On Saturday, Todd and I made a trip down to the Ann Arbor farmer’s market. We were heading to Crate and Barrel and Ikea to pick up furniture and figured Ann Arbor would be the perfect place to stop for lunch and a quick stroll through the farmers’ stalls.
It was flower day at the market which would have been perfect – I’ve been looking forward to buying some flowers and herbs to grow on our deck – but I didn’t want to run the risk of the dirt flying all over the back of the car or not having room for the furniture we were buying that day. The plants had to wait.
I was surprised that there wasn’t more produce at the market but it makes sense since here in Michigan most fruits and vegetables won’t be ready for a few more weeks.
The farmer’s market there is much bigger than our local one and it was fun to walk through.
Before we left, we made one purchase. One of my favorite things, a result of my study abroad in Buenos Aires, is a good alfajor (that’s pronounced al-fa-hore). Alfajores come in a variety of flavors but my favorite are two shortbread cookies with dulce de leche filling. The can either be eaten as they are, dusted with powdered sugar, edged with coconut flakes or covered in chocolate. All of these combinations are delicious.
I recently found out that an Ann Arbor based company, Maitelates, sells their alfajores at the Ann Arbor farmer’s market. The company is owned by a Chilean woman who makes the alfajores from a family recipe. For more on her and the business, read this.
Honestly, that was the real reason we stopped in Ann Arbor. They happened to be the first booth we saw when we walked in and we wasted no time picking out several different flavors – dulce de leche (the classic), coffee (for Todd), peanut butter, almond and a few more dulce de leche for good measure.
[photo from alionthego.com]
We tried them today and the stop in Ann Arbor was definitely worth it. The cookies were buttery and light, the dulce de leche was delicious and the chocolate covering all of that sweet deliciousness was amazing. For some reason, I wasn’t expecting the semi-sweet chocolate and it was dark and thick and just perfect.
I’m looking forward to getting to our own farmer’s market. It’s only a few blocks away from our apartment so I plan on lots of Saturday morning walks there throughout the summer. Just another week or so and the produce will be filling up the stalls, I can’t wait!
What is your favorite non-produce item at your local farmer’s market?
What are you looking forward to buying at the farmer’s market this summer?
pomelo sunshine 