Okay, it’s a little late in the season, but I just recently discovered the Milwaukee Winter Farmers’ Market and I wish I had learned about it earlier! I came across it quite by accident as I was searching to see if there were any producers of hard cider here, in Wisconsin. I found one producer, Aeppel Treow Winery, which produces bothapple wine and hard cider. In their information I also discovered that they were at the Milwaukee Winter Farmers’ Market on the first Saturday of every month. Bonus, not only had I come across a producer of hard cider, but I also “discovered” a new, off season farmers’ market.

The market is held every Saturday, through April 24th, at the Tommy Thompson Youth Center at State Fair Park. You can access it through Gate 5, on 84th St. While not large, I was impressed by the variety of Wisconsin grown and raised products. Besides, the hard cider and apple wine, there was an apple orchard that still had apples for sale. These over wintered apples were starting to just show their age and were a bit on the mealy side, but they were still sweet and quite flavorful. A little mealiness is small price to pay for their taste which beats any store bought apples hands down. Also included in the days list of producers were a couple of honey producers, a couple of bakeries, numerous farmer’s selling pasture fed beef, pork, poultry and elk, and a few stands selling processed foods made from local, Wisconsin produce, from salsas and jams to pasta and granola.

Rolling Meadows Sorghum Mill is there selling their sorghum syrup and locally produced maple syrup. Of the few cheese producers there, we stopped at Saxon Homstead Creamery and picked up a wedge of their “Saxony” cheese, a washed rind cow’s milk cheese, which they describe as nutty and supple, a description that may be rather vague, but one I agree with. I will definitely be checking out some of their other cheeses. We also picked up some mushrooms from River Valley Ranch, Wisconsin’s oldest mushroom producer.

There wasn’t much in the way of produce, but I didn’t expect to find much at this time of year, in Wisconsin. But a few farmers were displaying some fresh spinach and radishes grown, I’m sure in hoop houses or hot houses.

While I didn’t purchase any, it did get me excited for spring to arrive and the farmer’s markets throughout Wisconsin to get started up again.

Probably, the biggest coup for the market though this the inclusion of Bolzano Artisan Meats.  Bolzano is Wiscosin’s first and only company dedicated to the art of dry curing meat.  While still relatively unknown in throughout the rest of the country, Bolzano has, in a very short time made quite a name for themselves among upper Midwest foodies.  They currently offer guanciale, dried and cured pork cheek and panchetta, an Italian slow cured “bacon” that remains unsmoked.  Both of their products are some of the best I have tasted and I expect it won’t be long before they gain a reputation from coast to coast.

With only 7 more weeks left before the market closes for the year, I doubt I will make it back,but not for a lack of wanting. Milwaukee is about a 45-60 minute drive and our weekends are pretty full for the next 2 months. So while I might not make it back this year, I will look forward to it’s opening next October, but just because I can’t make it back doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check it out if you are in the area. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Fall is in full swing and I am thrilled! This is my favorite time of year. The crisp, cool air, the sharp scent of burning leaves and fireplaces, the beautiful autumn colors as the trees change, and of course, the food. As the weather starts to turn cooler I leave behind the thoughts of light, refreshing meals and start thinking about warmer, heartier, more comforting types of foods; soups, chili, stews, pastas with rich, hearty meat sauces, and slowly braised or roasted meats. Fall also means many of my favorite fruits and vegetables are being harvested. Apples immediately come to mind as they are my favorite fruit, but also mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, mushrooms, winter squashes and many root vegetables. Fall also means the opening of one of my favorite places, The Little Farmer. Technically, they open in summer, early August to be exact, selling early season apples and peaches they bring in from a friend of theirs, in Michigan. I admit, I take my first trip out there, soon after they open, to pick up one of their apple muffins, which are to die for, and for which I usually start craving by mid July. Arriving at The Little Farmer in the midst of the summer heat seems wrong, but I need my muffin fix so you’ll find me out there either opening weekend or the week after.

After that first, initial fix, I usually wait until the weather starts to change and they start to harvest the later varieties of apples.

Some of the varieties they grow and sell are Cortlands, Russets, Jonamac, Honeycrisp, Duchess, Paula Red, Ginger Gold, McIntosh, and Empire. They also grow and sell pumpkins, so there is usually a trip out there with the daughter to pick pumpkins for Halloween.

You can choose any of the many hundreds of pumpkins they have already harvested or you can head out to the fields and harvest your own.

But if you think that The Little Farmer is just a roadside stand and U-Pick farm you would be missing out. It has become a one stop shopping adventure. A place to get out, enjoy the weather and a little rural fun. There are hayrides to be taken, a corn maze to navigate, freshly dipped caramel apples to be eaten, goats to be fed, and a fantastic playground with a twenty foot tall mountain of hay bales to be climbed. There is also a craft barn filled with seasonal bricabrac. The main apple house itself is filled with more knickknacks.

But this is where you can buy many of the food stuffs either prepared right on the premise or manufactured for them. All the wonderful baked goods, including the aforementioned apple muffins are produced on site, as is the cider, while many of the pickles and preserves are manufactured for them, according to their specifications.

Once Labor Day arrives, the place gets busy on weekends and they often offer entertainment or events throughout the autumn, including a Dog Walk, when people can bring their dogs for the day. And what would any weekend event in Wisconsin be without brats. Each weekend The Little Farmer allows a group to come in and do a brat fry to raise money for their group or charity.

My wife laughs at me, but I bet from the time they open, in August to the time they close in mid November, I venture out there at least 6-7 times or more. But I love the place! It reminds me of days gone by when we, as a nation, were much closer to our agricultural roots. I also like to help out local farmers and businesses, and it doesn’t hurt that I really like the product they produce!

If you are interested in visiting The Little Farmer, they are located on Hwy. 151 about 10-15 minutes north of Fond du Lac, Wi, on the east shore of Lake Winnebago, in Malone, WI. You can find them on the web here. If you are in the area stop by and, at least, grab an apple muffin.

It’s been a week since I last posted, an unusually long time for me, but I had a good excuse.  For the better part of last week I have been on Isle Royale, or traveling to get there and home again.  If you are not familiar with Isle Royale-don’t be ashamed, most people aren’t-it is a large island in the middle of Lake Superior.  To access the island one must travel to the northern most tip of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan then take a 3-5 hour ferry ride out into the lake.  It is truly one of the remotest places in the continuous 48.  As such it is the least visited National Park, making it a haven for those seeking solitude and nature.  It is also an important research center for many scientists wishing to study wildlife, their interactions with their environments and mankind’s impact on that environment.  It is also amazingly beautiful!  It is no wonder that, although it is the least visited National Park, it also has the highest return rate. So what prompted this journey to this remote island?  A wedding of course!  Both my brother and wife have spent numerous summers working on the island as park rangers.  They met on the island, got engaged on the island and felt that the island was the most appropriate place to exchange their vows.  It was a small, intimate wedding held on the shores of one of the 400+ smaller islands that surround the large one.  I’ve been in weddings large and small, extravagant and simple, but this one was one of the most perfect ceremonies I have ever had the pleasure to witness.  For those of you thinking what a great idea for a wedding, please realize that the park discourages larger groups due to their impact on the environment and you won’t find any amenities.  Remember this is first and foremost a nature reserve and everything they do revolves around that. (continue reading…)

There’s something about county and state fairs that really strike a cord with me. Of course, there is all the food, most of it deep fried and none of it good for you, but it goes beyond that. In many ways, these fairs seem so “yesterday.” They seem to belong to a world long gone, where grandmas compete for blue ribbons with their pies and cakes, where young farmers parade their best livestock, and where carnies try to sucker unsuspecting passersby into parting with their hard earned cash for a chance to win some cheap, poorly made stuffed animal. It’s a place where salesmen still compete for crowds and where the art of hawking and barking is still alive and well.

This past week we headed down to Milwaukee (actually West Allis a Milwaukee suburb) to visit the Wisconsin State Fair and once again it did not disappoint. Wisconsin has deep roots as an agricultural state and the Wisconsin State Fair is all about showing off the best of its agricultural products. Of course, a good portion of the fair grounds are taken up with the livestock barns which are jammed packed with farmers and 4-Her’s all there to show off their best livestock, from cows, and pigs to ducks, chickens, rabbits and any other farm animal you can imagine. Dairy also takes center stage, Wisconsin still being one of the most important dairy and cheese making states in the country. Winning a blue ribbon at the Wisconsin State Fair is still considered an important award for many cheesemakers. (continue reading…)

I recently returned from a 5 day vacation out to the East coast to get together with family. It was a fun filled 5 days full of laughter, reminiscing, a few margaritas….okay, more than a few, and food. Oh, the food. When my family gets together you know the days are going to be filled with plenty of great food! With 21 of us, and only the use of a home kitchen meals had to be simple affairs with as much cooking done outside as possible. Grill Night consisted of burgers, bratwursts, hot dogs for the kids and venison burgers for the more adventurous. Mexican Night featured soft tacos stuffed with marinated and grilled flank steak and chicken breasts and a pico de gallo sporting a trio of chiles, poblanos, anaheims, and cayenne for a little more heat. Sunday lunch saw the serving of a family favorite, chicken and homemade egg noodles served over mashed potatoes.  One night the kids in the group made funnel cakes, with the help of a few adults, but the big event was held on Saturday night – the Seafood Boil. With only 2 propane burners dinner was served in 2 courses. The first course consisted of Corn on the Cob and Steamer Clams. For those not familiar with Steamers, they are the clam of choice, in New England for a traditional clambake or for use in clam chowder. These medium sized clams are sweet and mild with just a hint of salinity to remind you of their home in the ocean. After being scrubbed and rinsed, they are often held in saltwater with cornmeal added to it to cause them to expel more of the sand they have ingested. Next they are steamed or boiled open and poured out onto large platters where guests help themselves. Since these clams spend almost their whole life buried in the sand it is traditional, after freeing the clam from its shell, to dip it in some of the clam broth, used in cooking, to rinse away any remaining sand, before dipping them in melted butter and eating.

Our second course found us dining on American Lobsters and Shrimp. The lobsters were cooked simply in salted water while the shrimp were cooked in water seasoned with Old Bay and Beer. I have eaten lobsters from around the world, taken from both cold waters and warm waters, but in my opinion none compare to the American Lobster. I have yet to find another species of lobster as sweet and tender as those found on the east coast of North America. Accompaniments were simple; a spicy cocktail for the shrimp and more melted butter for the lobster. For a shellfish lover like me, it was heaven on earth, and to serve anything else would have merely been a distraction.

This got me to thinking about how simple foods can be as exquisite as the most complex chef inspired creations. As chefs and gourmands we often forget this and need to be reminded every once in awhile. Awe-inspiring meals don’t always have to mean slaving away in a kitchen for hours while you hope the souffle won’t fall or the butter sauce won’t break. Sometimes it means just allowing the food to speak for itself. This becomes easy when you search out local foods in their peak season.