New season brings new vendors to Falls Park Farmers Market

Well-known names in the Sioux Falls dessert scene and specialty family businesses are among the new additions to the Falls Park Farmers Market this season.

The open-air market just north of downtown opens for the season Saturday, featuring produce, plants, flowers, coffee and treats, set to a backdrop of the namesake falls and live music.

The market is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday from May through October. And as one of the larger farmers markets in the area, there’s a little something for everyone. You can find a list of 32 vendors here, and a list of live music here.

Sweet additions

Magdalyn Pickner began Sinless Sweets, a gluten-free and vegan bakery, about two years ago. She opened a storefront at 5009 S. Western Ave., Suite 100, in The Bridges at 57th last fall and has been growing her customer base.

“We’ve been getting a lot of new customers who have never heard of us before,” Pickner said. Everything she offers is gluten-free and vegan, and she can accommodate other allergies as well. “There’s a huge community. We have people come in every day and thank us.”

This is her first year selling treats at the farmers market. She was interested last year, but setting up the new shop was time-consuming. “This year, we are settled in, and I thought it would be a good way to get our name out.”

She thinks the customers at the farmers market will appreciate the health-conscious desserts and careful ingredients. “It’s the perfect place,” Pickner said. “It’s a good place to start.”

Customers can get many of the same sweet favorites they see at the shop: cookies, pastries, pop tarts, turnovers, cakes and doughnuts. Pickner said Sinless Sweets’ most popular item used to be the pop tarts. But now, she has a new recipe for apple turnovers that have been a big hit.

“My dad loves them,” she said with a laugh. “He’s not gluten-free or vegan, and he can’t tell the difference between them and regular pastries, which is super hard to find. These are my new favorite.”

Pickner said she grew up baking, and after college she realized she wasn’t happy with what she was doing. “This kind of fell into my lap, and I expanded on it,” she said. “I didn’t realize there was such a need for it here in Sioux Falls, but once I did, that was the push to go pursue it.”

Sinless Sweets can cater to other allergies, such as peanuts and tree nuts, if customers request it.

“We will try to be out here every weekend.”

Chris Hanmer has been sharing his pastries with Sioux Falls since he and his wife moved here 10 years ago and set up shop on Phillips Avenue. They sell macarons and other sweet treats, but he hasn’t offered them at the farmers market until this year.

But now, a decade into doing business here and raising his daughters and visiting the market, he’s ready to spend time there as a vendor.

“This new decade is exciting for us,” he said. “We love Sioux Falls and love to contribute, and this is going to be a family affair for us. Our daughters are old enough to be part of it.”

He and his wife, Caryn, have two daughters: Carys, 12, and Chloe, 7.

“CH stands for all of us,” Hanmer said. “That’s the heart of it – to be part of a wonderful community that’s there.”

He credits his wife with the recent refresh and remodel of the downtown shop. “She’s our CFO and our CEO,” he said. “She’s the one who has the vision. There’s not a single thing on the menu she doesn’t try first.”

Beyond that, selling at the farmers market allows for a curated menu. They’ll have macarons, baked items and croissants every week, but other items will rotate in and out.

“Working for French chefs, ‘l’atelier’ means ‘workshop’ – it means doing special things, different things,” Hanmer said. “It’s where you test ideas. There are a lot of things we can do at the farmers market that can be short runs – and this workshop mentality is where the creativity and fun comes from for us.”

He said it could include new items as well as old favorites.

Aside from the opportunity to experiment, Hanmer said the market is a community he appreciates. While he can’t always offer the same farm-to-table services of other shops – “I’d love to grow chocolate and get it from South Dakota, but it doesn’t work that way” – he can contribute to the sense of place the farmers market offers.

He sees farmers markets as destinations not only for residents but also for visitors.

“When you see there’s a farmers market, you’re inclined to go there and see what the community offers,” Hanmer said. “You get a real feel for the city in these markets.”

His daughter is beginning to design desserts, and he looks forward to doing that together.

“It’s just us, here in Sioux Falls, just enjoying being here,” he said. “We love it here. I love it here.”

Specialty creations

Jonah Zimbelman and Chloe Brown named their all-natural peanut butter business Forrest’s Fresh Peanut Butter after Zimbelman’s nephew, who loves peanut butter. They pride themselves on natural ingredients, reusable packaging and a commitment to the community.

“We will be selling fresh ground nut butters and similar products such as peanut butter balls,” Zimbelman said. “We grind our products weekly and flavor them with whole ingredients such as pure maple syrup or locally sourced raw honey.”

Their products don’t contain vegetable oils or preservatives. Their nut butters are sweetened with organic Grade A maple syrup and locally sourced raw honey from Split Rock Honey in Brandon.

“We want to offer a locally made, healthy alternative to a common food in sustainable packaging,” Zimbelman said. And the farmers market is the perfect place to do that – with a focus on the local economy and conscious purchasing, “which is our passion.”

He recommends trying Sap Season – a maple syrup and cinnamon nut butter. “It’s perfect to spread on toast for a quick breakfast, but I often eat it right out of the jar for a late-night snack.”

They plan to release new flavors every month.

“We love to have this opportunity to be part of our community and contribute to Sioux Falls uniqueness,” Zimbelman said.

Salas Salsas is owned by mother-daughter duo Patricia Burbine and Marcela Salas. They create artisan salsas that are made fresh weekly and are free from preservatives, added sugars and canned ingredients.

They’ll begin selling at the farmers market May 13 — in time to buy salsa for Mother’s Day.

They began in the summer of 2020 at the Brandon Farmers Market

They live in Sioux Falls, and customers asked when they would sell at the downtown market. “So this year, we decided to hit the ground running with two stalls – one for our salsas and tamales, and one for our food truck,” Salas said. “We are so excited to meet new customers and have support from our community to do what we love.”

They sell their salsas at a variety of stores and restaurants in Sioux Falls but said they love meeting their customers at the summer markets. They’ll offer their salsas as well as their northern Mexico-style tamales, Salas said.

Customers can expect salsa verde, queso dip, jalapeno lime salsa and pico de gallo, among others. The tamales are gluten-free, handmade and made fresh weekly. The menu will include chicken, pork or beef simmered in house guajillo salsa, chicken in salsa verde and a vegan poblano, black bean and corn tamale, along with other options.

“Salas Salsas aims to enrich our community with the complexities of authenticity and varied applications of our salsas – after all, variety is the spice of life,” Salas said.

But there’s more to it than that.

“We recognize and dive into the privileges that the women that came before us never had,” Salas said. “We are always pulling strength from our ancestors and inspiration from our roots.”

The food truck also will be available, specializing in authentic Mexican cuisine. Typical offerings will be chilaquiles, breakfast tacos, tostadas and tortas, which she calls “The OG Mexican Sandwich.”

“My mother and I are so excited to share it all,” Salas said. “We have samples of our salsas at our booths.”

About the farmers market

The market started in 1914 as a way for local farmers to sell their produce directly to consumers. It was initially located on Phillips Avenue in the heart of downtown Sioux Falls and quickly became a popular destination for shoppers looking for fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables.

Over the years, the market underwent several changes in location and management, moving to its current location in Falls Park in 1988. Click here for details.