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Dane County Farmers' Market eNewsletter |
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Saturday, December 13, 2008 |
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This Week ...
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Dear DCFM Enthusiast,
The wind may be whipping the snow around the lamp posts but it's warm and toasty at Monona Terrace. With weather such as we see this time of year it's amazing that we have all of the wonderful kitchen fixin's available to us. While nothing like the flush of peak summer season, the apples, spinach, root vegetables, and breads are a pure joy to have available.
Don't forget there are practical, attractive, and reasonably priced gift boxes available at the DCFM Information Booth. Priced at $3, these perfectly showcase the many DCFM purchases you'll be giving this holiday season.
During the Monona Terrace Market is the only time you can buy DCFM gift certificates at the market rather than sending in a check to the DCFM office. Stop by the information booth to purchase the easy to redeem, easily mailable, inexpensive little gems of future food. They can be used at any Saturday summer, Wednesday, winter market or the winter Market Breakfast.
While interviewing Lisa Jacobson of the Mermaid Café for this week's recipe, I asked her why she bought local products to serve in her restaurant, specifically those found at the DCFM. While there are many good reasons, ultimately, what Lisa has found is that the local food she uses, "is really, really, tasty."
The Friends of the DCFM and the Community Action Coalition (CAC) would like to thank the patrons of the DCFM who generously contributed to last week's food drive. We haven't gotten any numbers yet but going by the huge assortment of food that was piling up it looked like there is no lack of caring among DCFM Enthusiasts. Thank you so much!
Take care and I'll see you at Market.
Bill Lubing
bill@dcfm.org
Photo: Billy Kelsey of Lone Rock, WI brings his decorative gourds,
wreaths, and musical instruments to the DCFM at Monona Terrace.
With you and some friends playing these one-of-a-kind instruments one
assumes it's possible to generate great gourd chords.
--Photo by Bill Lubing
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Meet the Producer: Land of Oos
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A long time ago bad weather sparked an idea for
their business that's served John and Joan Oosterwyk well ever since.
Twenty-five years ago the couple started raising fruits and vegetables and
bringing them to the Dane
County Farmer's Market
(DCFM). Things were going well in The Land of Oos.
"We were raising raspberries ... had a nice crop," John
begins. One Saturday, "It rained on the market and we couldn't sell any
raspberries. We decided we didn't want that to happen again. So we made jam. A
couple of years later I said it would be nice if we could expand and make
pickles. So that's how we got started."
While there are always plenty of canned products at their
stall, the Oosterwyk's have seasonal produce they bring to the summer market on
the Capitol Square.
They raise numerous small fruits and vegetables and tend their own peach, pear,
and apple trees.
Located on Vilas
Road, just outside of Cottage Grove, WI,
the couple expanded their operation two years ago to include a kitchen when
they purchased a house just across from the 40-acre farm. "For many years we
worked [out of the kitchen] at Wil-Mar or the Atwood
Community Center," John
explains.
Depending upon the time of year, Land of Oos
can have up to 66 varieties of home-canned products available. Among John's
favorites with the pickles is the bread and butter variety while Joan likes the
sweet dill pickles. Both of them love the freezer strawberry jam. Their
specialties include red onion jelly, cranberry-horseradish relish, and five
flavors of jalapeńo jelly, including strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, black
currant, and peach. The jalapeńo jellies have six levels of heat, from mild to
6X (full strength).
Joan says their recipes, "Come from all over. From the
library or people will send them." She says that all of their canned goods are
prepared by hand.
When asked how it feels to have been coming to the market
for 25 years, John answers with a smile, "It gives us a place to go and pay for
the farm. We have many good friends at the market that we've been selling with
for years."
Once you've tasted their wonderful jams, jellies, or pickles
you'll probably agree that the rainstorm that shut them out years ago was a
most fortuitous incentive for them ... and for their customers.
For More Information:
Land of Oos
John and Joan Oosterwyk
608-839-0183
jnooster@hotmail.com Photos: (Top) An assortment of jellies from Land of Oos.(Below) John and Joan Oosterwyk. --Photos by Bill Lubing Return to In This Issue Contents
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Recipe: Bekk's Caribbean Carrot Soup
from the Mermaid Café
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There's a surprising little bite to this
Delicious Soup ... and That's No Fish Tale!
At a neat little café down on Winnebago Street, a little past AnchorBank, great things are happening. Owner Lisa Jacobson opened the Mermaid Cafe in December 2005. The menu is an eclectic mix of sandwiches, some from the panini grill and others not, soups, and breakfasts. Lisa strongly believes in the sustainable food movement, and sees her partnership with many DCFM vendors as a key to her success. Sourcing a good amount of her raw materials from the DCFM provides, "a really good opportunity for us to marry the concept of using local food because it's good for the environment, it's good for farmers, and using local food is really, really tasty," she says.
Concerning this week's delicious Carrot Soup recipe, Lisa notes, "I asked Bekk Luce, our former kitchen manager and chef extraordinaire, to come up with a carrot soup recipe with a Caribbean flavor palette. The result is a beautiful, smooth, bright orange soup with a warm mouth feel. Roasting the carrots is our key to the intensity of the flavor of this soup. We are lucky to be able to use Wisconsin grown carrots, onions, and garlic from Driftless Organics for the majority of the year."
 Bekk's Caribbean Carrot Soup from the Mermaid Cafe
Instructions
Peel and roast carrots at 400 degrees until tender (around 45 minutes). While carrots are in the oven, chop onion, garlic and grate ginger. In the bottom of a large enameled pot sauté garlic, ginger, and onions in canola oil until onions are translucent. Add curry powder and bay leaf and sauté until curry powder releases aroma (about 1 minute). Add roasted carrots. Add one can of coconut milk and one box of broth, then add the second box of broth and coconut milk in equal amounts over covered carrots. Simmer until carrots begin to break apart. Remove bay leaf. Use immersion blender to puree soup. Adjust with salt, pepper, sugar, and Tabasco sauce. Add the rest of the broth and coconut milk. Serve with chopped cilantro.
Many thanks to Rachel Armstrong, Buy Fresh Buy Local coordinator for REAP Food Group for arranging for this recipe.
Photos by Bill Lubing
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The Music Continues At The DCFM
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Old Cool Band is slated to perform at the Market on Saturday, December 13
Old Cool Performing This Week;
Moldy Jam and Brian Schwellinger
Perform December 20.
This Week
Scheduled to appear this coming Saturday, Old Cool takes a musical road trip through Americana, classic
country, bluegrass, and a bit of gypsy jazz. This five-piece acoustic band
performs cool new renditions of old cool songs, along with a few old
treasures in their classic form. Old Cool features strong vocals, and more
than a hundred years of combined experience in guitar and fiddle. Energy.
Passion. Great music with beautiful arrangements. Come along for
the ride,
won't you?
Old Cool consists of Dan Hildebrand. guitar and vocals; Mark
Kunkel, guitar and vocals; Bob Lilley, bass and vocals; Sandy Nowack,
vocals; and Gregg Bennett, fiddle.
Next Week
On Saturday, December 20, Moldy Jam will be playing from 8:00 am to 10:00 am. Brian Schwellinger is slated to play from 10:00 am to Noon.
Moldy Jam is the longest running jam of old time music in the Madison area. It started in the mid 80s and has evolved around the principles of sharing old-time and irish tunes in an accepting and welcoming setting. The band meets each Monday night and is open to all like-minded musicians.
Brian Schwellinger will play a selection of tunes that are part of
the
traditional French Canadian fiddlers repertoire. The music of the
Quebec Province is a foundation of old French melodies that have been
blended
with melodies from Ireland and Scotland.
The Quebecois fiddler was
often isolated in remote villages, where they learned and developed tunes
on their own or within their family traditions. Without formal
musical training and a unique sense of rhythm, fiddlers added twists
to melodies by adding measures, or an extra beat to standard tunes. Many
of these tunes are now called "Crooked" tunes because they are not in
the standard time divisions most traditional melodies are performed
in.
Another unique twist to Quebecois music is that the fiddler taps
their feet in time to the melody to add drive and lift. The fiddle tunes
of Quebec are fun and mischievous!
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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. Surprise your holiday guests with strawberries and raspberries from Sutter's Ridge Farm. Fresh frozen at the peak of flavor, Julie says they only freeze the very best. Speaking of fresh, Tom Brantmeier reminds us that his is fresh ground whole wheat and rye flour. He notes that there is a big difference in fresh ground as compared to "that old stuff" found ... in more and less traditional retail establishments. Bakery
Breads
Cheesecake
Cinnamon rolls
Cookies
Doughnuts
Flat breads
Fresh ground whole wheat and rye flour
Muffins
Panettone
Pastries
Pies
Sweet breads
Tea breads
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
Some of the finest Wisconsin cheese is found right here
at the DCFM. Willi Lehner of Bleu Mont Dairy reports that
he's come out with a blue cheese, after saying for years he
never would. We tried it, bought it, loved it, and
now need some more. --Photo by Bill Lubing
Fall Vegetables
Beets
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celeriac
Garlic
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Onions
Pie pumpkins
Potatoes
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
Tomato sauces
Vinaigrettes
Whole Wheat Flour
Wool products
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Market Information |
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These amazing Sutter's Ridge frozen raspberries are
nothing like we're used to seeing. They're firm, not mushy
and perfect for a sweet mid-winter treat.
--Photo by Bill Lubing
Saturday Indoor Market, Early Winter(In Progress)
Date: Every Saturday November 15 through December 20
Hours: 7:30AM to Noon
Where: Indoors, Monona Terrace, One John Nolen Drive
Note: No Market December 27.
Saturday Indoor Market, Late Winter (Coming Up!)
Date: Every Saturday beginning January 3, 2009 through April 12
Hours: 8:00AM to Noon
Where: Indoors, Madison Senior Center, 330 W. Mifflin St.
Note: The Famous Market Breakfast is Served Here!
Saturday Outdoor Market Schedule (Finished for Season)
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 (Finished for Season)
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 OpportunitiesPlease contact Ruth Miller at ferngulley@mhtc.net 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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With mother Liz Barley holding on gently,young Henry Piel intently scans thethe DCFM for spinach ...... None within grabbing distance
he settles instead on a
tiny fistful of his mother's hair.
--Photos by Bill Lubing
Counting this Saturday, December 13 there are two more markets at Monona Terrace. The market takes a rest on December 27. Beginning January 3 the DCFM moves over to the Madison Senior Center, 330 West Mifflin. There is plenty of parking near the Senior Center on the street or in the adjacent ramp.
After much anticipation, the Market Breakfasts commence on January 3 at the Senior Center, served from 8:30 am to around 11:oo am or until the food runs out. The breakfasts are a superb showcase of the quality ingredients found at the DCFM.
The Green Online Holiday Auction ends this Sunday evening, December 14. More than a dozen DCFM vendors are among the donors. Auction proceeds support Wisconsin
Partners for SustainAbility, Dane Buy Local and community causes, including the
food system. To see all the items and bid, check: greenholiday.cmarket.com or www.wiscpsa.org.
Until next week ...
Sincerely
Bill Lubing
DCFM
bill@dcfm.org
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