6.1.16 Wisconsin Grown | Part 6

I’m not sure about you guys, but each year, I always find myself really looking forward to Memorial Day weekend. I think of it as the official start to summer, and for as long as I can remember, it’s always been a weekend involving lots of good times with friends, and of course, lots of good food.

This year was extra special, as we were celebrating one of our best friends from college getting married. This meant that we, along with several of our other best friends from college, got together and rented a cabin near Eau Claire. The cabin, as it turned out, was located on a beautiful farm along the Buffalo River. There were chives and asparagus growing in the yard, fields of veggies growing nearby, beautiful cabin views overlooking the river, and plenty of deck chairs to lounge with a cold beer or curl up with a good book. We ate very well - cookouts on the deck, big breakfasts, and plenty of snacks.  For dinner one night, the owners of the cabin cooked us a fantastic meal - salad, freshly picked from the garden, with dressing made from foraged greens, and hot, crispy, wood-fired pizza. It was marvelous.

But despite our weekend of traveling, we still managed to make it to the farmer’s market before we left, which meant that we had a lot of delicious things to cook with up at the cabin.  Of course, we made sure to buy plenty at the market so we would have lots of delicious things to cook with at home as well.

And in other vegetable news, last week appeared to be the perfect week to put in my garden. All this hot weather and rain we’ve been getting means my veggie seedlings are seriously thriving! Also, next week will be the first week of our CSA, and I’m beyond excited to see what we’ll be getting. Stay tuned for more on the CSA next week, but for now, here’s what we’re cooking:

Red Russian Kale - Love this stuff. It’s hard for me to pass up a big, beautiful bunch if I come across one. This bunch in particular, along with more farmer’s market Spinach (another green I find hard to resist this time of year), constituted the greens in this Strata with Sausage and Greens from Food52, which we ate for brunch at the cabin this past weekend, along with lots of fresh fruit, chocolate babka, and copious amounts of this magical coffee. Did I mention we ate really well last weekend?

Asparagus - Still plenty of asparagus available these days, and I’m not complaining. This week, I’m thinking this Asparagus with Poached Egg from Things I Made Today, because poached eggs, cheese, and breadcrumbs make everything better. Not to mention, I once again picked up another dozen fresh farm Eggs at the market as well, so it was meant to be.

Mint - A big, fragrant bunch of mint is hard to resist. I’m thinking some cool, refreshing Moroccan style mint iced tea is in order.

Lettuce - Yep, more salads. With grilling season in full swing, I’m thinking this Spicy Grilled Chicken, Avocado, and Mango salad is the way to go.

Maple Syrup - I find it’s always a good idea to have an ample supply of maple syrup around the house. Besides pouring it atop pancakes and french toast, it’s also marvelous in iced coffee beverages, as a glaze for salmon, and mixed into butter. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.