In morning air of near-freezing temperatures, Dane101 took a stroll around the Capitol Square earlier today, taking a look at the first outdoor Dane County Farmers' Market of 2005. At its highest days in summer and autumn, the counterclockwise loop around the Capitol is packed nearly shoulder-to-shoulder by nine-thirty/ten in the morning. Today, however, it was considerably less crowded at that time, probably owing to the unseasonably cold temperatures.

Founded in 1972, the DCFM is beginning its thirty-fourth year of operation. The market's website has a listing of when various foods are in season; this was clearly in evidence today with most of the meat and cheese vendor in attendance, but fewer veggie farmers, especially those with greens. Asparagus and tulips were the primary forms of plant life for sale, with throngs of shoppers crowding around the asparagus bins. This is in fact confirmed by the "What's new?" section of the market's website, which predicts a good asparagus crop due to the warmer weather in the last few weeks.

An extended slideshow of today's market comes below the fold.

An article from Friday's State Journal describes some of the new vendors debuting at this year's market, as well as including a few recipes from longtime DCFM stand-bys. Friday's paper also lists other famrers' markets in the region, as well as a piece about the new northside market in Madison.

For more photos of the market, check out the slideshow hosted by the DCFM.