A strawberry picked and placed directly into one’s mouth at its moment of perfect ripeness is one of life’s most marvelous sensations, and one of the most elusive. Most of the berries you harvest will be packed away and pulled out of the freezer and enjoyed in August, October and […]
It took me a while to make myself stop and check out the runty little apples and pint-sized pears that Future Fruit was offering from a card table at the Dane Count Farmers’ Market. I knew I shouldn’t turn my nose up at organic fruit just because it wasn’t as […]
So, I want to share my latest published article — a profile for On Wisconsin of Barry Levenson, currator of the National Mustard Museum. Mustard is one of the simple but intense joys of life. A very sustainable condiment. On October 28, 1986, at 2:30 a.m., Barry Levenson MA’73, JD’74, […]
Saturday was workout for the windshield wipers as I drove through fog and rain to Weston’s Antique Apple Orchards in the Prospect Hill Settlement Historic District of New Berlin, Wisconsin. I went to learn how to graft antique apple trees onto modern, semi-dwarf root stock. Weston’s Orchards is one of […]
I garden like I cook – using a mix of intuition, inspiration, opportunity and random readings. This system works better for cooking, where any totally “out there” idea produces just a single adventure for the taste buds rather than a failed crop for the year. This spring I finally enrolled […]
Food comes from the soil, but where does soil come from? That’s what I’m learning in my first reading assignment of the Training Program for Master Gardener Volunteers. (The University of Wisconsin Extension Master Gardener Program provides extensive, free horticultural training to people,who in turnshare their training for gardening-related projects […]
Sunday was one of the days (there are many more – all the days of winter, actually qualify) when I am very grateful to live in a town with a vibrant winter famer’s market. It is possible to be a well-fed locavore with the Dane County Farmer’s Market at hand. […]
Ever wonder how Bugs Bunny always cleaned Elmer Fudd’s clock? Which one was eating carrots? Those brilliant orange, satisfyingly crunchy roots power packed with carotene are actually a newcomer in the 12,000-year-old world of agriculture. Carrots are a domesticated form of Queen Anne’s lace, and have been traced back to […]
PLAN IT NOW PLANT IN IT NEXT SPRING During World War Two, 20 million Americans planted victory gardens to free up produce and the means to transport it for the war effort. In their own back yards, they produced up to 40 percent of the vegetables America ate. We can […]
SHOULD I SERVE MY THANKSGIVING GUESTS FOOD MADE WITH RAW MILK? My daughter is the new and proud owner of a cow share. Last month she came home from LaCrosse with a glass jar of milk from her friendly, neighborhood family farm. It was filled with the familiar white liquid, […]
Digging in the Driftless 