local food

Lots of Summer Ramblings Here: Strawberry Moon to Strawberry Festivals

Several years ago the bulb in our yard light burned out. It was one of those dawn-to-dusk lights set high on a line pole and even though my husband’s job is to regularly climb such poles, he just never got around to climbing ours.

At first, when I’d go out at night it seemed unnervingly dark. We don’t have immediate neighbors so nothing but the celestial sky lit our yard. Oh, but let me tell you, there’s no going back. The event of that burned-out bulb has totally heightened my appreciation of the night sky and I’m now a moon-gazing habitué.

Given that, here’s to a happy Strawberry Moon (Tuesday night) and upcoming Summer Solstice (Friday night). I love them both. With the full days of summer ahead, it’s a wonderful time of festivity and adventure.

Speaking of Strawberries…

They’re finally here! We live on a windy hill and it seems my patch is always a bit behind. But they’re here now and as delicious as ever. Just look at how red and juicy they are, unlike those so-called “strawberries” you find in the grocery store.

Hey folks, shop your local farmers! Eat real food!

Strawberry Festivals and More

One of my tastiest childhood memories is of a strawberry festival we attended while camping in northern Michigan. If I recall, it was a community church serving shortcake piled mile-high with strawberries and cream. Oh, so good!

Quite often such festivals are benefits for a specific cause (like these upcoming festivals here and here). Joining the celebration not only creates fun memories but also supports grassroots working together at its finest.

Food festivals have become one of the fastest growing forms of tourism and there’s a good reason why. They offer a sensory overload of the landscape, ethnicities, history, and food cultures of their given community.

Food lovers love food festivals; ask me how I know!

Which Leads Me To…

When it comes to festivals, I’m proud to help promote two Wisconsin biggies: The Soil Sisters in August and Fermentation Fest in October. These are annual celebrations that each draw thousands of people and have great social and economic impacts on their rural communities. Needless to say, a lot of organizing and marketing goes into these events.

Do you know of a festival looking to grow in its success? I’d love to help. Let’s talk about what makes a good festival and how to get the word out to all those fun-loving, destination travelers!

Successful Entrepreneurship Takes a Village

What do FedEx, AirBnB, and Evernote have in common? We can all agree they are hugely successful companies. They’re also companies from which most of us benefit on a regular basis. Interestingly, all three also were once startups on the verge of collapse when they were saved by investors who cared enough to lend a hand. So when I heard one of my favorite specialty cheesemakers, Landmark Creamery, needed a hand, I immediately donated to Go Fund Me and I then went shopping for three of its cheeses.

Landmark Creamery is a labor of love for Anna Landmark and Anna Thomas Bates. Since 2014, “the Anna’s,” as they’re known, have been churning, and rubbing, and aging small batches of cheese made from local, small, family-owned dairy farms. You can find their products online, and at Madison area specialty stores, co-ops and restaurants. Two years ago they opened their own retail shop in the quaint village of Paoli, where they sell not only their own cheeses but also those of other Wisconsin cheesemakers. Coincidentally, in the next few weeks you can find them featured on PBS’s Wisconsin Foodie.

So, it seems Landmark Creamery has recently found itself in a bit of a bind. According to the Go Fund Me page, the ladies lost over 1,000 pounds of cheese after their cold storage company threw it out. The Anna’s had fallen behind on payments and owed the company $1,000. According to the page, they told the company owner they would pay as soon as possible, but the owner declared the space abandoned and threw away the cheese. The cheese, valued at $20,000, is a hand-crafted product needing six months to age, so it’s not easily replaced.

Seeing Both Sides of the Cheese Wheel

As a small business owner, I understand the importance of being paid. The storage facility provided a necessary service to Landmark Creamery and it was right to expect the agreed-upon compensation. You bet I’m all about responsibilities and holding up one’s end of the bargain.

But I also remember those startup days, struggling to succeed and stretching money to pay the bills. I appreciate all the help I received back then (my husband’s support was and still is a necessary component to me staying in business). I firmly believe when we uphold one another, we all stand stronger; that supportive action today generates positive reactions tomorrow. Kudos to the Culinary Ladies Collective for setting up the Go Fund Me for Landmark Creamery. This network of female chefs, food and beverage producers, growers and artisans is an example of how we go far when we go together.

I’m also a believer in communication. In Adunate’s 14-year running, I’ve only had a few clients fail to pay me on a timely basis. Those who respected me enough to talk to me about it are still my clients today. Those who ghosted me, well, you can bet I now refuse to work with them. According to the Go Fund Me page, Landmark Creamery had just made a payment on the balance and had communicated with the storage facility they would pay the rest as soon as possible. If this was the case, I just can’t see how destroying $20,000 of product for a $1,000 bill was beneficial to anyone, including the owner of the storage facility.

Be Part of the Village

Folks, if you’re a fan of small businesses and local foods, if you love Wisconsin specialty cheese, if you have a minute and a few extra dollars, please consider supporting Landmark Creamery. You may very well be benefiting more people than you know, not to mention keeping some fantastic cheese in production!


Going the Extra Mile

When it comes to promoting my clients, I love getting out and shouting the good word. It’s easy because I design for clients I totally love and they give me great things to shout about.

There’s something to be said for promoting one’s clients. Their success is my success, after all. But even more, it means I believe in them and I value their product. It means I know their industry. Because I target clients who share my passions, we talk the same talk, walk the same circles and, together, know what brings optimal success.

My Current Project

These days I’m promoting Fermentation Fest, an annual event for which I design a 48-page guide. It bubbles over in my list of personal interests—food, art, agriculture, travel—so, of course, it’s one of my favorite projects of the year. And delivering guides to fascinating people and places throughout southern Wisconsin is as much a perk for me as it is for my client.

Come early October, you can bet I’ll be attending Fermentation Fest. I love the more than 50 interesting classes, hands-on workshops, tastings and more, taught by fermenters, artists, bakers and brewers. I love touring the rolling hills of Sauk County and finding art, performances and music in the Farm/Art DTour.

Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? It truly is and it’s an event the whole family can enjoy.

Fermentation Fest 2018 guides

#GetYourFermFestGuide2018Here

Listed in order of cities are venues where you can find Fermentation Fest guides. If you’re not in these areas, check out the Fermentation Fest website or join the mailing list.

Landmark Creamery, Belleville (Paoli)

SchoolGrounds Coffee House, Cottage Grove

Milwaukee Street Traders, Delafield

Fitchburg Public Library, Fitchburg

2 Rivers Bicycle & Outdoor, Fort Atkinson

Café Carpe, Fort Atkinson

Brickhaus Cafe, Jefferson

GetCulture, Madison

Ground Zero Coffee, Madison

Jordan’s Big Ten Pub, Madison

Madison Sourdough, Madison

Regent Market Co-op, Madison

Sequoya Public Library, Madison

Willy Street Co-op East, Madison

Willy Street Co-op North, Madison

ZuZu Cafe & Market, Madison

Willy Street Co-op, Middleton

Roots Coffeebar & Cafe, Oconomowoc

Firefly Coffee House, Oregon

Good Harvest Market, Pewaukee

2 Rivers Bicycle & Outdoor, Watertown

Tribeca Gallery Cafe & Books, Watertown

 

 

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It Takes Grandparents and a Full Flock

The Instagram rule of poultry is if you’re going to raise layers, you must produce a rainbow of egg colors. Given that—and because I have grandchildren who, in my mind, rate much higher than Instagram—I choose breeds specifically for their color of eggs. My chick order this spring consisted of Ameraucanas for their pastels, Marans for their chocolate (I usually forget and say chocolate covered instead of colored, haha, wouldn’t that be nice), and the gentle, very pretty Lavender Orpingtons for their brown.

Add these to my white-egger Leghorns from last year and you get a full spectrum in every dozen. All for the grandchildren.

flock of chickensRecently my husband was perusing the Abendroth catalog and noticed Lavender Orpingtons were $9.95 each. Oops, I guess I never checked prices. And…Lavender Orpingtons only come as a straight run, meaning they could be male or female. Oops, I didn’t check that either. They’re for the grandchildren, after all.

Isn’t it funny what we do as grandparents?

Fermentation Fest event guide 2018

Last week I wrapped up work on the Fermentation Fest event guide and sent the final draft to press (put the paper to bed, to be jargonly correct). Because this year’s guide is to be a reversible (half of it printed upside down), I went to the print agency to verify it was laid out correctly. Look at this, not only was I provided with individual proof pages and a full size mockup, I also got a cute, mini mockup. I feel like a beloved grandchild.

I’m thinking my favorite businesses are like grandparents; they give more than their all without a second thought. And just as it takes a full flock to produce that colorful dozen of eggs, so it takes a multitude of grandparently businesses to produce a successful event guide. Donna Neuwirth, founder of Fermentation Fest, is a brilliant visionary. Cricket Design Works illustrated the gorgeous front covers—both of them! Badger Group is the dedicated agency doing our professional printing. I can’t put into words how honored I am to work with each of them.

2018 Fermentation Fest event guide

Lastly, Fermentation Fest is made possible by a long list (can we say full flock?) of sponsors, funders and partners. Be sure to check them out in this year’s event guide, which will soon be out in various locations. Watch for it!

Lavender Orpington rooster

And now…drumroll…here’s a Lavender Orpington update. One, and only one, is a rooster. He’s developing his comb, learning to crow and is violaceously beautiful (men have all the luck). If he’s gentle enough, maybe we’ll keep him and hold back a few eggs for hatching.

You know, for the grandchildren.

 

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Love My Market, Love My Farmers!

It’s National Farmers Market Week and I couldn’t appreciate it more, having just attended a workshop on Raleigh’s Hillside Farm. Oh, my goodness, the arduous, hand labor that goes into producing high-quality, organic vegetables. Let’s take a moment right now and send out a #lovemymarket and #lovemyfarmers!

The turnout was big for the In Her Boots workshop

The Raleigh’s Hillside Farm event was one in a series of In Her Boots Workshops put on by the Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) and was held in conjunction with the inspirational Soil Sisters weekend (all clients for whom I’m honored to design).

The focus was on hopeful and beginning farmers, and as you can see by the long line of cars, the interest was huge!

Lauren Rudersdorf, Raleigh's Hillside Farm
Raleigh’s Hillside Farm, Brodhead, WI, provides high-quality, organic food to CSAs, area restaurants and schools.

Lauren Rudersdorf is half the husband-wife team of Raleigh’s Hillside Farm and an enthusiastic Soil Sister (she’s the group’s millennial social media whiz). She presented us with a wonderfully authentic day in the life of an organic vegetable farmer and covered the nitty gritty of starting from scratch.

Lauren and her husband, Kyle, began their farm in 2013 on leased family land. She readily admitted they had little experience and even less money. Listening to her now, she’s a wealth of information on farming practices, soil management, produce handling, finances, growth projections and marketing. On top of that, she’s a barefoot bundle of positive energy, which shows in her social media and blog The Leek and The Carrot.

Lauren Rudersdorf, Raleigh's Hillside Farm
With a goal of not going into debt their first five years, the Rudersdorfs kept their investments to a minimum. Here Lauren explains their walk-behind wheel hoe and cultivators.

But, hey, farm life is more than romantic Instagram imagery. There are fields to cultivate, weeds to conquer, produce to harvest, wash and chill, and consumers to acquire and deliver to. Lauren and Kyle now run four acres and as I overlooked those beautiful rows my heart palpated thinking of the day in, day out physicality of such a business.

Even a farm tour didn’t deter Kyle from a day in the field.

Now into their sixth season, Lauren and Kyle have begun investing in their farm. They purchased a Kubota tractor and built a pack shed for washing and storing produce. They also added to their hoop house, which they use for starting seedlings in the spring and extending their growing season.

Display of vegetables from Raleigh's Hillside Farm, Brodhead, WI

Becoming Educated and Taking Action

Most people, myself included, don’t realize how much goes work into that gorgeous display of produce at a farmers market. How naive we are. So on this National Farmers Market Week—and every other week for that matter—what can we do to keep these farming super heroes in business?

Unless you live under a culinary rock, we all know the physical and psychological benefits of eating quality, organic, local food. So let’s support those who produce it!

We know the conventional food-to-store system is broken. Farmers markets are an alternative and more sustainable way to put food on our tables. So let’s shop there. Here’s a directory of markets near you!

We know food brings people together. The same can be said for farmers markets; they bring value to the community and unite its people. So get to know your farmers! Talk with them and learn how they produce their food. Share recipes. Farmers markets are so fun!

Happy Farmers Market Week! Get out there and love your farmers!

February Randomness

Wisconsin beehives in winter

Happy February! So what do you think my honeybees are up to these days? From what I’ve read, they’re not hibernating. Even in cold Midwestern temps—and we’ve had plenty of that this year—those little sweethearts are busy in their hives clustering together, fluttering their wings and energizing themselves with honey, all in the name of protecting the queen. Amazingly, bees keep the inside of their cluster a toasty 80-90°F.

Of course, I can’t open the hive because cold air would immediately zap them all. Instead, I go out each day, brush away the occasional dead bee that’s been kicked out and wait until spring to know if my community has survived. For me, only a second-year beekeeper, this is the quiet season.

My Clients

I work with many people who are also in the quiet season. Seemingly so, anyway, because they too are busy behind the scenes. My farmer clients are hunkered down with seed catalogs and educational conferences, like the MOSES Organic Farming Conference, for which I was again proud to design. It definitely isn’t the quiet season for the MOSES team—not with their big event coming in just three short weeks. They put on the largest conference of its kind in the U.S., so if you’re into organic and sustainable agriculture, be sure to attend. It’s over the moon (an apt but pun-ish descriptor in light of last night’s Super Blue Blood Moon).

My Wormfarm Institute clients, Donna and Jay, are currently in Mexico, researching exciting food and art for this fall’s Fermentation Fest (last year’s mezcal class and dinner were huge successes). Both these non-profits could not exist without continuous outreach for funding and exposure. It’s hard, skillful work and Donna is a master. Her efforts were recently rewarded with recognition in an upcoming publication by Americans for the Arts.

Adunate

It’s the quiet season for Adunate too. Quiet, but, again, busy behind the scenes. I’ve been marketing, marketing, marketing—a fact of life for every business. One of my goals for 2018 is to target the female ag industry. In her book Soil Sisters, author Lisa Kivirist describes the growing number of women farmers and how they’re changing the face of American agriculture.

“New women farmers are primarily starting small-scale, diversified, locally focused and family-run operations, bucking the corporate agriculture trend of fewer small family farms and more consolidation,” says Kivirist.

For the most part, those USDA-subsidized corporate farms are producing just corn and soybeans for animal feed or fuel. Contrast that with women farmers who raise a diversity of crops going directly from their farm to a family’s table. Or a school cafeteria. Or a senior health community. They’re sustaining their land and giving back to the soil. Can you see the nurturing going on here? These are the caring people with whom I want to work.

Books I'm reading in 2018

Speaking of books…

Here’s what I’m reading these days (and yes, I’m dabbling in all four—it’s the quiet season, after all). Some of them are great reads about food, land and business. Others will help me to help you market your products. Give me a call!

  • Braiding Sweetgrass: This one drew my attention because it it melds the spiritual and scientific aspects of nature. I’ve long been a proponent of both, like say, gardening by the moon (there’s that moon again!). God created an awesome earth and, of course, every part of it is connected.
  • Articulating Design Decisions: Many times the customer doesn’t understand the designer’s reason for a design. Often designers, ahem, me, have trouble articulating their reasons. This book is well-written, easy to read, and in many ways is applicable to anyone who talks about their product. I wish I’d read this twenty years ago!
  • An Unlikely Vineyard: I want to take a road trip to Vermont! This is both a life story and how-to for restoring the land and building an eight-acre vineyard. She beautifully speaks of terroir, essence of place, and the meditation of cultivation.
  • Gastrophysics: Did you know there’s a science to enjoying your food? Things like what color plate it’s served on or what sounds are playing in the background? This covers our five senses and how they affect our perception of food. One reviewer named it a manual for restaurants. I think it’s great for anyone who markets food.

So there you have it, some happenings in this seemingly quiet season. Stay warm, be healthy and keep busy!

Transitioning from Summer to Autumn

Eat Local Month and Fermentation FestIt’s two weeks into September and my mind is finally beginning to let go of summer. It’s been a slow transition but as autumn reveals its golden glories I can’t help getting excited. And here are two happenings that make autumn great!

September is Eat Local Month

Harvests everywhere are at their peak and whether you glean from gardens, food co-ops, farmers markets or CSAs, the abundance of local food is a celebration in itself. These days, while elbow-deep in canning tomatoes, I’ve been listing to podcasts of Deep Roots Radio, with host Sylvia Burgos Toftness. Sylvia makes a great point when she says “every single food dollar we spend either protects or degrades the environment, produces foods with high nutrition or empty calories, and either helps pay a fair wage or keeps farm workers among the working poor.”

So yes, this September eat local. Hey, eat local all year long!

Fermentation Fest is in October

On that note, if you’re interested in learning to preserve this local food, plan ahead for next month’s Fermentation Fest. The Fermentation Fest team and I recently put out a beautiful event guide and you can now find it in Madison and Milwaukee area coffee shops and food co-ops. It details more than 60 classes and the great food and art events happening in Reedsburg.

Happy autumn everyone!

Sustainable Design for Earth Day

Logo concepts for client on Earth Day 2017

Boy, do I love showcasing my clients! And because tomorrow is Earth Day, let me introduce Liberty Prairie Foundation, a new client I’m puffing with pride to have on my roster. Located 45 minutes north of Chicago in Grayslake, Ill., this non-profit organization works to promote ways for people in northern Illinois to responsibly use land and water. It has a particular focus on sustainable farming.

The Foundation was formed in 1993. Like a neighborhood buddy, it grew up along side Prairie Crossing, a conservation community that was being developed on land originally slated for a dense housing development. Today, though separate entities, the two remain enmeshed in many ways, including their branding. To reflect its increasingly diverse programs and initiatives, the Foundation is looking to update its logo and unify its overall brand. Shown here are some of the concepts we’ve been throwing around.

And here’s a sampling of the dedicated work Liberty Prairie Foundation does:

And, oh, there’s so much more!

Event promotion card by Adunate for Liberty Prairie Foundation, Grayslake, IL

Liberty Prairie Foundation maintains an active calendar of events, like this upcoming educational gathering it is hosting in conjunction with partnering organizations. Director Nathan Aaberg and I have put together a sustainably-minded mailer on 100% recycled paper and an economical email in PDF format. Yes, the Foundation stands tall in its environmental ideals right down to the invitations it sends out.

This year my Earth Day applause goes to Liberty Prairie Foundation. I’ve loved getting to know its members and am totally impressed by their care of the land and forward thinking!