2010 may one day be recognized as the year winter markets became a serious reality in Northeast Ohio! Of course, Coit Road has been open on Saturdays throughout the winter for many years. And North Union opened indoors at Shaker Square in 2001. But this winter, across the region, farmers markets are going inside to keep the local products available and sustain the community. (Check out your market on localfoodcleveland.org for hours and locations.) Looking outside on stark, dreary snow mounds makes one wonder just what could be available from local farmers in January?

Here’s a sample from farmers market newsletters: goat cheese, eggs, potatoes, apples, parsnips, milk and butter, cider, greenhouse lettuces and arugula, honey, syrup, beef, lamb, breads and pastries, sunchokes, mushrooms, spices, breakfast burritos, garlic, onions, shallots, nuts, winter squashes of all shapes.

And that’s just food! How about thick warm wool blankets, beeswax candles, jewelry, hand thrown pots! And then, of course, there’s the music, the knifesharpening, and the demonstrations (depending on the market.) Finally, there are the friends and neighbors to greet and spend some time with over a cup of coffee or hot cider. It almost makes winter tolerable.

Meanwhile, only four more months until asparagus and ramps greet us at the outdoor markets!