Eating locally and supporting a healthy local food system will be easy as pie at the third annual pie extravaganza fundraiser for REAP.

This year's pie party will be on Sunday, July 15th from 10:30 am - 2:00 pm at RP's Pasta Fork & Spoon Cafe at 1133 E. Wilson St.  (Thanks to the folks at RP's for offering up the cafe for our use.)

For those who have come to Pie Palooza in the past, you know this is the best brunch going!  Local chefs knock themselves out to create pies, quiches, and tarts using seasonal local products for this pie extravaganza. We add a farm fresh salad and mix up our famous rhubarb lemonade to fill out the menu.

Best of all, all proceeds benefit REAP's programs. So on your way to La Fete de Marquette Festival or the Art Fair on the Square, start your day off with this truly spectacular brunch.

Tickets to Pie Palooza will be available at the door for $15 but seating is limited.  To ensure your “piece of the pie” tickets may be purchased in advance at RP’s Pasta, Willy Street Co-op and Orange Tree Imports. For children, adults with smaller appetites, or those who just need one more slice, $5 single slice tickets can also be purchased at the door.

See the amazing list of pie donors and descriptions of some of the pies they're planning to make on the PALOOZA '07 webpage.  

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In April, the 6th annual Southern Wisconsin Farm Fresh Atlas was released at the first outdoor Dane County Farmers' Market.  Shoppers hungry for information about where to find their favorite local foods are enthusiastically picking up their copies of this useful guide.

This year's edition has grown again to a 40-page booklet that lists over 150 farms, farmers’ markets and food-related businesses that sell a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, eggs and other products.  

All of the farms, businesses and organizations included in the Southern Wisconsin Farm Fresh Atlas pledge to protect our land and water resources, treat animals with care and respect, and provide safe working conditions for their employees.  

If you haven't got your copy yet, you can still pick one up at area farmers' markets, food stores, libraries and dozens of other sites around Southern Wisconsin.  [List of sites] 

Want to find locally grown food while you travel in other parts of Wisconsin this summer? Regional Farm Fresh Atlases are are also available for western, eastern, central and southeastern Wisconsin.  Grassroots coalitions of partners in each region produce these products, based on REAP's original concept.  We all network together to keep making these atlases work better for Wisconsin's sustainable producers and businesses.  REAP is very proud to see how this model has grown beyond our immediate boundaries!

The 2007 Southern Wisconsin Farm Fresh Atlas is a collaborative project of the REAP Food Group, the Dane County Farmers’ Market, the UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, and the Friends of the Dane County Farmers’ Market. 

A huge thank you to Heartland Credit Union, for major financial support of this year's Atlas! 

An on-line version of the atlas is available as well.  If you are interested in distributing copies of the 2007 Southern Wisconsin Farm Fresh Atlas, or would like more information about this resource, contact Miriam at info@reapfoodgroup.org.

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Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch:
A year of nurturing kids' minds and bodies.

As we look back on the school year that just ended a few weeks ago, we're a little breathless as all the places we've been working with Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch.

Two area school districts (Mt. Horeb and Evansville) are fast on their way to incorporating fresh local foods into school lunches in a meaningful way.  Each piloted some efforts this last spring and have worked with us to develop a buying plan for full implementation in the fall.  Much credit needs to go to food service directors Michelle Rimer in Mt. Horeb and Sheila Killion in Evansville for their commitment to work through the many challenges inherent with this type of change.

Kudos also to the many teachers, school board members, parents and area farmers who have been at the table to enthusiastically embrace farm-to-school.

Meanwhile in Madison, there was also no lack of energy and activity in schools all over town.  

• With great support from our friends at Willy Street Co-op, our weekly snack program brought a healthy local snack to 1700 students in 4 Madison schools virtually the entire school year.  We expect to be able to increase the number of schools able to participate in '07-'08 school year.
  

• Tory Miller and Eva Ringstrom from L'Etoile Restaurant donated their Mondays off to work with all the 7th grade classes at Sherman Middle School, piloting a program we called "CHOW" (Cooking Healthy Options in Wisconsin.)  The year culminated in a fantastic field trip to L'Etoile and the Dane County Farmers' Market.  New chefs are signing on and plans are in place to replicate this model at two new middle schools next year.
  

• At Mendota Elementary, the 2nd-3rd grade classes enjoyed both a fall series and spring series of food, nutrition, and gardening classes, led by our WHL Coordinator Brent Kramer as well as our colleagues Libby Weiland from the UW Extension Nutrition Education Program and Nathan Larson, Youth Program Coordinator at Troy Gardens.  

Chef Tory Miller leads Sherman Middle School students on a field trip 
to the Dane County Farmers' Market

Summer break in our schools gives us time to regroup and get ready for another year of great happenings in the fall.  We already have commitments for offering the Holiday Local Foods Fundraiser in a dozen schools, expanding the snack program, offering classroom programs in numerous schools -- in and outside of Madison, and continuing our efforts to develop relationships between farmers and food service directors in the region.  

Thanks to everyone who's helped make this year a great success!  Especially to our amazing funders:  Bradshaw Knight Foundation, Blooming Prairie Foundation, the American Girl Fund for Children, Willy Street Co-op,  L'Etoile Restaurant, Physicians Plus, Delta Dental, the Evjue Foundation, Whole Foods Madison, and our many wonderful private donors.  Here's to  another great year of linking the land with the lunchroom for all of our kids!

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Buy Fresh Buy Local Pilot is Well Underway

With the summer produce season picking up steam, Buy Fresh Buy Local Partner establishments are forging ahead to incorporate the freshest seasonal products into their menus.  

Our new window clings should be appearing in restaurants and food stores by mid-July, with posters featuring their partner farmers shortly after so you shouldn’t have any trouble recognizing Buy Fresh Buy Local Partners when looking for a great meal.

Here are just a few early stories from our Partner restaurants...

~ Captain Bills in Middleton will soon be known for more than their excellent fish fry and lovely view of the lake.  They are now beginning to source seasonal side veggies from their partner farm, Driftless Organics.  

~ At The Greenbush Bar on Regent Street, nearly all meat products on the menu will be coming from local farmers.  

~ For a quick slice of pizza or a make-your-own salad while you shop State Street you can’t do better than Ian’s Pizza where many of the vegetable items are proudly grown by Shooting Star Farm.  

~ Late night snacks don’t get any better than The Old Fashioned where their commitment to local goes beyond food, incorporating our local food culture into the decor. 

From quick and easy night out with the kids to an extra special occasion, there's a restaurant that you can choose that has made the Buy Local commitment.  

When you eat or shop at these restaurants and stores, be sure to ask, “What’s local today?”  Let your server know that it’s important to you.  While we are working hard to get information on farmer relationships to waitstaff it can be difficult for your server to remember the details.  Hopefully, gentle reminders about the importance of locally sourced products will encourage our efforts at forging connections between eaters, staff, chefs and farmers. 

Seasonal Recipe - It's your turn!