There were no cucumbers

Well, no bushels of cucumbers at pickle-making prices. So we came home with this lot instead:

We spoke with the farmers, and our Wisconsin summer has been too cold. Tomatoes and cucumbers will be another couple weeks. Beans and beets, however, look grand.

Looking at that haul, I can't help but see pickles. Maybe I should have that looked at.

What's in the Box? CSA Weeks 10 and 11

Catching up with posts - and veg. I didn't realize until getting Week 11 ready that I utterly failed to mention Week 10. So, without further delay: 

Week 10 box contained: green beans (1.5 lb), snap peas (0.6 lb), celery, Italian frying peppers (2), collard greens, lettuce, zucchini/squash, cucumbers (2), scallions, Walla Walla onion (1).

Week 11 box contained: sweet corn (7 ears), muskmelon, eggplant (1), Walla Walla onion, zucchini/squash, basil, green bell pepper (1), cucumber (1).

 

We're holding our own on the veg with everything but the greens. I never seem to get to those in time. We still have some beets from a couple weeks ago as well. The sweet corn was amazing! And we've discovered you can grill green beans. Our favorite combo includes wedges of zuke sliced longwise, scallions, and green beans tossed in olive oil, salt, pepper, & other spices. Very very tasty.

My new favorite summer dessert is from Nigella Lawson's How to Be a Domestic Goddess. I really enjoy reading her cookbooks; she has a wonderfully casual and intimate way of writing about the recipes. It feels like she's your best friend sharing kitchen secrets. The Black & White Tart recipe in the book is silly easy and seems to work with any fruit. It's no-bake too - perfect for hot summer days when I'm feeling particularly lazy. We've been doing a lot with red currants since we got some from the SSFM. First tart was with fresh figs and red currants; this version is more patriotic.

Off to the races!

Really short post here - it's been really busy at the homestead of late. Superweek is on in the Milwaukee area, and we're lucky enough to be hosting a couple of the racers. Today's stage is in our very own SoMil - come out and watch some fantastic cycling!

I understand the SoMil Farmer's Market is having a special market day, and there are probably other places open for food & drink downtown as well. Good times all around!

________________________

UPDATE
The race was incredible fun to watch. I never tire of seeing the riders round the curve at the end of the straight away. Superweek started as one race over 40 years ago, and now it's 17 days of racing - how cool is that! South Milwaukee hasn't seen a race in 20 years or so, and this course is almost the same national championship course run then. Here is the larger field of riders in today's Pro1/2 race.

Race courses go right through residential neighborhoods. It seems surreal, but then I think about images of the Tour de France (also running at the moment) where cyclists ride through quaint villages all the time. Not so different (our roads may be wider...).

We had a great view - it's hard not to. The riders are so close and going so fast - my simple little P&S camera has a hard time catching them. Riders with different skill levels race in separate categories, so there are several races over the course of the day. The men's Pro/1/2 race is typically the highlight and often the last one to begin. The Bucyrus Classic started at 5:45pm, and they finished heading into the sunset.

Superweek stages are professional races, so they have a winners podium and colored jerseys just like other tours. Here are the winners for the race today:

From L to R: Logan Loader (California; Second place finish today), Rene Birkenfeld (Germany; Red jersey = sprints leader), Jonathan Cantwell (Australia; Winner today's stage), Eric Young (Illinois; Third place finish today), Aurelion Passeron (France; Yellow jersey = points leader).

Truly an international event here in SoMil. I'm going to hold onto these photos - someone here might be famous someday. Even Lance Armstrong raced Superweek back in his early days.

The Farm Fresh Atlas

As soon as you decide that you'd like to eat more local, perhaps even try the 100 Mile Diet, you realize that you have no idea where to find the goods. Farmer's markets are a good place to start as well as local natural food stores, but what if you want to get even closer to the source? How do you find grass-fed lamb and organic berries?

Fortunately the people at Farm Fresh Atlas are aware of these questions and they know the answers. Or at least they try to find them. The list of farms (at last count, well over 100) details location and produce, including whether you can find them at a market or buy direct from the farm (or both), or perhaps they have a CSA. The list is updated annually, so the list stays, well, fresh  ;-)

South Shore Farmer's Market in Bay View

It seems counter-intuitive that we would haunt farmer's markets with our overflowing crisper bins, but there's more than buying veg at a market. A good market offers more than just produce, or maybe the term produce covers a wider range of goodies. There's often food & beverages for eating on the spot, fresh flowers, bedding plants and herbs. Sometimes meat or fish mongers as well. We love the atmosphere of a good market too, relaxed with a sense of discovery of what looks good this week. This Saturday morning, we rode our bicycles up to the South Shore Farmer's Market at South Shore Park in Bay View - it was a perfect Summer morning, and there was a good crowd out to enjoy the park and the weather and the market.

Live music entertained the whole family.

We picked up some red currants (aiming to be in a tart), cranberry granola cookies from Wild Flour Bakery, and some fresh criminis from our favorite mushroom farm: River Valley Ranch (I've always loved the thought of a mushroom "ranch" and all that 'shroom wrangling).

Fresh eggs and local chicken!

We had some of the most amazing tamales. Next time we have to try the crepes (made fresh to order) and some coffee, or maybe a smoothie. Honey and maple syrup vendors were there, and lots of cheese. It's a real motivator to get up and out on the bikes first thing on a Saturday morning. Views like this from the bike trail help too.

Farmer's Market Season Is Open

Tomorrow begins one of the best parts of being a foodie in the Milwaukee area: the West Allis Farmer's Market opens for the season. Produce has to be home grown by the people who sell it, promising local good stuff. But what to expect? Winter lasts all Summer here in Wisconsin, so I'm not sure what can be harvested this early in the season. The site mentions radishes, asparagus, and rhubarb as well as bedding plants (I'm guessing generally not edible on their own). I'm looking forward to the prospect of rhubarb having recently come across a delicious-looking recipe for Rhubarb Bread Pudding. Equally hoping to find some ramps, or maybe even fiddle-head ferns...