Cold Climate Farms Pairs Produce with Brewery

Cold Climate Farms stand in 2018. Photo by Aleah Kidd.

Every Thursday through the end of September you will find a bountiful display of fresh produce at the front steps of the Door County Brewing Co. Taproom and Music Hall. The farmers market is organized by local growers Ben Blohoweak and Sarah McCarty of Cold Climate Farms and was started after an invitation was extended by brewery owners John and Angie McMahon. Now a little more than halfway through the season, it is a partnership that has proved successful.

“Thursday has been a great day for us because everyone is preparing for the weekend and planning food for hosting visitors,” said Ben. “The beach snack items are popular and things that are grab-and-go like the snack tomatoes and ground cherries.” The current harvest offering is an impressive display of colorful tomatoes, zucchini, varieties of beans, little gem lettuce, squash, cabbage, carrots, turnips, and much more.

There were a few unique items that caught my eye: the lemon cucumber is a shorter, stubbier version of a cucumber sporting yellow skin and reportedly tender and sweet taste; the aforementioned “ground cherries” are tiny husked cherry tomatoes that taste like a combination of pineapple and melon; and the bright red Italian fry peppers are both sweet and easy to use in a variety of dishes.

Whatever you don’t find within the Cold Climate Farms’ crates, you’ll likely find at another growers stand. Also selling at the market is Randy Manges of Big Dog Farms, Bill of Door County Blueberries, Becky Jorns of Sap Happy Maple, potatoes from Island Harvest, and January King selling jars of Carousel Kimchi, a fermented vegetable topping.

Visit the brewery in Baileys Harbor from 10 am to 1 pm each Thursday through September to grab your own goods for the coming weekend. There are five weeks left this season, but plans for next year are already in the works.