A Trip to the Kenosha HarborMarket

Today, Dad took my little brother and I downtown to stop at the Kenosha HarborMarket. We were only dropping by to pick up some farm-fresh eggs for the week, but I decided that the least I could do was take a few pictures to show you guys what the market has to offer!

The Kenosha HarborMarket is located downtown and is open only on Saturdays, fifty times a year. Their hours are from 9 AM to 2 PM in the summer, but they close up shop an hour earlier during the cold season. The market is usually outdoors behind the Civil War and the Kenosha Public Museums, but during the winter, the Rhode's Lakeside Player Theater is where the HarborMarket takes up its residence from the blistering cold. Without realizing it, my family had stopped by the market on its last day indoors.
So, what exactly does the Kenosha HarborMarket have to offer? Well, everything you find there is made/grown locally in the area. Excluding the one woman I saw who was selling a brand of kitchen supplies, every kiosk appeared to sell one-of-kind products you can't find anywhere else. Most of the vendors sell food items, whether it be farm-fresh crops, home-baked breads, or soups made from scratch. But if food doesn't catch your eye, there's still plenty other wares to browse through. 

These ladies turn normal household objects, like glass vases and cigar boxes, into lovely, lil' terrariums. Neat! They had told me the name of their company, but I completely forgot. They gave me a business card too, but I forgot where I put that as well. Oh, forgetful me! (Sorry for not remembering, ladies!) Each terrarium held small, leafy plants and some really cool decorations, like the ones you might find in a fish aquarium. These seem like a good way to grow plants and accessorize your house without the space and attention that bigger plants require.

You can also find Apple Holler at the Kenosha Harbormarket every week. For those of you not from around here, Apple Holler is a really cool attraction you can find on your way from Kenosha to Milwaukee on I-94. It's a restaurant/apple orchard/store/petting zoo that your kids'll just go nuts for. I remember going there for a field trip once when I was real little, back in the third grade. It was really hot that day and I was so thirsty, but I was never allowed to go to the store to get some water or anything. The closest I ever got to some refreshment was the juice of a small apple. So I guess the initial experience was kind of hampered down for me, on account of my dehydration thirst. But I'm not blaming Apple Holler for what had happened. If anything, the teachers were to blame. But enough about me- We're getting sidetracked here!
Anyway, Apple Holler sells a multitude of tempting food items at the Kenosha HarborMarket. I saw big loaves of fruity breads, canned fruit jams, cinnamon rolls, pies, apple cake, pastries, baking mixes... There might have been actual apples there too, but heck if I payed attention to those. Well, hey, at least Apple Holler has something for you healthy folk out there too! Raw apples just don't hold my attention as well as when they're covered in a cinnamon-sugary goo and baked in a buttery crust. I think there are plenty people out there who will agree.

Set up next to Apple Holler was Aleka's Kitchen, a vendor that specializes in Greek and Mediterranean cuisine. (Or should I say Mediterrane-YUM?) Seriously, I love Greek food. Gyros, baklava (pictured below), pita bread, pita chips, spanakopita, tirpita, souvlaki, dolmades, hummus, feta cheese... Tzatziki, I'm sure you're all aware. And apart from the gyros, Aleka's offers all of these AND MORE!

The last time I went to the HarborMarket, I tried Aleka's Tiropita (pictured above), and it was mind-blowingly delicious! Tiropita is a Greek cheese pie, made by buttering and folding layer after layer of thin phyllo dough and filling the insides with feta cheese, olive oil, and different spices. When it bakes up, the phyllo dough becomes crispy, like a pie crust. I bet you that Tiropita would taste GREAT after being microwaved a bit. The cheese would get nice and warm and melty on the inside, and the phyllo dough would be reminiscent of a fresh-baked pie right out of the oven. Mmmm.... Too bad I was so excited to try my Tiropita that I couldn't hold out for a microwave. Maybe next time!
                                                                                  Aleka's Kitchen makes stuff I've never even heard of before. Pictured to the left are Perlini, otherwise known as Greek Pizzas. They're similar to Italian pizza, but the crust is made with pita bread, and instead of mozzarella, feta is the main cheese used here. Then it's topped with vegetables used in many Mediterranean dishes; namely olives, tomatoes, and fresh bell peppers. I like the sound of that! Aleka's also has this dessert called Galaktoboureko that I'd die to try. I haven't yet, because, well... It's buttered phyllo dough filled with custard and coated in syrup. And I thought Baklava was indulgent....                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Another thing you can find at the Kenosha HarborMarket? MUSIC! Who doesn't like to listen to some tunes as they sample the cornucopia of delights you can find at the market? These two pictured above were busting out some Celtic-sounding tunes. But I've seen plenty of other venues here too. The music is always changing! Maybe I should sign up to bust out some songs on the piano???

Nothing says "pampered pup" like some fancy dog treats. And that's exactly what these are! B&J's Pampered Pup Bakery was selling a whole table-load of diverse doggy biscuits. The sad thing? They all looked good enough for even a human to eat! But please don't. There are plenty of other appetizing things for people to eat at the HarborMarket. I think I've made that clear so far. But definitely get these for your dog if you want it to feel special. Although they probably won't feel special. They'll just be thinking, "OH BOY! FOOD!" and run around like that dog on the Beggin' Strips commercial.

Ever heard of Mia Famiglia? That's Italian for "my family." I'm sure you've heard of my own family. I think I've talked plenty about my Dad, Mama, and my little brother on this blog so far. I'm talking about an Italian restaurant, located in Hales Corner.
Yeah... I've never really heard of Mia Famiglia either. How far is Hales Corner from Kenosha anyway? I have no idea. I don't think I've ever even been through there. It's a town in Wisconsin, at the very least.
Anyway, I guess its a close enough town that Mia Famiglia can come down and bring to our market some delicious Italian products, like their own "Mamma's Dressing." Never had it! But I'm taking a peek at Mia Famiglia's menu, and everything sounds so yummy. And incredibly fancy. It's like reading a French Cookbook! Some of their photos are making my mouth water too... Oh man, anybody up for a road trip to Hales Corner?

You can also find a few vendors selling beauty products such as homemade soaps and lotions. I like going up and smelling each and every one of em'! Especially the food-scented ones (No surprise there). But anyway, homemade soaps are so cool. And this vendor pictured above is selling SO MANY! The ones I picked up to smell had fantastic scents! What if they all smell fantastically good? How do you narrow down which ones to buy? Looks like this vendor is also selling "Soap of the Month Club" subscriptions. I've never subscribed to clubs like that, but my stepdad is a subscriber to the Chocolate of the Month Club. You know, how would you feel if the soap/chocolate/whatever product you received on your birthday month was the worst one you had ever gotten up to that point in time? That'd be really disappointing. Nothing says "Happy Birthday" like a soap that smells like dirt and a chocolate that tastes like dental floss.

OH MY GOODNESS! Look at these fruits tarts that the French nuns made. They're so perfect... How could you ever slice a knife into something that looks this good? It's FOOD MURDER! A lot of time (and sugar) must go into making these tarts look so "holy". But the nuns make plenty more than just tarts. They have homemade loaves of bread, golden pastries, butter cookies- you name it! Anything baked and sweet and delicious! I had a tiny lemon tart from the nuns once before, a long time ago. It looked like the smaller tarts in the bottom right hand corner of the picture. 

"Was it good?"

Well, it tasted just about as impressive as those fruit tarts look! I mean, they're made with creme brulee, for Heaven's sake! The nuns take donations as well. I think the money goes toward their soup kitchen. You should give them a couple of dollars just for the breathtaking (more like mouthwatering) views!

Placed here and there around the market are also jewelry and decoration kiosks. You can find tables full of necklaces, and racks covered with earrings. They're all very lovely, reasonably-priced, and totally handcrafted! Sweet! I found a pair of super-cute cow earrings I was really tempted to buy. I probably would've if I had more time to think it over. Oh! Speaking of cows... 

                                                                              Tada!!!  

Well, you can't expect to come to a Wisconsin market and NOT see cheese. These chunks of cheddar come from Decatur Dairy, all the way in Brodhead, Wisconsin. Checking out their webpage, I see they've won quite a few awards in various fairs and cheese contests. Way to go, Decatur! And hey, they even offer little samples at their booth. I can't take even one... Otherwise, I'd take a cube of each flavor of cheese, then go to the other food kiosks and take a free sample of all of their products as well. Oh well! I kind of feel bad taking things from vendors when I know I'm not going to buy anything from them anyway.

So, there's your glimpse at the wonderful world of the Kenosha HarborMarket! And I barely scratched the surface, people! I only had about ten minutes to get everything I did. If I had an unlimited amount of time, I could've spent hours just taking picture after picture. Everything there just looks so incredibly amazing! And the market just gets even bigger during the summer, so don't miss out! If you're looking for something fun to do on your Saturday morning, head down to the Kenosha HarborMarket for great food and handcrafted products!

Oh, by the way, are there any vendors out there who would like to be featured on this blog? Give me a call! I'd love to take some pictures while you tell me about your business. It's like free advertising! You can go to my Contact Me page, write on Sweet and SavoRi's Facebook wall, comment on my page link on the Kenosha HarborMarket's page, or even post a comment right down below! Don't hesitate to ask! 

Don't you regular readers forget to post your comments down below too! What pictures made your mouth water the most? Have you ever been to the Kenosha HarborMarket before? What products have you purchased from there? I'm dying to know!

Till' next time, this have been RiRi Ri-porting!