Gary Wertish, president of the association, said they consider fair sales numbers and seasonal ingredients when creating menus for brick-and-mortar locations. Not all dishes can be successfully made year-round.

But many retailers have figured out how to maintain a year-round presence. Supermarket freezers are stocked with Nordic Waffles and cookie dough from Sweet Martha’s. Other vendors are parking their food trucks at breweries and festivals in the area.

There are so many vendors at the fair that fans track down the food available at the fair online.

Last December, when a Minneapolis man took to Reddit to ask for help satisfying a mid-winter craving, fellow fair-food lovers pointed him to a popular resource: the Facebook group Fair Food Finder, which has more than 175,000 members.

Pickle Dog, which sells pickles on a stick covered in cream cheese and wrapped in pastrami, can be found at a few other events outside of fairs, such as music festivals. An even larger operation seems like too much of a challenge, owner Gary Benson said.

“I don’t know where else I could sell them,” Benson said. “I wish… you know, some big food star would call me and say we want to hire you, sell your product.”