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Honey Just Rollin' Your Way
article and photo by Chris Moore

Deemed one of nature's "miracle foods," honey never goes bad as the result of low water content and relatively high acidic level. Honey has been found in 2000 year old jars in Egyptian tombs and been found to taste delicious!

Before you go buy a ticket to Egypt and find your excavating equipment, consider this: Fresh, 100% pure local honey can be found at our Market! The honey that we get from Rollin Hills Honey is unprocessed, raw, and is the result of worker bees bee-ing busy with clover.

Rollin Hills Honey also brings specialized honey products including flavored honey stixs (a treat for kids), body butter, and soaps (such as blackberry, black raspberry, vanilla grapefruit, moon and stars, and many more). Also for sale is bee pollen: the male seeds of flowers formed into granules that were collected on the legs of the bees and are filled with vitamins and minerals. Some people claim it is a "perfect food" and use it as a nutritional supplement.

So bee nice and buzz over to Rollin Hills' booth to see what they have to offer!

Market Report for July 12
article and photos by Chris Moore

At the market this week, customers heard the sounds of summer including harp music and the fantastic beats of African drummers Mali Blues. Smells included freshly brewed coffee, Brady's breakfast, and for kids (and grownups too) ice cold snow cones.

Troy Gardens brought us fennel, organic cauliflower, yellow and green beans, beets, with the last of the snow peas for the next market.

For sweet toothed market-goers, Capital City Cookies featured a Chocolate Cherry bar, Dark Chocolate Mint bar, a Coco Scotch bar, and free ice cream cookies.

Juan from "Las Abuelas" has bright orange squash blossoms ready for soup or for stuffing with queso fresco and frying. One could also find kohlrabi, tomatoes, potatoes, summer squash, cucumbers, okra, melons, eggplant, and hmong pumpkin leaves.

J&R Farms sold out of 100 dozen ears of freshly picked corn but more are coming next market. Richie Pederson of Pederson Produce brought us the unique broccoflower – said to be nutritionally good for you. We'll investigate and report on that next week!

Keene Organics brought us pastured organic whole chickens (delicious) and an incredible variety of garlic including Chesnok Red (full flavored with mellow aftertaste), Georgian Crystal (delightfully robust flavor but not hot), Purple Glazer (sweet flavor), Belarus (one of the best tasting), Music (rich and musky flavor), and Slovenian varieties. A bulb of Music garlic was cooked on site in a solar cooker (below) and it was delicious!





I can't wait to see what the next market will bring. Can you?

July 19th is Water Wonderland!

Hosted by Dane County Time Bank

Water Wonderland is an annual DCTB event for kids (and parents, too). Have some wet fun and get valuable information about our environment from local experts. Sponge relays, water balloon relays, team ice cube melt contest, bucket bridgade and more!

Learn about water resources, water quality and our lakes beginning at 9am; games for kids begin at 10am.

Kids under 7, please bring mom or dad.

What's in Season?

Fresh in July... Arugula, asparagus, green and yellow beans, beets, bok choy, broccoflower, broccoli, catnip, carrots, cheeses of all kinds, chicken, cilantro, collard greens, corn, cream, cucumbers, eggplant, eggs, epazote, kohlrabi, organic garlic and snapes, grass-finished beef, green onions, herbs, honey, leeks, lettuce, fresh milk, melons, mulberries (frozen), all kinds of peas, pork, potatoes, poultry, raspberries, radishes, rhubarb, salsa, spinach, swiss chard, syrup, tomatoes, watercress, yogurt, zaub iab, zucchini. Smoothies, biscotti, pastries, cookies and bars, bacon & pancakes, thai foods! Download our produce calendar and you'll always know what to put on the menu! (link)

This week at Artisans Row...
The Hefty Family - Windswimmers fish art
Rachael Winkley - Jewelry
Youa Lor - Handmade bags, clothing
Vicki Lane - Funky Bracelets (link)
Jean Mani - Soap, lotion, candles (link)
Kevin Revolinski - photos, travel books
Muriel Simms - cards, bookmarks

Caribbean Burgers with Honey Pineapple Chutney Originally published by the National Honey Board (link)

Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 ripe fresh pineapple, cored peeled and chopped
2 large onions, peeled and diced
1/2 cup red bell peppers, diced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon orange peel, grated
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/3 cup pure Rolling Hills honey

1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck
2 teaspoons jerk seasoning
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

6 rolls or buns, toasted
Butter lettuce leaves

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add pineapple and onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Reduce heat to medium and add honey, vinegar, orange peel, ginger and allspice; cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add bell peppers and cook for 10 minutes more; let cool. Makes about 3 cups.

To prepare burgers:

1. Stir together ground beef, 1/2 cup honey pineapple chutney, jerk seasoning and pepper. Shape into 6 large patties.

2. Grill over medium coals for 5 to 8 minutes per side. Serve on toasted buns topped with lettuce leaves and a spoonful of chutney.