pick a peck of purple peppers

Dane County Farmers Market / Madison, Wisconsin
The Dane County Farmers Market is held every Saturday, rain or shine, on the block surrounding the Capitol building with the magnificent landscape and stunning architecture offering up a spectacular backdrop to the popular marketplace. It was a beautiful crisp Fall day - perfect for wandering amongst the hundreds of vendors selling their produce. The market is reported to be the largest producer-only farmers market in the country. All items must be grown or made by the vendors behind the tables - no resale is allowed. And unique among the items for purchase were these Nu-Mex Twilight hot peppers. These are an ornamental pepper that start with a purple fruit that then ripens to yellow, orange, and finally red. This variety is one of the few that has fruit in all four color states at the same time. Very striking!