Ann Brau
When Ann Brau began working at the Grinnell Farmers Market in the mid-90s, she was stationed alongside Bill Sager, a long-time, seasoned Farmers Market vendor. For her first few years working at the Farmers Market, it was the best place to be.
“He taught me everything I know,” says Ann. “He taught me what to sell, how to market, and how to price things.” Ann grew to be a seasoned Farmers Market vendor herself, growing her local business, Compass Plant CSA.
Ann grew up in Chelsea, Tama County, but when she fell in love with her husband Lisle, she moved to Grinnell. When asked if she “just loved him that much,” she responded with, “Yes, yes, I did!”
Ann likes to grow all sorts of greens on her farm out in Malcom, with her produce changing with the season (think lettuce, carrots, and kale). At her stall, she sells an array of herbs, too, from rosemary to lemon basil and from thyme to dill. In her home in Grinnell, she also bakes her own sourdough and Dakota bread to sell at Market (delicious to make grilled cheese with if you ask us!). During COVID, she couldn‘t buy yeast, so she decided to take dough into her own hands. On Thursdays and Saturdays through October 18, you can expect her with a few loaves at her stall, so smell — oops, we mean, check — them out!
Ann also boasts the only meat and eggs available at Market. She houses chicks as young as a day old from hatching and raises them for 12-16 months until they are sacrificed to be eaten. Until then, Ann provides them with a joyous, healthy life, eating fresh bugs and fresh grass. All her livestock, including her pigs and cows, are also kept under humane care, with no antibiotics or chemical treatments in sight.
“Have you met me?” joked Ann when asked about why she loves to sell her goods at the Farmers Market. “I love to talk.” But what can really get her talking is about the benefits of good food and the need for it in every community.
“We’re your neighbors and have the best quality products for your health,” she says. “If you want to support local economies, this is a good place to start.”
Halloween and pumpkin season are here now, and Ann is selling decorative pumpkins, too! Once, a college student asked her how she grows them, and Ann just had to laugh! She calls her pumpkins “pig poo pumpkins,” and it is because her cute pigs at the farm ate some pumpkins last season and pooped out the seeds! “Because the seeds went through the pigs’ digestive system, the seeds scarified, meaning they softened the seed coat,” Ann explains. “The seeds came out intact and landed in the compost, where they germinated and grew a healthy vine.”
We are so grateful to close out the season with Ann by our side! Make sure to savor the rest of the Farmers Market season and say hi at her stall on Oct. 9, 11, 16, and 18!
Savor the season! 🎃
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