Potter’s Crackers by Linda E. Nelson

Dear WCM Shopper,

Football season means tailgating – especially for Badger fans attending any of the first three home games: Sept. 11, 18 and 25. Come on down to the Market early this week and pick up great food for your moveable feast.

For meat-eaters, that often means brats or hot dogs. Pecatonica Valley Farm of Hollandale has honey wieners; beef, chicken or pork brats (some smoked or cooked); steaks and these amazing Greenbush Red Wine Italian sausages – a recipe the Carr family first made for the owner of the Greenbush Bar and now also sells at the Market. Tailgating options from Joel and Cheri Espe of Hawks Hill Elk Ranch, Monticello, include third-pounder patties, brats, steaks and tenderloin. Eric and Carrie Johnson of Jordandal Farms, Argyle, have a wide range of fresh sausages – brats, Italian, chorizo, Cajun, Swedish (with nutmeg, coriander and pepper but no salt) and breakfast, along with grass-fed beef patties (third- or quarter-pounders), tri tip steak, chicken wings and much more at their Jordandal stand. (Note: Jordandal accepts payment by Visa or MasterCard – and invites patrons to become Facebook friends.)

Although meats are sold frozen, the brats or sausages could be simmered (not boiled, which can burst the casing) in water or beer — with or without a sliced onion — and finished on the grill. (Purists starting with uncooked, thawed brats or sausages can figure on grilling them 20 to 25 minutes on direct medium heat versus 10 to 12 for pre-cooked brats, according to the 2005 “Weber’s Real Grilling” by Jamie Purviance.) Patties can be cooked from their frozen state, just starting with lower heat on the grill. Sauté Market green peppers and onions to serve with your brats and burgers, too.

For a tailgating appetizer spread, consider Pecatonica summer sausage, cheese from Bruce Workman’s Edelweiss Creamery of Monticello or Schroeder Cheese from Bryon Schroeder of Rewey, Potter’s Crackers from Nancy Potter of Madison (try the apple grahams with Cheddar cheese), and Matt’s Wild Cherry Tomatoes (super-sweet and super-small) from Kristen Kordet’s Blue Moon Community Farm of Stoughton. Another appetizing option includes Potter’s Crackers or thin Madison Sourdough toasted baguette slices with fresh goat cheese from Diana and Jim Murphy’s Dreamfarm, Cross Plains for the smoked trout recipe provided below by Jenny and Chuck Anderson of Artesian Trout Farm, Westfield. Chips and Tomato Mountain  salsa from Chris Covelli of Brooklyn are another must for pre-game parties.

And when Bloody Marys are on the drink menu, pick up Tomato Mountain’s Bloody Mary Mix, which you probably can taste at the stand before buying. What you’ll notice about this product is the amazing flavor of the organic celery in this mix. Drink it as is, or start with about an ounce of vodka over ice in a glass, fill with the mix, stir and garnish as desired with a cherry tomato, celery stick, marinated green bean or olive. If you prefer making your own mix, you could start with sauce from Market vendors such as Don and Mary Uselman of Don’s Produce, Arena. Another drink alternative is the incredibly flavorful cider made by Vivian and Dick Green of Pleasant Springs Orchard, Stoughton. While it’s refreshing served cold on a warm day, consider bringing a Thermos of hot cider for a chilly football Saturday – with or without a splash of rum in each serving.

For table decorations, the lilies from Kelly Lor of Cottage Grove – and the sunflowers and zinnias from many Market vendors – are beautiful. I have not, however, seen any red and white bouquets.

Tailgaters or others looking for sweets have an every-other-week choice of chocolate or biscotti. On Sept. 11, Josie Pradella of TerraSource Gourmet Chocolates of Madison will bring her usual wonderful dark chocolates, along with an experimental chocolate with autumn olive berries for sampling. She will alternate Saturdays with Sandra Hunter of Dolci Italian-American Sweets of Madison, the source of extraordinary biscotti.

Changing seasons: Sweet corn has been winding down – and may or may not be done for the season. Morningwood Farm, owned by Bob Klebba of Mount Horeb, will be at the Market only two more Saturdays — Sept.11 and 18 – and plans to bring native and ornamental grasses, fall blooming perennials, shrubs and trees. And, sad to say, Sassy Cow Creamery is done for the season – but you can find the products nearby at Metcalfe Sentry on Midvale Boulevard and other stores listed online.

Shoppers this week likely will find apples, beans, beets, bread and other bakery, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, butter, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, cheese, chicken, crackers, cucumbers, eggplant, eggs, fish, flowers, fresh-cut herbs, garlic, green onions, greens, ground cherries, honey, kale, leeks, meats, muskmelons, onions, pasta, patty pan squash, peaches, pears, peas, plants, plums, potatoes, radishes, rhubarb, shallots, summer and winter squash, sunflower oil, sweet and hot peppers, Swiss chard, tomatillos, tomatoes, turnips, watermelons, yogurt, zucchini and specialty products.

Help wanted: Volunteers are needed to staff the Information Tent for shifts from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. or 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturdays this fall. If you’re interested, chat with Elizabeth Wellenstein at the Info Tent or send her a note at cewellenstein@gmail.com.

Recipes wanted: Any shopper sharing a recipe – using apples or other Market items — will receive a $5 Market gift certificate, which can be picked up at the Information Tent at the Market. If you have a recipe using Market products, send it to kalliosandra@yahoo.com or leave it at the Information Tent with your contact information.

The Recipe Corner

Smoked Trout with Goat Cheese

Artesian Trout Farm provided this recipe. If you skip the lemon peel garnish, you could find everything you need at the Market.

• 10 to 20 of your favorite crackers or toasted bread rounds
• 6 ounces spreadable goat cheese (various flavors)
• 4 to 6 ounces smoked rainbow trout
• Chopped fresh chives
• Lemon peel strips for garnish

 Spread cheese on crackers or toasted bread. Top with flaked pieces of smoked trout. Garnish with chives and lemon peel.

Beer-Simmered Grilled Sausages

This recipe is adapted from “How to Grill” by Steven Raichlen (Workman Publishing, 2001), using all Market ingredients except for the beer.

• 3 pounds uncooked sausages, such as Italian sausages, brats or chorizo
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cups beer, as needed
• 1 tablespoon Driftless Organics sunflower oil

Prick each sausage a half dozen times (using something very fine such as the tip of a filet knife, otherwise you’ll lose the juices during cooking). Arrange onion slices on the bottom of a sauté pan, place sausages on top and cover with a mixture of 3 parts beer to 1 part water. Gradually bring to a simmer and poach sausages until half cooked, about 5 minutes. Drain and separate sausages into links. Set up grill for direct grilling and preheat to medium-high. Lightly brush the sausages with oil and place on the hot grate, grilling until casings are browned and crisp and sausage is thoroughly cooked, 4 to 6 minutes per side (Raichlen’s test is to insert a metal skewer into the center of a sausage; it should come out hot to the touch.) Let sausages stand on a platter for 3 minutes before serving.

Happy shopping – and spread the word about the Market to your friends and neighbors: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays at Hill Farms State Department of Transportation parking lot at the corner of Segoe Road and Sheboygan Avenue, one block south of University Avenue and one block west of Hilldale Shopping Center. Make sure to tell those with young children to come and play along with the Moldy Jam Band, which usually performs when the weather is good (and not at the crack of dawn).

WCM offers free coffee for shoppers and invites all to stop in at the WCM Information Tent to fill out a chance to win the raffle for a $5 WCM gift certificate.

Until next week,
Sandy Kallio
for the Westside Community Market

Send recipes to: kalliosandra@yahoo.com