Best Of Indianapolis 2018 — The Farmers Markets
Produce
Mad Farmer’s Collective (Garfield Park, Original, Indy Winter)
This trio of urban farmers harvests beets, carrots, turnips, and other produce from two inner-city plots. Urban organic gardeners Amy Matthews, Matthew Jose, and Leslie Gottschalk can tell you exactly how they grew that bunch of basil and what you can do with it at home.
Finger Food
Vietnamese Egg Roll Bar (Carmel)
Among the street-food options at Carmel’s Saturday market, the freshly made Vietnamese egg rolls are the perfect snack to quiet your hunger. A pork and cabbage version with shiitakes and mung bean noodles rivals any Asian takeout, but chicken, shrimp, and vegetarian rolls are available in ready-to-eat and frozen forms.
La Chinita Poblana’s George Muñoz
Breakfast
Pots & Pans (Carmel, Zionsville, Fishers, Broad Ripple)
To make its irresistible galettes, crispy slices of bacon are baked into a caramel-colored flaky crust (thank you, leaf lard and European butter) with a schmear of soft cheese in the middle and soft-cooked egg on top. A drizzle of maple Dijon finishes it off. Still want to sleep in?
Restaurant Redux
La Chinita Poblana (Broad Ripple)
Latin-food lovers rejoiced when George Muñoz bought popular Mexican spot Festiva in early 2018. But the announcement he was closing his Broad Ripple joint, La Chinita Poblana, fell hard on the ears. Thankfully, his tamarind chicken and yellow curry tilapia live on at this breakfast stand.
Single Item
My Dad’s Sweet Corn (multiple markets)
Few things excite market fans more than the arrival of the little mesh bags from this sweet-corn farm in Tipton. And while you can get corn at plenty of other produce stalls, Dad Allen Baird is absolutely dedicated to providing the sweetest, non-GMO bicolor corn that has been picked within the last day.
Non-Food
The Royal Frenchmen Tea Co. (Garfield Park, Indy Winter)
Sniff a few jars at this tea-blender’s booth, and you’ll be switching up your coffee routine. From vanilla chai and Irish toffee to refreshing ginger lemon rooibos and rare elderberry green, the combinations satisfy every taste. Grab an iced tea on a hot market morning.
