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Dane County Farmers' Market eNewsletter |
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Saturday, November 22, 2008 |
 Indoors at Monona Terrace. --Photo by Bill Lubing
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This Week ...
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Dear DCFM Enthusiast,
The first DCFM winter market at Monona Terrace last week began with a bang. The place was packed! Please note that At Market This Week, found towards the end of this newsletter has been updated with DCFM winter offerings to give you a better idea of what's available. A few quick notes:
- Don't forget to enter the drawing to be held November 29 for DCFM gift certificates. Drawing cards and the entry basket is at the DCFM information booth.
- Friends of the DCFM continues to collect your used, new, and unused cookbooks for its annual spring cookbook sale. Donations may be dropped off at the Friends info table and should be in a bag or box for easy transport.
- Here's a challenge that's almost a nobrainer. The Eat Well Guide and Consumers Union are challenging us to prepare at least one meal from locally obtained ingredients. Humm, wonder where we could find that?
Alice Waters, owner of Chez Panisse Restaurant in Berkeley, California and founder and
president of the Chez Panisse Foundation, encourages us to shop at our local
farmers' markets for our Thanksgiving dinner produce and turkey. We couldn't agree more. We are so lucky to have the DCFM as a resource! It's really more difficult trying to pare down the options made with DCFM products for Thanksgiving rather than coming up with one dish prepared from locally grown ingredients. This is thankfully, a nice problem for us to have this Thanksgiving season.
Take care and I'll see you at Market.
Bill Lubing
bill@dcfm.org
Photo: Grown by Larry Haas, "The Gourd Guy" and decorated by the Gourd Girl, his wife Terri Schmit, some offerings at the winter session of the DCFM take on a more decorative rather than edible theme. --Photo by Bill Lubing
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Meet the Producer: Grace Cheesecakes
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Neil Halleran (left) and
Grace Cheesecakes, LLC owner Lori Christilaw.
--Photo by Bill Lubing
"I was a grandmother in another life. So, I've been baking
cheesecakes for 500 years," says Lori Christilaw with a laugh. We don't know much about Lori's past lives. What we do know
is that since the 2006 founding of her company, Grace Cheesecakes, LLC, she has
been delighting DCFM Enthusiasts with her variety of cheesecakes, cookies, and
bars. "Actually I learned to make cheesecakes in a bakery in North Carolina after
culinary school," she says. "I worked in the Paper Valley Hotel in Appleton for five years
where there were two restaurants. For one of the restaurants I would change the
dessert menu every month. So the cheesecake would change every month. I got to
really know what the recipe would do."
"I grew up making cookies," she explains. "My mom would make about 15 to 20 different kinds during the holidays so I really got to have fun with it." In addition to the cookies and cheesecakes, Lori is well known for her bars, just the right thing for early in the morning.
The holiday season finds Lori offering a variety of seasonal items at the market. "I have holiday cookie platters and mini cheesecake platters. Also five- and eight-pack cylinders of cookies along with boxes of dozens." Traditional favorites from the old country include Pfeffernüsse, shortbread, and gingerbread. And for those who like to try before deciding, Lori always provides plenty of samples at her DCFM stall.
Lori likes to use the strawberries, pears, apples and other ingredients available at the DCFM in her products. Her cream cheese comes from just down the road, in Waukesha, WI.
Grace Cheesecakes, LLC has seen a steady increase in special order business as customers discover the tasty addition of cheesecake for weddings, along with graduation and retirement parties. Besides the DCFM, Lori's cheesecakes are available at the Madison Whole Foods Market, and at several restaurants, including the Weary Traveler and Barriques Markets.
Lori smiles when asked for the secret to a perfect cheesecake. "It's made with love," she says. Taste a sample or two at her DCFM stall and there's no denying the truth to that simple statement.
For More Information:
Grace Cheesecakes, LLC
608-516-9888
gracecheesecakes@tds.net
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Friends of the DCFM
School on the Square
Moves Indoors this Week
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 It's all about potatoes!
The Friends of the DCFM
moves its School on the Square indoors to the winter market at Monona Terrace
this weekend. Join us at the School between 9:30 am and 11:00 am to explore the
different varieties of potatoes. Taste freshly-made Vichyssoise (potato
soup) created by DCFM Friends Chef Joel Girard. Volunteers will also share potato recipes with shoppers who visit the
School table.
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Recipe: The Old Fashioned's
Roasted Squash Soup with DCFM Cheese Board
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Whip Up a Bit of
the Comfort Food
for Which This Restaurant is Known!
Step into The Old Fashioned, at 23 N. Pinckney, on the Capitol Square. Immediately, you're enveloped in a warm Wisconsin embrace of dark, glowing wood, familiar old time scenes depicted in framed art and photographs, and a deep, rich aroma emanating from the kitchen that speaks to our State's tradition of tasty comfort food. When it comes to capturing the best of those meals served up at Wisconsin taverns and supper clubs, these folks have the recipes and ability to bring them to bloom.
An important element to The Old Fashioned's success has been its proximity to the DCFM. General Manager Jennifer Debolt tells us, "I spend almost every Saturday going around the market purchasing for the restaurant. Usually I take at least two trips. We load up on ingredients for our scrambles, including spinach, arugula, cheese, sweet onions, and mushrooms."
Jennifer says the restaurant, "Only uses fresh products. A big thing for us is our heirloom tomato BLT." The only time of the year the restaurant offers it is when the tomatoes are in season.
The Old Fashioned purchases 75 percent of its cheese locally, much of it available at the DCFM. "We have four different cheese plates," Jennifer explains. The one featured above, "is purely from the Farmers' Market." Featured are Unplugged de jour, from Bleu Mont Dairy, Butler Farm's Camembert, and Hook's aged cheddar.
Speaking with Bob Miller, co-owner, it's obvious the restaurant's impetus to support local farmers comes from the top. "I think it's in the background of everyone that's involved in the restaurant," he says. Bob further notes that his customers place a great deal of importance on the fact that The Old Fashioned serves food prepared from DCFM products. "A lot of people from out of state think it's just the best thing ever." Prepared by Bob, this week's Roasted Squash Soup may just be the best thing ever when it comes to a roasted squash soup--perfect comfort temperatures drop, the snow begins to fly, and the winds start to howl.
Roasted Squash Soup
- 1 large butternut squash
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1 medium Long Island cheese squash
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2 leeks, cleaned and diced
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1 small onion, diced
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1 cup cream - optional
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Fresh thyme
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Kosher salt
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Fresh ground black pepper
Slice squash in half and remove seeds. Chop into 6 inch sized
pieces. Toss with butter, salt, and ground black pepper. Roast squash for
approximately 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until tender. Remove skin and
place squash in small stock or soup pot.
While the squash is roasting, cook the onions, leeks and
thyme in a small sauté pan over medium heat until they develop an even light
golden brown color.
Combine squash and leeks in stock pot if using an immersion
blender or simply use a standard blender and blend until smooth. If soup is not
smooth enough, run it through a medium sized strainer.
Combine cream and squash mixture over medium heat and adjust
seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves and a
sprig of fresh parsley.
Serves 4
Special thanks to Rachel Armstrong of REAP's Buy Fresh Buy Local program for helping arrange for this recipe.
Photos by Bill Lubing
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Let There be Music!
Boo Bradley Performing at Market this Saturday
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Boo Bradley -- You may have seen these guys drawing crowds at the summer market
with their special blend of old time blues and ragtime. These fellas lay down
that old style jug band flavor with Brad Selz tapping rhythm on washboard (and
cooking ware), Scott "Boo" Kiker on that shiny steel guitar and Bill Solomon
holding the tone on stand up bass. Also, they always bring plenty of shakers
and tambourines for the kids to join in on the music making. If you missed them
over the summer or if you miss them and the summer, come on out have a clackety
good time again.
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At Market This Week |
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We strive to keep this list as accurate as possible. We probably missed an item or two that is at the market or listed an item as available when it is not. Please use this as a general guide to what's at the market this week. This week we update the list to reflect the beginning of the winter market. Keep checking back for updates as the winter season progresses. This Saturday Carol Larsen of Sunborn Gardens in Mt. Horeb will be bringing holiday floral arrangements. She'll have those with and without candles for your Thanksgiving feast. Bakery
Breads
Cheesecake
Cinnamon rolls
Cookies
Doughnuts
Flat breads
Muffins
Panettone
Pastries
Pies
Sweet Bbeads
Tea Bbeads
Torts
Cheese
Cheese curds
Goat cheese
Sheep milk cheese
World-class aged cheeses
Decorations
Cacti
Candles
Cornucopia
Decorated eggs
Decorated hats
Dogwood
Dried flowers
Evergreen swags
Gourd birdhouses
House plants
Orchids
Ornamental corn
Painted gourds
Pepper strings
Pinecone decorations
Poinsettias
Potted flowers
Potted herbs
Wreaths
Fall Vegetables
Beets
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celeriac
Garlic
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Onions
Pie pumpkins
Potatoe
Rutabaga
Shallots
Squash
Sweet potatoes
Turnips
Fresh Vegetables
Arugula
Basil
Catnip
Chard
Collards
Cucumbers
Daikon
Eggplant
Herbs
Lettuce,
various
Peppers
Radish
Salad mixes
Spinach
Tomatoes
Fruit
Apples
Cider
Jams, jellies, preserves
Pears
Pear and apple butter
Raspberries
Strawberries
Meats (Grass and grain fed)
Beef
Bison
Brats and sausage
Chicken
Conventional cuts
Duck
Emu
Geese
Goat
Ham
Highland beef
Lamb
Ostrich
Pork
Rabbit
Special cuts
Trout
Turkey
Specialty Items
Birdseed
Black walnuts
Bloody Mary mix
Butternuts
Candles
Candy
Carved apple wood spoons
Eggs
Flavored sea salt
Flour
Goat milk soap
Hickory
nuts
Hides and leather
Honey
Hot sauces
Infused olive oil
Maple butter
Maple syrup
Mushrooms
Painted ostrich eggs
Pesto
Popcorn
Salsa
Sheepskins
Soup
Vinaigrettes
Wool products
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Market Information |
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 Sometimes the color is on the inside. --Photo by Bill Lubing
Saturday Indoor Market, Early Winter
Date: Every Saturday November 15 through December 20
Hours: 7:30AM to Noon
Where: Indoors, Monona Terrace, One John Nolen Drive
Saturday Outdoor Market Schedule
Date: Every Saturday during the Summer and Fall
Hours: 6:00am to 2:00pm
Where: Downtown Madison on the Capitol Square
Wednesday Outdoor Market Schedule
Date: Every Wednesday during the Summer and Fall
Hours: 8:30am to 2:00pm
Where: 200 Block of Martin Luther King Blvd.
Parking
Questions About the Market?
If you have any questions about the market or the vendors, please contact the market manager, Larry Johnson, at 608-455-1999 or email him at larryj@dcfm.org. The DCFM website provides much information as well.
Dane County Farmers' Market
Volunteer Opportunities
Please contact Ruth Miller at fern_gulley@hotmail.com for information about volunteering at the market breakfasts (winter months only) or during the outdoor market at the information booth. It's fun, rewarding, and really appreciated by the market-going public.
Friends of the DCFM
For information on volunteering for any educational projects and programs on the Square or becoming a member of Friends of the Dane County Farmers' Market contact Barbara Martin at barbforfriends@yahoo.com.
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Looking Ahead ...
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We close this This Week with a few thoughts from Market Manager Larry Johnson:
Manager's Musings
-- 11/17/08
The first Indoor Market of the
year, last week, was magic for the community.
Lots of folks, young and old, flocked to the Monona Terrace for
socializing and plenty of good, local food.
Especially fascinating were the
small children, just learning to walk, who were tottering, tumbling, and trying
again. They explored themselves and
discovered other people their same size.
The parents, sitting on the floor or leaning against the expansive
windows, connected with each other and soon engaged in confirming conversations
about their children. The grandparents
in the room smiled knowingly as they paused to enjoy the activities.
The scene was reminiscent of the
same activities on the grass around the Capitol Square during the Outdoor
Market. Family outings, people meeting
people, and local food in a comfortable supportive setting. That's community.
Thanks Larry!
Until next week ...
Sincerely
Bill Lubing
DCFM
bill@dcfm.org
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