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Dane County Farmers' Market eNewsletter |
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Saturday, January 10, 2009
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This Week ...
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Dear DCFM Enthusiast,
Jumpin' Brussels sprouts! When DCFM Market Breakfast Assistant Manager Chef Joel Girard steps up to the pan things really start to fly. The magic of the photo above is not so much that Joel knowns how to flip the sprouts. It's that the sprouts are there at all.
At last summer's market on the Capitol Square, Chef Joel and Cindy Fricke, who with her husband Leroy own Cherokee Bison Farms, Ltd., took a stroll around the market, obligatory red wagon in tow. They loaded up on as much fresh produce as they could handle, then spent the afternoon blanching and freezing (the produce) ... all so that we could enjoy out-of-season DCFM-supplied products for the Winter Market Breakfast. Patrons who enjoyed the sautéd Brussels sprouts at last week's breakfast enjoyed the fruits of Joel's forethought and planning. No wonder Metcalfe's Sentry hired him as executive chef. He's a clever guy.
Tomato Mountain should be returning to market this week. Betty Lou Cauffman of Valley View Emus, LLC is also planning a visit. Numerous vendors will be selling beef, pork, chicken, and eggs. Refer to last week's eNewsletter for a list of expected vendors. Of course the weather and product availability always affects the turnout. If you have any questions, contact your favorite vendor. You can look them up here.
Take care and I'll see you at Market.
Bill Lubing
bill@dcfm.org
Photo: Chef Joel Girard flips the Brussels sprouts
at last week's DCFM Market Breakfast. --Photo by Bill Lubing
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Meet the Producer: Sutter's Ridge
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While the early summer strawberries and raspberries are
flush with their peak season goodness, Matt and Julie Sutter of Sutter's Ridge between
Verona and Mt. Horeb
are thinking of the cold, crisp days of winter. It's not that they don't sell
bushels and bushels of their fresh berries in season at the DCFM on the Capitol Square. If
it doesn't sell at market though, "it's processed," says Julie.
"We maintain the best quality for our fruit," she continues,
"It's picked fresh that day. It's picked ripe." Those berries not sold at the
end of market are frozen. And those are the berries we DCFM Enthusiasts are able to purchase and
enjoy at the Winter DCFM. The Sutter's freeze their strawberries and
raspberries on sheet pans, so they're individually frozen, maintaining their color and
shape.
The Sutter's philosophy is to capture the top quality of
their berries at their peak.
Julie explains, "When we're in our peak season, when we have
a big overflow then we're able to use it right away. We can put them in
the freezer. Those are the berries that we're selling this winter. That way it maintains our quality.
We pick our raspberry patch whether we have a market to sell or not. That way
we keep it clean so we don't need to use any fungicides. The quality at market
is also maintained. If it doesn't sell that day, fine. We take it home and put
it right in the freezer. So we aren't reselling anything. It's always fresh
picked. We maintain our quality and also extend our season."
Speaking of the strawberries, Julie explains that, "Just
because of demand it tends to be late in the season when we process
strawberries. And that's when they are smaller, which actually for
freezing is the best time because they have less water weight and are more
fibrous.
"One thing that's nice is that they're local berries meant for
local sale and so they're grown for flavor. Most of the strawberries I'm
selling this year are the Glooscap, which is a variety off of the wild
strawberry. It's a nice, delicious berry. Contrast that with a frozen California strawberry which doesn't taste any different
than a non-frozen California
strawberry."
Matt is a third generation Sutter on the farm, with Julie
starting in 1992. In addition to the berries the farm offers asparagus, garlic,
squash and apples. "We raise the fall vegetables and we have a wagon ride to
the pumpkin patch," says Julie. "We have a corn maze and board horses." In
addition, scores of visitors pick their own berries at the farm during the
season.
"We put in a licensed kitchen two years ago so that we would
be able to utilize our crops in season when we have overflow," Julie continues. Not only does
the kitchen allow the family to freeze their products right from the field, "We
do our own baking," Julie says, noting that, "With most of the baking we try to
use our own product as well. It also reflects and is a great way to showcase
our produce." If you haven't tried it, the seasonal rhubarb, apple and other
breads that they offer at the DCFM are delicious.
"I'm not a trained baker," she explains. "A lot of the
recipes are my family's own." So I bake what I like and what I know. You could
call it farm house baking. It's what you'd bake yourself in small batches."
 Along with their baked and frozen goods, many people
stopping by their table at the Winter DCFM are in search of the Sutter's
freezer jams. "Basically I use less sugar and more pectin," Julie notes. "It's
not cooked at all. That's why it keeps the fresh flavor and vibrancy of the
fruit. When you cook a berry it really flattens out. We have people who come to
us to pick their own fruit so they can make this jam because they can't get it
in the store."
Lucky for us DCFM Enthusiasts, Julie has already made the
jam, has brought her fresh frozen berries, and offers the perfect bakery
complement to that second cup of coffee from the DCFM Market Breakfast.
Tasting Sutter's Ridge freezer jam on a warm, buttered piece
of homemade bread, savoring their baked goods made with the fruits of their
fields, you can almost smell the springtime air, hear the rush of warm wind
against your face, and for a moment forget that winter's harsh grip will hold
on for another month or so. So until the snow melts and land begins to green "pass the jam, please!"
For More Information:
Sutter's Ridge
608-882-6445
Email: sutter@mhtc.net
Photos: (Top) Julie Sutter offers her baked goods.
(Middle) Fresh frozen raspberries captured at their peak.
(Bottom) Raspberry tarts at last summer's DCFM. --Photos by Bill Lubing
Return to In This Issue Contents
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What's Cookin'?
This Saturday's Market Chefs
are from the Madison Club
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Oh yum! See what you missed? Last week's
DCFM Market Breakfast of eggs stratta, roasted root vegetables,
and sausage. --Photo by Bill Lubing.
Madison Club's Dan Fox
Guest Chef this Coming Saturday
 We are fortunate to have the Madison Club's Executive Chef Dan Fox and Sous Chef Jason Veal as guest chefs for this Saturday's DCFM Market Breakfast. You may recall that Chef Dan shared his incredible Short Rib Stuffed Roast Chicken recipe with us back in September. At that time Chef Dan told us, "Local food really makes sense to me. It builds a stronger relationship between myself and
the food." In addition, he appreciates, "the freshness of the
ingredients as well as helping out our local neighbors and friends." Come Saturday with the help of our DCFM volunteer kitchen staff, Chef Dan plans to offer us a super Market Breakfast treat. The menu includes: - Baked Cinnamon Swirl Vanilla Custard Drizzled with Mutsu Apple and Moonglow Pear
Butter Anglaise.
- English Bangers
- Roasted Garlic and Bacon Potato Hash served w/
Homemade Ketchup on the side
- Caramelized Onion Stout Bread with Raspberry
Preserves
- Vegetarian - Toad In the Hole with Winter Veggies, Egg and Cheddar
Gratin
- Coffee and juice with milk available.
Note that the bangers are made by the chefs using Fountain Prairie Farms pork with the bacon made from Fountain Prairie Farms pork belly. Eggs are from Pecatonica Valley Farm with the cheddar cheese coming from Bleu Mont Diary and Hook's Dairy. The spinach and rosemary is suppled by Snug Haven Farm with the bread baked by the chefs at the Madison Club. Vegetables were purchased by Chef Joel last summer, then blanched and frozen. Future Fruit Farm supplied the apples and pears for the butter anglaise. The breakfast is served from 8:30 am to 11:00 am or until it runs out. The cost is $7.50. |
Boo Bradley Bringing Stompin' Good Music
to This Saturday's Market
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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 this coming Saturday, January 10!
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Recipe: Scrambled Emu Egg
with Garlic, Mushrooms, and Cheese
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More Size, Plenty Delicious
When we were kids my mom sometimes offered us a coconut as a super exotic special treat for a special occasion, like a birthday or having a best friend stay the night for a sleep over. We just thought those coconuts were the most unusual items we'd ever eaten. And to get the milk out ... gosh, that was always quite the challenge.
As I grew older I realized coconuts, while fun to eat, really aren't that exotic. And I've discovered there are other items that at first blush seem exotic, yet are actually quite approachable. Emu products come to mind.
Most recipes that call for an emu egg say somthing like "Use one emu egg or around a dozen chicken eggs." These eggs are huge. They're also quite tasty and a lot of fun to eat. They are mild flavored and once you get over the size, share most characteristics of the chicken eggs.
This week's recipe features is simple, yet tasty. It always brings looks of surprise when brought to the table and sighs of delight when consumed.
Scrambled Emu Egg with Garlic, Mushrooms, and Cheese
- One emu egg
- 1/2 head of garlic, more or less to taste
- 1/4 pound oyster or other mushrooms
- 3 tbsps sunflower oil
- 3 tbsps cheddar cheese
- 3 tbsps blue cheese
- Seasoning of your choice. We used smoked paprika and black pepper.
Chop the garlic medium fine. Leave the mushrooms whole or coarse chopped.
grate the cheddar and break up the bleu cheese.
Add the sunflower oil to the bottom of your skillet, rotating it to distribute oil up the sides. We used a 10 inch cast iron skillet. Yours should be of similar size.
Heat the skillet medium low or as you would for an egg.
Add three-quarters of the garlic. Let cook for around a minute. Add the mushrooms. Let cook for a couple of minutes. Break the egg and add it. Add the rest of the garlic. Season as you like. When the white gets about half firm, dot the egg with the cheese.
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Photo: Unlikely to be confused with one another,
emu egg on left compared with a chicken egg. --Photo by Bill Lubing
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At Market This Week |
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Fresh, gorgeous tomatoes from Don's Produce. --Photo by Bill Lubing
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.
Bakery
Biscotti
Breads
Cheesecake
Cinnamon rolls
Cookies
Doughnuts
Flat breads
Fresh ground whole wheat and rye flour
Muffins
Panettone
Pastries
Sweet breads
Tea breads
Torts
Cheese
Cheese curds
Goat cheese
Sheep milk cheese
World-class aged cheeses
Decorations
Candles
House plants
Check out the wonderful variety of cheese from
Willi Lehner at Bleu Mont Dairy. --Photo by Bill Lubing
Winter Vegetables
Brussels sprouts
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celeriac
Garlic
Onions
Potatoes
Squash
Sweet potatoes
Turnips
Fresh Vegetables
Arugula
Herbs
Lettuce,
various
Radish
Salad mixes
Spinach
Tomatoes
Turnips
Fruit
Apples
Cider
Jams, jellies, preserves
Pears
Pear and apple butter
Raspberries, frozen
Strawberries, frozen
Meats (Grass and grain fed)
Beef
Bison
Brats and sausage
Chicken
Conventional cuts
Duck
Emu
Ham
Highland beef
Lamb
Ostrich
Pork
Special cuts
Specialty Items
Black walnuts
Bloody Mary mix
Butternuts
Candles
Eggs
Flavored sea salt
Flour
Goat milk soap
Hickory
nuts
Honey
Hot sauces
Infused olive oil
Mushrooms
Pesto
Salsa
Soup
Tomato sauces
Vinaigrettes
Whole Wheat Flour
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Market Information |
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The Cadillac of comfort food from Jae Almond. --Photo by Bill Lubing
Saturday Indoor Market, Late Winter (In Progress)
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 (Starts April 18)
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 (Starts April 22)
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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Thanks to all of the volunteers, including those from Metcalfe's Sentry
who showed up early in the morning to help
with the DCFM Market Breakfast. --Photo by Bill Lubing
It felt so much like slipping into that paragon of comfort, my well-worn, perfectly fitting old slippers I wear around the house to keep the chilly floors at bay. I refer to our early morning arrival last Saturday to volunteer for kitchen duty for the DCFM Market Breakfast. An hour before sunrise found us busy peeling, chopping, slicing, and stacking in the Madison Senior Center kitchen. There were familiar faces whom we hadn't seen since last season's late winter market closed this past April.
As the morning progressed the kitchen filled with more volunteers, the DCFM vendors arrived, set up, and prepared for business, and the first patrons trickled in. With them came that closeness, the intimacy, that special feeling of camaraderie so many of us share at this scaled back and enclosed winter market.
Don't get me wrong. There's plenty of fresh, locally grown farm products to purchase at the Winter DCFM, though obviously not as much as at the summer market. It's just good to know that the beginning of January doesn't mean the end of what we love about the market ... the great products, genuine friendliness, and generousity of spirit that makes the DCFM such a special, wonderful place to buy really good food, no matter the season.
Until next week ...
Sincerely
Bill Lubing
DCFM
bill@dcfm.org
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