Above: Managing editor, Marissa DeGroot, shows her niece, Kat Figueroa, how to prepare shiitake mushrooms to be dehydrated and saved for winter. Photo by Sharon Vanorny.
Cover: A pickled bounty of cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, green beans and more bring a pop of summer color and crunch in the midst of winter. Photo by Sunny Frantz.
I call myself an aspiring homesteader. Even though I live on a vegetable farm where we grow quite a bit of the food we eat, I preserve a lot of tomatoes for winter, and I try my best to fix rather than replace household items, I have never considered myself a homesteader.
I am not my mother—canning her own venison from the season’s hunt. I am not my father—building a home with his own two hands. And I am certainly not like any of the social-media-famous homesteaders. After all, I have zero backyard chickens, and I don’t own a single floral peasant skirt.
But as I dove into planning this winter’s issue all about homesteading, I started to ask myself, “When does someone get to call themselves a homesteader?” At its core, homesteading is about self-sufficiency, which can look like a lot of different things, from growing and preserving your own food to producing your own clothing and tools.
There is no degree in homesteading, no certificate to be earned in selfsufficiency in order to call yourself a homesteader. And you certainly don’t need to label yourself a homesteader in order to embrace aspects of a more self-sufficient lifestyle. You can live anywhere (from urban centers to rural countryside) and still develop homesteading skills. You don’t have to be “all in” on a homesteading lifestyle to practice greater self-reliance.
Working on this issue has taught me to leave the labels behind and instead embrace the homesteading activities that work for me and my family but, most importantly, bring me joy. Along the way, these activities can also save you money, bring a greater sense of security, build confidence, and create a deeper sense of appreciation for the resources (human and material alike) around us.
Whether you’re a hard-core homesteader or just interested in picking up a new skill or two, I hope this winter’s issue serves as inspiration. Discover the wealth of knowledge and experience being offered through Viroqua’s Driftless Folk School (page 22) or celebrate all things slow with this issue’s Cook at Home recipes (page 27) where flavors and textures take hours to develop but are worth the wait. I also can’t encourage you enough to plan your own pickle party (page 18) and help spread the love of preserving.
Whatever you choose, don’t let your foray into homesteading be held back by labels or the need to be “all in.” Let it be driven first and foremost by joy. That is where the real magic happens—when beneficial activities turn into beneficial habits because we enjoy the process so incredibly much.
Cheers,
Marissa DeGroot, Managing Editor
Subscribe at ediblemadison.com to have every issue of Edible Madison delivered right to your door. Fill your year with seasonal recipes and stories that dive deeper into our local food system.
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.
ALEX BOOKER
Alex Booker, a proud Madison native, excels in fostering community through his work with the land. He coordinates the Black Excellence Life Readiness Cooking Series, co-founded the ASE Cooperative and cultivates culturally significant crops at Firm Footing Farm, which he integrates into culinary and herbalism workshops. Alex is committed to addressing the historical disconnection Black Americans have with the land.
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.
LAURA POE MATHES
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.
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 backpacking with her husband, binging NYT Cooking videos and being a home chef, reading plenty of books and playing Dungeons and Dragons with her stepsons. She aspires to someday photograph and design a cookbook.
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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By Marissa DeGroot
MAPLE SYRUP
Maple math is astounding. On average, it takes 40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of maple syrup. In Wisconsin last year, we produced 458,000 gallons of maple syrup, meaning around 18,320,000 gallons of sap was tapped from our state’s maple trees in one season alone. The numbers boggle the mind and might just leave you feeling a little guilty for not sopping up every bit of syrup with this morning's pancakes.
Tapping season generally takes place from late February through early April and involves drilling holes in maple trees and collecting the sap. The best maple syrup seasons come when winters are cold and there is a slow transition into spring, giving us at least one reason to be cheerful about long, frigid winters. Warm winters and early spring heat can cause trees to start to bud early, giving the sap a bitter flavor.
Once sap is collected and heated to evaporate most of the water, what is left is a concentrated syrup often used to top breakfast favorites, from waffles to oatmeal. The uses for maple syrup go far beyond the pancake, however, and can depend on the color of the syrup. Amber syrups are more often used as a topping and for desserts while dark syrups, with a more hearty and robust flavor, can be great for baking and cooking.
If you lean sweet, maple syrup adds a natural sweetness to everything from biscuits to ice cream. And on the savory side, maple pairs perfectly with bacon, grilled meats and even brussels sprouts. Maple syrup can often be found alongside Dijon mustard or balsamic vinegar in dressings, adding a maple touch to a crisp winter salad.
However you enjoy the sweet, sticky stuff, you can thank the thousands of maple syrup makers across Wisconsin who range from hobbyists tapping a tree or two in their yards to local businesses tending tens of thousands of trees. Their efforts provide us a rich delight with no end of creative culinary uses.
Recipe by Christy McKenzie
Maple Speculoos Fudge
Makes 64 (1-inch) squares
Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 10 to 12 minutes
Chill time: 4 hours
INGREDIENTS
6 ounces speculoos cookies (or gingersnaps or graham crackers) ½ cup hazelnuts
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2½ cups maple syrup
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pinch kosher salt
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 8-inch pan and line with parchment, leaving enough overhang to pull the bars from the pan after the fudge has chilled.
2. In a food processor, pulse the cookies and hazelnuts together until the cookies are crumbs and the hazelnuts are consistently ground into small pieces. While the food processor is running, drizzle in the melted butter. Press evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
3. Bake the crust in the preheated oven until it begins to brown at the edges, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and allow it to cool at room temperature while you make the fudge.
4. In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the maple syrup to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk in the cream and bring back to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce again to a simmer. Cook until the mixture reaches 236 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 20 minutes.
5. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the butter, but do not stir. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes. Then, beat the melted butter, vanilla and salt into the mixture with an electric mixer for 5 minutes. The mixture will lose its sheen and become thicker and lighter. Pour the mixture onto the prepared crust and spread to level. Chill for 4 hours or overnight. Lift the fudge from the pan and cut into 1-inch squares. Fudge will keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 weeks or freezer for 3 months in an airtight container. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Photo by Sunny Frantz
NOURISH LAURA POE MATHES
HORSERADISH
Horseradish is near and dear to my heart. An underutilized plant, horseradish is full of flavor and is a potent herbal medicine. It feels like a bit of an underdog; though it may not be the most beautiful or wellknown plant in your garden, it packs a powerful punch of surprising goodness. If you know how to use this plant properly, it will provide you with many gifts.
Horseradish leaves grow tall and their roots grow deep, and they are incredibly hardy. These things practically take care of themselves; they are perennials, coming back year after year, and with a bit of weeding and thinning, you are good to go (horseradish can certainly take over a chunk of your garden if not thinned properly).
Though horseradish is native to Eastern Europe and Western Asia, it thrives in our region due to the similarities in climate. The plant was brought here with European colonists, as it has been prized
for its medicinal and culinary values for centuries. Horseradish also has a special significance in Jewish culture, as its bitter properties have given it a place at the table during the Passover Seder. In our region, it is frequently seen in condiments for adorning brats—spicy horseradish may be the exception to the “Midwest nice” culinary tradition it seems.
The long, white root of the horseradish plant is the part most commonly used and where its signature heat and flavor come from. Horseradish root possesses a special kind of heat reserved for few foods in our diet, one that is felt in the nose and sinuses even more than on the tongue. This pungent effect comes from oils similar to those found in mustard seeds, called glucosinolates. Horseradish is part of the brassica family, so it is a cousin to the mustard plant along with many radish varieties, cabbage, kale and broccoli. The
type of horseradish grown here is also related to wasabi, known as Japanese horseradish. In fact, much of the wasabi used in the States is actually horseradish powder that has been tinted green, as they share the hot, pungent flavors and it is cheaper and easier to access.
The leaves are edible as well, with a mildly bitter, peppery bite, and can be cooked much like spinach or other leafy greens. Horseradish leaves are high in tannins, making them well-suited to add to pickled vegetables to help them keep their crunch.
Fall is the best time to harvest horseradish root, typically after the first frost to help sweeten the roots up a bit. This seems to dovetail nicely with its medicinal properties that are most called on this time of year. I like to use freshly grated horseradish root in my version of “fire cider,” a folk remedy where herbs and spices (such as onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric and hot peppers)
are steeped in apple cider vinegar and raw honey. This tonic is typically taken at the onset of respiratory or gastrointestinal illness to help alleviate symptoms and has been used for ages by folk and professional herbalists alike.
The use of horseradish as a medicinal herb is well-documented and long-standing, and this role came before the root’s use in the culinary space. The sinus-clearing properties of horseradish root have been shown to be beneficial for supporting the lungs and upper respiratory system. It has been used traditionally for pain, cramping and ailments of the stomach. Once considered a “cure-all” as a folk remedy, horseradish was even the International Herb Association’s herb of the year back in 2011, showing its street cred among modern herbalists as well.
Fresh horseradish root can be used as-is, or dried for long-term storage, as well as fermented or frozen. The most common culinary use for horseradish root we see today is in the form of “prepared” horseradish, where fresh horseradish root is combined with vinegar and salt. The addition of vinegar helps to cut the bitterness of the horseradish root as well as to preserve it. You will frequently find it as an ingredient in mustard and cocktail sauce, among other condiments, often used to accompany various meats. Horseradish root can also be used to add flavor and heat to fermented foods like kimchi, beet kvass and pickles, as well as infusing to make a flavorful vinegar.
Because it is so strongly flavored, horseradish is typically used in small amounts to add a pop of flavor and heat to sauces and other dishes. Cooking does diminish its potency, so it is best used fresh or lightly warmed to maintain its distinctive flavor. A little goes a long way when it comes to horseradish!
When using fresh horseradish root be aware that the oils released during chopping or grating can cause similar effects to wasabi or onions: your eyes will water and your nose will run. You may even cough or sneeze. It feels almost medicinal just preparing the root to use, which I tend to enjoy. Do be sure to stand back and avoid big whiffs of freshly grated roots if using a blender or food processor to prepare them, as this can be overwhelming and cause undue distress.
Whether you want to beef up your perennial garden, add a punch to a dish or give your body some support during the colder months, horseradish is the plant for you. Don’t underestimate the humble horseradish root, a secret agent both in the kitchen and the herbal medicine cabinet.
North-Meets-South Creamy BBQ Sauce (aka Alabama White Sauce with Horseradish)
Makes 1 cup Prep time: 10 minutes
Yes, it’s true: a cream-based BBQ sauce exists. Wisconsinites rejoice! Typically known as “Alabama white sauce,” this creamy, tangy condiment is usually paired with smoked chicken, but goes great on pork as well. Drizzle it on poultry or pork that has been roasted or smoked and see what the fuss is all about. An all-purpose sauce that’s full of flavor, this also goes great on pork rinds, potatoes or anything that needs to be taken up a notch—including fish fry!
INGREDIENTS
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup avocado oil mayonnaise
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon sugar (or honey or maple syrup)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon paprika
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
A few dashes of hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Whisk all the ingredients together in a medium bowl until well-combined. Transfer the sauce to a glass storage container and refrigerate until ready to use. This is best served the next day to help the flavors meld, but it can be used right away. Store for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
by Sunny Frantz
Photo
CHEESE PASSPORT to GREEN CO. SWISS-CONSIN: Get Melty!
Taste cheesy stuff, earn points, and win cheese and cheesy swag.
Banish the brisk and embrace Wisconsin’s cold-weather season with the Cheese Passport to Green County Swiss-consin! It’s your delicious reason to get out, get cozy and get rewarded.
This winter, Green County invites you to sip, savor and yodel your way through southern Wisconsin with a mobile-exclusive passport packed with cheesy stops, spicy bites and toasty pairings. When the winter winds blow, there’s no better remedy than diving into melty fondue, sizzling raclette and buttery-crisp grilled cheese sandwiches.
Hot Stuff for Cold Days
What better way to heat things up than with spicy Buffalo chicken mac ’n’ cheese, wood-fired pizza layered with molten mozzarella, soup in a bread bowl topped with shredded Parmesan or deep-fried Cheddar curds hot from the fryer? Pair it all with a glass of wine, a mug of beer or a sip of local bourbon, because that’s how we roll in Green County.
The Cheese Passport is your guide to the coziest corners of communities like Monroe, Brodhead and New Glarus. Simply “check in” at participating restaurants, pubs, cheese shops, breweries, wineries and distilleries. Every check-in earns you points toward fun prizes and exclusive cheesy swag. Or save points for a chance to win big in the final drawings— think fondue dinners and build-your-own custom cheese board kits. The best part? No app to download! Just sign up, and start checking in right from your phone.
Global Cheese Inspiration
—Free Digital Passport
The Cheese Passport to Green County Swiss-consin isn’t just a cheese trail—it’s
a road trip with flavors from around the world, all crafted by artisan cheesemakers. Enjoy options like Havarti (Denmark) from Decatur Dairy in Brodhead, Limburger (Belgium) produced by Chalet Cheese Co-op in Monroe, Feta (Greece) perfected at Klondike Cheese Company in Monroe, or Grand Cru (inspired by French Gruyère) crafted at Emmi Roth in Monroe. And squeaky-fresh cheese curds from Chalet Cheese Haus in New Glarus? We’re proud to say that’s a Wisconsin thing, tried and true.
Sip, Savor, and Stay Toasty
The pairing possibilities are endless: rich reds with aged Swiss, bold stouts with nutty Alpine-style cheese and locally distilled bourbon served up with your favorite melty masterpiece. Cheers to that! Or ditch the mittens and wrap your hands around a mug filled with a hot seasonal beverage, whipped cream optional.
Sign Up and Get Melty
Learn more about the Cheese Passport at eatdrinkyodel.com, and start planning your cheesy winter escape to Green County. You can sign up now, and passports are valid December 21, 2025 through February 15, 2026.
Brought to you by Green County Tourism and supported by a grant from Travel Wisconsin, the Cheese Passport to Green County is the ultimate way to enjoy winter in true Swiss-consin style.
Bundle up, banish the brisk and warm your soul—with cheese! Eat. Drink. Yodel. Repeat. Because nothing says Green County like melty fondue and some Swiss yodel-aye-hee-hoo.
Tuscan Ribollita with Meadowlark Mill's Organic Cranberry Beans
Recipe by Mitchel Weber, Sagra Food & Wine chef and owner
As the days grow shorter and the evenings more chilly, we all appreciate an excuse to reach for the more comforting things in life: recipes that really stick to you in a cold stretch. In this rendition of a ribollita, Meadowlark Mill's Organic Cranberry Beans provide a creamy, rich backbone for the Tuscan classic.
Shop Meadowlark's beans, flours and other products on their website at meadowlarkorganics.com.
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces diced pancetta (optional)
2 cups small-diced yellow onion
1 cup small-diced carrot
1 cup small-diced celery
8 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
6 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
6 cups cooked Meadowlark
Mill Organic Cranberry Beans, with reserved cooking liquid (find recipe at ediblemadison.com)
1 pound lacinato kale, stemmed and chopped
2 tablespoons butter
½ sourdough bâtard or other crusty bread, torn into large croutons, toasted
To finish: lemon, olive oil, chili flakes, and Sarvecchio or Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat and, if using, render the pancetta until slightly crisp. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and salt. Reduce the heat to medium low and sweat the vegetables until soft. If needed, add a touch of water, white wine or stock to prevent the vegetables from browning too much during this process. Add the crushed tomatoes and raise the temperature to medium high. Cook until the liquid from the tomatoes is beginning to reduce.
2. Add the chicken or vegetable stock followed by half of the beans and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the beans are warm and the stock has slightly reduced. Using a stick blender, pulse the mixture little by little until you have pureed about a third of the stew.
3. Add the kale and the remainder of the beans. Simmer until the kale is wilted and beans are warmed through. Stir in the butter and taste. Adjust salt and pepper as desired. If the stew is too thick, thin with leftover bean cooking liquid.
4. To serve, place the croutons into a soup bowl and ladle over the ribollita. Finish each bowl by seasoning with a squeeze of lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of chili flakes, and a generous grating of Parmesan.
by
Photos
Mike Calarco
Giving Local
Edible Madison is here to help you find exceptional gifts for everyone on your list. When you shop locally this holiday season, you are bringing more than joy to just your loved ones. You are making a difference for the food artisans, small shop owners and skilled makers in our community.
Local Libations
For the beverage lover in your life there’s nowhere better than Wisconsin to discover something new and interesting. From coffees roasted right in Madison to Wisconsin-made liqueurs, these local libations are worth a “cheers!”
JBC COFFEE ROASTERS’ BELLA CARMONA GUATEMALA
This easy-drinking coffee from JBC Coffee Roasters is a gift that never disappoints, providing notes of apricot, agave, Nutter Butter™ and Twix™ bar. High quality, sustainable and delicious, the Bella Carmona Guatemala makes a perfect stocking stuffer that will warm mugs and hearts thanks to their focus on providing a bean-to-cup experience that honors everyone from their producers to you.
JBC Coffee Roasters jbccoffeeroasters.com • $$
BRIX CIDER WISCOCREAM
Brix Cider’s new WiscoCream is Wisconsin at its best! A cream liqueur made with Wisconsin-sourced cream, it’s the ideal gift for family or friends who enjoy Baileys Irish Cream™ but love supporting local businesses. Pick up a bottle or two of the WiscoCream, sold in charming old-time glass milk bottles, at their Mount Horeb tap room and cafe.
Brix Cider brixcider.com • $$
OLD SUGAR DISTILLERY NEW PORT- AND SHERRY-BARREL FINISHED BOURBON SET
Old Sugar Distillery’s newly released bourbons are unique gifts perfect for the beverage lover on your list. After aging in new charred oak, these bourbons are moved to used port and sherry barrels, helping add complex flavors. Grab the gift set from their Madison tasting room that includes a bottle of each bourbon along with a piece of the oak barrels.
Old Sugar Distillery oldsugardistillery.com • $$$
SUDS OF WI AGRICULTURE SOAP SAMPLER
This sampler of five soaps is a celebration of Wisconsin agriculture and makes a thoughtful gift for anyone who eats, drinks and now wants to wash local too! Made with real Wisconsin-grown ginseng, cranberries, corn, potatoes, milk and honey, these soaps from Suds & Harvest make a beautiful gift set, packed with lots of local love.
Suds & Harvest sudsandharvest.com • $
HAND-POURED BEESWAX CANDLES
Hand-poured with care and made from a natural by-product of their honey production, Gentle Breeze Honey’s beeswax candles are sure to brighten everyone's holiday season! Available at their farm store in Mount Horeb and select locations in the Madison area, their beeswax candles burn cleanly, slowly and provide a delicate, natural honey scent.
Gentle Breeze Honey, Inc. gentlebreezehoney.com • $
One-of-a-Kind Gifts
If you’re searching for a special gift for a special someone, these local finds are the perfect combination of useful and unique, from Wisconsin-made goods to
FLYNN CREEK FARM STORE SHARE
Help your loved ones make a habit of eating healthy and supporting local, regenerative agriculture by giving them a Flynn Creek Farm Store Share. Good from May through October 2026, all gift cards purchased before March 1 will receive a bonus 10% to purchase potting mixes and seedlings, fresh produce, grass-fed meat, eggs, and packaged products at the farm stand at Flynn Creek Farm.
Flynn Creek Farm flynncreekfarm.com • $$-$$$$
PERSONAL CHEF FULL-SERVICE COOK DAY
If you’re searching for a thoughtful gift for a busy family in your life, look no further than Nourishment—A Personal Chef Service. Their One-Time Full-Service Cook Day includes customized menu planning, grocery shopping, cooking, packaging and clean-up—providing a fridge full of heat-and-eat food along with an evening of peace and ease.
Nourishment—A Personal Chef Service nourishmentpc.com • $$$$
For the Locavore
The gift of locally grown and crafted food is always a winner in our books. Wisconsin’s culinary community has something for everyone, whether they are a charcuterie board aficionado or adventurous home cook.
LANDMARK CREAMERY CULTURED BUTTERS
What could be better than the gift of butter? Especially when that butter is Landmark Creamery’s award-winning cultured butter, hand-churned in small batches using the freshest local cream. This rich, tangy butter can be found online and shipped anywhere in the country or at their cafe and market in Paoli or Fromagination in Madison.
Landmark Creamery landmarkcreamery.com • $
INFUSION CHOCOLATES 16-PIECE BOX
A fan favorite and their most popular box size, Infusion Chocolates’ 16-piece box is filled with their award-winning, artisan truffles. Their signature foil-stamped box and festive ribbon make this local work of edible art the perfect holiday gift for everyone from friends and family to clients and customers. Shop online or at their Monroe Street shop in Madison to give a sweet treat this holiday season. Infusion Chocolates infusionchocolates.com • $$
PASTURE AND PLENTY MEAL KITS
Give the gift of easy, delicious meals this holiday season. Pasture and Plenty’s meal kit subscriptions include three chef-prepared meals each week—one cook kit, one farm-tofreezer, and one ready to heat-and-eat meal—all delivered to your door or available for pickup at their Madison shop. Local, seasonal products shine in their weekly rotating menu. Subscribe online or grab a gift card for the perfect stocking stuffer.
Pasture and Plenty pastureandplenty.com • $$-$$$$
GOLDEN AGE CHEESE
The Golden Age Cheeses are a collection of eight signature cheeses, each one exceptional and full of flavor. From their smooth and buttery Abergele to their creamy and complex Double Gloucester, the folks at Harmony Cheese are proud to produce these European-inspired cheeses right here in Wisconsin. Shop online or visit their store in Athens.
Harmony Cheese harmonycheese.com • $
CHARCUTERIE AND CHEESE KIT
Inspired by the stunning charcuterie boards served at their sister business, Heritage Tavern, Fox Heritage Farms’ kits are bursting with local meat and cheese. This collection of Wisconsin goodies, that includes braunschweiger, summer sausage, snack sticks, pâté and a mix of Hook’s cheeses, will be sure to impress any locavore on your list!
Fox Heritage Farms foxheritagefarms.com • $$$
ISTHMUS EATS MEAL KIT GIFT CERTIFICATES
Isthmus Eats makes it easy if you’re shopping for someone who loves to cook and eat great food. Their gift certificates for locally crafted meal kits mean your loved ones can explore new recipes without all the meal-planning and shopping. With new meal selections every week and free delivery in Dane County, Isthmus Eats’ meal kits are a great way to give not only a delicious meal but also a fun culinary experience.
Isthmus Eats
IsthmusEats.com • $$$
The perfect stocking stuffer does exist in AVEnue Orchard’s Christmas Spice Jam—named “Christmas in a jar” by one Wisconsin State Fair judge. The blue ribbon award-winning jam along with their pink ribbon awarded Winter Orange Jam can be found online and at their Eau Claire orchard store along with over 50 varieties of jams, jellies, apple butters and more.
AVEnue Orchard aveappleorchard.com • $
CHRISTMAS SPICE & WINTER ORANGE JAMS
HOSTED BY TELSAAN TEA For some people, tea is their “me time.”
For others, it’s time to share with friends. Whichever camp you fall in, Telsaan Tea has a perfect tea for you! Opened in 2015 by Erin J Ulrich, Telsaan Tea features over 160 varieties of tea along with teapots, infusers and tea gifts for everyone on your holiday list. Visiting the Mount Horeb shop is a sensory experience and guests are encouraged to take in all the flavors, colors and textures while smelling tea samples and asking their expert team members all of your questions. Discover your new favorite tea to cozy up with this winter.
108 East Main Street, Mount Horeb | telsaan.com
1. Floral Arrangements
Stunning seasonal floral arrangements to gather around. Folk House Floral | folkhousefloral.com
2. Port- and Sherry-Barrel Finished Bourbon Set
Gift set with two special new bourbons, Port Barrel-Finished Bourbon featured here. Old Sugar Distillery | oldsugardistillery.com
3. Ruddy Fox Sweet Vermouth
Bittersweet vermouth featuring bold botanicals and balanced caramel notes. Manhattan, anyone? Old Sugar Distillery | oldsugardistillery.com
4. Locally Roasted Coffee
Dark to light roasts —Good Sumatran, Tenacious Brew, Bump N’ Grind. Brewhaha Roasters Coffee | brewhaharoasters.com
5. Full Spectrum CBD Chocolates
CBD sweets for your sweet tooth in three varieties, two sizes. Stanton Legacy Acres | stantonlegacyacres.com
6. Bolognese Sauce and Garlic Bread
Providing serious comfort food when you need it most! Pasture and Plenty | pastureandplenty.com
7. Sea Salt Pappardelle
Hand-crafted pasta made with organic durum wheat and Wisconsin produce. Dalla Terra Pasta | dallaterrapasta.com
Organic bread chips packed with fruits and nuts. Potter’s Crackers | potterscrackers.com
10. Pate de Champagne
A local take on a French classic—perfect for your festive tables! Fox Heritage Farms | foxheritagefarms.com
11. Unsweetened Dried Cranberries
Dried cranberries with no added sugars, juices, oils or preservatives. Honestly Cranberry | honestlycranberry.com
THE Pickle Party
By Marissa DeGroot |
Ball jars were clean and clustered on the counter. Piles of ripe tomatoes and knobby cucumbers sat ready next to well-loved cutting boards. Now all this party needed was some tunes and I found myself stunned by the sheer number of pickle-related songs on Spotify. As a small group of my friends and family rolled into our homey but spacious kitchen, they were greeted by the melodic stylings of Natalie Burdick—“I just wanna be a pickle. Get my booty in that brine.”
Photos by Sharon Vanorny
I realized then that this evening of preserving was going to be vastly different from the hours I had spent canning tomatoes in solitude in years past or any structured pickling class. This was going to be a raucous pickling party celebrating the bounty of summer and preserving it for colder days ahead. We dehydrated slices of shiitake mushrooms, submerged pickling cucumbers in vinegary brine, canned Roma and red slicing tomatoes, and chopped all manner of vegetables to be laco-fermented. Occasionally our preserving was paused to mix a few beverages, help kiddos with their chopping skills, and even juggle a few Romas. And as the evening came to a close, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction knowing my friends were leaving with numerous pints of preserved goodies, a few new skills and a joyfilled experience. My next thought was, “Why had I never done this before?”
time to. These barriers are very real, but so are the immense benefits. Food preservation is a great way to reduce food waste, continue to enjoy local produce all year long, lock in flavor and nutrition, and avoid additives and preservatives found in certain store-bought foods. By preserving at a pickle party, you can do all of this alongside friends, family and community members—together learning new skills, practicing self-sufficiency, and building a deeper connection with our food sources and each other.
Does this sort of party pickle your fancy? Then now is a great time to start your pickle party planning.
Save the date for a time of year when produce like tomatoes and cucumbers are abundant. We held our pickle party in late August and found tomatoes plentiful but fresh dill and pickling cucumbers in shorter supply. Availability of specific vegetable and herb varieties will vary year to year depending on weather conditions, but your best bet is to throw your pickle party sometime July through September.
By preserving at a pickle party, you can do all of this alongside friends, family and community members—together learning new skills, practicing self-sufficiency, and building a deeper connection with our food sources and each other.
To be honest, this was my first pickle party because I have always felt a little intimidated by many preservation techniques. Pickles, in particular, have been around for thousands of years, dating as far back as 2030 BC when cucumbers were pickled in the Tigris Valley. Our human history has been shaped by our ability to preserve food when abundant, saving for the lean times. And yet, a globalized food system which has made seasonal availability of produce a thing of the past has caused canning, pickling and preserving to be a lost art for many.
The looming threat of botulism (food poisoning caused by a bacterium that can grow on improperly canned and preserved foods), though rare, holds many first-time canners back as well as access to equipment and enough produce to make the process worth devoting
While it may seem silly to start planning a summer party in the depths of winter, now is a great time to plan ahead for veg. Many local farms open sign-ups for their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs in January or February and planning for home gardeners often starts that early too. Both can be great ways to accumulate enough vegetables to preserve.
I happen to live and work on an organic vegetable farm, so I had no shortage of access to tomatoes, carrots, turnips, mushrooms and much more, but even then I still needed my mother to help find pickling cucumbers and dill at her local farmers’ market in Black River Falls.
It’s great to ask your guests to help provide produce and it is also a good idea to get to know your local farmers at markets. Some may be willing to sell you bulk amounts of produce if you give them time to plan ahead, and some may even sell you seconds (vegetables with blemishes or imperfections) at a lower price.
Now that your date and produce procurement plan is in place, here are a few more recommendations as you look forward to preserving and party season:
DO…
• Ask guests to contribute. We asked guests to bring their own cutting boards and knives, two things we had only a few of. We didn’t ask guests to bring jars and produce because we already had an abundance from our farm, but generally folks are more than happy to share the bounty from their own gardens and CSA boxes.
• Provide some structure. I printed four recipes to follow and I set up a station for each—dehydrated shiitake mushrooms, lacto-fermented vegetables, refrigerator pickles and canned tomatoes. Each station had the produce, jars, brines and any other supplies needed. Guests circulated around to different stations with their own knives and cutting boards.
• Encourage creativity! Recipes can be a great starting point, but don’t be afraid to let guests get creative with things like veg size and shapes, adding hot peppers or other spices, and more.
• Be safe. Do your research to know you are providing safe and accurate instructions. Always be sure the canning recipes you use have been tested for food safety.
DON’T…
• Feel like you need to supply every piece of equipment. The benefit of preserving together at a pickle party is to be able to share equipment and supplies. Plan ahead to coordinate who can supply what, whether it’s large pots and canning racks or funnels and lids.
• Forget to send a follow-up message to guests with reminders. The following day I reminded everyone of how and where to store their preserved goodies and the timing of when they could be ready to eat.
Even now as we look ahead to months of snow and frigid temps, it’s not too early to start planning your own pickle party. Bring your own flair to these ancient preserving traditions and make your pickle party a real big dill.
BY ELENA BIRD
A Driftless Folk School Turns Twenty
“It is all about relationships,” says Martha Buche. She holds a basalt rock in one hand, a piece of the ancient lava flows that formed the basin of Lake Superior. Millions of years later, the sands and sways of Lake Superior have since polished the rock into a smooth, rounded cobblestone. Buche will use this as a hammer. In her other hand, Buche holds a shining sheet of copper. The copper is symbolic of the nearly pure copper deposits within the Lake Superior basalt. Copper that Indigenous peoples around Lake Superior—Gichigami in Ojibwe—have worked with for thousands of years.
Buche speaks to ten of us gathered in a garage just outside Viroqua. We are here to learn how to fire and hammer copper sheets into bowls following the traditions of Buche’s Potawatomi ancestors. The class is offered through the Driftless Folk
School (DFS), a Viroqua-based organization that offers courses ranging from food preservation and foraging to home electrification. Like the folks of the Driftless Region, the courses take place scattered throughout the hills and hollows from La Crosse to Gays Mills. They are held at instructors’ own homes, community kitchen spaces and forested areas like the Kickapoo Valley Reserve. “It is expressive of the lives of people who are living here and of the biology of this place as well as the topography,” explains DFS Executive Director Jacob Hundt.
Today, DFS operates under the nonprofit umbrella of Thoreau College, a “microcollege” that offers immersive residential gap-year programs for young adults. Their curricula involve a wide variety of folk arts and homesteading skills, as well as academic work and wilderness
expeditions. Through the merging of Thoreau College and DFS in 2021, a more intergenerational skill-sharing has taken root between folk school instructors and participants and Thoreau College students and fellows.
Before we begin hammering our copper pieces, Buche reminds us that this is not a task of brute force, but of listening. We are in relationship—with the copper, the basalt and the fire. As we work, we tap our bowls intermittently, listening for a change in tone. This change signals when the copper has become hard and brittle. Once hardened, we return our bowls to the fire outside until the molecules realign to make our bowls ductile again.
In the case of these copper bowls, the relationships we are attuning to are with copper, basalt, and our own ears and hands. But for DFS, these skill-sharing
classes are not just about relationships between individuals and the materials. They are about building relationships between people. As Hundt says, the goal is to “build community resilience through dense, social interaction.”
Like other U.S. folk schools, DFS follows a philosophy rooted in culture-building through personal development. The model traces back to 19th-century Danish folk high schools, inspired by philosopher N.F.S. Grundtvig. These schools were spaces for the peasant classes of Denmark, much of the country at the time, to learn traditional crafts alongside philosophy and political thought in an explicitly noncompetitive and nonhierarchical space.
“Bildung is the word that [the folk school movement] has come to be associated with,” Hundt tells me. “That's German, which corresponds to a Danish word called dannelse .” Both these words, at times directly translated to “education,” can be more accurately understood as the development of whole humans alongside the formation of culture. “The development of a people, a folk, is tightly and integrally connected with the formation of healthy human beings,” Hundt adds. And many people credit folk schools as a reason for Denmark’s peaceful transition from one of the poorest countries in Europe to the advanced social democracy it is today.
Inspired by these schools, American educators started the first U.S. folk schools in Appalachia in the 1920s. Their aim was to uplift the rural and impoverished Appalachian communities by “bringing out a people”—uplifting their unique song, dance and craft. The first two American folks schools, the Highlander Folk School and John C. Campbell Folk School, uplifted labor organizing and craft, spurring significant local economic development. The Highlander Folk School, now known as the Highlander Research and Education Center, also emerged as a central organizing and teaching space for the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. With the rise of the internet, folk schools have, seemingly paradoxically, risen in parallel. Founded in 2006, the DFS is entering its 20th year. It was born out of conversation amongst friends around a homestead kitchen. Shortly after, a folk
Top: Artist and woodcarver, John Carlson, is an instructor with the Driftless Folk School. Bottom: A student of Thoreau College with chickens before a harvest.
school wave hit the U.S. According to the Folk Education Association of America, nearly 70 new folk schools launched in the last 15 years.
“The skills we learn on the internet are so decontextualized,” Hundt observes. Instead of learning how to process chickens or carve a spoon solely through a YouTube or TikTok video, people watch these videos and then seek to dive deeper, hands-on and with other people.
Lauren Proffitt, the DFS Fellow for Thoreau College in 2025, met participants across dozens of folk school courses last year. Reflecting on their experiences, Proffitt notes, “People think they are alone in something. Then they find the folk school.” The noncompetitive structure allows students to grow their skills and “feel less bashful about what they don’t already know.”
Some participants want to use these skills in their own lives. Others simply want to have a better appreciation for the tools, materials and foods they already use or consume. In a beloved “Farm to Yarn” course, students follow the yarn process from a Driftless sheep farm to drop spindle spinning. While some folks plan to raise sheep or spin their own wool, others just want to better appreciate where their yarn comes from. “It’s not just product
generation,” Proffitt says. It is a different way to relate to materials and people's surrounding ecosystems.
Folk schools across the U.S. offer a wide range of courses. Some focus on community singing. Others organize around history and activism. Many celebrate traditional crafts. Across all offerings, folk schools all are tied together by this noncompetitive, place- and folk-based learning. As Grundtvig scholar Ludwig Schroeder said in 1872, “Stick your finger down into the ground and smell where you are! This is where the needs of the people are found, which can be different in different times and places. Where this meets the abilities of the teacher, there lies the hojskole’s [folk school’s] calling.”
At the Driftless Folk School, the earliest courses centered on green building, food production and preservation, reflecting the values and cultures of its founders. Today, foraging, herbalism and wildlife-tracking have become core to the curriculum, evolving alongside the interests of instructors and students.
As the community grows and changes, so too will the skills taught, not only mirroring the existing culture but actively shaping and sharing the one they hope to pass on. “It is like sourdough,” says Hundt. When he and his wife taught the first-ever DFS course in 2006, it was sourdough bread-baking. “And the thing I love about teaching sourdough is that [with] sourdough culture, like love, the more you give away the more you have.”
Top: Nicholas WazzeeGale teaches a foraging class.
Middle: Brennan Henry Allsworth leads a class, The Basics of Clawhammer Banjo.
Bottom: Forager and herbalist Linda Conroy teaches students during a 2-day course called Wild Food, Wild Medicine.
Take It Slow
One of the things I love most about winter is the opportunity to slow down. In winter we are invited to turn inwards, to examine the beauty around us instead of just piling on more and more. These four cozy winter dinner recipes all celebrate the art of slow. With minimal ingredients and simple preparations, their magic lies in the length of time they simmer, stew and braise on the stove or in the slow cooker. Dried beans turn into velvety soups, large roasts transform into bite-size tender bits, and vegetables caramelize into complex morsels. Take it as an offering of winter’s beauty and abundance.
Photos by Sunny Frantz
Slow-Cooker Chuck Roast
This recipe is a mainstay for regenerative farmer Jen Riemer. She loves it because of how wonderfully flexible it is. You can experiment with different types of savory herbs or other root vegetables to keep things interesting all winter long. Just keep the proportions about the same and you can’t go wrong. She also enjoys soaking up the drippings from the pan with crusty bread. If you prefer gravy, you can remove the liquid into a saucepan, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and simmer the liquid over low heat until it's thickened.
Serves 6-8
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 5 hours, 30 minutes (on high) or 8 hours, 30 minutes (on low)
INGREDIENTS
3- to 4-pound beef chuck roast
1½ teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
2 pounds gold potatoes, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ cups turkey or chicken broth
¼ cup minced parsley (optional)
Crusty bread (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1. Season the chuck roast with the salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary.
2. Add the oil to a heavy skillet and heat over medium-high heat. When the oil ripples, add the roast to the skillet and brown on all sides, about 4 to 5 minutes per side.
3. Add the carrots, potatoes, onion and garlic to a slow cooker. Place the browned roast on top, add the broth and cover. Cook until the meat is very tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Don't have a slow cooker? Place everything in an oven-safe Dutch oven, cover, and roast in a preheated 200-degree F oven for 7 to 8 hours or a 300-degree oven for 4 to 5 hours.
4. For serving, set the roast on a platter with high sides and arrange the veggies around it with a slotted spoon. Drizzle desired amount of drippings over the roast and veggies. Garnish with parsley if desired.
5. Slice the roast and serve with vegetables, drippings and crusty bread.
Recipe by Jen Riemer of Riemer Family Farm
White Bean, Kale and Sausage Soup
No one knows beans quite like local farmer Lucy Doudlah who has loads of recipes and a quick reference guide for how to cook dried beans on her farm’s website. Her favorite no-soak method for cooking dried beans uses a pressure cooker or Instapot. If you want to try this method for the following recipe, just combine the beans and 3 cups of water in a pressure cooker or Instapot, and cook for 35 minutes instead of completing steps 1 and 2 of the recipe.
Note: Any dried white bean will work, but Lucy loves their new ‘Cannulah’ bean. If you can’t find that, dried navy or Great Northern beans also work great.
Serves 6
Prep time: 8 hours, 5 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 cup dried white beans (see note), rinsed Water
1½ teaspoons salt, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for crostini
1 pound bulk Italian sweet sausage
1 medium yellow sweet onion, diced
2 large carrots, cut into ¼-inch cubes
1 large potato, cut into ¼-inch cubes
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large or 2 small bunches of kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
4 cups organic low-sodium chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1 baguette, sliced (optional)
1 cup shredded Asiago cheese (optional)
Braised Pork Shoulder Roast with Chestnuts and Sweet Potatoes
Chestnuts and sweet potatoes bring an unusual, yet festive twist to this slowly braised roast. A little sweet, a little nutty and endlessly tender, it’s a winter meal worthy of dinner guests—or perhaps even a holiday table. Cliff Gonyer makes this meal frequently each winter, and likes to enjoy it with a medium-bodied Côtes du Rhône wine.
Serves 6-8
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 4 hours
INGREDIENTS
4-pound pork shoulder roast
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
½ cup water
1 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups white wine
1 tablespoon rosemary
1½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pound peeled chestnuts (about 3 cups)
DIRECTIONS
1. In the morning before you plan to make this meal, place the white beans in a large bowl or container and cover with water. Soak for 6 to 8 hours.
2. A few hours before you plan to eat, add the soaked white beans to a medium saucepan. Cover with at least two inches of water and add ½ teaspoon salt. Cook until al dente (soft with a little bite left in them), about 90 minutes, making sure the beans are covered at all times. Drain, rinse and set aside.
3. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, stirring occasionally to break the sausage into smaller pieces. Add the onion, carrots, potato, ½ teaspoon salt and black pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the kale and continue cooking the vegetable mixture until the greens are wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, bay leaves and reserved beans. Cover and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the beans are tender, 30 to 45 minutes.
4. About 15 minutes before you serve the meal, make the Asiago crostini. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Fill a baking sheet with slices of a baguette, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Bake until toasted brown, about 5 minutes. Top each slice with grated Asiago cheese and return them to the oven until melted, about 1 minute. Serve the crostini with the soup.
DIRECTIONS
1. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Heat a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium heat. Add the pork, fat side down. Pour in the water. Cook the pork until the water has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook until the underside of the pork is golden brown, about 8 minutes more. Flip the pork and continue to cook, turning occasionally until browned on all sides.
2. Add the onions and garlic to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring some, until golden, about 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Add the broth, wine and rosemary and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat, turning once, until the pork is just tender. This should take 2 to 2½ hours. Add the sweet potatoes and chestnuts, cover and cook until the pork and sweet potatoes are very tender, about 30 minutes.
4. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sweet potatoes and chestnuts to a platter. Strain the jus into a bowl and degrease with a spoon. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
5. Slice the pork and arrange it on top of the vegetables to serve.
Recipe by Lucy Doudlah of Doudlah Farms Organics
Recipe by Cliff Gonyer of Rockwell Ridge Farm and Cathryn’s Market
Creamy Vegetable Stew with Cheddar Dumplings
In winter, nothing sounds better to me than a meal that smells amazing as it cooks slowly in my kitchen all day. The aromas entice while the flavors build, making way for an easy, early dinner. The most hands-on part of this recipe is the dumplings. Technically they’re optional, but if it’s a dark and cold winter night, why not lean in with some quick decadent cheddar dumplings?
Serves 6
Prep time: ~10 hours
Cook time: 5-6 hours (on high), or 8-10 hours (on low)
INGREDIENTS
For Stew:
1 cup dried cranberry or pinto beans
3 cups cold water
3 tablespoons butter, divided
3 carrots, peeled, halved and sliced
1 parsnip, peeled, quartered and sliced
1 large (or 2 medium) leeks, sliced
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tablespoons flour
5 cups vegetable stock
1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
For Cheddar Dumplings:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons butter, shredded
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
¼ cup minced chives (optional)
4–5 tablespoons cold water
DIRECTIONS
1. The night before you plan to make the stew, place the beans in a medium bowl and cover with water.
2. In the morning (or before you begin to prepare your meal), drain the beans and set them aside.
3. In a large heavy skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Once it’s melted, add the carrots and parsnips and cook until browned in spots, about 5 minutes. Transfer the carrots and parsnips to a slow cooker.
4. Reduce the skillet’s heat to medium low and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet. Once melted, add the leeks and garlic. Sauté until softened, about 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the flour, and stir until it's dissolved into the vegetable mixture, about 1 minute. Add the stock and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker. Add the cauliflower, salt, thyme, pepper and soaked beans. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
5. Uncover the slow cooker and stir in the sour cream and mustard. Turn it up to high (if it wasn’t on high already). If you don't make the dumplings, the stew is now ready to eat. Otherwise, move on to step 6.
6. To make the cheddar dumplings, in a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Add the butter, cheese and chives (if using), and stir until just combined. Pour 4 tablespoons of water over the mixture and very gently stir until the water is absorbed. Use your hands to carefully work the mixture into a scraggy, sticky dough. If it’s too dry to come together, add an additional tablespoon of water. Shape the dough into 8 balls, flatten slightly and place them on top of the stew liquid in the slow cooker. Cover and cook for 1–2 hours on high until the dumplings are firm and doubled in size.
Recipe by Lauren Rudersdorf
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.
Bailey's Run Vineyard & Winery
Bailey’s Run Winery is open 7 days a week, Neapolitan pizzas and live music every weekend! “Where Wine Goes to Have Fun!”
BAILEYSRUNVINEYARD.COM
@baileysrunvineyardandwinery /baileysrunvineyard
Featuring Edelweiss Wine
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 Apple Brandy
Swaggle
The Hive Taproom in East Troy presents Swaggle. Semi-dry gluten-free carbonated session mead made with 100% raw local honey, natural and organic ingredients and low in sulfites—a new category in the alcohol marketplace. The way nature intended. Drink Better.
DRINKSWAGGLE.COM
@thehivetaproom /thehivetaproom
Featuring Pucker Up Carbonated Session Meads
Untitled Art
From real fruited hard seltzers and decadent stouts to full-flavored nonalcoholic 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 Chocolate Dark Brew and West Coast-Style IPA
Photo by Sunny Frantz
Climate-Forward Meat CLIMATE CONSCIOUS
By Erica Krug
With concepts like “Meatless Monday” going mainstream, it’s no secret that eating less meat is better for the environment. The industrial livestock sector, in particular the feedlot cattle system, uses significant amounts of freshwater, fouls surface and ground waters, destroys grasslands, and causes soil erosion. With significant greenhouse gas emissions, industrial meat production also contributes significantly to global warming. But with a recent study released by the North American Meat Institute and the FMI, Food Industry Association showing that 80% of Americans describe themselves as meat eaters, it’s unlikely people will be giving up their hamburgers anytime soon. With the health of the planet in mind, climate-forward meat, produced with regenerative agricultural practices, offers a different path forward for producers and consumers of meat.
Randy Jackson, UW–Madison Professor of Grassland Ecology, has spent over 20 years studying the grasslands
of the Upper Midwest and his definition of regenerative agriculture is focused on how the prairies and savannas of Wisconsin are managed. “For me, agriculture can’t be considered regenerative unless it does two things. One, it builds soil rather than erodes it,” Jackson says. “Two, it increases and diversifies people on the landscape doing farming rather than reducing and homogenizing people doing farming.” While Jackson acknowledges that raising cattle contributes to global warming—“cows burp a lot of methane,” he says—there are data showing that wellmanaged perennial grasslands grazed by livestock can help clean water, enhance biodiversity and reduce flooding. “What’s really clear is that livestock grazing can stimulate grass production, which increases the amount of carbon coming into the system and gives you a better chance of holding onto and building carbon in the soil,” Jackson says. “And when we build carbon in the soil, we’re taking it out of the atmosphere.”
Jackson has had the opportunity to work with farmers, researchers, and other public and private sector leaders through his work with UW-based project Grassland 2.0. The project’s goals include increasing farmer profitability while improving water quality, soil health, biodiversity and climate resilience through grassland-based agriculture, a counter to the factory farms found across the United States today. “The idea that like three-quarters of our ag land would be for confined livestock and gas tanks is just ridiculous,” Jackson says. “We have to move away from that.”
Peter Allen, co-owner of Mastodon Valley Farm along with his wife, Maureen Allen, never intended to become a farmer. “I didn’t grow up on a farm and I wasn’t actually planning on farming,” Allen says. But after studying restoration ecology at UW–Madison, specifically the restoration of Wisconsin’s oak savanna ecosystem, Allen began to theorize it would be artificial to try to restore ecosystems without animals. Allen credits the mastodons, horses, sloths and other large mammals of the Pleistocene savannas (an ecosystem that existed during the geologic period that lasted until about 12,000 years ago) who grazed the land and kept it from being taken over by forest. Today, Allen says, this role can be played by animals like cows, sheep, goats and pigs. Noting that Indigenous people managed the landscape for millennia while producing fruit, nuts and meat, Allen says he realized that to restore the land he needed to focus on agriculture. “So, I decided to start a farm and put those ideas into practice,” he says.
With the primary objective of restoring oak savannas and creating a healthy, functional ecosystem that could help sequester carbon and build topsoil, Allen realized that to
make this work financially viable he would need to sell meat. Fast-forward 13 years and Mastodon Valley Farm consists of 220 acres nestled in the hills of the Kickapoo River Valley in the heart of Wisconsin’s Driftless Region. A large valley with woods, steep hillsides, pastures, springs, trout streams, a pond and orchards, animals, including cows, pigs and chickens, roam the land and graze on rotation. A keystone practice of regenerative farming, rotational grazing allows areas of pasture to rest and recover between grazing events. “It’s the main component of being able to build up your soil,” Allen says.
Available through a monthly or bimonthly meat CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), Mastodon Valley’s grass-fed beef, pastured pork and prairie-fed chicken are available for pick up in Madison and Viroqua, and are available for home delivery in Madison, La Crosse, Minneapolis and Chicago. The farm’s frozen meat can also be shipped anywhere nationwide.
Beyond raising grass-fed meat in a way that is healthier for the soil, water and animals, the Allens have seen numerous other benefits to their approach to farming that takes a holistic view of the entire ecosystem. When they recently took a 40-acre crop field and planted it with tallgrass prairie grasses they gained new residents. “Now we have meadowlarks and bobolinks, these rare grassland songbirds, that are nesting here every year,” Allen says.
This is the sweet spot with regenerative farming, Jackson says. While industrial farming “tries to squeeze as much as possible out of the land and animals,” a regenerative approach takes the long view. “It’s really just not taking more than you give back to the land,” Jackson says.
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.
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Forage Kitchen
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Let's Shine Coffee
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Pasture and Plenty
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Heritage Tavern
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Graze
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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.
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117 Rittenhouse Ave., Bayfield
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GROCERY STORES & FARMERS MARKETS
VIROQUA FOOD CO+OP viroquafood.coop
WILLY STREET CO-OP willystreet.coop
LIFESTYLE & KITCHEN
DONGZHU POTTERY STUDIO dongzhupotterystudio.com
GOOD DAY SHOP gooddayshop.net
SIFT & WINNOW siftandwinnow.com
TOURISM
ANAWAY PLACE anaway.com
CASTLE LA CROSSE castlelacrossebnb.com
GREEN COUNTY TOURISM eatdrinkyodel.com
HISTORIC TEMPLE THEATRE OF VIROQUA historictempletheatre.com
LATARNIA GUEST HOUSE latarniaguesthouse.com
FARMS & FOOD GOODS
AVENUE ORCHARD aveappleorchard.com
DALLA TERRA PASTA dallaterrapasta.com
DRIFTLESS CHOCOLATES driftlesschocolates.com
FLYNN CREEK FARM flynncreekfarm.com
FOLK HOUSE FLORAL folkhousefloral.com
FOX HERITAGE FARMS foxheritagefarms.com
GENTLE BREEZE HONEY, INC. gentlebreezehoney.com
HARMONY CHEESE harmonycheese.com
HONESTLY CRANBERRY honestlycranberry.com
INFUSION CHOCOLATES infusionchocolates.com
ISTHMUS EATS isthmuseats.com
LANDMARK CREAMERY landmarkcreamery.com
MEADOWLARK FARM & COMMUNITY MILL meadowlarkorganics.com
POTTER’S CRACKERS potterscrackers.com
RIEMER FAMILY FARM riemerfamilyfarm.com
ROOTS TO FRUITS NURSERY rootstofruits.com
STANTON LEGACY ACRES stantonlegacyacres.com
SUDS & HARVEST sudsandharvest.com
VINDICATOR BRAND vindicatorbrand.com
FOOD, AGRICULTURAL & SUSTAINABILITY ORGANIZATIONS
MARBLESEED marbleseed.org
ROOTED rootedwi.org
DINING & BEVERAGES ÁTICO LOUNGE aticolounge.com
BALANCED ROCK balancedrockwinery.com
BRANDING IRON ROADHOUSE brandingironrh.com
BREWHAHA ROASTERS COFFEE brewhaharoasters.com
BRIX CIDER brixcider.com
THE COOPERS TAVERN thecooperstavern.com
DRUMLIN RIDGE WINERY drumlinridgewinery.com
FORAGE KITCHEN eatforage.com
GRAZE grazemadison.com
HERITAGE TAVERN heritagetavern.com
ISLAND ORCHARD CIDER islandorchardcider.com
JBC COFFEE ROASTERS jbccoffeeroasters.com
LET’S SHINE COFFEE letsshinecoffee.com
NOURISHMENT nourishmentpc.com
OLD SUGAR DISTILLERY oldsugardistillery.com
PASTURE AND PLENTY | P&P MAKESHOP pastureandplenty.com
SWAGGLE drinkswaggle.com
TELSAAN TEA telsaan.com
UNTITLED ART drinkuntitled.com
WILD HILLS WINERY wildhillswinery.com
WONDERSTATE COFFEE wonderstatecoffee.com
Photo by Sunny Frantz
BY ALEX BOOKER
The hibiscus is a plant celebrated around the world and specifically ties the African Diaspora together. Going by different names—sorrel in Jamaica, zobo in West Africa, agua de jamaica in Mexico, red drink for Black Southerners—a drink made from this flower has been a part of holiday celebrations as well as everyday life in many different places.
This is my version of sorrel that I share with loved ones during the holiday season. It can be served warm or chilled, and for adults, you can add some of your favorite spiced rum. I like to take it up a notch by adding my own ginger bug to make it a sorrel ginger beer. This process takes a few days but is totally worth it. After you get the hang of it, you’ll want to make more than one bottle at a time!
