On this Saturday morning, the outdoor thermometer at Salt Lake City's Oasis Cafe registers a chilly 31 degrees.

Yet on a table in the parking lot, Chad and Tya Midgley of Syracuse are selling fresh produce to eager customers. There's a basket of heirloom tomatoes, a pile of freshly picked cilantro, a row of red bell peppers, some green Anaheim peppers and several bunches of broccoli. They also offer root vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, turnips, and onions.

Paul Midgley, Chad's father, shows up offering garlic and farm fresh eggs from his West Bountiful farm.

The Midgleys' crops are a welcome sight for customers who might miss summer farmers' markets, and it's one of three cool-weather markets taking place this year along the Wasatch Front.

The Market Hall, an indoor shop open four days a week, recently opened at Kimball Junction. The 3,200-square foot space includes several booths dedicated to food such as Utah-raised lamb, cheese, preserves, granola, baked goods and gelato. Other booths offer hand-made crafts such as jewelry, organic soaps, tie-died T-shirts and framed photographs. Local potatoes and garlic are the only fresh produce available.

Plus there's Caputo's Market & Deli, at 314 W. 300 South, which sponsors a Locavore Market on Saturday mornings. Offerings vary each week but can include local honey, cheese, chocolates, mushrooms and preserves.

Using ground cover, hoop houses and other gardening methods, the Midgleys have been able to extend the growing season on their Syracuse farm well into the cold, snowy Utah winter.

"The key is to keep the ground from freezing," Tya said. It's a challenge, but the couple manages to successfully produce enough crops throughout the year that the farm is their only income. During the winter and early spring, they sell their produce three Saturdays each month at Oasis, 151 S. 500 East. Midgley said his market starts at 10 a.m. but the tomatoes are usually gone within 15 minutes. The other produce sells out shortly thereafter.

"If it wasn't for the winter market, we wouldn't be able to support our family year round," he said, as he collected payment for some tomatoes.

Jared Young, executive chef for Faustina, Oasis, and Carvers, is intrigued by the winter offerings. "When it comes to menu planning, I try to emphasize seasonal ingredients, which can get boring during the winter," he said.

Extending the farmer's market season is one of the reasons Kurt von Puttkammer and his partner Jessie Swing opened up The Market Hall in Kimball Junction in late November. Puttkammer, an architect, said The Market Hall offers a different experience than an outdoor-summer market

"Ours is a shorter experience," he said. "You can run in, get your staples and be back in your car in 15 minutes."

The indoor market also has another advantage, he added: "You can come in rain or snow."

During the summer, Rose Kaszuba, owner of Silver Rose Gourmet, sells her tarts, cookies and coffee cakes at the Park City farmer's market. Without a retail location, The Market Hall offers her a place to build her bakery business during the winter months. "I still have customers who want to buy from me, but they didn't know how to find me," she said.

One of those regulars customers is Sharon Anderson-Morris, who was shopping at The Market Hall last week.

"She makes the most amazing cakes and cookies," Anderson-Morris said. "It's nice to have a place like this, so you don't have to wait until the summer."

Tribune reporter Kathy Stephenson contributed to this story.