Wisconsin Gourmet Foods Distract Ground Hogs From Seeing Their Shadows

In test trials at Badgerland State U. Wisconsin gourmet foods successfully distracted Wisconsin ground hogs from reacting to their shadows. When researchers placed a variety of Wisconsin nuts and dried fruits outside the rodents' burrows and poked the critters awake, the sleepy-eyed ground hogs chose to eat the nuts and fruits even in bright sunshine. 82% of the ground hogs tested remained above ground when gourmet Wisconsin food was present but fled back underground if the food was absent or subsequently removed. Their rapid retreats suggest that rodents not engaged in eating experienced sudden alarm as they noticed their shadows. Dittmar Schmidt, lead scientist on the ground-hog research team, interpreted the findings this way, "A clear result of our study is that the presence of Wisconsin gourmet food in a ground hog's immediate vicinity induces eating behavior. In the ground hog brain, adverse reaction to winter sunshine is suppressed by the drive to eat nutritious food."
In a subsequent study, Schmidt's team tested ground hog-reaction differences between Wisconsin gourmet food purchased at Wisconsinmade.com and ordinary, off-the-grocery-store shelf food from Iowa. In these trials, ground hogs were 68% more likely to flee sunshine and bolt back underground when the off-the-shelf-food was present compared to when the Wisconsinmade gourmet food was present. These reaction differences were statistically highly significant, prompting scientists to conclude that Wisconsinmade gourmet food is highly preferred over mass-produced foods.
In cooperation with researchers from Badgerland State U.'s Psychology department, the team conducted identical trials but substituted Wisconsin undergraduates for the ground hogs. Lydia Lubkinson, who led the psychology team, reported, "I was amazed. Never have we recorded a 100% test result. Regardless of cloudy or sunny conditions, ALL of the undergraduates remained outside to consume the Wisconsin gourmet food. Our results using mass-produced food were mixed. In those trials less than 35% of the students remained outside in the Wisconsin cold to eat food." The researchers subsequently tested for a state-of-origin effect and found no differences between Wisconsin undergraduates and those from Iowa and Illinois in their tendency to stay outdoors and eat Wisconsinmade gourmet food. A test of Michigan undergraduates is planned for the upcoming weeks.
Watchdog groups have reacted to the studies' findings with concern. They fear that on Tuesday, February 2, Wisconsin town of Sun Prairie officials, eager to please their winter-weary constituents, will distract Jimmy the Ground Hog with Wisconsinmade.com dried fruits and nuts, thus preventing Jimmy from noticing his shadow. Wisconsinmade.com president, Linda Remeschatis, denied that Sun Prairie officials have contacted her regarding supplying Wisconsinmade gourmet food for Tuesday's event. Remeschatis added that, "Wisconsinmade's mission is to deliver Wisconsin's finest gourmet foods to homes and businesses throughout the United States. If towns wish to influence their ground hogs by tempting them with our gourmet foods, we cannot change that, but we do hope that those responsible will also share these delicious foods with the many ground-hog day spectators."

Today is National Cheese Day, - And National Granola Day, - And National Buttercrunch Toffee Day!

January 20 means good eating. United States presidents get to declare national food days and they've outdone themselves with January 20th. Imagine how great-tasting today can be! For these 24 hours, it's our patriotic duty to consume U.S.A. cheese, granola, and toffee! What gastronomical luck! We in Wisconsin are doing our part to support these honored foods. In fact, Wisconsin artisans at this very minute are busy producing some of the very finest cheeses, toffees, and granola craved by gourmet food enthusiasts.
Wisconsin is famous world-wide for its exquisite artisanal cheeses. In the 2008 World Championship Cheese Festival, Wisconsin cheese-masters won nearly one third of the awards, - beating out competitors from around the globe. So if you're looking to celebrate with cheeses from the winning cheese-masters, try the Roth Kase Favorites Gourmet Cheese Gift Box. Enjoy the Decatur Dairy, championship-winning muenster cheese offered with their Havarti, Dill Havarti, and Swiss cheeses. And branch out to try the award-winning Cedar Grove cheeses created from sheep and goat milk. Your tongue will be so very glad you did!
If you didn't eat granola for breakfast, there's still time. Granola makes a fabulous mid-day, pick-me up snack. High in fiber, hearty-healthy oats, and nutritious fruits, a great granola makes a great day!
And for that little-something-after-dinner? Out comes the Wisconsin-made toffee!! Crunch into that butter on National Buttercrunch Day. Decadence will never again be so fashionably patriotic! Melt away your cares with sweet butter, cream, and chocolate. Ahhhh, - it's so good to be an American.

C the Sweet Foods That Are Healthy Too!

Holidays are over but I'm still craving sweet treats. How can I wean my tongue away from Christmas cookies, cakes and candies? And why do these now-forbidden foods all start with C? Do I C a Conspiracy? There must be a sweet food that starts with C and is healthy too?!
Yes, I found one! Cranberries! Cranberries are the number one healthiest food that starts with C. At least I've read that they are. Cranberries have been found to aid the immune system, the digestive system, the circulatory system, and have been linked to lowering cancer risks. However, cranberries alone are awfully tart. These round berries are hard to pop into the mouth as is. So how will I get their healthy goodness inside my body? I'll bribe my tongue. What does my tongue want? And now we're back to sugar. Well, sweetened dried cranberries are spiked with just enough sugar to get my tongue to turn its cravings from deadly foods to healthy ones. Sweetened dried cranberries are my training wheels to healthy eating.
But what other sweet and healthy options do I have? Does chocolate count? It starts with C. Yes, chocolate counts if it's dark. I've heard that doctors recommend a serving of dark chocolate per day. How much in a serving? I'd hate to miss out on any healthy omega-3's. I'd better eat two servings to make sure I'm covered. And maybe I should cover those cranberries in chocolate.
And of course cheese starts with C. It's not sweet, but great-tasting food doesn't have to be sweet. Plus cheese is full of protein which reduces cravings and keeps me feeling full longer. Cheese is highly nutritious. Cheddar cheese curds are a triple dose of C, so they must be the best. What other healthy C foods are out there?
Chicken! Free-range, all-natural chicken is high-protein and low-fat. Plus, chicken tastes great roasted, fried, baked, sauteed, basically any way but raw. I will add lots of chicken to my new healthy C diet. Who knows, if I keep this up, I may soon be craving cauliflower and cabbage!

Gourmet Wisconsin Foods At Green Bay Packer Football Parties - Support In Style!

Where in the rule book does it say that football parties must be bowserly? ("Bowserly"? - It's an old college term meaning "uncouth".) Most Wisconsinites don't measure the success of a football party by how much beer was drunk and spilled, how many cheese curds consumed, or how much popcorn exploded from bowls during cheers for the Packers. Rather, Wisconsin gourmets measure success in guests' laughter, camaraderie and full, happy bellies.
When watching the Green Bay Packers play, Wisconsin gourmets match pride in our team with pride in our state's artisan foods. Their popcorn is a Firework's heritage variety, the cheese curds come from a championship-winning WI dairy, and the beer is a local micro-brew.
Gourmet party packs are filled with fine Wisconsin cheeses and summer sausages. The pretzels and mustard are made on WI's east shore. The crackers are original to Madison. Cookies, candies, and chocolates are made by specialty confectioners throughout our state. Party baskets combine the best gourmet foods from across Wisconsin!
For a loyal Wisconsinite to serve out-of-state food during such critical contests for our state's national standing would be a lapse in support. Our reputation for being dedicated fans is nationally-recognized and must be upheld. True, we are cheeseheads, and our cheese is artisanal!