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Madisonites - you are spoiled!

Posted at 7:31 AM on July 29, 2008 by Sareen Dunleavy Keenan (4 Comments)

Somehow, I lost my earlier post on this, so here is the quick recap.

If you are from Madison or the surrounding area, WOW, I am jealous. It seems that you could eat locally (at least in this season) without much effort.

The Dane County farmers market (wrong link last time) was amazing. The market wraps around the capital grounds and was packed with produce, meat, cheese, flowers and anything else you could imagine. I felt like I was at a carnival, tugging at Brendan's pockets for more and more money. We bought: whole wheat flour, ostrich burgers, zucchini, cantaloupe, apples, apple cider, squeaky cheese curds, beef sticks, carrots, onions, beets, corn and squash. Many of the items were items we hadn't seen in Minnesota yet. I was excited. There was even a full band, tubas and all playing on the grounds. This would be a relaxing morning stroll for my Saturday's. Again, you are all spoiled!

But the most amazing part of the rest of our journey was that even though our travels centered around other interests, mainly beer and baseball, the local food was always there. I didn't have to scour the maps and get all sorts of advice on how to eat locally in Madison. I just had to show up at a restaurant and it seemed everyone was featuring something local. It was amazing.

The best example of this has to be the baseball game. We went to see the Madison Mallards play some outdoor ball and I turned to look over my shoulder at the children chasing foul balls (free hot dog if you turn it in!) and saw that the concession stand behind me said that it had 100% local food. That couldn't be true could it? Well, yes, yes it can. Ballpark food and Wisconsin go hand in hand. Want a hot dog? Done. Cheese curds? Given. Root beer float? Absolutely.

Our trip was fantastic. I hear the breweries we toured were great. I have a 12 pack of Dancing Man Wheat Hefeweizen and 2 bottles of Wisconsin Belgian Red waiting for me post baby time, which for those who are counting with me is 1 week away! Come on baby.

Basically, if you are hitting the road this summer and want to eat locally, check out Madison. There are fantastic options from people who dedicate their culinary careers to serving local food and there are beer and hamburger joints who have local options added to their menus. Madison certainly "gets it" when it comes to taking care of hungry locavores.

Comments (4)

'Tis true - we are indeed spoiled here in Madison. The community is so supportive of local farmers, eating & growing locally and so many restaurants are picking up on this trend. And as a longtime vegetarian I am eternally grateful that I'm spoiled for choice whenever we go out to eat!

Posted by chris | July 29, 2008 5:10 PM

Wow, the things you learn about your neighbors when you stop to pay attention to the positives. I grew up with the traditional stereo-types about WI vs. MN and it is funny how much of that silly playground talk informs adult opinions about what the rest of the world must look like.

I mean what could Madison have up on the cosmopolitan fantasy land we call Minneapolis. A lot I tell you, a lot.

That isn't to say Minneapolis isn't doing things right but it was just shocking how diversity of food choices seemed to be seamlessly integrated into every place we went. We could have had any number of dietary restrictions and I am confident that I would not be constrained to a handful of restaurants in Madison. It was fantastic. We will be back! - Sareen

Posted by Sareen | July 29, 2008 5:27 PM

People joke in Madison that we collectively practice FoodSport. It's like supporting the Red Socks, except with more zucchini and parsnips.

I'm glad you enjoyed the farmer's market. It's a real treat for us too, after all these years.

I didn't know about your pregnancy! Congrats!

Do you know about the Happy Baby Food Mill? It's a portable device that let's you grind up just about anything into a homogenous mush that your baby can eat. It's a great way to get around the Locovore+Bambino problem. You've got some time until solid foods, but think about it - Happy Baby Food Mill at CoolTools

Posted by Addi Faerber | July 29, 2008 5:31 PM

Addi - I think that I am taking over the next tour of Madison and it won't be about the beer this time!

I am pregnant and in the end stages. This is the second baby, and the first is 14 months. We looked into the food mill, but by the time we got around to it, baby #1 was insisting on whole foods (meats of all things!). It might be a need with a different child. Thanks for the reminder.

Posted by Sareen | July 30, 2008 9:32 AM