There’s a day every spring when I get irate. Super angry. It’s a Thursday, in fact.

It’s the Thursday when I’m walking to work in the skyway and I cross Nicollet Mall and I see a little tent on the sidewalk. It’s usually still kinda grey and cold and blowy in that way of Minnesota springs, and yet peeking out from beneath this tent I see tables full of oranges and yellows and reds and purples.

It’s the first downtown Thursday farmers’ market.

Or should I say – “farmers’ market” (cue sarcastic air quotes).

Oh my, do I get mad when I see all those avocados and oranges and kiwis and strawberries in early May. Farmers’ markets are all about the local and the little guy and the relationship and the “hey, this salsa is called Curt’s Salsa and I totally just met Curt who was very nice and we chatted and he personally sold me a jar of his delicious salsa.” So I sneer and make fun of all the “local” pineapples in May while anxiously awaiting the Thursday when it gets legit down there and the stands are full of green.

(Like I told my friend – if it’s May and it’s not green, it’s probably not from around here.)

So I was a teensy bit suspicious when I was at the dentist this week and my hygienist mentioned she works for a little organic farm part-time (because Portland) and how she’d be at the local farmers’ market this weekend.

Me: Ah ind ah ood oo oo ahhv ahh a ahrmer’s ahrkeh ih Ahnooary?

Her: Oh, we’ve got a fair amount of greens. And some brassicas. And of course, the root vegetables.

So I took a little field trip yesterday:

Ummm, this looks kinda legit….

Holy guacamole! They had EVERYTHING! And it is the “off season”! There were apples and pears and mushrooms and seafood and dried beans and coffee (because Portland) and cheese and honey and kale and squash and leeks and radishes and salsa (no Curt as far as I could tell) and fruit vinegars and eggs and salmon and and and….

Be still my veggie-loving heart!

I went just to look and see what kind of stuff they might have. So of course I cam home with loot:

Mama can’t say no to beets and kale. And VEGAN NUT-FREE PESTO!! And I believe you are contractually obliged to purchase honey sticks from farmers’ markets.

Astonishing. And totally not angry-making. If this is January, what on earth will May look like?