Mid June 2005

Farmers Market Update

The Downtown Eau Claire Farmers Market is now in full swing. We’ve added Wednesdays to our list, so you can now visit us on Saturday and Wednesday mornings from about 7am to 1pm. People have been responding well to the free samples of cheese we have - whenever we sample a cheese, we sell out! If you haven’t tried any of the hard cheese from Eau Galle, you need to stop down and taste it. You’ll know why we’re selling out. Milk sales have been steady, and when it’s hot and sunny the ice cold bottles of Jade Spring Artesian water start to move too...

Summer Grilling

It sure is nice to step out of the house for a bit and cook a meal in the breeze. Just Local Food has just about everything you need for grilling out this summer. Between all the steaks, burgers, brats and hot dogs you shold be able to find something. If meat isn’t your thing, our buying club has all sorts of veggie burgers and not dogs. Stock up on organic ketchup, frozen buns, pickle relish and all the fixins through Natural Farms too (orders due June 26). Or make your own buns using flour from Whole Grain Milling. The most interesting item I grilled recently was kale. I heard some friends talking about making "crispy kale" (wow that c in crispy wants to be a k!) in the oven, and I adapted the idea for the grill.

Crispy Kale on the Grill

1 bunch of fresh kale

olive oil

salt and pepper or tamari or...

Coat kale with oil - I use a pump spray bottle and spray the kale as I toss it in a bowl - it could also just be mixed well in a bowl. Add salt and pepper or other seasonings you like. Spread the coated kale on a cookie sheet (probably not your favorite cookie sheet) and place the sheet on the grill. Toss Kale using tongs until krispy, eat immediately! If you don’t think your kids will like kale, give this one a shot.

Always More Products

I am truly amazed at how many different foods are produced around here, and I’m thrilled to introduce you to these products when we get the logistics worked out. We’re still working with a few more local cheese artisans to expand our cheese selections, and we’ve found a farmer north of here that is making chemical-free bacon & snack sticks, frozen ground chicken and turkey, and delicious turkey apple brats. Due to brisk sales of Whole Grain Milling products, we’ll be picking up more of their goods as well. Stay tuned for these additions later in the summer, and let us know if there’s anything you’d like to see!