Driftless Market - Local Food, Deli and Art

Here we are in mid-October. A hard freeze this week put an end to any summer veggies that were enjoying the warm fall. Now we can look for vegetables that have a longer storage time than our summer produce.

Long ago people kept vegetables and fruit in root cellars. These structures were usually built into a hill or in a basement where temperatures stayed around 35 to 40 degrees. This is perfect for storage of root vegetables, squash and apples.

Today we have refrigerators right in the kitchen. Much more convenient as we don't need to store the entire winter's food in one place. You can stop in the Driftless Market every week to find a variety of local and organic winter vegetables.

We have a nice assortment of root vegetables in our produce case: this week we have local rutabagas, beets, carrots and celeriac. And don't forget to check our our beautiful wooden bins filled with red, Kennebec, russet and sweet potatoes.

Celeriac or root celery is a gnarly root with a mild celery taste. You can eat it raw, grated in salads or sliced for a dip. Cooked, celeriac is a nice addition to veggie mixes or in soup. I am very fond of Orange Celeriac Soup.

Rutabagas have a rough reputation. Perhaps because they aren't as pretty as summer squash or tomatoes. You have to be a little tough to last through the winter! Another problem could be that people cook them too long and they get mushy and bitter.

We are using rutabagas at Driftless Market in our soups. You can also roast them: slice, drizzle with olive oil; add a little garlic, salt and pepper and roast at 350 degrees 30-40 minutes. Try a winter slaw with grated rutabagas, carrots, celeriac, chopped apples and your favorite slaw dressing.

This winter keep yourself warm with yummy stews and roasted roots.

Well worth the wait, we have delicious sweet corn coming in from Brian Fugate. The pale yellow kernels are sweet and juicy. I love corn so much I don't even add butter. Jayne is a good Wisconsin girl who likes to butter her corn and add a little salt and pepper.

For quick corn, pull off the outer husk and just pull back the inner husks so that you can remove the silk. Then wrap the ear back up with it's own husks, place in a microwave-safe dish with a little water. Microwave on high. Four ears take about 5 to 7 minutes.

This is such a wonderful time of year for fresh salads. Our produce section is bursting with vibrant colors, shapes and sizes of various vegetables and fruits that can combine to make wonderful salads.

This week our organic distributor has delivered an uncommon fruit called Pluots. This stonefruit (has a stone-like pit in the center) is a cross between plums and apricots. It is mottled green on the outside and dark maroon in the center. The flavor is sweet and wonderful.

The taste of summer is arriving at Driftless Market and local farmers are bringing it in. Our produce cooler looks spectacular with the brilliant Rainbow Chard from Two Onion Farm. Also from Two Onion we have tender Romaine Lettuce, baby leeks, and sweet new carrots.

Every week we have a selection of fresh cut herbs: mint, tarragon, oregano and lovage are perennial herbs that come up early in spring. Now the summer herbs are starting to come in. This week we have some fresh curly or flat parsley, more mint and some dill and the first basil.