Albert Lea is fortunate to have one of the best farmers markets in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa. The number of vendors, as well as diversity of products they offer, is up from last year. The market runs to Wednesdays from 4-6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. until noon.

You can listen to live music as you wander through the market. There are organizations serving hamburgers, brats, pulled pork, root beer floats and ice cream. Where else can you buy a variety of fresh produce, meat, eggs, baked goods and crafts all at one stop? The best part is that everything is locally grown and made. The money spent stays in community, which helps our local vendors and the local economy. It’s a win-win situation.

My focus is on meat, specifically beef and pork. In the next couple of weeks I will have some grilling tips, basic cooking instructions, as well as some researched and tried recipes.

Pork has gotten a bad reputation this year thanks to the H1N1 flu virus. At first it was labeled the swine flu, and consumers were frightened at first that eating or having any contact with pork might have some link to the flu. That has turned out false, and the early labeling of the flu has cost the hog industry millions of dollars. Consumers have no need to worry. The USDA has a well-run inspection system that prevents any major mishaps that might occur. Also, country of origin labeling helps the consumer know where the meat they are buying originated. The beef and pork you buy should have a USDA inspection stamp on the package, there should also be a description of what the product is, weight, and if it’s a processed item (brats, sausages, etc) it should have an ingredient list. When you see that round USDA inspection stamp you can be assured that all the safety standards set up by the USDA have been met. To sell meat at a farmers market, vendors must have their meat processed at a state or federal inspected processing plant, which is the same process at Hormel and Swift.

Here is a brief description of what a pound of ground beef or a pork chop takes from a locally grown animal to a consumer. It all starts on the farm or ranch where the producer raises the livestock, and at a farmers market, more than anywhere else, you can find diversity on how the animal was raised to fit what you’re looking for. Organic, grass-fed, grain-fed and all natural are a few of the terms used to describe how the animal was raised, and talking to the vendor/producer is the best way to find out the differences or what unique qualities their product contains. Vendors are more than happy to discuss the what, why, where and when of what they sell. They usually have a brochure or sign explaining their particular niche. From the farm, the animal is taken to a state or federal inspected processing plant. There, it is inspected, processed and packaged. The meat must be frozen before the producer can pick it up and must stay that way until the customer takes ownership of the product. To keep meat in a frozen state, vendors usually use freezers, which they plug into a generator or electrical outlet. Since the meat sold is frozen, when purchasing, plan ahead to allow time for it to thaw out, especially if your planning to serve it the same day.

A producer will have extensive hands-on knowledge of the whole process from raising to processing, which is a huge benefit to the consumer. Just about any producer you meet at a farmers market could tell you the whole story behind the cut of meat you’re purchasing, the age of animal, what went in, even what came out of each animal. The process from farm to consumer is similar to what the big guys do (Hormel, Swift, etc) but on a much smaller, personable scale.

At the farmers market I am asked general questions regarding meat storage and safety. The safest way to thaw frozen meat is to go from freezer to refrigerator. For example a 3/4 inch steak would take 12 hours to thaw in the refrigerator. You can also use a microwave or leave out at room temperature to speed up process, but refrigerator is the safest. Once thawed, or if you buy non-frozen meat, the recommended length it can be safely stored in refrigerator is three to four days for fresh pork, beef steak three to five days and ground beef one to two days. A good rule for storing meat in the freezer before it gets freezer burn or loses its taste is around six months. The main thing is to make sure the packaging is tightly wrapped and free of air. If meat is exposed to air it will have a much quicker chance of losing its freshness.

Cook pork and beef until the internal temperature is 160 degrees to reach medium doneness, 150 for rare and 170 for well done. This can be best monitored by using a meat thermometer and inserting halfway through the meat. Thermometers are sold at most grocery stores and can be high tech, with a digital read out, or the one I like has a remote read out, so you don’t have to open the oven or grill to check the temperature.

Meat at a farmers market is completely safe and to insure its safety, the vendor needs to go through a process to obtain a retail food handlers license to market their processed meat.

The following are a few Albert Lea Farmers Market vendors and what they offer. These are just a few, and in the next column I will highlight a few more.

Grandma’s Gourmets: fresh granola, jams, jellies and homemade salsa and pickles.

Nancy Jane’s Bakery: baked goods, birdhouses and other crafts.

D & D Elk: jerky, steaks, burgers and elk antler based arthritis capsules.

Thompson’s Painted Hill Farm: organic chicken, pork, and beef

House pets: custom furniture, toys and pet accessories.

Beauty Bodywork Studio: neck wraps, herbs, seasonings, produce and stained glass stepping stones

Wagner’s 4-H family: selling fresh produce, 4-H members taking there project one step farther and marketing there produce.

Jacobs: pure maple syrup, raspberry jam and fresh produce

Integrity Farms: fresh produce.

Lovely’s by Laura: handmade jewelry.

Northstar Ranch: grass-fed beef­, all natural, no chemical pork and wild Alaskan seafood.

Dan Matz is a member of the Albert Lea Farmers Market.