Local Foods Fundraiser: Order Today to Support Farms, Schools & Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch

REAP Food Group’s Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch program is pleased to be coordinating our third annual Local Foods Holiday Fundraiser.  This year 14 Madison schools will be selling wonderful local products to raise much needed funds for their schools.  Products include a great array of local items, from cheese to chocolate, from cranberries to candles to coffee.  (And yes, there are even some items that don't begin with a "c."  J)

This year we're also excited to announce that you may choose to buy from any of the schools to give them a little extra support or you can also buy directly from REAP to help support the Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch program.  

For the list of participating schools, a description of the wonderful products and for ordering information, go to WHL Holiday Fundraiser.  Order quickly.  Order deadline is November 8th!

"Local Night Out" Deliciously Launches New Year for Buy Fresh Buy Local

On September 27th, 18 restaurants around Madison pulled out all the stops to prepare incredible meals using local farm products.

From a simple slice of pizza or a locally raised burger, to a fixed price gourmet dining experience, there were options for everyone at the third annual Local Night Out.

This year's Local Night Out was not only an opportunity for restaurants to show off their creativity using local farm products -- it also became the launch event for REAP's newest program called Buy Fresh Buy Local Southern Wisconsin (BFBL).

Some of these restaurants participated as "pilot partners" in BFBL throughout the spring and summer as we developed the new program.  Starting this month, the program is expanding to new BFBL Partners for our first full year.  

2007 Local Night Out 
Restaurants:

Sardine
The Weary Traveler
CoCoLiquot
Lombardino’s
The Greenbush Bar
The Old Fashioned
Fork and Spoon Cafe
The Dardanelles
Captain Bill’s
L’Etoile
Ian’s Pizza
Bluephies
Bunky’s
The Edgewater
Harvest
Manna Cafe
Osteria Papavero
Washington Hotel Coffee Room

To become a BFBL Partner means a restaurant is making a clear commitment to increasing their purchases from local farms and to helping tell the story of why that's important.  

Rachel Armstrong, REAP's BFBL staff coordinator wears multiple hats of  'matchmaker', 'interpreter' and 'PR firm', as she helps farmers and restaurateurs acquire the skills, resources and relationships they need to be successful at buying and selling locally.  Look for many amazing stories of restaurant and farm connections to come.

Hot on the heals of Local Night Out, Rachel's been planning our first "Farmer-Chef Speed Dating" event, scheduled for October 29th.  Farmers and chefs will leave the event with a list of new names and opportunities.  We're excited to host the event and help nurture these "first dates" into successful long-term buying relationships.

Look for Buy Fresh Buy Local window signs to start appearing in new Partner Restaurants throughout Southern Wisconsin.  Ask your servers, "what's local today?"  And thank them for supporting local farms! Click here to see the ever-growing list of BFBL partners and to learn more about Buy Fresh Buy Local.

New School Districts Welcome Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch Programming

The school year is well underway and so is farm-to-school programming in several new school districts throughout the region.  With the support and facilitation of Doug Wubben, the WHL Program Coordinator, creative school food service directors and staff are now integrating local foods into their school breakfast and lunch routines.  And kids are absolutely eating it up.

Here are just a few examples of the fresh local product that's been appearing in area schools since September's school opening:

Happy Valley Farm tomatoes and peppers and Shooting Star lettuce are on the school menu in Mt. Horeb.

Tipi Produce watermelon welcomed students back to school in Monona Grove.

The yogurt parfait breakfast bar at Evansville Elementary School features Sugar River Dairy yogurt, and carrots, watermelon and muskmelon from Tipi have also been on the menu.

Students at Waunakee schools are enjoying crisp local apples from Lapacek Orchard.

WHL staff have been working steadily with these schools and others to make sourcing and serving local products a reality.  Sometimes this means simply replacing a red delicious apple from who-knows-where for a crisp juicy Cortland or Ida Red from a nearby orchard.  Other times it means bringing out the knives and cutting boards to slice up bushels of tomatoes or melons.  

Enthusiasm among school staff to affect real change in the lunchroom is leading this movement.  New districts with the passion and commitment to create healthier lunch models are stepping up to the challenge with innovation and a can-do attitude.  Hats off to all the food service staff who are making the extra effort to bring the highest quality foods possible to their students.  And hats off also, to the farmers who are working outside their normal marketing and distribution routines to help make it work!

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Food For Thought Festival 2007 With over 5000 attendees, 60 exhibitors, amazing food, and the joy of watching Alice in Dairyland go spatula to spatula with Mayor Dave to become the first ever "Cooking with the Stars" champion, this year's Food for Thought Festival was truly a day to behold.

This year's festival marked nine years of fantastic speakers, engaging exhibitors, unbelievable weather, and joyous celebration of delicious and sustainable eating.  Since pictures say more than words, we invite you to treat yourself to this year's Food for Thought Festival photo gallery.  Thank you to EVERYONE who donated time, food, equipment, and talent to make this year's event such a great success.  Thank you especially to our sponsors for the resources to pull off another amazing year of Food for Thought.  Food for Thought Festival 2007 Sponsors:   Premier Sponsors Willy Street     Whole Foods      Eating Well      Co-op              Market             Magazine Major Sponsor            Contributing Sponsor MG&E                    Organic Valley Supporting Sponsors Johnson Block and Co.    MACSAC   EATware   Madison Originals   Physicians Plus Insurance     In Kind Sponsors Arbor House    Cozzini Bros.    Dane Cty Farmers' Market     Isthmus      KitchenAid     L'Etoile Madison Originals Magazine       RP's Pasta      Roden Creative     Sub-Zero/WOLF      And of course, save the date -- Saturday, Sept 20th, 2008 -- for the the 10th annual Food For Thought Festival.  It's sure to be a wonderful milestone celebration! (Back to top)

Seasonal Recipe - Food For Thought Recipe Contest Grand Prize

Kale Crisps
Jessica Weiss, Oregon, Wisconsin
Servings: 4  

From Terese Allen, Contest Editor:  "Let it be known: This recipe rocks. These salty, spicy, feather-light chips of oven-crisped kale were the big surprise --and the grand prize winner--of this year’s Food for Thought recipe contest. The recipe judges first came across the idea of kale “chips” in Mollie Katzen’s Vegetable Heaven (Hyperion, 2000). Contributor Jessica Weiss’s rendition of it hit all the right notes for the contest, because the judges were looking for fresh-tasting, easy-going recipes that fit into life’s casual moments. This one is perfect for snack time.  Move over, popcorn!"

Here's what Jessica wrote and included with her recipe submission: 
“I think of my sister, Theresa, when I make this recipe.  Theresa and I are opposites in almost everything. She likes late nights; I like early mornings. She’s assertive; I’m passive. She's adventurous; well..., I'm just not. And since we have had such different experiences in our lives so far, we have taught each other a lot. Theresa has taught me that simpler can be better. [For example,] when she had some leftover kale from the farmer's market and brought it over, we tried this recipe. We ate the whole bowl. Who would have thought that just kale could be so good? And Theresa was right: simpler is better.”  

INGREDIENTS:  1 bunch kale, cleaned and dried in a cotton towel about 2 tablespoons olive oil salt cayenne pepper (optional)

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Cut stems from the kale stalks (can save stem for another use, like a stir-fry or a quick nibble). Tear leaves into 2to 3-inch-size pieces.  Place them in a large bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil then toss kale with your hands until all of it is lightly covered with the oil. Spread kale out on one or two large baking sheets. Don’t pile them up; keep them in one layer. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Sprinkle lightly with cayenne pepper (if you want it spicy.)  Bake until kale is nice and crispy, 10-20 minutes depending on how much moisture is in your kale. Check the crisps frequently as they can go from crisp to burnt fairly quickly-- especially if you're starting with fairly thin kale. (You will hear it hissing and popping while it is cooking. Don't worry; this is normal.)   Remove from oven, transfer kale crisps to a bowl, and enjoy.  [Note from Miriam at REAP:  My family can't get enough of these!] See the rest of the 2007 Food for Thought Festival winning recipes at Recipe Contest Winners. (Back to top)

REAP Wish List: Quilters and Office Space

This will be a new piece in the REAP Reporter--a place to let you know some of REAP's needs.  Sometimes it may be volunteer needs or equipment.  Two items come to mind that we're sure some of you out there could help with.

1. Sewers and Quilters:  We're thinking that as part of the 10th annual Food for Thought Festival (next September) we'd love to raffle off a t-shirt quilt showcasing all the fun Food for Thought t-shirts through the years.  Anyone able to help make this a reality?

and

2.  REAP's growing fast and it's definitely time to get a real office.  Staff have been doing a remarkable job keep things going out of home offices but just imagine how great we'll be if we can actually see each other every day.  Budget is tight, of course, but if anyone has any leads on some nice space somewhat centrally located in Madison, we'd sure love to hear about it.

Please email your ideas on the quilt project or available office space to info@reapfoodgroup.org

Check Out REAP's New 
On-Line Store

Buy Fresh Buy Local 
tote bags and bumper stickers 
and Food for Thought T-shirts 
can now be ordered on-line. 
Click Here to order.