Since I live on my own and have to cook for one person (challenging, I find, because there's a lot of potential waste if one isn't careful), going to a farmer's market is a challenge in self-control. Because I WANT EVERYTHING. And considering it's still early in the season and there isn't a gigantic selection of produce yet, there's still enough to be tempting (too tempting) for one person alone.
So I tend to stick to the fruits, things that can be eaten quickly (preferably by the handful) so that they don't spoil... and fruit doesn't necessarily have to have a meal planned for it. Sure, I really wanted garlic scapes, but I couldn't think of anything off the top of my head that in the next week I would REALLY NEED garlic scapes for. ;) That's the beauty of the market, though; if I figure something out, they will likely be there next Saturday.
Although the state's second largest farmer's market is only a fifteen minute drive from home, I opted to head to the one here in town, which has a steadily growing selection of things to choose from. There are a few crafts and plant vendors also, but my mom orders pasture-raised beef (delicious!) from a farmer there, there are a few Hmong family booths with a wide variety of whatever is in season (along with a Hmong spring roll/egg roll stand that I can't avoid no matter how hard I try). I think maybe my most exciting discovery was an Amish bakery from which I bought the. most. AMAZING seven-grain honey bread. I seriously just ate about half of it. Plain. So great. I know where I'm getting my bread from now on -- made in little loaves just perfect for a singlette like me!
After the market, I went to the home improvement store and bought paint for the kitchen (!!!), and also found at a local thrift shop some shelves that I am revamping (photos to come, of course). While I intended to start painting the kitchen, it seems as though my bathroom suddenly became the center of redecorating attention. So we'll see where that leads me...
1. Drive up the length of the west side of the "thumb of Wisconsin" -- through Egg Harbor, Fish Creek, Ephraim, and Sister Bay -- all the way up through Ellison Bay and Gills Rock (which is the furthest you can get before you need to start jumping ferries to islands). It's more fun to do this on a weekend, but it's also more crowded. Personally, though, I like to see touristy places full of tourists. I love RVs and trailers and bicycles and kayaks on every other car, and I like when I have to wait for lazy pedestrians to cross the street while licking gigantic ice cream cones. Seriously. It's what summer is all about.
I jumped out of the car to snap a photo of the sunset from Ephraim:
Last night we drove up as far as Ellison Bay and stayed in a small motel there. We got there just as it got dark, and we had to be up early for a bike ride in the morning, so we didn't really do much sightseeing in Ellison Bay itself -- however I do know that there is a cool bookstore there called William Caxton Ltd. I found a sweet Damien Hirst book there when I discovered it last summer.
2. Stop at a drive-in. We went for burgers and onion rings (some drive-thru's you're better just sticking with the ice cream, though, but you never know until you've tried it). There are so many little ice cream shops and confectioneries in Door County, it's almost ridiculous. But this gal is not complaining.
3. Stop at Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant in Sister Bay. It's one of those places that I've been going ever since I was a kid. It's been around forever; the Swedish pride is alive in Sister Bay! It can be viewed as a little gimmicky, but there are no two ways about the fact that their Swedish pancakes are to die for. Served with lingonberries and even Swedish meatballs, it's a seriously awesome place to have breakfast -- or lunch, or dinner. ;) We did breakfast this time, and man, it was just what we needed before going on a...
4. Bike ride! Door County is an awesome place to cycle. The reason we went there was for an annual bike ride called Ride for Nature, which benefits the Ridges Nature Sanctuary. My mom and one of my sisters loaded up our bikes onto the back of the car and by 9am this morning we were on the road.
It.
was.
awesome.
Even though I still feel like I've got a wad of cheesecloth stuffed up my nose or something. This random virus I caught about a week ago just will not let up. But I was determined to go for a bike ride, and I don't regret it.
I love organized rides. I've only done a couple now, but there's another one coming up in mid-July closer to home, and I'm looking forward to that, too. It's really fantastic when bikers of all skill levels get out on the roads and just have a good time -- and for a cause. There's almost always great food afterward (the kind that's full of carbs and sugar, except that when you've just biked howevermanymiles, that's EXACTLY what you need).
We did the 25-mile route. There was a 15-mile family route, and then a 50 and a century route. We're all pretty leisurely bikers, as in we're not racers (ha!) so it was a great way to get a good workout in and not get overwhelmed. I give my sister kudos for riding a steel-framed mountain bike that whole distance; I know she was feeling it at the end!
There were so many tandem bikers! That's my little Trek in the foreground. It's served me well so far. :)
Plenty of fortifying snacks, and the best part: free beer and food!
We were all pretty psyched about New Belgium sponsoring because we got sweet little bike decals and stickers, and free Fat Tire beer afterward. !!!
We took a small side trip to Nor Door Cyclery where they rent bikes and also sell Treks. We've inadvertently turned into a Trek family, it seems. I found some new handlebar tape that I'm excited to use.
5. Stop at local markets. Door County is famous for its cherries, the tart kind that are perfect for pies. There are numerous orchard stands along the highways, and many of them sell seasonal produce. I was on a mission to get fresh asparagus, which I did! Hooray -- at Wood Orchard Market. And we checked out the little green cherries starting to grow on the trees, so it won't be long at all until we'll have some fresh cherry pie.
I'm having a hard time not salivating at the thought.
I live close enough to Door County that we usually go up there for a day. There is some good camping to be had in a couple of the state parks, and there are plenty of cabins for rent and hotels. Sometimes we're glad to just be able to go up and come right back home. But this weekend might have been one of those instances where we would have enjoyed another night to relax, unwind, and find another cool place for dinner..
But there's always next time...
I had the day off of work today, and it being a lovely day -- clear, dry, insectless, and not too hot -- my mom and I decided to take a day trip southeast, namely to Kohler, where I haven't been in years. We stopped at the Woodlake shops, which were mostly dead, to peek in at their garden center and the Woodlake Market, which has a small selection of locally-grown produce. We had deli sandwiches and salads there for lunch. Mine was egg salad on a whole wheat croissant; totally yummy:
Next, we meandered (word of the day!) eastward to Sheboygan where we tooled around the marina and took in all the boats. Quite a few people were out on the beaches, sunbathing and probably attempting to swim -- although I imagine Lake Michigan is still frigid.
The seagulls were loving it.
We ended up going through the tiny town of Sheboygan Falls, back through Kohler in search of their "downtown," although I believe it truly consists of the American Club hotel and a spa. And the Kohler factory. It's a planned garden community, so I imagine the downtown is a lot less like a typical, traditional main-street Wisconsin town. Just looked like a big hotel to me! Looooots of cute, cute houses, though. We had fun looking around and yard-peeking. Commenting on cute houses or complaining about ugly ones is a favorite pastime.
Then it was just a scenic drive home, through Kettle Moraine State Forest.
We took a detour up to a tiny little itsy bitsy town called Collins where a restaurateur I recently met renovated an old saloon and turned it into a restaurant. It was an odd time of day so we didn't stop, but it's definitely on the list as a destination dinner spot in the [verryvery] near future!
Day trips keep me in line. I'm not exaggerating when I say that my small hometown makes me crazy. It doesn't help that I live next door to a bar, which in turn is next to two other bars, and across the street from another one. It's Wisconsin! It's loud! And rambunctious! Downtown after dinnertime is nothing but bar-goers, which is great if you're a bar-goer, and not-so-great if you're trying to sleep.
It's an amazing release to be able to drive twenty minutes out of town and find back country roads and scenic spots that take you somewhere else altogether. We drove through some tiny towns I've never heard of, some with absolutely gorgeous old houses and gardens, and some with adorable old bank buildings and gas stations from decades past. And it felt so awesome to be so close to where I grew up--and know everything so well--and simultaneously feel worlds away. Everyone deserves to get out every once in a while; in my case, it keeps me sane.
So I'm back in town now, and there is cornbread in the oven. I had a bunch of buttermilk to use up, so I'm making bread, and mom is making buttermilk oven-fried chicken. We're meeting up to share chow.
Of course, full report will be provided a.s.a.c. (as soon as consumed).
Cheers to a beeeeeautiful heartland day.
I'm a sucker for trying new places to eat. I was super psyched to hear about a new new lunchtruck, "cookery on wheels," opening in town, called Kangaroostaurant. A maaaajor reason it seemed worth trying is its obvious commitment to local, healthy, and humane foods. I met up with my mom to try their pulled beef sandwich and the vegan black bean and portabello mushroom burger. Both were sooo yummy.
And via Kangaroostaurant, I discovered a brand of dairy products I hadn't heard of before called Red Barn Family Farms. Local, humane, and yummy. Three musts, I think.
Not to mention that Kangaroostaurant serves its lunches in biodegradable/compostable packaging. All of it! Edible or compostable! Like it never existed at all. That's what it should be like all. the. time.
ON A TOTALLY SEPARATE NOTE:
I constructed my very first insalata caprese of the season! I have two varieties of basil growing out back -- one green, the other a deep purple. Both smell and taste amazing. Mixed some together with freshly sliced mozzarella, tomato, salt, pepper and a ton of olive oil, and I had a pretty stellar after-work snack.
It's been a good food day. :)
