Summer Reading, Road Trips

On the road again!

UW-Madison Libraries are looking for your recommendations about great reads!  This week, post your favorite "road trip" read on the Libraries’ Facebook page to be entered into a drawing for a $25.00 UW Bookstore gift card.

Keep visiting our sites.  Throughout the summer, the Libraries will be making additional calls for your recommendations about great summer reading themes.

June is Dairy Month!

As temperatures climb, (particularly later this week) what better way to beat the heat than to pick up some ice-cream from the Babcock Dairy Store?!

Conveniently located in our neighborhood (1605 Linden Drive), the Dairy Store supplies its signature ice-cream (standard and feature flavors), milk, cheese and other treats. Additionally, a deli-counter prepares coffee, breakfast and lunch items.

Enjoy your break and we will see you back at the library (where, incidentally, we have books on ice-cream production and its culinary use).

Ask us for assistance should you wish to discover those collections!

Summer Reading

What have you been reading lately?

UW-Madison Libraries are looking for your recommendations about great reads!  This week (by Friday), post your favorite beach-worthy read on the Libraries’ Facebook page and be entered into a drawing for a $25.00 UW Bookstore gift certificate.

Stay tuned.  Throughout the summer, the Libraries will be making a call for more suggestions on various summer reading themes.

Life on the Farm

Plan a visit to Old World Wisconsin, this summer, to experience Life on the Farm--in 19th Century style!  Costumed interpreters will introduce visitors to the Kruegers who emigrated from Pomerania to Dodge County, Wisconsin in 1851. In addition to meeting the family, visitors will be able to lend a hand to some of the daily farm chores.

The Kruegers carefully documented their farm experience in photos, assorted papers, and stories.  Today, that collection of materials is maintained by the Wisconsin Historical Society Archives.  The family’s story has also been chronicled in the book Six Generations Here: A Farm Family Remembers by Marjorie L. McLellan, Wright State University.  Find the book in campus libraries.

Explore online and plan your visit to Old World Wisconsin.

Dirty Dozen Redux

When is it a good idea to consider purchasing organic produce?

According to the staff with the Environmental Working Group, you may wish to splurge (that is, buy organic) on those produce items that bear a heavy pesticide burden when grown using contemporary "conventional" methods.

In tough economic times, it may not always be possible to shop organic 100% of the time, therefore one strategy is to pick and choose your food products wisely using such tools as the Dirty Dozen (Plus) and Clean 15 Shopper’s Guide.

The Dirty Dozen (Plus) for 2012 (buy these organic)

1.  Apples

2.  Celery

3.  Sweet bell peppers

4.  Peaches

5.  Strawberries

6.  Nectarines-imported

7.  Grapes

8.  Spinach

9.  Lettuce

10.  Cucumbers

11.  Blueberries-domestic

12.  Potatoes

Plus

Green beans

Kale/Greens 

The Clean 15 for 2012 (lowest in pesticides when grown conventionally)

1.  Onions

2.  Sweet Corn

3.  Pineapples

4.  Avocado

5.  Cabbage

6.  Sweet peas

7.  Asparagus

8.  Mangoes

9.  Eggplant

10.  Kiwi

11.  Cantaloupe-domestic

12.  Sweet potatoes

13.  Grapefruit

14.  Watermelon

15.  Mushrooms

Eat Locally...For Less!

Go where the locovores go and benefit REAP in the process by using a selection of coupons to area restaurants and vendors.  The REAP Coupon Book is the "must have" item for Madison-area food lovers who enjoy saving on items purchased from farmers’ market vendors, restaurants and shops.

The coupon book can be purchased at the REAP office for $10.00 or ordered online for $12.00 (includes postage/handling).  All proceeds from the sale of coupon books serve to benefit REAP programming. To learn more, visit the REAP Food Group site.

Organic Agriculture in Wisconsin, Status 2012

The 2012 Status Report for Wisconsin’s organic producers states that "Wisconsin boasts the second largest number of organic farms in the U.S., ranks first among the states for the number of organic dairy and beef farms, and is third in the nation for organic vegetable farms."

Given these auspicious figures, do consult the report for a full accounting of this sector, its challenges and future.  The report has been prepared by staff and associates with the UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems(CIAS) and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection(DATCP).

Organic Agriculture in Wisconsin: 2012 Status Report (PDF)
Authors: Erin Silva, Laura Paine, Matt Barnidge, Cris Carusi and Ruth McNair