Yummy Sliced Pickles...

... from the Land of Oo's. Why buy at the grocery store when
you can have delicious pickles from the farmstead kitchen?

[East Main at MLK Blvd.]--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. Chances are not all items mentioned or listed below will be at each market. 

Due to inclement weather, product availability, and other factors, some vendors listed below may need to cancel participation in this week's market.

 Shop at the Dane County Farmers' Market for your fresh, crisp radishes, crunchy chives, tangy sorrel, and hearty spinach. We bought some sun chokes last week and have been enjoying them ever since. For some reason they never registered on our culinary radar. We're so glad we decided to put them into our bag!

The big news this week is, of course, that we're at that rare and wonderful time of the year when we can buy asparagus, rhubarb, and morels at the market. The morels, at this point, are in pretty short supply. We'll know more after Saturday about how the rest of the season will shake out.

Ramps are still holding as are nettles, watercress, and overwintered parsnips. Potatoes shouldn't be a problem. Green onions are available in serious quantities.  

 There are flowers galore and plenty of plants for planting. Market Manager Larry Johnson notes that the last frost is probably past by now. "It's a good time to get bedding plants for the garden and hanging baskets for the yard and patio. House plants are available, too," he notes. Don't forget the cut, dried, and flower arrangements presently at the market.

We've dragged out the grill and have been enjoying grilled mushrooms, pork roast, and chicken on the grill so far this year. The fixings for all of these are available at the market, in addition to a slew of wonderful cheeses that would go well on top of a burger or in a salad.  

To find a vendor or product you can: 1) check the DCFM website or take a leisurely stroll through the market. If you'd like to check with your favorite vendor about product availability, go here, then do a search for contact information. And remember, you can always inquire at the Information Booth, at the corner of North Carroll and West Mifflin streets at the top of State St. 

Jams from The Summer Kitchen Jams. [West Main Street] --Photo by Bill Lubing

What began as a love for children evolved into what is now The Summer Kitchen Jams, known worldwide for its home made jams and spreads. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Summer Kitchen founder Jim Schroeder worked at Madison Area Rehabilitation Centers, Inc. (MARC), in Madison, WI. At the time MARC served children with developmental disabilities.

Jim created a program that taught many of the children to plant, tend, and harvest vegetables. They raised so much produce that they had plenty to sell on the Capitol Square to office workers stepping out during their lunch breaks.

Jim Schroeder (foreground) with Dan Aultman. --Photo by Henry A. Koshollek, The Capitol Times.

When Jim moved to the Highland, WI Area he thought it was to retire. On the property he found apple and wild plum trees. Even as a young child he knew how to can, having learned from his mother. And he had worked as a chef in Madison, so he understood how to blend ingredients for superior flavor.

So, along with raising vegetables he made jams and jellies. These he took to the newly formed Dane County Farmers' Market, located on the Capitol Square where he once sold vegetables with the MARC children.

From an early time Jim has been assisted by Dan Aultman. "My family moved into the area in 1974," explains Dan, "and the next summer Jim introduced himself and started babysitting me. I was four years old. When he was out planting I was there with him. I still remember the asparagus in the wheelbarrow. I probably didn't do much. Jim says pretty much all I did was drink Tang, which was popular at the time."

Much has changed since Dan's Tang drinking days. Jim, known for years as "Jelly Jim" recently passed away. As was the plan, Dan has assumed ownership of The Summer Kitchen. He doesn't plan to make many changes. Why fix what isn't broken?

Along with added management responsibilities, Dan spends these days tending the many fruits on the grounds and those wild ones found in the woods surrounding the farm. In the back of the restored Victorian home you'll find the working Summer Kitchen.

"It's a simple 10 by 25 foot building with simple stoves, just like you'd have in your home and a simple kettle just like you'd have in your home," says Dan. "There is a water bath just like you'd use for home canning. We do nothing but 10 to 12 jars at a time, just like you'd do in your kitchen at home. We never do large batches."

As an example of the fresh ingredients, when cherries are picked, those that are needed at that instant are washed and used immediately. The rest are individually quick frozen within an hour.

Not only does The Summer Kitchen maintain small batches, Dan takes however much time is necessary to produce the perfect product. Apple butter takes approximately six hours to produce three dozen jars. In those six hours the temperature must be maintained between 375-425 degrees. The batch must be stirred every half-hour.

"That's what makes it so good," says Dan. "It's the small batches, slow cooking, and constant stirring. The hands on is what it takes."

Each Summer Kitchen jam is prepared with the same care. All the fruit is hand picked, hand inspected, and hand peeled. Quality fruit, small batches, and hands-on care have built The Summer Kitchen into a producer of some of the finest jams and spreads you'll find on-line, at the Dane County Farmers' Market, or anywhere else.

For More Information:

The Summer Kitchen jams 

 www.thesummerkitchenjams.com 

dan@thesummerkitchenjams.com

608-553-3147 

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VIDEO BONUS!

Cherry blossom at The Summer Kitchen Jams. --Photo by Bill Lubing

We visited with Dan this past Monday

at The Summer Kitchen Jams.

The place is bursting with

buds, blooms, and sunshine.

Take the Video Tour Here!  

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