Going out to breakfast is one of our favorite ways to spend a weekend morning, but there’s also something quite nice about cooking the first meal of the day at home.
It can require a lot of ingredients, but you’ll be over-the-moon excited when it’s all done and sitting on a plate – or two – in front of you.
While we’ve told you about plenty of great places to get bacon and eggs, French toast and breakfast sandwiches in the capital city, we also wanted to give you a way to make your own at home.
So we spent our Saturday morning wandering around the Winter Farmers Market at Cole Gardens in search of breakfast items that would enhance your next attempt for a well-rounded meal to start the day.
And what we discovered is that the winter market is a gold mine for staples necessary for a good breakfast (or brunch), as well as a few things you’d probably like to have and a couple others that will enhance the end result.
Most people would say that eggs are a must when you’re cooking breakfast. That’s why they’re such a featured item on just about every menu.
We found a pair of booths to get eggs at the market thanks to Meadowview Farm in Gilmanton and Mrs. Beasley’s Dog Treats out of Weare.
If you plan on making French toast, you’re going to need some bread, and that’s where Abigail’s Bakery (in Weare) comes in. They’ve got all sorts of options, including gluten-free, and a delicious looking cinnamon raisin that we were told makes a killer French toast. They also had sticky buns and pumpkin bread this past weekend.
The Bread Peddler (of Sanbornton) had a variety of breads available, along with bialy. Think of it kind of like a bagel, but with caramelized sweet onions mixed with poppy seeds and pressed into the center. Meadowview also sells maple syrup for said French toast or pancakes, although we didn’t see any mix for sale, so you’ll have to make it from scratch or buy it elsewhere. Sorry.
If you’re looking for meat, you’ve come to the right place.
Miles Smith Farm (of Loudon) had sirloins at the ready for steak and eggs (as well as kielbasa). Porkside Farm in Henniker came armed with bacon, breakfast sausage and ham steaks. Cascade Brook Farm (of North Sutton) had steaks and eggs for sale.
If you’re going to make sandwiches for the gang, you’re going to need some cheese, and Brookford Farm (of Canterbury) had shredded cheddar and many other fun varieties like feta and gouda.
Huckins Farm in New Hampton is the spot to fill your raw milk needs, and that includes the actual milk, yogurt and yo-cheese (cheese made from yogurt) spreads.
If home fries or hash browns are part of your must-have list, then look no further than Surowiec Farm (of Sanbornton), who had lots of potatoes and the Vegetable Ranch’s mix of regular and red potatoes, as well as white and red onions. Surowiec also had apples for the fruit component of your meal.
And to add a little pizzaz to your potatoes, consider Little Acres’s ketchup.
Also in the condiment category is the wide variety of jams produced by Red Fox Farm (of Gilmanton) and mustard by Blackwater (of Contoocook).
Rise and Shine Bakery in Northwood is the perfect sweet compliment to those who don’t want to do their own baking. They had French crullers, danishes, croissants, sticky buns and puff pastry turnovers. You’ll probably want some of each.
Circling back to those eggs, if you want to make an omelet, why not toss in a couple mushrooms from the N.H. Mushroom Company or add some fermented vegetables courtesy of Micro Mama’s to the top of your scrambled? If you want to be real fancy, Cole Gardens has all your bases covered when it comes to herbs.
And no breakfast is complete without a hot drink, so grab some coffee beans from Granite Ledge Coffee or a bag of tea created by Beefields Farm.
Your four-legged friend will probably be drooling all over the place, so Mrs. Beasley’s has you covered with some treats.
All in all, you can get just about anything you’d need to make a real nice breakfast at home from the winter market. It’s open 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays through April 21.
