 It's Saturday morning, the sun is shining and a slight breeze can be felt on the cheek. The weather is perfect for growers and customers alike at the farmer's market in Burnsville's Diamondhead Senior Center.
Along the cornucopia path of produce, customers can buy honey, watermelon, carrots and apples, just to name a few. One stop along this path is a blue tent where customers can buy a wide variety of apples from a man who will most likely be wearing blue jeans, a t-shirt or sweatshirt, and a tan, Australian-outback type of hat.
This man, Ross Nelson, 61, has been selling apples at the St. Paul Farmer's Market for seven years. He said he sells at the markets because he likes to see quality fruit that is Minnesota grown be made available to anyone and everyone.
"My desire is to increase the overall quality of apples sold at the farmer's market," he said.
Nelson and his family own and operate Nelson's Apple Farm in Webster, Minn., which is about 18 miles south of Burnsville. The family started the orchard in 1974.
At first, Ross's main intent for the orchard was to be in the wholesale business and sell apples to local grocery stores. Until 1992, 90 percent
of the apple production was sold at grocery stores and 10 percent was sold in their store at the orchard.
By 1996 the apple market had changed and wholesale was no longer the preferred method or what he wanted to be involved in. So, he turned to retail and by 2002 the wholesale aspect had been eliminated.
To make the transition from wholesale to retail smoother, he decided to join the St. Paul Farmer's Market. He said selling at the markets was meant, in part, to act as a "bridge" between the wholesale market and retail market.
Ross joined St. Paul's market because he liked being able to go to more than one location and the marketing was creative. By the markets being spread throughout the metro area, he said it gave more people the opportunity to attend a market.
"I enjoy going to the local neighborhood markets because they give people more opportunities to shop at markets," Nelson said. Ross encourages customers who stop and buy apples from him at the market to visit the orchard and pick their own apples. He said that he may not always remember the names of people or where he first saw them, but he can remember that he met them at the market.
For instance, a family went to the orchard and Ross said he couldn't believe how much the youngest girl had grown because when he first starting going to the markets, she was an infant.
Besides choosing between 20 varieties of apples to pick at the farm, customers can buy pre-picked apples, ride the wagon on weekends, visit the animals in the petting zoo, make their way through a 7-acre corn maze, pick a pumpkin for Halloween and buy gifts in the gift shop.
The apple farm closes at the beginning of November and reopens again the day after Thanksgiving for Christmas tree sales. As with apples during September and October, customers can cut their own Christmas tree or select a pre-cut tree from the seven tree types available.
If need be: For more information about Nelson's Apple Farm please call (952) 652-2233. | 
