Warm Brioche French Toast
with caramelized apples and maple syrup
Sauté of Winter Greens,
crimini mushrooms and red shallots
Oven Roasted Root Vegetables
with Polonaise* topping
Handmade Country Sausage

*Toasted breadcrumbs, parsley and chopped hardboiled eggs

Comings and Goings

Jeff-Leen Farm suffered a significant loss of chickens last week due to a freezer outage at their farm, so for the next two weeks Dominion Valley will bring chickens from their farm (whole, cut-up, breasts, legs/thighs) to make up for the market shortfall. Brightonwoods Orchard returns this week with apples and cider and the Ovens of Gracie O’Malley will have their resplendent Easter cookies. After her appearance for St Patrick’s Day, we are fortunate to have Ann Marie Craig from Century Farmhouse Soaps in West Bend back for a second holiday visit. LaClare Farms alternates weeks with Decatur Dairy and this week we will have goat milk, cheese and (perhaps) butter. Amaranth Bakery has concluded their season with us; don’t overlook visiting their nearby Washington Heights location and reading Carol Deptolla’s nice feature article from last week’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

We like to say ‘expect the unexpected’ at our market and we hope you will be pleasantly surprised this week (and next) with several new vendors. I met Emily Watson of Stems Cut Flowers last October at the Tosa Farmers’ Market and was immediately impressed, wondering if there was some way for a winter market to have such lovely locally grown flowers. Well, thanks to the early onset of spring, the answer is YES. Just in time for Easter and Passover you can enjoy narcissus, tulips and lilacs from an earth-friendly flower farm in East Troy. Here is a testimonial from one of Tosa’s key organizers: “We LOVE Emily and her flowers! I have personally bought her bouquets and they are so beautiful and unique and last for so much longer than other bouquets.”

This Week’s Vendor Listing:

If there is something you particularly want, don’t overlook the option of preordering by contacting farmers and food producers directly.

Specialty Food Producers: Cocina DeLeon, Aleka’s Kitchen, River Valley Ranch, Wisconsin Soup Company, Thymely Herbals, Eden’s Market, Becky’s Blissful Bakery (caramels) introducing the salted Margarita this week, Mia Famiglia

Bakery: Water House Foods, The Ovens of Gracie O’Malley (Easter butter cookies)

Produce: JenEhr Family Farm, Witte’s Vegetable Market, Springdale Farm, Brightonwoods Orchard

Honey, Maple Syrup, Sorghum: Rolling Meadows Sorghum Mill

Dairy: Saxon Homestead Creamery, LaClare Farms*

Meat: Dominion Valley Farm (pork, beef), Jeff-Leen Farm (beef) Bolzano Artisan Meats (dry-cured sausage), Pinn-Oak Ridge Farms (lamb), BSW Farm (goat)

Game: Golden Bear Monarchs Elk Farm; Lakeview Buffalo Farm

Fish: Rushing Waters Fisheries

Poultry: Jeff-Leen Farm, JenEhr Family Farm, Lakeview Buffalo Farm (smoked chicken), Dominion Valley Farm chicken (whole, cut-up, legs/thighs, breasts) this week and next

Eggs: Jeff-Leen Farm, Lakeview Buffalo Farm, BSW Farm

Oats: Oly’s Oats

Soap: Century Farmhouse*

Flowers: Stems Cut Flowers

Coffee: Valentine Coffee Roasters

*Returning this week

Field Notes

: Last week JenEhr Farm had French Breakfast radishes in addition to their spring greens! Springdale Farm plans to bring Sungold and Beefsteak tomato plants this Saturday.

Oh my goodness, when I started tallying up our volunteers (in addition to the chefs) who were instrumental in assisting with last Saturday’s breakfast, we numbered 25! I would like to extend our profound gratitude to:

· Ticket Sales – Paula Puntenney, Judith Stone
· MCWFM Information Table – Chris Glowacki, Laura Stevens, Ally Vizanko and her friend Deb
· Dining Room – Jennifer Buchholz, Holly Flechner, Chris and Jim Foris, Kim Vogt, Tracy Wilkins
· Serving Line – Romero Alonzo, Kathy Budda, Mary Kaestner, David Kozlowski, Larry McGinn, Kyle Pett
· Dishwasher – Josue Figueroa
· Table Displays – Amy-Mae Miller from Thymely Herbals
· TTYC event services staff – Mike Wanta, May, Levar, Michelle and Ron

Where did we first meet?

In the case of Amy-Mae Miller of Thymely Herbals it was the summer of 2009 at the Thiensville Famers’ Market (Tuesdays) and please note that I will always pause at a stand that features herbs. Does anyone remember Sunshine Herbs & Flowers with Marcia Carmichael at the West Allis Farmers’ Market? Master Gardener Amy-Mae is invariably the first person to set up on Saturdays with her fresh herbs, dried herb blends, infused oils and vinegars, herb infused honey, pestos, herbal teas and, occasionally, herb butters. Looking for ways to use her products once you get home? She has just added over 50 recipes to her website that incorporate Thymely Herbal creations. Two new tea blends arrive this week: Sunshine Blend featuring lemon grass, rosehips, hibiscus and orange with a hint of peppermint as well as Memory Blend, a hibiscus based elixir with orange notes and ginko.

A farmers’ market is filled with interesting stories; here is an article from the Ozaukee Press featuring Amy-Mae’s garden path toward her own business.

Comings and Goings

Do you think we have finally turned the corner for spring? I don’t care about the temperature as long as there is abundant sunshine. Returning this week, we have Aleka’s Kitchen (authentic Greek cuisine and pastries), Viola’s Honey and Century Farmhouse (handcrafted artisan herbal soap). We have received some tremendous food producer recommendations from our current vendors and one of them, the Ovens of Gracie O’Malley will be with us for the next 3 weeks. Nancy Kreil will bring her special Easter themed cookies - an egg with a rabbit, a chick and a rabbit. You can preorder the rabbits if you want them personalized with a name.

“My love for baking came from my mother who baked to support a small Wisconsin dairy farm; this is where I learned my love for fresh ingredients. Our cookie is made with a high grade Wisconsin butter and all the baking is done in small batches to assure quality and taste. No two cookies are identical since they are hand rolled and hand decorated with our special chocolate icing and fondant artwork. Each cookie is then bagged and tied with a bow.”

Crispy Oatmeal Bars

This is where we found a texture that would complement quiche, gratin and applesauce. Becks & Posh: Heidi Swanson's Do-It-Yourself Power Bars Notes on ingredients Chef Peter Sandroni used Freis Von Kiel butter to grease his pans instead of coconut oil; Penzeys crystallized ginger, vanilla extract and fine sea salt; dried cranberries instead of apricots; Lundberg Organic ‘Sweet Dreams’ Brown Rice Syrup, and Erewhon’s Organic Crispy Brown Rice Cereal. For a list of which chef was responsible for a particular breakfast menu item last Saturday, please consult our ever handy Facebook page. Thank you to MCWFM patron Janet Fox Driscoll for posting a group photo of the chefs and some of their assistants.

Saturday, March 26 from 8:30 am to 11:00 am
(or until food runs out)
Banquet Room 2 of the Tommy Thompson Youth Center
(main floor layout: PDF)

On behalf of all our food producers, we look forward to welcoming you to a culinary celebration of community on March 26. When I think of all the benefits of a farmers’ market, the one that I find most moving is the opportunity to come together as a community through our appreciaton of good food and the people who work so diligently to grow the vegetables and fruit, raise the chickens, gather the honey, milk the goats and make the cheese. “And it’s hard to imagine what is more vital or intimate than the food we consume, for it becomes our health, our pleasure, our nourishment, who we are, in fact. Today it is farmers who are providing the fragile connection that binds us in a meaningful way to our own humanity.” Deborah Madison, Local Flavors

The Sampler Menu prix fixe $10 adults, $5 children

Quiche Lorraine with pancetta and grass based cheese (vegetarian option of Spinach Quiche)
Potato Gratin with Yukon Gold potatoes and Gallia Beauty apples
Old Fashioned Applesauce with a medly of apple varieties and sweet sorghum
Grilled Lamb Sausage
Crispy Oatmeal Breakfast Bar with organic rolled oats, dried cranberries and toasted walnuts
Valentine Coffee and Apple Cider or Cranberry Juice (or milk upon request)

The Chefs who all share a longstanding passion for local food

Peter Sandroni (owner) of La Merenda (Walker’s Point)
Andy Tenaglia (owner) of Lagniappe Brasserie (New Berlin)
Pat Sturgis (co-owner) of Beans & Barley (East Side)
Michelle Evans (catering manager) of Northwestern Mutual
Jack Kaestner of the Oconomowoc Lake Club
Louis Danegelis (owner) of Lee John’s Catering (Waukesha)

Comings and Goings

Along with all our full season vendors, on Saturday we will have Springdale Farm (produce), Viola’s Honey, Mia Famiglia (fresh ravioli), Glen Rock Farms (grass-fed lamb) and Century Farmhouse (handmade herbal soap). Your patronage of Rushing Waters Fisheries (fresh and smoked trout, wild salmon) has enabled them to make plans to attend through the end of April. Confession. Towards the end of every week I always peruse the weather forecast for signs of adversity. This week I see projections for sunny skies and temperatures in the low 40’s ergo I choose to believe that spring is coming and winter is going.

Website Update

In addition to a Google street map, our map page now has links to written driving directions, weather forecast, traffic conditions, a map of State Fair Grounds, and Milwaukee County Transit routes.

Due to financial constraints, Farmhouse Bakery is no longer able to bring milk, cream, butter and cheese from Crystal Ball Organic Dairy. Donna and Jay’s business van met with an untimely demise in January; the cost of renting a trailer combined with rising fuel prices have had a significant impact on their bottom line. As we mentioned in last week’s newsletter, Aeppel Treow Winery will bring Brightonwoods’ award-winning cider on Saturday (the winery is located at the orchard). Rushing Waters Fisheries would like to attend every week from now until the end of the season; we will do our best to have them as often as space allows. Decatur Dairy will return with cheese this week and Springdale Farm will be back on the 19th with their lovely produce.

Farm Fresh Market Breakfast

We are finalizing our spring menu (and pricing) for the March 26th breakfast and plan to send out a special edition of our newsletter early next week. Participating chefs include Peter Sandroni (La Merenda), Andy Tenaglia (Lagniappe Brasserie), Michelle Evans (Northwestern Mutual), Pat Sturgis (co-owner) of Beans & Barley, Jack Kaestner (Oconomowoc Lake Club), and Louis Danegelis (Lee John’s Catering).

Eden’s Market

Located along the North side of the lobby with her back to the window, look for the ebullient Caroline Carter. Though some items like flavored flaxseed crackers and granola chunks look as though they have been cooked, her vegetarian selections are all mainstays of a raw food diet. Caroline’s ingredients feature fruits, vegetables, sprouted seeds, nuts, herbs, and natural sweeteners (eg dates, bananas, carob powder). Food products sold at the market include the aforementioned crackers and granola as well as vegetable dips, salsa and the new, not-to-be-missed, collard green roll-ups. Eden’s market website

· “Raw foods become a way of life for mother, daughter” An interesting Journal Sentinel article by Cailley Hammel that describes a raw food diet, the local PBS station’s “Cooking Raw” show, Caroline Carter’s training as a certified raw food chef and the evolution of Eden’s Market.

· Cooking Raw” Co-hosted by Caroline and Shenita Ray, her daughter and business partner, this 8-part series on MPTV shows viewers how to prepare flavorful meals using healthy, uncooked ingredients. Channel 10’s website contains numerous recipes, several full length videos from the show, and information on how to obtain a copy of "A Mother and Daughter Diary of Raw Food Recipes for Beginners".

· “Local Foodies Spread the News About Cooking Raw” A blog entry on Burp! Where Food Happens features an interview with Shenita Ray. If you watch the embedded video from the premiere episode of “Cooking Raw” you will see a segment that was filmed at the Milwaukee County Winter Farmers’ Market (beginning at approximately 7 minutes, 20 seconds).

2011 Farm Fresh Atlas of Southeastern Wisconsin

Just Released: The seventh annual edition of a remarkably successful local food guide for residents of southeastern Wisconsin. Featuring farms, farmers’ markets, organizations and businesses that produce, use, sell or support the use of Wisconsin farm products, once again, patrons of our winter market will have an opportunity to pick up copies of this colorful, free resource through the end of April. To look at an equally colorful, well-designed FFA website, click www.farmfreshatlas.org/southeast. The web team has added a particularly useful feature – an alphabetized farm list.

Local Farmer Open House

Have you ever considered becoming a member of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm at the onset of a traditional outdoor growing season? To learn more about becoming a farm ‘shareholder’ and to meet the growers who do this type of direct marketing, travel over to the Urban Ecology Center on Saturday afternoon (after visiting your favorite MCWFM food producers). For further details about this annual event, visit www.urbanecologycenter.org/localfoodopenhouse.html

Samples

This Every week you have a wide variety of market foods to sample: soup (Wisconsin Soup Company), dips (Aleka’s Kitchen), crackers (Eden’s), salsas (Tomato Mountain), breads (Water House Foods), enchiladas (Cocina DeLeon), caramels (Becky’s Blissful Bakery), cheese (Saxon Homestead Creamery), and sausage (Golden Bear Monarchs Elk Farm). This Saturday, as a special feature, Bolzano Artisan Meats is offering pancetta stuffed mushrooms and Thymely Herbals is introducing a Spinach-Arugula Pesto that will be available for tasting as well as purchase (6oz for $6).

(aka Parting is Sweet Sorrow) As mentioned in several earlier newsletters, Brightonwoods Orchard had a 20% smaller apple crop this year due to adverse weather conditions so, from now until the end of the market season, we will only have their apple cider. Aeppel Treow Winery will bring it to market every other week starting on the 12th. Planning ahead is essential when you shop with the seasons and we have reserved several bushels of Brightonwoods apples for our market breakfast on the 26th. Rushing Waters Fisheries plans to attend for a second consecutive week; you will have an opportunity to meet their farm manager, Peter Fritsch. Pinn-Oak Ridge Farms (fresh lamb), Century Farmhouse (handcrafted artisan soap) Springdale Farm (produce) and Viola’s Honey are all returning this Saturday. For a complete list of full and partial season vendors, please consult the producers’ page of our MCWFM website.

Viola’s Honey

On the right side of the lobby facing the window, even on a cloudy day their petite display radiates good cheer. Viola’s Honey is harvested from local hives placed on farms in Hales Corners, Pewaukee, New Berlin and Waterford as well as the Wehr Nature Center. In addition to seasonal honey, Eric and Viola’s product line includes honeycombs and beeswax candles.

· Another informative Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article by Karen Herzog. This one features Eric and Wioletta Karaban of Viola’s Honey and includes honey recipes. Doesn’t the Sparkling Honey Fruit Spritzer sound refreshing?

· Temptation thy name is honey. I inadvertently discovered this recipe adaptation for pain d’épices on David Lebovitz’s food blog, Living the Sweet Life in Paris.

Farm Fresh Market Breakfast

Help us celebrate the advent of spring by attending a special morning meal prepared by some of our favorite local chefs. Save the date: Saturday, March 26 from 8:30 am to 11:00 am.

Staff Recommendations

are not just for bookstores. Rolling Meadows Sorghum Chewy Bars (Ally) A delicious, delightfully moist, and long-lasting energy bar filled with nuts, oats, sorghum and coconut. Golden Bear Monarchs Elk Bacon (Chris) Use it in place of ham in your favorite scalloped potato recipe, in a BLT or as a leaner protein topping on a salad. Chris favors stuffed dates filled with Hooks or Maytag blue cheese and then wrapped with elk bacon. River Valley Kitchen Heirloom Tomato Salsa (Josh) A salsa recipe developed for River Valley by Chicago’s Mexican cuisine maestro, Rick Bayless. Complex flavors, not just heat; very versatile as you can see from 30 Things To Do With Leftover Salsa at Serious Eats.

Taste of the Market Sampler Station

Scott Buer of Bolzano Artisan Meats plans to sample a Spinach and Goat Cheese Salad with Warm Pancetta Dressing (see below) beginning @ 10:30 am. The sample station will be located on the left side of the lobby (far end).

Website Developments/Facebook Page

Though she lives 2100 miles away, she grew up in Wisconsin and has volunteered countless hours of design work to various local food initiatives her mother has participated in over the past decade. I am more than grateful, Heather. Using a comprehensive list of Wisconsin food blogs compiled by Burp! Where Food Happens, Heather has added a Google custom word search that is available here as well as on Burp. Our weekly newsletters are now posted online every Thursday and there are new annotated links on our website. If you ‘like’ our Facebook page you will receive value added information about the market, food preparation, and carefully considered reference material.

Spinach and Goat Cheese Salad with Warm Pancetta Dressing

2 packs (8 oz. total) Bolzano Artisan Meats Thick Cut Pancetta, cut into sticks or lardons
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 pound fresh spinach
1/2 cup Evalon aged goat cheese

1. Sauté the Pancetta and the olive oil in a pan on medium, until Pancetta starts to brown and crisp.
2. Add the apple cider vinegar and mustard, heat all together in the pan for a minute or two, then turn off heat.
3. Toss spinach and the warm dressing, and then add the goat cheese and toss a little more.

Shopping List: Pancetta (Bolzano Artisan Meats), spinach (Springdale or JenEhr Farms), Evalon cheese (Saxon Homestead Creamery)

I have often had the urge to recommend some of my favorite culinary blogs, but fortunately I discovered a comprehensive annotated list from the London Times. Wow. Got some time to kill? Splendid writing and outstanding photography, all focused on food. 50 of the world's best food blogs - Times Online

Wisconsin Soup Company One of the unique pleasures of the winter market has been the opportunity to provide an affordable store front to a variety of startup local food businesses. Bravo to entrepreneur Steve Wenhardt (with an award winning smile) on his first anniversary, stepping up to a van and moving into his own Wauwatosa kitchen. Located on the left side of the Tommy Thompson lobby and facing the windows, look for a table that highlights the color orange. Speaking of food blogs, She’s on the Run featured the Milwaukee County Winter Farmers’ Market (MCWFM) last month with special kudos to and photos of the WSC.

Smitten Kitten

Count me among the readers who are ‘smitten’ with descriptive recipes like this one for acorn squash quesadillas. I plan to vary my favorite cheese quesadilla of the moment by adding squash. Try this MCWFM shopping list: whole wheat tortillas (Gitto’s Family Farm), butter (Farmhouse Bakery), Muenster cheese (Decatur Dairy), Saxony cheese (Saxon Homestead Creamery), and Heirloom Tomato Salsa (River Valley Ranch).

Comings and Goings

The majority of our food producers come every week and several, like Viola’s Honey, Mia Famiglia and Aeppel Treow Winery, come twice a month. Rather than reprint the same lengthy list in our newsletter every week, I will only mention vendors who are making special guest appearances. Look on our website’s producers’ page for a complete list of full and partial season vendors. On Saturday, February 26, our special attendees are Decatur Dairy (Brodhead) and Rushing Waters Trout Farm (Palmyra). At 5PM: Just received word that Pinn-Oak Farm (lamb) will not be at the market on Saturday.

After a brief pause in our market schedule last week, we truly look forward to welcoming you back to the Milwaukee County Winter Farmers’ Market and providing the opportunity to ‘eat local longer’.

Stopping by Good Harvest Market in Pewaukee not long before we began our first market season in 2009, I happened to spot some organic baked goods from Lake Mills. Intrigued by their list of ingredients, I Googled the name of the bakery and made arrangements to visit the very next day. Located along the south side of a historic town square known as Commons Park, Water House Foods is a charming café/bakehouse that offers special fare to their community and travelers who venture just one mile off of I94 at the Lake Mills exit. How serendipitous to meet owners Shawn and Rae Rediske and discover their dedication to using local ingredients and willingness to take a leap of faith on a new farmers’ market. You have an opportunity to meet the aforementioned Shawn (energetic baker) every MCWFM week and sample his amazing assortment of bread and baked goods. No one is more nurturing of his fellow vendors than Shawn; Gitto’s Family Farm is renting space in their community based kitchen to make fresh whole wheat and white tortillas.

UW Extension’s profile of Water House Foods included under “Innovative Downtown Businesses”

‘Discover the Four Lakes Area’ has an extensive background article on WHF in this electronic document, pages 49-51. Click and drag to move cursor on the open pages.

Along with all our full season vendors, farmer Ken Witmer of Glen Rock Farms will bring his 100% grass fed lamb to the market this Saturday. To all devotees of pastured meat, please note that Glen Rock attends the winter market on the third Saturday of every month.

Founding vendor of MCWFM and past president of the Wisconsin Apple Growers Association, Bill Stone of Brightonwoods Orchard is the featured speaker at the next ACF Chefs of Milwaukee dinner meeting on Monday, February 21. Enjoy this unique opportunity to dine with chefs and culinary enthusiasts from metro Milwaukee. For all relevant reservation information, including the menu, click on this PDF. Please note that reservations will be accepted through tomorrow, February 18.

Traditionally used both as a table syrup (try it on pancakes or mixed with butter on biscuits) and in baking or cooking (unbeatable in baked beans, gingerbread, or barbecue sauce), sorghum syrup was a favorite sweetener, particularly in the South and Midwest, during the 1800’s and early 1900’s. Around the end of World War I refined sugar products became more readily available and less expensive, thus causing a decline in the use of sorghum as a sweetener. Fast forward to the 21st century: just last week I saw it listed as a menu component at Maxie’s Southern Comfort and on an upcoming February 8th dinner at Lagniappe Brasserie in New Berlin. Rolling Meadows Sorghum Mill of Elkhart Lake is located on the far left hand corner of the center aisle as you enter the Tommy Thompson Youth Center lobby; they have two other liquid sweeteners, honey and maple syrup.

Maxie’s Southern Comfort

Karen Herzog’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article highlighting sorghum and Rolling Meadows, September 30, 2007

Slow Food’s US Ark of Taste website Saving cherished regional foods (eg sorghum), one product at a time

A well-known gardeners’ informational website, Dave’s Garden, has an article that focuses on a brief history of sorghum production in America

Forget Me Not

Speaking of sweeteners, what are you planning to get your significant other for V Day on February 14th? Because the MCWFM will not be open next weekend I would suggest shopping this Saturday at Becky’s Blissful Bakery for elegant organic caramels or Aeppel Treow Winery for one of their brandies, fortified dessert wines or sparkling hard ciders. In the spirit of the season, “Isn’t it Romantic?”

JSOnline article on sparkling hard ciders

‘Pack’ Up

What is a Super Bowl without some mighty fine food? Try a Wisconsin sausage and cheese platter assembled from any or all of the following producers: Dominion Valley (pork), Ney’s Big Sky (beef), Jeff-Leen (beef), Lakeside Buffalo, GBM Elk, Saxon Homestead Creamery (aged raw milk cheese), and Farmhouse Bakery (organic cheese from Crystal Ball Organic Dairy). Cocina DeLeon has a tremendous following for their frozen enchiladas as does Aleka’s Kitchen for their delectable Greek dips. How about Eden’s Market for Caroline’s vegetarian dips and flax seed crackers or chili from the Wisconsin Soup Company?

New Products

Along with their fresh whole wheat tortillas, Gitto’s Family Farm is introducing an organic white wheat tortilla and, as requested by L’Etoile Restaurant in Madison, a burrito-sized tortilla. Look for limited edition herbal vinegars (balsamic based pomegranate/fennel and blueberry/basil) as well as several new tisane blends from Thymely Herbals.

tisane definition from Wikipedia

When we planned a new Milwaukee farmers’ market for a somewhat uncommon time of year, we needed a core group of farmers and food producers who would take a significant leap of faith (and time) to help it succeed. One of our inaugural vendors, Scott Buer of Bolzano Artisan Meats, epitomizes the type of new food entrepreneurs we are honored to support. Take one look at his booth located on the right side of the center aisle and you see evidence of a professional background that includes quality control and graphic design. Engage in a conversation and you will discover more about a man who is dedicated to preserving the craft of dry-curing meat and working with Wisconsin farmers who raise heritage breeds of pigs. Let’s focus on one of Scott’s first products that he sold while waiting for his Speck Prosciutto to cure:

Pancetta, the diminutive of pancia meaning belly, is often misidentified as "Italian bacon." While pancetta is salt cured and spiced it is usually not smoked like typical breakfast bacon. Bacon and pancetta have a similar appearance and both cured meats originate from the belly of the pig, however pancetta is spiced more aggressively including pepper, cloves, red hot pepper, garlic, nutmeg, fennel, etc. Pancetta is also aged for about 3 months versus about 8 days for standard bacon. “Pancetta has quieter, but deeper pure pork flavors than bacon.” Pancetta can be served on its own (sliced very thin), but it's often used a flavoring base for sauces, beans, soups, vegetables and as a cooking fat (when rendered) for many pasta condiments. Note: Traditionally cured pancetta (three months or longer) is safe to eat raw. The fat turns satiny and melts on the tongue.

Bolzano Artisan Meats

Karen Herzog’s article in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Oct 13, 2009

“Quality over Quantity” interview with Bolzano owner Scott Buer in AV Milwaukee

“Meat in the Mailbox” - an eminent Chicago food writer blogs about pancetta and guanciale from Bolzano

On Milwaukee.com takes a photographic tour of Bolzano Artisan Meats, Dec 2, 2009

Sign up for a your own tour and taste of Bolzano from 4:00 to 5:30 pm this Saturday, January 29th

Comings and Goings

We have an increased number of full season vendors for season 2 of the MCWFM, primarily meat, poultry, baked goods, soup, fresh mushrooms; vegetable dips, pesto, and sauce; oatmeal, caramels, coffee, cheese, milk, eggs, ethnic prepared food, a 4 season vegetable farm, honey, maple syrup and sorghum. Vegetable and apple growers make up the bulk of partial season vendors; these SE Wisconsin farms and orchards should be able to extend their attendance next year. Aeppel Treow Winery comes every other week and then, varying by the week, we have a few available spaces to insert some unexpected elements, eg Rushing Waters Trout Farm. This week Century Farmhouse (handcrafted artisan soap) and Decatur Dairy (traditional cheese and curds) will return for a second time each. Saxon Homestead Creamery (aged raw milk cheese) returns from a two week hiatus.

Back Burner

The Farm Fresh Market Breakfast ‘save the date’ of January 29th, mentioned at the bottom of the MCWFM Week 7 newsletter has been postponed. According to various African proverbs, it takes a village to raise a child and, based on our experience from last March, it takes a hamlet of volunteers and funding reserves to put together a morning meal for several hundred people. We definitely plan a 2011 breakfast, so stay tuned.