Nieman Markets

FT-aaRRRR. Pirate speak today. Don't question, just go with it, you know?I pulled into this little gem of a spot while killing time before an ART appointment in the oh-so-quaint 'burb of Cedarburg. Burg 'burb = charming and quaint and a little strange when dudes in giant trucks roll up blasting Kenny Chesney real loud-like and decide to make weird faces at you. Cedarburg has this big ol' strawberry festival every year. One of my teammates lives there. Now you know.Following that, I will now explain in haiku form why Nieman Markets INC deserves four freaking stars: Apples, every kind,Pancake mix, jams and jellies,Pick out a pumpkin.Like I said, quaint.(Cash only!)

There used to be farm stands all over the place, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. Nieman Markets, besides the wonderful play on words in the name, is far more than a farm stand, it is a specialty market of wonderful stuff! Harold Nieman is a modern day Johnny Appleseed, his enthusiasm for apples is contagious!The Nieman Orchard is a four generation endeavor. In the fall, it becomes a destination for kids of all ages to hunt for the perfect pie or Jack-O-Lantern pumpkin. Schools take field trips to tour the orchard but regular folks come in for the fresh produce from all over. I stopped in the other day for one thing but left with honey from a Germantown apiary, blackberry jam from Door County and a bag of apples (which I came in for in the first place) from the Nieman orchard.I love honey but I don't care for the processed stuff that one finds on the shelves of supermarkets - especially when it comes from some foreign place like New York or (shudder) California. No offense meant to NY or the Left Coast, I just prefer honey from Wisconsin or Iowa. Find it here by the small jar, medium jar, large jar or a half gallon.And it's that time of the year - punkins, gourds, hay...go for it! It's right up 76th Street, which becomes Wauwatosa Road when it crosses from Milwaukee into the Land of Oz. And since Cedarburg is in the Land of Oz, you can just click your heels together three times and say, "There's no place like Nieman Markets." Nah, it didn't work for me, either. I had to actually drive there, but it's worth it!

Went on a field trip with my Son's school last week. The animals live in horrible conditions. The poor peacock has almost no feathers left, probably from stress. All the animals water is brown and none of the have proper shelter. Amazing they have not been reported before.

The seasonal Apple stand has been a staple of Cedarburg for as long as I can remember. In the fall they offer tours for school groups, pick your own pumpkins, raspberries, and apples.There is an actual roadside apple stand with a variety of Wisconsin made goods. They have a huge selection of apples all from the Wisconsin area along with Applebutter, raw homemade cider, honey, cranberries, squashes and pumpkins. This place is great for a weekend trip to the country. The drive to the Apple stand is beautiful and fall with all of the leaves changing you really feel like you're getting away from the city. I personally made a special trip out this year just to get cider and Macintosh apples. One of the downsides to the apple stand is that they only accept cash or personal check. Emjoy the fresh apples!

My favorite place! I go here every two weeks. The amount of different apples is crazy. Also it is so cheap and sooo good i would recommend going here instead of any other place.

The rabbits and the chicken and hen in the petting zoo live in deplorable conditions. Tiny cages, no space for them to move around. A lot of dried feces in their cages, substandard cages with chicken wire on the bottom, filthy water in algae crusted dishes, no water at all in one rabbit's dish, ant covered apples in the rabbits' cages without the seeds removed (apple seeds are lethal to rabbits). When I spoke to the owner, she refused to do anything about it. They have been reported multiple times for this violation, by her own admission. Don't spend your money here and support this abuse of these poor animals.