Door County Wisconsin Cherries Ready For Harvest! Baking The Best Cherry Pie!

'My spouse thought this was "the best cherry pie I ever ate." I did not disagree.'Marian wrote this about the cherry pie she got from Seaquist Orchards in Door County, Wisconsin. Why was this THE BEST CHERRY PIE? Simple answer, the cherries were grown, harvested and baked in Door County.
There's something unique about the local climate on Wisconsin's Door County peninsula that produces incredibly-delicious, extraordinary cherries. They're sweet and tart. They're firm and full of complex flavor. Serve a cherry pie to Wisconsin gourmets and before lifting their forks they'll ask, "Are the cherries from Door County?" Answer "Yes", and they'll smile.
Door County cherries have such a fabulous reputation that many Wisconsinites trek to Door County in August just to pick their own cherries. They freeze them, preserve them, can them, mix them into salsas, and of course bake them into pies, pancakes, and muffins.
And of course, what better gift to give than a cherry pie with ice cream? That's what Sheri wrote, "I ordered a cherry pie and ice cream for my parents' anniversary. They loved it. In fact they invited us over to share. The pie was just like we picked it up fresh from the orchard." 'Tis the cherry season; let's celebrate!

Back To School Care Packages - What Food To Pack?

As parents pack up their kids' gear to take them back to college, often included is a care package of food. But what to pack? The food must be nutritious, but as fast to prepare as the ever available junk food that lures from vending machines.
My coworker is mulling over her options this week. She's decided to send her college sophomore back to school with a variety of frozen chicken dinners. He's got a small fridge and access to a microwave. Microwaving chicken is even easier than boiling ramen, - but of course she'll send some of that along too, although she does so reluctantly. For easy lunches, she's packing him summer sausage and cheese.
She's also putting healthy snack foods like nuts, popcorn, and dried fruits in his care package. She's packing extra snacks because she knows he'll be sharing with friends.
Then she told me that she's going to get him kitchen scrub brushes that already have the soap on them. I looked at her quizzically. She explained that it's hard enough for her to imagine him scrubbing the dishes. She fears that requiring him to add soap to the dish cloth could derail any overture he might make toward cleaning up after himself.
Yes, packing a back to school care package for a college student definitely demands creative thinking.

Wisconsin Farmers Make All-natural, Free-Range Chicken and High-quality Meats Available Year-Round

One attraction at Wisconsin farmers markets is the high-quality meats and free-range chicken for sale. People selecting pork, beef, or chicken can talk with the farmers who raised the animals. They can ask what the livestock was fed, if it was injected with drugs, and if it was allowed to range freely outdoors. In return for assurance that the meat and poultry they're purchasing meets high standards in food safety as well as animal care, people are willing to pay a bit more than they would at a large-chain grocery store.
I am becoming more and more like these conscientious consumers. I'm beginning to consider the personal-health, community-sustainability and even the global-trade impacts of my buying a chicken for dinner. Perhaps this sounds too weighty an issue to add to my shopping basket. But I'm having a hard time ignoring the call to social consciousness. Plus, as a parent I feel the responsibility to feed my children the healthiest food I can. So unlike in years passed, I now find myself turning down the grocery-store bargain meats. I'll switch the dinner plan to vegetarian if I don't have high-quality meat or chicken in the freezer.
But farmers markets will close in a couple of months. I can try to stock up on meats now, but stocks of some of my farmer friends are already running low. They're selling out as people like me store up healthy food for winter. An alternative is ordering high-quality, all-natural, humanely-raised meat and chicken on-line. At Wisconsinmade.com I can get meats and poultry from Wisconsin farmers and food producers delivered to me year-round. I know that these producers adhere to the same high-standards of animal care as my farmer friends. And that's pretty reassuring.

Wisconsin Vacations: Families Make Good Memories With A Tour Of Wisconsin Food

Vacation memories are often influenced by memories of food. If the food eaten on a vacation was consistently poor, the trip is less likely to be repeated. So what vacation food will create the best memories for families traveling in Wisconsin? For adult vacationers, let me recommend Wisconsin pan-fried lake fish, grilled bratwursts, and championship cheeses. Kids will smile with Wisconsin wieners, mild cheeses, ultra-rich ice cream, caramel apples, and cow pies (the candy).
Here's a vacation route I recommend to ensure that travelers of all ages find good food on a Wisconsin family vacation. I'll assume you'll be driving in from the south, most folks do. Just across the border from Illinois is Racine, WI. Racine was originally settled by Danes whose descendants still create God's gift to pastry, - the kringle. Kringles come with multiple filling choices. The pecan and almond are most popular, but the apple, raspberry, and cherry-cream cheese are favorites too. Be sure to pick up several kringles, because the further north you drive, the scarcer they'll become. In Milwaukee you'll find great food of any ethnic origin, so stay awhile and try them all. Be sure to drink the German beer, - you'll notice how good fresh beer is!
Continuing your drive northward you'll come to the Lake Winnebago area and Green Bay. Stop in neighboring Seymour, the Home of the Hamburger for a taste of history and good Wisconsin beef. In Door County you have to eat cherries!!!! And chocolate!!! Door County cherries set the national standard for tart cherry flavor. The gourmet chocolatiers deliver fantastic fudge! A stop in picturesque Door County will make everyone on the trip very happy.
As you continue the trip westward through the northern part of the state, be sure to pick up jugs of pure maple syrup. It takes nothing like its corn-syrup imitators in the discount food chains. At night have fun at the outdoor fish boils and for the road pack some smoked trout and salmon.
As you return southward through western and central Wisconsin, stop in the small towns and sample cheeses from the local dairies and meats from the local sausage shops. The variety of flavors will impress and spoil your palette. And along the way, be sure to pick up lots healthy snacks of Wisconsin sweetened dried cranberries, nuts, and gourmet popcorn.
And of course, when you get home and want to re-live fond memories of eating in Wisconsin, just click on Wisconsinmade.com and gourmet Wisconsin food will be delivered to your door.