Persimmons • Crazy for Cruciferous • Sowing Food Sovereignty
EAT. DRINK. READ. THINK.
“In our world of big names, curiously, our true heroes tend to be anonymous.”
― DANIEL J. BOORSTIN
Above: Wild rice shines alongside kale and fennel in this hardy fall salad. Find the recipe at ediblemadison.com.
Cover: Roasted cauliflower steaks are a simple and delicious way to enjoy more veg-forward meals and celebrate this workhorse brassica.
Rice by Marissa DeGroot and Recipe by Christy McKenzie
Persimmons: Fruit of the Gods by Laura Poe Mathes
A BOWL OF SOUL by Qwantese Dourese Winters
Photos by Sunny Frantz
I don’t know what it is about fall—the cool evenings, the transitioning foliage—but this season serves as my reminder to slow down. Maybe I slow down because fall is my favorite season or maybe fall is my favorite season because I slow down, either way it is my cue to take in the things around me my busy brain too often misses. Fall is my season for the unsung, the often overlooked and undercelebrated.
This season’s issue gives just a glimpse of the unsung in our local food system—the people, produce, processes and products which may be underappreciated or uncelebrated. While I’m ecstatic about the stories we are sharing in this fall issue, I have to admit this was a tough issue for me to help put together. I have to say no to far more stories than I ever get to say yes to, and it is never because the stories are not compelling and don’t deserve to be told. It’s simply a matter of space. But in this issue dedicated to the unsung, it hurt even more to say no.
In an ideal world, we would fill volumes with the deeds of countless farmers and their crews doing the hard work to feed our communities. We would share the endless stories of back of house characters, thanklessly working the line and scrubbing dishes. The list goes on and on of food system workers and local advocates deserving of a cover story.
As the overwhelm began to consume me, I stopped to remind myself of fall. I slowed down and realized, perhaps this issue’s sampling of stories will serve as a gateway to more learning and discovery.
I hope Erica Krug’s piece (page 25) investigating pollinators beyond the honeybee encourages you to help care for these crucially important critters in our food system. Perhaps our Cook at Home recipes (page 32) celebrating all things cruciferous will inspire you to make tonight’s dinner all about this workhorse family of vegetables and find a local farm where you can grab supplies. Or hopefully Elena Bird’s story “Sowing Food Sovereignty” (page 39) will inspire understanding and action as Ho-Chunk communities around the state begin resiliency gardens as a move toward food sovereignty in the face of cuts to federal programs supporting food access.
I encourage you to take this fall to slow down and dive into a story of the unsung, the uncelebrated and the often overlooked. Discover something new and gain a deeper appreciation for the people, products and passion that makes up our local food system.
Cheers,
Marissa DeGroot, Managing Editor
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ELENA BIRD
Elena is a temporarily retired farmer who lives, eats, writes and grows things in Viroqua. They can often be found eating tinned fish or sniffing out people who are scheming more bountiful futures. Elena works as a researcher for UW–Madison where they received their MS in Agroecology.
QWANTESE DOURESE WINTERS
Qwantese is a doula, cook, and community organizer passionate about nourishing people through food and care. She’s the creator of A Bowl of Soul, a postpartum meal program designed to support marginalized mothers with comforting, nutrient-dense meals during 6 weeks of their postpartum journey. Whether hosting gatherings, cooking for new moms, or building community around the table, she brings intention, joy, and deep care to everything she creates.
MARISSA DEGROOT
Marissa feels fortunate to be a part of our local food system as the managing editor of Edible Madison as well as working at Vitruvian Farms, her husband Tommy's organic vegetable and mushroom farm. She loves raising their daughter, Ollie, and their team of fur babies on the farm in McFarland.
SUNNY FRANTZ
Sunny is an editorial and commercial photographer with a studio on the west side of Madison where she lives with her husband, their two kids and a tiny dog. She specializes in food and product photography and loves the opportunity it gives her to connect with the many wonderful businesses and entrepreneurs in Madison.
TRACY HARRIS
Tracy is a graphic designer and photographer from Madison. A polymath at heart, she dabbles in various arenas of makery including cooking and baking, sewing and knitting, painting and collage, and has a soft spot in her heart for film photography. When she’s not busy making things, she enjoys travel, good food and drinks, gardening and live music.
ERICA KRUG
Erica is a freelance writer from Madison. In addition to writing and helping to run youth writing summer camps, she also works for Rooted, a local nonprofit, where she supports statewide farm-to-school efforts. Erica loves gardening, swimming in cold lakes and playing Yahtzee.
MANAGING EDITOR
Marissa DeGroot
PUBLISHER
Christy McKenzie
BUSINESS DIRECTOR
Christy McKenzie
SALES DIRECTOR
Lauren Rudersdorf
LAYOUT & PRODUCTION
Nicole Welch
COPY EDITOR
Andrea Debbink
CULINARY ADVISOR
Christy McKenzie
SOCIAL & DIGITAL PRODUCER
Lauren Rudersdorf
ADVERTISING & SPONSORSHIPS
Lauren Rudersdorf laurenr@ediblemadison.com
CONTACT US
Edible Madison 4313 Somerset Lane Madison, WI 53711 hello@ediblemadison.com
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We want to hear your comments and ideas. To write to the editor, use the mailing address above or email hello@ediblemadison.com
Laura is a registered dietitian focused on using real foods and herbs to help heal the gut. She is the creator of the Rest, Digest and Heal online course and community, and teaches traditional cooking and fermentation classes around the region. Laura lives in the Driftless area with her husband and kiddos where they homestead and play in the river as much as possible. Originally from Missouri, she now understands why cheese curds are a thing.
CHRISTY MCKENZIE
Christy is the owner of Pasture and Plenty—a specialty market and deli, demonstration kitchen, and meal kit pick-up and delivery service. P&P gives the community access to healthy, locally sourced meals and foods that make eating well and eating local easier every day. She works to create and connect community around issues of food equity, access and agency. She is the publisher of Edible Madison and a sometimes writer.
Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our sincere apologies and notify us. Thank you.
VISIT US ONLINE AT EDIBLEMADISON.COM
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LAUREN RUDERSDORF
Lauren is a grant writer, recipe developer and freelance marketing consultant who advocates for local producers and cooking with the seasons. Her love of good food began in Madison at the Dane County Farmers' Market and deepened on the organic CSA vegetable farm she ran with her husband for nearly a decade. Now, life looks different with a big garden and two sweet kiddos to care for instead of the farm, but it's no less delicious.
SHARON VANORNY
Sharon is a Madison-area photographer who has one husband, one cat and one kid. She loves shooting editorials, headshots, weddings, events and families. The balance makes her heart happy. She also loves a wild card person and capturing a good wild card moment.
NICOLE WELCH
Nicole is a graphic designer, photographer and artist from Madison. Her favorite things include off-trail hiking with her husband, Tyler, binging NYT Cooking videos and being a home chef, reading plenty of books and playing Dungeons and Dragons with her stepsons. She is also a cofounder of New Fashioned Sobriety, an alcohol-free community based in Madison which hosts monthly meetups and events. She aspires to someday photograph and design a cookbook for someone.
Receive a box filled with local products, then join our virtual cooking event with Mary Kastman of new restaurant Purslane in Milwaukee and Halee Wepking of Meadowlark Mill and Farm. Hosted by Qwantese Dourese Winters.
PRESENTED BY
SEPTEMBER 28 • 5:00 PM
By Marissa DeGroot
FARM toTABLE
While growing and raising food is no cakewalk, the process of getting food from the farm to the table is often the logistical and financial nightmare that keeps farmers tossing and turning at night. Temperature-controlled vehicles are money pits, invested drivers are difficult to find, and working with the nuances of individual restaurants, organizations and markets can be maddening, all while working with perishable products. In many farm-to-table scenarios, distribution of food can be the challenge that, at best, is headache inducing and at worst holds farmers back from earning a living wage.
That’s why, in this season’s issue celebrating the unsung and often uncelebrated, we’re highlighting some of the creative and hardworking folks helping to ease distribution woes in our local food system.
Top
Top right
photo by
Nicole Welch.
Clockwise from top left: Harvesting spinach. Scott Williams inspects kale at his Garden To Be facility in Fitchburg. Alex Gust brings in a greens harvest at Vitruvian Farms. Salad greens freshly harvested.
Farm to Wholesale
For local farmers looking to get products into area restaurants, stores and businesses, navigating relationships and distribution can be beyond challenging. Enter folks like Scott Williams of Garden To Be and organizations like the Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative (WFHC). Williams—experienced farmer turned local distributor hero—is helping ease farmer woes by aggregating everything from beets to butternut squash from over 30 local farms and getting their produce into locations like schools, who need more produce at once than most single farms can provide, or large local businesses with food programs for employees who have struggled to work directly with small area farms.
The team at WFHC, meanwhile, is working to connect all areas of Wisconsin with low rates for transport. “We are doing this using our Super Transport Cooperative - made up of aggregators and cooperatives–a group of subhubs that do end of mile pickups and deliveries while WFHC connects them all together,” says Tara Roberts-Turner, general manager of WFHC. “We now cover every county. This means rural producers especially have more markets, and pantries and schools in less traveled areas can get food for the same rate as everyone else.”
Farm to Home
Some farmers have taken matters into their own hands, delivering directly to home dinner tables. Farms like Broadfork Garden and Vitruvian Farms, both located just outside of Madison, deliver their products, as well as products aggregated from local farmers and makers, to hundreds of Dane County residents.
“We created our online store and home delivery service in 2020 in reaction to the COVID pandemic and quickly realized that we could also bring in and deliver food from our friends and neighbors who were also struggling at that time to figure out new ways to get food to customers,” says Tommy Stauffer, Vitruvian Farms co-owner. “Distribution logistics definitely provide a lot of challenges for us, but it’s been worth it to get more local food into more homes.”
Working Smarter Not Harder
There are no simple answers when it comes to easing food distribution woes, but at places like UW–Madison’s Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS) many minds are coming together to help farmers and food system workers work smarter and not harder.
"We are working on coordinating local food distribution to save fuel and create opportunities for decent working conditions,” says Michelle Miller, senior researcher with CIAS. “This means learning how to collaborate and communicate effectively. We are moving food and moving information to build trust. This will give Wisconsin farmers access to wholesale markets, drivers will be able to spend evenings at home and everyone will have better access to fresh, delicious food grown in the region."
So when you sit down next to dine, spare a thought and raise a glass to all the folks who have helped get your food from farm to table—the researchers, community connectors, farmers, delivery drivers and more who do the duties of distribution.
Left: Flora Hayes picks cherry tomatoes at Vitruvian Farms. Right: Scott Williams moves a pallet of locally grown vegetables at Garden To Be.
By Marissa DeGroot,
by Christy McKenzie
WILD RICE
Despite its name, wild rice is not actually a rice but is instead a species of aquatic grass and the grain that can be harvested from it. Northern wild rice is an annual plant native to Wisconsin and the Great Lakes region. In northern Wisconsin, it grows in shallow freshwater lakes and slowflowing streams and is harvested in early autumn. However, some wild rice that’s sold in stores is cultivated commercially in the US and Canada.
Wild rice in our region has a long, rich history. It is a food that holds great cultural and spiritual significance for the Ojibwe people, whose word for wild rice is manoomin, and is an important staple for the Menominee and Ho-Chunk people. Wild rice is traditionally harvested using a non-motorized boat with someone using two sticks to gently shake the stalks to loosen the grains, collecting them as they fall into the boat. With this method, about 90% of the grains fall back into the water, helping ensure another wild rice crop the following year.
Wild rice grains have a chewy outer sheath, and wild rice that grows in Wisconsin and Minnesota is truly one-ofa-kind with a rich, nutty flavor. It is a nutritious whole grain that is relatively high in protein, fiber, and low in fat. Cooking wild rice requires a bit more time and water compared to white or brown rice due to its tough outer husk. Wild rice can be cooked more like pasta, using additional water and draining excess after cooking. A simple way to cook wild rice is to first rinse the rice, then combine 1 cup of wild rice with 3 cups of water in a pot. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook the rice for 40 to 50 minutes until the grains are tender and some have burst open. Drain the excess water from the rice and use it in a recipe that calls for cooked wild rice.
Wild Rice and Vegetable Soup
Serves 6 to 8
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour and 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound chicken thighs, on the bone or 1 cup white beans, soaked and cooked till tender (or one 14-ounce can, rinsed and drained)
1 medium onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
2 medium carrots, sliced
8 ounces crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch thyme
2 bay leaves
1 cup wild rice, rinsed and drained
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup cream or half and half, or an unsweetened nondairy substitute
½ bunch kale, stems removed and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
1. In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken thighs in the pot on both sides, waiting to flip until they are browning. Remove the chicken to the side. If making the soup with white beans instead of chicken, skip to the next step. You will add the beans at the end.
2. In the same pot, cook and stir the onion and celery until fragrant and the onions are translucent. Add the carrots and mushrooms. Season with salt. Cook until the mushrooms begin to soften. Add the thyme, bay leaves, wild rice and stock to the pot. Nestle the chicken into the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer the soup until the wild rice is cooked through and the grains begin to pop open, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Remove the thyme stems and the bay leaves from the pot. Pull the chicken out of the pot, remove the skin and bones, and pull or chop the meat into bite-size pieces. Return the meat to the pot, or stir in the drained white beans. Gently fold in the kale and cream. Season with salt and pepper.
Photo by Sunny Frantz
THE FALL TABLE
A GATHERING OF LOCAL GOODS AND LUXURIES
HOSTED BY SCHUSTER’S FARM There’s no better place to celebrate the fall season than Schuster’s Farm! In its 32nd season, this second generation family business offers acres of autumn entertainment for families and friends to enjoy. Try out their corn maze, enjoy farm-fresh baked goods, and visit with adorable animals, including new baby steers Shaggy and Scooby. Schuster’s Farm kicks off in August with Blooms on the Farm where you can get your fill of sunflowers, zinnias, marigolds and more. From the end of September to November, get ready for all things fall with 14 acres of u-pick pumpkins and Schuster’s Haunted Forest for nighttime frights along with live music and drinks. 1326 Hwy 12 and 18, Deerfield | schustersfarm.com
by Tracy Harris
Photo
1. Organic, Grade A Dark & Robust Maple Syrup
A delicious, versatile, superfood sweetener. Maple Valley Cooperative maplevalley.coop
2. Rock the House Blend
Classic, easy drinking blend from an award-winning coffee roaster. JBC Coffee Roasters jbccoffeeroasters.com
3. Locally Roasted Coffee
Dark to light roasts - Good Sumatran, Tenacious Brew and Bump N' Grind. Brewhaha Roasters Coffee brewhaharoasters.com
4. Small Town Cheese
Artisan cheese, crafted locally. Small Town Cheese harmonycheese.com
It’s like a cobbler Grandma makes, but without the crust! AVEnue Orchard aveappleorchard.com
7. That Girl Brie
Artisan cheese, locally made. Beautiful on a charcuterie board. Small Town Cheese harmonycheese.com
8. Stoneground Grains and Dry Beans
Organic, regionally grown polenta, cornmeal and dry beans. Meadowlark Community Mill meadowlarkorganics.com
9. Pasta Rigatoni
A traditional, fresh rigatoni from RP’s Pasta Company. RP’s Pasta Company rpspasta.com
10. Gluten-free Four Cheese Tortelloni
A delicious fresh tortelloni filled with four Wisconsin cheeses. Taste Republic tasterepublic.com
11. Local Herbal Tea
A variety of caffeine-free local herbs and tea blends. Telsaan Tea telsaan.com
Persimmons: Fruit of the Gods
Persimmons may sound like an exotic fruit, but they are actually native to the Midwest and eastern United States, including Wisconsin (maybe we’re kind of exotic, then?). These gorgeous orange orbs are a fruit that gets you excited about the arrival of fall; when other produce is mostly done for the season, persimmons now have their time to shine.
Persimmons are native to both the US and Asia, with many varieties between these two types. You can find wild and cultivated varieties, both of which have often undergone
selective breeding to increase sweetness and decrease astringency, a practice happening since at least the 1850s on a commercial scale. All persimmons share the common Latin name Diospyros, meaning “fruit of the gods,” so you know you are in store for deliciousness when you get the perfect persimmon. However, there is a catch: persimmons should be eaten when ripe due to the presence of tannins, which can cause the mouth to feel dry and puckery. When ripened, a persimmon’s astringency decreases and the sweetness of the fruit comes through.
Diospyros virginiana, the American persimmon, is the persimmon native to our region. American persimmons are typically much smaller than their Asian counterparts, but still have the enticing orange hues and sticky sweet pulp. They ripen in the fall and are considered most delicious when very ripe and soft, even more desirable to some after they have fallen off the tree. They have a fragrant, floral flavor that has notes of honey and caramel. You can find these growing wild in some areas, but native fruit enthusiasts are planting American persimmons in their orchards,
making them available at farmers markets and stores featuring local produce. Check with a reliable foraging guide to find wild persimmons safely.
This delicious, nutritious fruit was used frequently in the diets of local indigenous peoples, both for food and medicine, making persimmons an important part of our regional food system for thousands of years. Persimmon seeds have been found in refuse pits from Native American archaeological sites and were the most common fruit seed found in these digs. Persimmons were such an important fruit to some native people that it is believed there were even tribes growing orchards of persimmon trees. Native persimmons were most often eaten fresh or put into dishes like pemmican, breads and puddings, as well as medicinal uses. They were also dried for long-term storage as they do not store well fresh. There are also accounts of early European settlers and enslaved Africans in the South using persimmons to brew beer. With the myriad uses of this fruit, it is easy to see why it was so valued in these cultures.
Asian persimmons, Diospyros kika, are native to much of Asia and have been used in Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Indian cuisines, among others. The two main cultivated varieties of Asian persimmons, ‘Fuyu’ and ‘Hachiya,’ are the primary types you will see in markets in the US. ‘Fuyu’ are round and short like a tomato or small pumpkin. Though they do contain tannins, they are considered the non-astringent variety, meaning they have fewer tannins than astringent varieties. These can be eaten raw or cooked and are edible even when slightly firm, though they are still less astringent when fully ripened, when they become softer and much sweeter.
The ‘Hachiya’ is the astringent variety, so it must be eaten when extremely ripe
and soft, dare I say mushy, to avoid the mouth-drying and puckering effects of its astringency. These are longer, almost acorn shaped. Because of their pudding-like texture when ripe, they are often used in baked goods and dishes where they will be cooked. In Japan, these are also traditionally peeled and air-dried to concentrate the sweetness in a dish called hoshigaki. You can find Asian persimmons of both types in specialty food stores (such as a local food co-op) or Asian grocery stores.
All types of persimmons have slightly different but very beautiful, bold orange colors—perfect for fall! As the colors indicate, these fruits are rich in phytochemicals—compounds found in plant foods that give us health benefits and are typically linked to different pigments in
plant foods. The phytochemicals found in persimmons include proanthocyanidin, polyphenols, carotenoids (including beta-carotene), tannins, flavonoids, zeaxanthin, anthocyanidin, catechin and betulinic acid. The high antioxidant activity may link consumption of foods such as persimmons with decreased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and some cancers along with promoting healthy cholesterol levels, blood sugar regulation and eye health.
One of the most nutrient-dense native fruits, persimmons are also packed with vitamins and minerals, offering good sources of magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, vitamin C, potassium and calcium, as well as fiber. The American persimmon is slightly higher in nutrients than the Asian persimmon, though both are a great way to get nutrients and health-promoting phytochemicals.
The astringent property of persimmons can actually be used for good. There has been documented use of persimmons in various healing traditions, including Traditional Chinese Medicine, Appalachian folk herbalism and Native American medicine, using different parts of the plant to help treat diarrhea, excess mucus, nausea and vomiting, and coughs.
If you come across these orange jewels in a market or in the wild, there is so much you can do with them. Use soft, ripe persimmons of any type cooked into quick breads and cornbreads, puddings, scones, cakes, pies, stews, jams and preserves, BBQ sauce, oatmeals or porridges like congee, and in chutney. Ripe but firm ‘Fuyu’ persimmons can be sliced and eaten raw like an apple or on yogurt, salads and more. These also have a tradition of being pickled and fermented, especially in Japan. Either type can be dried, creating a delicious sweet treat to be enjoyed all year long.
Once you have enjoyed a truly perfect persimmon, you will look forward to their arrival each fall and will be on the hunt for plentiful sources and new ways to use them in your kitchen. You may even be inspired to plant a few American persimmon trees and continue the botanical and culinary heritage of this dynamite fruit that has persisted in the region for millenia. It is the “fruit of the gods,” after all!
Photo by Sunny Frantz
Fermented Persimmon Chutney
This chutney is the ultimate fall condiment. You can use any type of persimmon, just be sure it is very ripe first. Inspired by fruit chutneys in the books Nourishing Traditions and Full Moon Feast, this chutney is lacto-fermented, making it rich in beneficial microbes that support gut health. The combination of the antioxidant-rich fruits and spices makes it a powerhouse of nutrition and full of compounds that support the immune system, a healthy inflammation response and more.
The fermentation time is short because of the starter culture. I use whey for this, which is taken from plain yogurt strained through a tea towel for 4–6 hours, but you can use a spoonful of plain coconut-based yogurt if you are dairy-free. I love this on slow-cooked meats or paired with rich curries, but it would go great on braised vegetables or on a fall-themed charcuterie board. If you cannot find persimmons, a sweet variety of apple or pear are great substitutes (as are peaches and plums in late summer).
Makes 1 quart
Prep time: 20 minutes, plus 2–3 days fermentation time
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon black or yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
6–9 ripe persimmons, peeled and diced (about 4 cups)
¼ cup dried cranberries
2 teaspoons salt (without additives)
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
2 teaspoons turmeric powder
2 tablespoons honey, maple syrup or unrefined cane sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup whey, strained from plain yogurt
¼ tsp cayenne or 1 small hot pepper, minced (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1. In a small, dry skillet, toast the mustard, cumin, fennel and coriander seeds. Warm them until they are just fragrant and begin to pop. Remove them from the heat and set aside to cool.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the persimmons (if they are very ripe, they will be less diced and more like a puree, which is fine), cranberries, salt, ginger, turmeric, honey, lemon juice, whey and cayenne, if using. Add in the cooled spices and stir to combine.
3. Pour the mixture into a quart-sized glass jar, packing the fruit tightly into the jar so there are no visible air pockets and some of the juice rises to the top.
4. Place a glass fermentation weight on top of the mixture and secure a lid on top, being sure not to screw it on too tightly. (This prevents the jar from breaking as the fermentation process occurs.)
5. Let the chutney sit at room temperature for 2–3 days until it is lightly effervescent and has a pleasant, tangy aroma and flavor.
6. Transfer the chutney to the refrigerator where it will keep for 4–6 weeks.
Photo by Sunny Frantz
For the Love o F Loca L
Food cooperatives are some of Wisconsin’s biggest champions of locally sourced foods, and they’re not like a typical grocery store. “What makes us unique from other retailers is that we’re run by the people who shop our store,” says Ann Mull, marketing director of People’s Food Co-op. “The cooperative business model encourages people to take ownership of how their food is sourced, sold and consumed with an emphasis on ethics, sustainability and community.”
Viroqua Food Co+op General Manager Jan Rasikas sees a clear tie between ethics, sustainability, and community and offering local food. “Most of our shoppers and owners live nearby. Our cooperative business model actively strengthens the community we serve by building a local food economy, providing good jobs and strengthening our local foodshed.”
Wi LLy Street c o-op
Three stores in north Madison, east Madison and Middleton
“Local” is defined as anywhere in Wisconsin or within 150 miles of the State Capitol building
WILLYSTREET.COOP
“Local food is important for so many reasons!” says Willy Street Co-op General Manager Anya Firszt. “Local food travels less, so it tends to be fresher, uses less packaging and requires less fuel to get to the store. Buying locally produced food keeps more money circulating in our community.”
As part of their Eat Local Month celebration this September, Willy Street Co-op, People’s Food Co-op and Viroqua Food Co+op each invited a chef from their region to share a fall recipe centered on local foods available at their local co-op.
Each chef was given the same core ingredients—Hidden Springs Creamery Feta, Gentle Breeze honey, Tortilleria Zepeda tortillas—and asked to pair them with local proteins and seasonal produce.
Visit your local co-op to get the ingredients to try these seasonal recipes and explore the variety of local foods these stores offer!
p eop L e’ S Food c o-op
Two stores in La Crosse, WI and Rochester, MN
“Local” is defined as 200 miles from both stores
PFC.COOP
v iroqua Food c o + op
One store in Viroqua
“Local” is defined as 100 miles from the store
VIROQUAFOOD.COOP
by
Photos
Sunny Frantz
Whipped Feta d ip W ith
c orn torti LL a c hip S & h ot h oney
Recipe by Dan Fox of Heritage Tavern
Shopping at Willy Street Co-op
Serves 6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
For Hot Honey:
½ cup Gentle Breeze honey
1 tablespoon minced fresh pepper (Scotch Bonnet, jalapeno or your favorite chili pepper) or 1 teaspoon chili flakes
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
For Whipped Feta Dip:
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 garlic clove, minced
8 ounces Hidden Springs Creamery Farmstead Feta
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup cream cheese, at room temperature
2 scallions, sliced thin
5 bacon slices, cooked until crispy and crumbled
1 lemon, zested
Salt Pepper
For Fried Tortilla Chips:
8–10 Tortilleria Zepeda tortillas
1½–2 cups leaf lard or canola oil
Sea salt or favorite seasoning salt
DIRECTIONS
1. Begin by preparing the hot honey. Combine the honey, fresh pepper (or chili flakes) and vinegar in a small saucepan. Simmer all ingredients over low heat for 20 minutes without boiling. Set aside and allow to cool.
2. In a small sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over low heat. Add the garlic and cook until the garlic is cooked and translucent, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
3. In a food processor, combine the feta, sour cream, cream cheese, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and cooled garlic. Pulse until well combined and remove to a small bowl. Fold in scallions, bacon and lemon zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill in the fridge until ready to eat.
4. To make tortilla chips, heat lard or canola oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Cut the tortilla into eighths. Once the lard or oil reaches 350 degrees F, add 15–20 tortilla pieces and fry until the chips are golden brown, flipping over once to crisp both sides. Remove the chips with a strainer and place on a towel to absorb any extra lard or oil and season with salt. Continue frying chips in batches, making sure not to overload the pot.
5. To serve, remove whipped feta from the fridge, drizzle with a couple tablespoons of hot honey and serve with fresh tortilla chips.
Dan Fox uses Organic Valley sour cream and cream cheese, Willow Creek Farms bacon and leaf lard, and produce from local farms all found at Willy Street Co-op.
c horizo and S W eet p otato e nchi L ada S
Recipe by Allison Sandbeck of Viroqua Food Co+op
Shopping at Viroqua Food Co+op
Serves 6 people
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hours, 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
For Enchiladas:
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons Gentle Breeze honey
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch cubes
2. To make the enchiladas, whisk four tablespoons of the oil, honey, salt, chili powder, cayenne pepper, sweet paprika and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the cubed sweet potatoes to the bowl and toss to cover the potatoes in the mixture.
4. Transfer the seasoned sweet potatoes onto a baking sheet. Put the sheet into the oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until cooked through. Stir frequently to prevent the honey from burning.
5. Reduce the oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring frequently to break into small pieces, until well browned.
7. Return the cooked sweet potato to the large bowl along with the cooked chorizo, spinach, lime juice and zest. Stir until mixed. Set aside.
8. For the enchilada sauce, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour until it's smooth and the butter has been absorbed. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the flour is lightly toasted. Gradually add the stock, stirring constantly until the sauce is smooth. Add the chilies, cumin and feta to the sauce and stir over medium-low heat until the feta is mostly melted.
9. Add half the sauce to the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.
10. Assemble the enchiladas by placing ⅓ cup of the sweet potato mixture onto a tortilla, then roll it up and place it in the baking dish seam side down. Repeat for all the tortillas, and pack them tightly to keep the tortillas from unrolling.
11. Pour the remaining sauce over the rolled enchiladas and crumble an additional two ounces of feta over the top.
12. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil, and bake the enchiladas at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbling. Let the enchiladas cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Allison Sandbeck uses Westby Co-op Creamery butter, Meadowlark Organics all-purpose flour, Levi Miller sweet potatoes and more produce from local farms all found at Viroqua Food Co+op.
Photos by Sunny Frantz
Bacon, Ka L e & S W eet p otato q ue S adi LL a W ith h ot h
2. To make the hot honey feta, combine the feta, honey, chili sauce, yogurt and salt in a blender and blend on high until smooth. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and set aside.
3. On a baking sheet, toss the sweet potato with the oil, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes until cooked through. Set aside but leave the oven on.
4. In a sauté pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Add the onion to the same pan and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the chopped kale and the water. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook until the water is gone. Add the apple cider vinegar, stir to combine and turn off the heat. Season the mixture with the remaining salt and pepper and transfer to a large bowl. Add the cooked bacon, 3 ounces of crumbled feta and the roasted sweet potato.
5. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Lightly oil 8 tortillas on one side and place them oiled side down on the sheet tray. Divide the sweet potato mixture evenly among the tortillas. Bake the quesadillas open-faced for 8 to 10 minutes in the oven until hot.
6. While the quesadillas are baking, cook the eggs in your preferred manner.
7. When the quesadillas are finished baking, carefully fold them in half and transfer each one to a plate with an egg. Drizzle the hot honey feta over the top or serve it on the side as a dipping sauce.
John Kessler uses Fizzeology fermented chili sauce, Driftless Provisions uncured bacon and produce from local farms all found at People’s Food Co-op.
A Bowl of Soul
By Qwantese Dourese Winters | Photos by SV Heart Photography
I first got the thought to cook meals for people while working in my garden. It wasn’t a particularly special day. I was weeding my collards as I always did but found myself overwhelmed by the number I had planted. I wondered to myself: What could I possibly do with all this food?
As I continued to work away, I remembered my own mother who nourished me back to health with her home-cooked meals, a story I’ve told in Edible Madison before. I thought about how powerful and transformative food can be. Healthy food, cooked
from the heart, can change a person’s entire health outcome. But even then, it didn’t click that I could start cooking for my birth clients until one of them asked me to, knowing how delicious my greens were.
So I did. I went into my kitchen and started cooking the collards I had just harvested from my garden. I marinated a whole chicken and baked it until the skin was crispy and golden, its juices pooling beautifully at the bottom of the pan. I chopped a variety of veggies with care and precision and buttered and
seasoned them the way my mom did. The smell of cornbread filled the air, and red raspberry date tea simmered gently on the stove. I packaged each item carefully, placed a handwritten note inside, and delivered the meal.
The mother’s response made everything click. She told me how much she needed something like this, how it helped her, how she would’ve just eaten Culver’s if it weren’t for me. And I thought to myself: Mothers in America really don’t have the postpartum care they need.
Postpartum is one of the most vulnerable moments in a person’s life. Your body is raw from birth and constantly being drawn from to keep a little life alive. You are physically and emotionally stretched, often navigating it all in isolation. It became so clear to me in that moment that I was shocked I hadn’t thought of it sooner.
I dreamed of a program that would streamline postpartum nutrition support for low-income Black mothers in Madison. The ones who, in Dane County, are at the greatest risk of infant and maternal death, birth complications, and lack of access to adequate healthcare. That vision is finally coming to pass with my program: A Bowl of Soul, Madison’s first postpartum prepared meal program.
REAP Food Group, my partner in this work, has helped carry this dream into reality. They are providing everything I need to make this program happen. With their support, we’ve created something rooted in justice, tenderness and nourishment. This isn’t just about food, it’s about equity. It’s about ensuring that mothers who are most often forgotten are seen, cared for and loved through the meals they receive.
“I thought to myself: Mothers in America really don’t have the postpartum care they need.”
Soon I started offering meals to other mothers I knew, even friends who weren’t postpartum but just needed the extra love. I did all of this from my home, out of my small apartment kitchen, with my own money and resources, all while working full-time. Many times, the work stopped and started again. Sometimes meals were simpler than others to accommodate my tight personal budget. But I never gave up on my dream of doing this work in a more sustainable way.
Something I’ve learned from cooking for mothers is that, oftentimes, they just want to be held. They do so much. Nursing, healing, rocking, rising in the middle of the night, and so much of it requires their own body to get the work done. They nourish everyone else and then feed themselves from the scraps left over. At the time of birth, everyone is excited to meet the baby, and all the care and attention turns toward the child. The mother slowly fades into the background.
Top Left: Nyla Oby, a UW-Madison medical student, grabs a bite of Qwantese Dourese Winters' food.
Top Right: Guests enjoy a meal together during the program launch celebration for A Bowl of Soul held at Troy Community Garden.
Bottom: Qwantese Dourese Winters at the launch party for A Bowl of Soul.
But as a doula, my heart has always been for the mother and birthing person. I believe they deserve to be cared for with the same focus, tenderness and reverence that they offer their newborn. Cooking is my way of doing that. Of saying, “You matter, too.” Of helping them feel held, even if just for a moment, with a warm meal and a loving note.
The impact of this work stretches far beyond a single household. When a mother is fed and cared for, the ripple is immediate and lasting. Her energy is steadier. Her healing is supported. Her mental and emotional reserves deepen. Her family is nourished by extension, and her community begins to shift because she isn’t doing it all alone.
The beauty of A Bowl of Soul is that it doesn’t just meet a physical need. It reaffirms something deeply spiritual and emotional: that postpartum people deserve to be cared for, even when they aren’t asking. It gives them a reason to slow down. It interrupts the grind of surviving with something tender, generous and whole. It is, in many ways, a spiritual practice. Nourishment as care work, nourishment as advocacy, nourishment as remembrance.
I’ve always believed that food is one of the most sacred love languages. Through the hands, something from the land is transformed into comfort, memory and healing. Every meal we cook in this program carries not only nutrients, but intention. The spices and specially selected ingredients sourced from local BIPOC farmers, the handwritten notes filled with words straight from my heart. All of it says: “We see you. We honor you. You are not invisible.”
And when we look at the systemic disparities facing Black mothers—higher maternal mortality rates, higher stress, lower access to care—postpartum nutrition becomes a radical intervention. Not because it solves everything, but because it reminds us what a system rooted in care could actually look like. One where support is proactive, not reactive. Where meals are a right, not a privilege. Where healing is a communal effort, not a private struggle.
A Bowl of Soul is more than a program. It’s a declaration. A response to the crisis of maternal neglect in this country. A creative, soul-centered solution rooted in tradition and cultural knowing. We aren’t reinventing the wheel, we’re doing what Black women have always done. We’re feeding each other. We’re showing up. We’re carrying one another through.
I believe that when we invest in the well-being of Black mothers, when we make room for their needs, their rest, their healing, we build a society where everyone thrives. And it starts with a bowl. A warm, intentional one, filled with food cooked not just with skill...but with soul.
Top: Alina Oby, creative director of Puente Creative Studios, and her daughter enjoy a walk around Troy Community Garden.
Bottom: Guests pause to celebrate with Winters as they wait in line at the REAP Food Group food truck during the program launch party.
Climate Conscious POLLINATORS, BEYOND THE HONEYBEE
By Erica Krug
When it comes to the subject of pollinators, honeybees get a lot of airtime. From elementary school classrooms to a Hollywood movie, many people are familiar with the work that honeybees do collecting pollen from flowers on their fuzzy yellow-and-black striped bodies. “But when you think of bees, there’s really a whole bunch of different types,” says Patrick (PJ) Liesch, an Extension Entomologist with UW–Madison. “In Wisconsin, we have somewhere in the ballpark of close to 500 different bee species.”
And while honeybees are agriculturally very important, “they aren’t native to Wisconsin or even North America,” says Liesch, who is also known as “The Wisconsin Bug Guy.”
“[Honeybees] are a managed species…The bulk of our bee diversity are really these wild bees that are for the most part solitary.” And while bees are a key player in the world of pollination, they aren’t the only insects who perform this important task. “There's a lot more to pollination than bees, and we are learning more and more about this all the time,” says Liesch.
In its most basic form, pollination is the movement of pollen from one flower to another, a crucial service that is necessary for the reproduction of over 85% of the world’s flowering
plants—including more than two-thirds of the world’s crop species—according to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, an international nonprofit organization that protects the natural world through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats. The United States alone grows more than 100 crops that either need or benefit from pollinators. When pollination occurs, “plants can produce their fruiting structures,” says Liesch. And while pollination can happen in other ways, including when pollen travels by wind like in the case of certain grasses, the role that insects play with crops is critical. “If we did a thought experiment and all the insect pollinators disappeared overnight, our lives would be greatly impacted by this. We'd go to the grocery store and essentially the produce section would be gone for the most part,” says Liesch. And in some cases, insects native to Wisconsin, including the squash bee, have evolved closely with the crops that they pollinate. “The squash bee will literally nest in the soil, maybe a foot or more down, in the same fields where squash and pumpkins are being grown,” Liesch says. Mason bees, a wild, solitary bee native to Wisconsin, emerge from underground in spring and can be found in orchards carrying out pollination among apple trees, and bees also help produce cherries in
orchards found in Door County. Cranberries, of which Wisconsin is the number-one producer in the country, also rely on bees and other pollinators for production. “If you were to look at a list of the fruits and vegetables that need insects for pollination, it’s a very, very long list,” Liesch says.
Micah Kloppenburg, Restoration Outreach Coordinator with the UW–Madison Arboretum, previously worked with the Wisconsin chapter of the Xerces Society as a Pollinator Conservation Specialist. Kloppenburg credits bees, including the wild bees native to Wisconsin, with providing the bulk of this pollination work. “Bees are our primary pollinator because they're literally built to collect pollen in order to feed their young,” he says. But in addition to bees are a group of pollinators that Kloppenburg refers to as “secondary pollinators,” including beetles, wasps, butterflies, moths and flies.They are almost incidental in pollinating plants," Kloppenburg says. Secondary pollinators, he explains, don't intentionally collect pollen from plants. Instead, they get pollen on their bodies when they land on a flower for other purposes such as eating nectar or hunting prey. These pollinators, in addition to supporting crop pollination, are also critical
to most ecosystems. According to the Xerces Society, fruits and seeds derived from insect pollination are a major part of the diet of approximately 25% of all birds and of mammals ranging from red-backed voles to grizzly bears.
“Folks don’t think of beetles as being pollinators but if you go out to a prairie you can find a lot of beetles hanging out on flowers,” Liesch says. “A really good example of that would be a common species that somewhat resembles a firefly in appearance which is the goldenrod soldier beetle that can be very common on flowers in late summer.” Flies, often maligned for being an annoying pest in the case of the housefly, can also play a critical role in pollination, especially in colder climates. “In some habitats we know flies may actually be the single most important pollinators,” Liesch says. “In Arctic regions of Canada or various spots around the globe at higher elevations it’s generally too cold for bees to be active.” Another high-profile pollinator—the butterfly—is found in Wisconsin where there are more than 100 species, but moths, also members of the order Lepidoptera, are also valuable pollinators. Liesch points to a study in Arkansas where scientists covered flowers during the day to prevent daytime pollination by bees but removed the covering at night to find out how it would affect fruit trees in an orchard. At the conclusion of the study the scientists determined that the trees still produced fruit. “The reason for this was nocturnal pollination by moths,” Liesch says. “And they were basically doing as good of a job as bees.
The caveat is that how many of us are going out after dark at 10, 11, 12 at night or wee hours of the morning with a headlamp looking at flowers? Few to none of us [but] we're finding more and more about the importance of moths as key pollinators.”
Liesch and Kloppenburg both point to a number of actions that humans can take in order to promote habitats that support pollinators, including learning about and appreciating insects, and increasing the overall diversity of flowering plants in yards and gardens. “Habitats need to contain an abundance of different species that bloom at different times of the year, as early as April all the way through the growing season into September and October,” Kloppenburg says. “A number of our fall blooming asters are providing nectar and pollen sources.” Another critical factor is avoiding pesticides. “Don't spray your lawns, don't spray your gardens,” says Kloppenburg.
On a larger scale, farms can also help support pollinator-friendly habitats by planting wildflowers or prairie strips, strategically planted native prairie plants integrated into croplands. When Kloppenburg was still with the Xerces Society he worked with MAD! Agriculture to collaborate on a project at Meadowlark Organics, a regenerative farm and mill in Ridgeway, to put in a lot of acres of new seed. This spring the farm planted 25 acres of prairie, says Meadowlark owner Halee Wepking. When it comes to protecting pollinators, it’s natural to focus on the catastrophic impact that a loss of these insects would cause to our food crops. “But pollinators are also contributing to the function of our native habitat...and I would argue that each and every one of those insect pollinators are just a value unto themselves and add beauty…. We should find value in that diversity of life and do our best to sustain that,” Kloppenburg says. “And it’s always just fun to see a bee or a fly or a wasp or a bug.”
From top left to bottom right: European paper wasp (Polistes dominula); Goldenrod soldier beetle (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus); Eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus); Great black wasp (Sphex pensylvanicus); Bumblebee (Bombus sp.)
“Habitats
Photos courtesy of PJ Liesch,
Apple Alchemy
by Lisa Marie Ayres, 1913 Kickapoo Orchard
The essence of the apple begins with the trees. Noel Miller and Harrison Heilman, co-owners and the creative duo behind 1913 Kickapoo Orchard, Kickapoo Orchard West, and Roots to Fruits Nursery in Gays Mills, began their pomology (the study and science of trees and fruit) journey through a passion for the apple tree. "To understand the fruit, I wanted to immerse myself in the history of apple trees from their beginnings in Kazakhstan to their migration to the United States," says Miller.
For more than a decade, under the mentorship of respected orchardists such as Bill Meyer, the prior owner of Kickapoo Orchard, Miller refined his expertise in all things apples. Miller has been a foodie his whole life, including owning and operating restaurants in Chicago. He now combines that passion with skills built at Roots to Fruits Nursery, and that’s where the true magic of apple alchemy occurs. With in-house and dedicated partner makers, Miller turns 1913’s daily food cafe menus and apples into even more.
Wisconsin is home to countless creatives and 1913 has partnered with several to showcase their apples. Cache Cider, Restoration Cider Co. and Hidden Cave Cidery are just a few of the talented small-batch artisans they have worked with to formulate custom-blended juices for their hard cider. “This opportunity to celebrate craftsmanship and refinement is a highlight of each apple season for the 1913 team,” says Heilman.
The market at 1913 focuses on sourcing Wisconsin and Midwest items and proudly sells these delicious libations.
The alchemy of the apple doesn’t stop there; you’ll find apple butter (no-sugar option too!), legendary apple cider donuts, decadently decorated caramel apples, a bakery bursting with gourmet items made fresh daily and more—all made from 1913 apples.
This fall, 1913 is excited to launch a not-to-be-missed culinary delight: cider syrup. This storied elixir, with roots dating back to the founding of our country, provides a flavor indulgence, making your taste buds ask, "Where have you been all of my life?!" Available in original flavor as well as a perfectly balanced blend of cider and Wisconsin maple syrup, cider syrup provides the perfect pairing with ice cream, yogurt, coffee and granola. It also takes sautéed dishes, such as salmon, to the next level, and the mocktail and cocktail creations are endless.
No visit to an orchard is complete without the taste of apple cider. Over its 100-year tenure in the region, 1913 Kickapoo Heritage Apple Cider has been carefully crafted. Choosing just the right apples that highlight balanced flavor notes and Brix (measurement of sugar content) is truly a delicate convergence of art and science. Whether enjoyed as a cold cup on a warm fall day, in a float, or in your favorite warmed wassail recipe, cider is a taste experience that reflects the maker, the tree, the fruit and the land.
This fall, as you plan your getaways, be sure to add 1913 Kickapoo Orchard to your list. Located in the Apple Capital of Wisconsin, the orchard sits atop the ridge of Gays Mills, offering stunning views of the Driftless region, where you, too, can experience apple alchemy.
Driven by a desire to use imperfect produce, we work with local and regional partners, efficiently processing a wide range of vegetables—many of which we grow ourselves—into cut, diced, spiralized, and other ready-to-use forms for our customers.
O ering one-time drop in po ery classes, beginner wheel classes, youth classes, and studio memberships across their four locations.
VISIT US!
1925 Monroe St., Madison
6661 University Ave., Middleton
372 Junction Rd., Madison
108 South Bristol St., Sun Prairie
BY LAUREN RUDERSDORF
crazy For cruciFerouS
Cruciferous vegetables are a heavy-hitting family of vegetables. Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, brussels sprouts—these delicious veggies make frequent appearances in our lives and meals. Need a quick vegetable side dish? Roast some cauliflower or brussels sprouts for dinner. Need a simple vegetable snack? Cut up some broccoli and serve it with dill dip.
All of these vegetables taste delicious with almost nothing done to them and that’s all the more reason to love them. And yet, sometimes, it’s fun to elevate these workhorse vegetables with a little extra care. We invited three chefs to get creative with their favorite cruciferous crops, and the results are absolutely delicious.
Photos by Sunny Frantz
Spiced cauLiFLoWer SteaKS With Warm tart cherry vinaigrette
Recipe by Michelle Dubis of Wisconsin Union
Roasted cauliflower has always been Michelle Dubis’ go-to for a vegetarian entree to serve at events or at home. She loves bold flavors that come forward when roasted on high heat. This recipe pairs the robust flavor of caramelized, spiced cauliflower with cherries, herbs and nuts to yield a well-balanced, beautiful plate filled with colors and textures.
Serves 6–8
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
INGREDIENTS
For Spiced Cauliflower Steaks:
2 medium heads cauliflower
4-6 tablespoons avocado oil
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon sumac
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
For Warm Tart Cherry Vinaigrette:
¼ cup avocado oil
1 medium shallot, minced
3–4 sprigs of thyme
1¼ cup vegetable stock
⅓ cup sweetened tart dried cherries
1½ teaspoons white wine vinegar
1½ teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons Italian flat leaf parsley, minced
¼ cup toasted, chopped hazelnuts or almonds
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and turn on convection, if available.
2. Prep the cauliflower by removing some of the lower stem from each head but keeping the cores intact. Place each cauliflower head stem side down and cut into thick 1-inch slabs (steaks), starting from the thickest part going outward.
3. Gently place the cauliflower steaks in a large bowl and drizzle them with the avocado oil. Add the curry powder, paprika, sumac, salt and pepper. Gently turn the cauliflower steaks with your hands to coat them evenly with the spice mixture.
4. Line two large baking sheets with parchment and place the cauliflower on top. Roast the steaks until they are tender and caramelized, about 18 to 22 minutes. Make sure to check the stems for doneness since they’re the thickest parts.
5. While the cauliflower is roasting, make the vinaigrette. Heat the avocado oil for the vinaigrette in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and sprigs of thyme and cook until they soften and begin browning. Add the stock and dried cherries, then reduce and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. After the mixture has been reduced, add the white wine vinegar and lemon juice. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then reduce heat to low and stir in the butter, salt, parsley and nuts. Carefully remove the sprigs of thyme from the vinaigrette.
7. Once it’s done roasting, remove the cauliflower from the oven, place on plates or a serving platter, and spoon the vinaigrette over each cauliflower steak.
MEET THE CHEF In her role as executive chef at the Memorial Union on the UW–Madison campus, Michelle Dubis assists with recipe and menu development for all the Union’s restaurants and oversees catering for the variety of events happening every day at the historic location, from weddings to student group gatherings. Since joining the Memorial Union team two years ago, Dubis has been instrumental in a culinary culture shift away from offering merely traditional campus fare toward cleaner, healthier and more sustainable food options, all while working to meet the wide range of cultural and dietary needs of the campus community and beyond. “I feel like the Memorial Union is a community-based place,” says Dubis. “Sure there’s a lot of students, but it is a beautiful spot on campus, kind of a nice bridge to the rest of downtown Madison, reaching food out to a much bigger scale than even a restaurant.” So while Dubis’ work may not be on many local foodies’ radars, her culinary influence has some of the farthest reach across Madison.
By Marissa DeGroot | Chef photo by Anastasia Arthur Photography
autumn harveSt SaL ad
Recipe by Adam Struebing of The Madison Club
Adam Struebing has always been passionate about using local food to build big flavors. He loves giving attention to each unique ingredient in a way that makes it come alive. His candied pecans and pickled apples in this recipe exemplify this approach, but if you are short on time, toasted nuts and fresh sliced apples will suffice. For the best flavor, Struebing loves to use tart apples from Door Creek Orchard and always asks second-generation owner Liz Griffith what she thinks will work best for a particular recipe.
Serves 4–6
Prep time: 2 hours
Cook time: 35 minutes
INGREDIENTS
For Pickled Apples:
1 cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup fresh apple cider
2 tablespoons kosher salt
½ cup sugar
4 tart apples, thinly slice
For Candied Pecans:
2 cups pecans
½ cup maple syrup
For Salad:
2 pounds brussels sprouts, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 parsnip
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup sheep’s milk feta or chèvre
DIRECTIONS
For Maple Sherry Vinaigrette:
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1 small shallot, minced
1 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup sherry wine
1½ cups canola oil
½ lemon, juiced
2 teaspoons salt
Pinch of pepper
1. Make the pickled apples at least a few hours before you prepare the salad. (You can also make them the night before.) In a small saucepan, make the pickling brine by combining the vinegar, cider, salt and sugar, and bring to a boil. Once the salt and sugar have dissolved, remove from heat. Place the apples in a small bowl and cover with the pickling brine. Soak for a few hours or preferably overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. To make the candied pecans, combine the pecans and syrup in a small bowl and toss until well coated. Spread the pecans on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast them until the maple is sticky and nuts are slightly browned, about 15 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes to ensure even browning. Remove the pecans from the oven, allow to cool, and then roughly chop.
3. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. To make the salad, take half the brussels sprouts and cut them in half lengthwise. Spread them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and toss them lightly with olive oil and salt. Roast the brussels sprouts until they’re golden brown and crispy, about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Thinly slice the remaining brussels sprouts and place them in a large bowl. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the parsnip into long strips. Add the strips to the bowl with the brussels sprouts.
5. To make the maple sherry vinaigrette, combine the maple syrup, vinegar, shallot, garlic, mustard and wine in a blender or food processor. Blend on high until smooth. Slowly add the oil in a steady stream until emulsified, about a minute. Once finished, season the vinaigrette with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Set aside.
6. To serve the salad, add the roasted brussels sprouts, cranberries and candied pecans to the large bowl with the shaved brussels sprouts and parsnips. Toss lightly with the maple sherry vinaigrette. Drain the pickled apples and add them to the salad. Garnish with feta cheese or chèvre and serve.
MEET THE CHEF Adam Struebing, executive chef at The Madison Club, has spent the last 13 years creating some of the most innovative and locally focused fare in Wisconsin’s capital city. “I like the pacing of getting new ingredients from farmers,” says Struebing. “It keeps us on our toes..it’s a lot of creativity…but mostly all the local stuff, it’s a better quality product.” Struebing spends his days not only thinking of local foods, but also his local food community, supporting the Dane County Food Collective (DCFC) since day one and hosting meetings at The Madison Club. DCFC is a collection of food industry leaders and individuals coming together to address challenges in the local food system, from mental and physical well-being to economic viability. “It gives hope to the food industry,” says Struebing. “These are people’s careers and lives and it’s nice to be a part of finding a way to make it more wholesome and supportive.”
By Marissa DeGroot | Chef photo by Paulius Musteikis Photography
porK chopS With appLe Bacon caBBage
Recipe by Laurel Burleson of the Ugly Apple Cafe
Cabbage is perhaps the greatest unsung hero of the cruciferous family. This hearty staple crop is packed with nutrients and can easily become the foundation of countless meals, and yet, it never seems to get the credit it deserves. In this recipe, Laurel Burleson helps the humble cabbage sing with salty bacon and sweet fall apples. She loves to use Cosmic Crisp, Ida Red or Honeycrisp varieties of apples because she finds they pair best with cabbage.
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
For Apple Bacon Cabbage:
4 ounces bacon
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium head red or green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 apples, thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon black pepper
DIRECTIONS
For Pork Chops:
4 pork chops, 5–6 ounces each
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoon canola oil
½ cup vegetable stock, chicken stock or apple juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1. For the apple bacon cabbage, in a large, heavy-bottomed pan, cook the bacon over medium heat to render the fat and cook it most of the way to being crispy, about 8 minutes. Remove the bacon and roughly chop. Keep the fat in the pan.
2. Add the onions to the pan with the bacon fat and cook over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the cabbage and salt. Gently sauté to coat the cabbage in bacon fat. Continue turning the cabbage from the bottom until it wilts down and starts to look tender, about 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and simmer until it evaporates, about 30 seconds.
3. Turn the heat to low and add the apples. Cook until the apples are soft. Remove from heat, then add the chopped bacon and season with pepper. Stir to combine the ingredients and then season to taste.
4. For the pork chops, 45 minutes before you want to eat, remove the chops from the refrigerator. Season with salt on both sides and allow to stand, lightly covered, for 30 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, heat a heavy-bottomed skillet (with a lid) over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the pepper, sage and garlic powder on both sides of the pork chops.
6. Add the oil to the skillet. When the oil shimmers, carefully lay in the pork chops. Allow the pork chops to sear until golden, about 3 minutes. Carefully turn them over and reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the vegetable stock, chicken stock or apple juice and cover. Continue cooking for 6 to 10 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reads 145 degrees F. If the liquid evaporates too quickly and the pan starts to bubble and caramelize, turn the heat down a little and add ¼ cup of water. Cover again with the lid.
7. When the proper temperature is reached, remove the pork chops from the pan with the tongs and transfer them to a platter to rest for at least 5 minutes. Serve with the braised apple bacon cabbage.
MEET THE CHEF Laurel Burleson, the owner and operator of the Ugly Apple Cafe for nearly 10 years, is no stranger to the nontraditional. “What started as a food cart serving breakfast has become a bistro-cafe in the lower level of the Dane County Courthouse and a grab-and-go cafe in the City County Building in downtown Madison,” says Burleson. The uncommon location of her cafe has at times made it challenging for folks to find them, but has led to a dedicated group of regulars who keep coming back for Burleson’s from scratch and sustainable fare. “[We] focus on buying seconds and overstock produce from local farmers whenever possible,” says Burleson. “Ugly Apple also does extensive catering and processing of fruits and vegetables to try to reclaim as much as possible from going to waste.”
By Marissa DeGroot | Chef photo courtesy of Laurel Burleson
Local Craft Beverages
You already eat farm-to-table. Why not imbibe locally too? Try these Wisconsin beverage makers for some of the most creative refreshments around.
Balanced Rock Winery
Family-owned boutique winery located on the doorstep of Devil’s Lake State Park. Stop in for wine, food, beer and music.
BALANCEDROCKWINERY.COM
@balancedrockwinery /balancedrockwinery
Featuring Anastasia Wine
Brix Cider
Along with their hard cider, brandy and whiskey, Brix Cider in Mount Horeb offers a scratch kitchen that carefully sources local ingredients. Community takeover trivia on Wednesdays, open mic on Thursday and live music on Sunday afternoons.
BRIXCIDER.COM
@brixcider /brixcider
Featuring Simply MOHO High Rye Bourbon Whiskey and Troll Juice
Eplegaarden
Sparkling cider from Dane County's largest pick-your-own apple orchard.
EPLEGAARDEN.COM
@eplegaarden_fitchburg eplegaarden
Featuring Sparkling Apple Cider with Ginger
Swaggle
The Hive Taproom, in East Troy, presents Swaggle. Semi-dry gluten-free carbonated session mead made with 100% raw local honey, natural & organic ingredients and low in sulfites—a new category in the alcohol marketplace. The way nature intended. Drink Better.
DRINKSWAGGLE.COM @thehivetaproom /thehivetaproom
Featuring Classy Earl and Velvet Peel Carbonated Session Meads
Untitled Art
From real fruited hard seltzers and decadent stouts to full-flavored non-alcoholic brews and all-natural hemp beverages, Untitled Art crafts liquid art for every palate and every occasion.
DRINKUNTITLED.COM @untitledartbev /UntitledArt
Featuring FLVR! N/A Grapefruit Radler and Florida Seltzer Mango Dragonfruit
Photo by Sunny Frantz
SOWING FOOD SOVEREIGNTY
HO-CHUNK’S RESILIENCY GARDENS BREAK GROUND
Through their Resiliency Garden project, the Ho-Chunk Nation Department of Agriculture is building tribal food sovereignty by expanding capacity not just for their department, but within their communities across the state.
By Elena Bird | Photos by Elena Bird
Milkweed thrives along roadsides, in corners of parks and yards, and, sometimes stubbornly, in the aisles of farm fields. It is a resilient perennial. It reseeds itself abundantly. Many of us know how its blossoms bring monarch butterflies and other pollinators. In Ho-Chunk communities, those milkweed buds, in their early, green, tender phase, are also known for being delicious in soup. This past spring, the Ho-Chunk Nation Department of Agriculture launched a Resiliency Garden project. Just like
the milkweed bud, or mahic (maw-HEE-nch) in Hoocąk, the project aims to proliferate nourishment and adaptability. Resiliency Gardens in five different Ho-Chunk communities broke ground in June with the goal of empowering their tribal communities to grow more of their own food. “It’s about building capacity, not just in my department, but in our communities,” said Hinu Smith, director of the Ho-Chunk Nation Department of Agriculture.
“We got Dakota corn from Prairie Island [Indian Community], and we got butternut squash with it, then ‘Cherokee Trails of Tears’ beans,” says Gia, as we walked alongside her and her sister Gabby’s plot in Black River Falls. In addition to strawberries, sweet potatoes and some of their favorite ingredients for salsa, Gia and Gabby were companion planting what is known as the Three Sisters. Three Sisters is the Haudenosaunee name for the Native American practice of companion planting of corn, beans and squash. “I’m excited. And I am nervous, because I don’t really know how to grow it—but I’m excited for the chance to try it out,” says Gia.
Like Gia, many of the growers who have taken on plots this year are relatively new to gar-
“I T ’ S a WaY OF S h OW i NG , WE ’ RE ST ill putti NG up a F i G h T TO M ai NTai N O u R OWN healT h— MENTallY , S pi R i T uallY a ND ph YS icallY .”
— CELINA HALL
The gardens, in Black River Falls, Madison, Sauk County, Wisconsin Dells and Wittenberg, each contain several plots for families or individuals. While communities can count on the Department of Agriculture for educational and equipment support, each community is stewarding their garden in their own way. What’s more, each family or individual stewarding a plot gets to decide exactly what they want to grow and how. “We get the chance to be creative and we get the chance to be experimental,” says Rita Peters, manager of the Madison Resiliency Garden. “That’s what I love about it.”
In early June, I visited the Resiliency Gardens in Black River Falls and Madison. At both sites, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers had been transplanted in recently tilled fields. Just below the new soil surface were seeds for corn, carrots, beans and flowers, preparing to sprout up and unfurl into the sunlight.
dening on their own. Growing alongside other Ho-Chunk, especially corn, beans, tobacco or milkweed, means reconnecting with knowledge and practices of their ancestors. In Madison, Peters and her family pointed out the multiple plots seeded with ‘Ho-Chunk Speckled Corn’ (also called ‘Winnebago Speckled’). “These are our relatives and that is why it is super important for all of us to be learning how to take care of them,” said Peters.
As part of learning how to care for these varieties, the Madison gardeners are planning a community corn harvest for the fall. “We have songs for the corn harvest,” Peters’ brother Josh tells me, as the group discusses ceremonies and practices for a traditional Ho-Chunk corn harvest. Peters is also scheming about a bug hunt in the pollinator plot for the young kids who come. Beyond the pollinator garden, kids can hunt for bugs in the mahic, as milkweed is seeded all along the perimeter of their Resiliency Garden.
Page 39: Arielle, a long time educator for Ho-Chunk youth in Black River Falls, at the Resiliency Garden in Black River Falls.
Above: Celina Hall, Ho-Chunk agronomist, at the garden plot in Black River Falls.
For Hinu Smith, empowering community members to grow food is not only rebuilding practices of and connection to their Ho-Chunk ancestors, but building resilience in the face of economic uncertainty. Since the beginning of 2025, federal programs supporting food access and tribal producers have been cut back or rendered unreliable. Tribal departments and individual tribal members are wary of inflation that may result from tariffs. The Resiliency Gardens are a way of decentralizing the Department of Agriculture’s capacity and support during times of uncertainty. The department is in charge of 1,500 acres of tribal lands. “But they’re scattered all over the state,” explains Smith. “We’re not going to be able to go out there, load our tractors and equipment and drive 2 to 3 hours one way to run a cultivator through for an hour then turn around and come back.” Instead, Smith and her team dialed in on giving communities the tools and support they need to grow on their own.
While the Resiliency Gardens offer resilience in the face of uncertainty at the federallevel, many of those working on this project see this moment as an opportunity to transition away from reliance on federal food aid long term. Instead, they are moving towards food sovereignty.
Movements for Indigenous Food Sovereignty have called for policies and programming that increase access to traditional fishing, hunting and agricultural lands rather than reliance on food aid programs like Food Distribution on Indian Reservations (FDIPR)—whose commodity-based offerings have historically contributed to poor nutrition for Native Americans. Bridgette Schulz is the Community Education Specialist at the Department of Agriculture, and for her, the gardens address this intertwined issue of healthy food access
Above: Gabby plants dill, donated from a local Black River Falls nursery, at her plot she shares with sister Gia.
and tribal self-sufficiency. “My great-grandparents and even further back, they were healthy because they ate and grew their own food,” she says. Celina Hall, a Ho-Chunk agronomist, also emphasized the role these gardens can play in building Ho-Chunk sovereignty and well-being. “It’s a way of showing, we’re still putting up a fight to maintain our own health—mentally, spiritually and physically.”
Other Ho-Chunk Nation departments are pitching in to support the gardens and the vision they represent for tribal health and food sovereignty. The Department of Education provided additional tools and supplies to gardeners, and Hall and Smith hope the Department of Health will run their nutrition classes at the Resiliency Gardens. Individual Ho-Chunk Nation members have jumped on board, too. People have offered their land as garden sites in places where the Department of Agriculture’s land is farther away, and in Black River Falls, a local nursery donated dozens of plant starts for the gardens.
This coming together of Ho-Chunk individuals and tribal entities has lit a fire under many of the organizers of this project. For Peters and Hall, community is what brought them to agriculture to begin with. As these gardens create space for their respective Ho-Chunk communities to come even closer together, they are eager to see the number of participants grow year to year. These gardens are their connection to generations to come, as well as the generations before them who tended to the soils in these very places. “I feel the energy from planting and growing,” says Peters’ mom, Audrey, “I feel life."
Top: Donavan and Josh build a hand washing station for volunteers at the garden in Madison.
Bottom: Sisters, Gabby and Gia, plant sweet potato at their plot in Black River Falls.
Eat & Drink Local Guide 2025
When you're thinking of going out to explore a new place to eat or meet friends for drinks, please consider these generous sponsors.
Branding Iron Roadhouse
A country roadhouse serving burgers made from locally-grown beef and other local fare. The Friday night fish fry, wood-fired pizza nights and smoked rib nights are not to be missed!
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Forage Kitchen
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Let's Shine Coffee
A cozy, upbeat spot to grab delicious, ethically sourced coffee and other specialty drinks. Thoughtfully developed breakfast and lunch menus highlight local goods.
815 Water Ave., Hillsboro LETSSHINECOFFEE.COM
Pasture and Plenty
A restaurant, market, meal kit service, and event space serving a locally-sourced daily menu to folks who are hungry for high-quality, healthy meals, but starved for time.
2433 University Ave., Madison PASTUREANDPLENTY.COM
Heritage Tavern
Heritage Tavern serves modern American cuisine that features fresh locally-sourced seasonal ingredients in a fine dining atmosphere.
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Graze
Seasonally inspired comfort food by Chef Tory Miller, with sweeping views of the state capital.
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Wonderstate Coffee
Spectacular organic and sustainably sourced coffee; roasted in Wisconsin. Also find a menu and bakery made of local and organic ingredients.
27 W. Main., Madison
117 Rittenhouse Ave., Bayfield
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BY MARISSA DEGROOT
Raise a toasty glass and cheers to a little-known local cereal crop—sorghum! Remarkably resilient, sorghum is drought-tolerant and can even benefit soil health. In Wisconsin, you can find several distilleries using the sustainable grain to create uniquely local whiskey. Old Sugar Distillery’s Queen Jennie, AEppelTreow's Brown Dog Whiskey and Duck Creek Vineyard and Winery’s Sorghum Whiskey will make your fall hot toddy something to celebrate.
Cranberry & Sorghum
Whiskey Hot Toddy
By Christy McKenzie
Serves
2
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 8 minutes
INGREDIENTS
4 ounces unsweetened cranberry juice
1–2 tablespoons maple or sorghum syrup, to your taste
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise
2 slices orange (optional)
3 oz sorghum whiskey
DIRECTIONS
Simmer the cranberry juice, maple syrup, cinnamon, star anise and oranges gently over medium heat until aromatic, about 8 minutes. Divide the sorghum whiskey into two mugs, top with the mulled cranberry juice and garnish with the simmered spices and orange slices.
