms.  Great on a BLT!

Farmer's Market Sunflowers

During a recent trip to the Farmer's Market in Madison, Wisconsin, there were numerous vendors selling lots of sunflowers.  This booth had quite a beautiful display.  I thought the contrast with the black and white overlay gave the flower colors a little boost!

A Cappella ...With Strings

This harmonizing group of gentlemen were entertaining shoppers on the steps of the Capitol at the Farmer's Market in Madison last weekend. After their set, the young boy with them played a very patriotic piece on his violin to the delight of the crowd. (His dad was one of the singers.) You can see the violin case lid in the lower left corner of the group shot. He made a pretty penny for his talents!

As you can tell, acceptable 'uniforms' in Wisconsin include Badger and Packers attire. :-)

St. Bernoodle

Half St. Bernard and half standard poodle = a St. Bernoodle! We met this big guy while walking around the Farmer's Market in Madison last weekend. His owner explained that the mix is the best of both worlds: he's big, soft, cuddly and gentle - plus he doesn't shed or drool! His name? 'Curly' Lambeau, of course. This is Wisconsin, after all. :-)

Birdhouse Gourds

We also came across a table of "birdhouse" gourds (v. Lagenaria) at the Madison Farmer's Market. These are grown to make pretty, decorative dwellings for your feathered friends. Simply use a large drill bit to create an opening, add other embellishments, and hang from a tree or hook. It will last a season or so outdoors before weather and use breaks it down. You can also just use it as a display piece indoors. (Example shown below is from ParkSeed.com.)

Candina's

The austere decor of this small shop in Madison, just across from the Capitol building, belies the delicious truth within its display cases: chocolate truffles locally made in Verona, Wisconsin! Decadent and elegant, Candina's offers decidedly adult varieties, with flavors like champagne, ginger, hazelnut, jasmine, espresso, chai, and elderflower. I bought a small sampler box of the latter, and found it to be a deep chocolate laced with a bright citrusy flavor. Excellent!

Capitol Steps

The state capitol building in Madison, Wisconsin, looms large and lovely on this beautiful late summer morning. Each Saturday, Capitol Square is teeming with vendors and thousands of people searching for the freshest produce and flowers around. Also, being the home to our state government, there are also scores of booths touting any social and political statement you may (or may not) subscribe to!

The photo below shows a close-up of the dome, topped by Daniel Chester French's elegant gilded bronze statue, "Wisconsin."

Farmer's Market Veggies

The selection is always overwhelming at the Saturday morning farmer's market around Capitol Square in Madison, Wisconsin. This vendor had a variety of gorgeous looking produce on his tables.

Conveniently, this post fits in nicely with City Daily Photo's September Theme Day of "Open Air Markets."

Bagpiper

This Scottish Piper was entertaining the crowd at Saturday's farmer's market in Madison, Wisconsin. However, I didn't notice the look of disdain he was giving me while I took his photo until I was working on it PhotoShop!

We often make the pleasant drive over to our state capital to take advantage of the seasonal harvest, which is now in full swing. Watch for more pictures of our visit during the next few days.

You know you're in Wisconsin when...

...you walk down State Street in Madison and see this shirt in a store window! And these others as well:

As you can tell, there is no love lost for Brett Favre around most of Wisconsin. This is now Mr. [Aaron] Rodgers' neighborhood.

FYI: Residents are sometimes referred to as 'Sconnies, hence the name of the shop.

[All photos via cell phone.]