Blow off some Steam!

Take a study break with us.  Free, coffee (hot) and lemonade (cold) will be available Saturday, May 10 through Tuesday, May 13 beginning at 7:00 PM (while supplies last).  The beverage service, located in our vending area on the first floor is provided by University Housing in cooperation with Steenbock Library.

During the day (Monday, May 12-Friday May 16), Steenbock will also have bubble-blowing equipment available for use on our front deck.

For a list of extended library hours and finals week activities at the various campus libraries, visit the special, "#studystrong" pages.

We wish you the best for a successful finals week and end of term.

Where the Locovores go...

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 a "must have" item for Madison-area food lovers who enjoy saving on items purchased from area farmers’ market vendors, restaurants and shops.

The coupon book can be purchased at the REAP Food Group office for $10.00, ordered online, or from participating area groceries, Coops.  Proceeds from the sale of coupon books serve to benefit the Buy Fresh, Buy Local program. To learn more, visit the REAP Food Group site.

AWA Breakfast on the Farm (Apr 27)

The annual Breakfast on the Farm will be served Sunday, April 27 from 8:00 AM until noon at the campus Stock Pavilion (1675 Linden Drive). Breakfast will include hearty fare with ice cream for dessert.

Tickets can be purchased at the door; $7 for adults, $5 for seniors (65+), $5 for students (K-UW) and $3 for children (5 years and younger). A dollar discount will be granted from the price of breakfast with a donation of three canned-food items. All donations will go to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin.

This event, sponsored by the Association of Women in Agriculture, includes an educational area, petting zoo, and entertainment.

Come hungry; stay for the fun!

See other CALS Week Events here.

All Campus Party (Apr 22-27)

Each spring, the Wisconsin Alumni Association and the Alumni Student Board (WASB) team up with student organizations, University departments, area businesses and national corporations to sponsor the All-Campus Party.

Check out the week of events that include opportunities to enjoy free food and entertainment, outdoor recreation, and contests (with awesome prizes).

Edible Book Festival, 2014

'Have your cake and read it, too' with the annual Edible Book Festival! The festival, which is free and open to the public, will be held, Thursday, April 10.  Stop in to Memorial Library, Room 116 between 11:00 AM until 4:30 PM in order to browse and vote for your favorites; there will be reception (with cake other than the entries!) from 4:00 - 5:30 PM.

As part of the fun, the Libraries encourage all aspiring "food artists", (bakers and book enthusiasts) to participate by crafting their own edible books. An edible book is an entry made of edible materials, with the subject pertaining to books in shape or content. In the past, those participating have worked with cake, Jell-O, cheese, matzo, pretzels and more.  

If you are interested in contributing an "edible book", please complete and return the application form found on the festival page.  The festival page also supplies information about the prize categories and festival sponsors and judges.  The deadline for submitting this application form is Monday, April 7, 2014.

Find inspiration from Steenbock collections.  Ask your librarians for assistance browsing the cookbook collection for cake baking and decorating!

Take your Study Break with Us!

As a special treat to cheer you and to warm you up for finals week, Steenbock Library and University Housing are partnering to provide FREE hot chocolate and coffee!!! 

The hot beverages will be served from Saturday, December 14 through Tuesday, December 17 starting at 7:00 PM and continuing while supplies last.  Look for the service on the first floor (vending area) of the library.  Other finals week events will be posted to the Libraries site.

We wish you a successful end of term!

Takes a Licking!

As temperatures climb, what better way to beat the heat than to pick up some ice-cream from the Babcock Dairy Store?! Conveniently located in our neighborhood, the Dairy Store supplies its signature ice-cream (standard, feature and super-premium 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).  Run a search in the catalog or ask your librarians for assistance should you wish to browse these titles from our collections.

Photo courtesy of University Communications.

Liberry Lit

One of my fondest of summer memories, and yet a great pleasure, is the berry harvest--strawberries and raspberries--fresh from the garden.

While easily consumed with a sprinkle of sugar, there are endless other berry applications suitably-detailed in selections from our cookbook collection. Check out a few today--fresh-prep or preserved!

Selected titles from the collection follow below (and do visit our Pinterest page). 

Should you be interested in cultivating your own berry patch or other small fruit, consult with our librarians to find titles from our collection and look for publications from the Cooperative Extension.

Title: Fruit Recipes: A Manual of the Food Value of Fruits and Nine Hundred Different Ways of Using Them

Title: Berry Lovers Cook Book

Title: The Great Lakes Berry Book: A Complete Guide to Finding, Harvesting, and Preparing Wild Berries and Fruits in the Great Lakes

Title: The Wild Berry Book: Romance, Recipes, and Remedies

Title: How to Dry Fruits and Vegetables at Home, and 50 Good Recipes for Cooking with Them

Title: Preserving Summer's Bounty: A Quick and Easy Guide to Freezing, Canning, Preserving and Drying What You Grow

Blow off some Steam!

Take a study break with us.  Free, coffee (hot) and lemonade (cold) will be available Saturday, May 11 through Tuesday, May 14 beginning at 7:00 PM (while supplies last).  The beverage service, located in our vending area on the first floor is provided by University Housing in cooperation with Steenbock Library.

During the day (Monday, May 13-Friday May 17), Steenbock will also have bubble-blowing equipment available for use on our front deck from where you can also hang-out on our new patio furniture as the weather improves this week.

For a list of extended library hours and finals week activities at the various campus libraries, visit the special, "Study Strong" pages.

The staff from Steenbock Library and University Housing wishes you the best for a successful finals week and end of term.

Farm Fresh Atlas, 2013

The 2013 edition of the Southern Wisconsin Farm Fresh Atlas has been released! Pick up your copy from any of several university and area locations, including Steenbock Library (look for stacks at our service desks).

Use the Atlas to locate farms, markets and restaurant partners who bring you fresh, area-grown produce and food products. Do note that many of the area growers welcome visitors with special events, u-pick options, hay-rides and tours.

Should you be looking for options apart from the southern Wisconsin area, consult the site for Wisconsin Farm Fresh Atlases or nationally, using the Local Harvest site.

Nourish the links between land and table!  Learn more about the REAP Food Group!

Edible Book Festival, 2013

'Have your cake and read it, too' with the annual Edible Book Festival! The festival, which is free and open to the public, will be held, Tuesday, April 16 from 4:00-6:00 PM (Memorial Library Commons, Room 460).

As part of the fun, the Libraries encourage all aspiring "food artists", (bakers and book enthusiasts) to participate by crafting their own edible books. An edible book is an entry made of edible materials, with the subject pertaining to books in shape or content. In the past, those participating have worked with cake, Jell-O, cheese, matzo and more.  This festival coincides with National Library Week.

If you are interested in contributing an "edible book", please complete and return the application form found on the festival page.  The festival page also supplies information about the prize categories and festival sponsors.  The deadline for submitting this application form is Tuesday, April 9, 2013.

Comments or questions? Please send email to the Edible Book Festival Committee.  

Pi Day, 3.14

Mathematicians, among others, observe Pi Day due to Pi being 3.14 (or extended as, 3.1415926535...) or otherwise, as March 14. While you could commemorate the occasion with some clever calculations, I suggest another formula. Check out some "pie" from Steenbock’s cookbook collection!

A few slices from the whole:

Author: Chattman, Lauren
Title: Icebox Pies: 100 Scrumptious Recipes for No-Bake, No-Fail Pies

Author: Clarkson, Janet, 1947-
Title: Pie: A Global History

Author: Cherkasky, Lisa, 1956-
Title: The Artful Pie: Unforgettable Recipes for Creative Cooks

Author: Olstein, Judi.
Title: Desserts: Pies, Cakes, Puddings, Tarts, Crêpes, Sorbets, Ice Cream & Cookies for the Sweet Tooth in All of Us

For assistance finding these and more from our cookbook collection, speak with your librarians.

FREE Hot Chocolate and Coffee!!!

As a special gift to cheer you up on finals week, Steenbock Library and University Housing are providing FREE hot chocolate and coffee!!! 

The beverages will be served from December 15 to December 18 starting at 7 p.m. and continuing while supplies last.

So, take a study break at Steenbock Library and enjoy a warm cup of hot chocolate or coffee!  Also, check out what other finals week events are going on at the other UW-Madison Libraries!

Food Day with Slow Food UW

Celebrate Food Day 2012 with Slow Food UW!  National Food Day (October 24), as conceived by CSPI and a coalition of leaders in the movement toward just and sustainable food-ways, presents an opportunity to appreciate a good meal and to engage with the issues and policies that speak to heath, hunger, and agricultural practice. 

Slow Food UW events include:

• Introductory remarks from Barlett Durand regarding products from Black Earth Meats as well as his involvement with Red Meat Market
• "Meet your Meat" spin board for prizes
• Information table and raffle with REthink Wisconsin to support its Farm Mobbing project
• Free samples from Bloom Bake Shop (bacon brownies and other treats--including options for vegetarians)
• Visit from Bucky Badger
• Free swag from the Office of Sustainability and We Conserve

When:  October 24 (11:30 AM - 2:00 PM)
Where: Slow Food UW Café (1127 University Avenue)

Eat Real!  Health + Sustainable + Affordable + Fair

Slow Food Cafe

Craving a delicious lunch?  If so, then mark your calendars for Wednesdays at the Slow Food Café!  The staff with the Café offers a selection of home-made, sweet and savory lunch items using ingredients sourced locally.  Lunches are served from 11:30 AM until 2:00 PM at the organization’s downstairs space in The Crossing, 1127 University Avenue.

Slow Food UW is non-profit organization run by students and volunteers committed to an appreciation of healthy and sustainable food-ways. Follow Slow Food UW on Twitter or Facebook.

Food for Thought Fest (Sept 15)

The 14th annual Food for Thought Festival, sponsored by the REAP Food Group, will celebrate healthy food traditions and the quest to eat pleasurably (of course!) and sustainably.

Saturday festival events will be held just off the Capitol Square on Martin Luther King Blvd. from 8:30 AM until 1:30 PM. Enjoy cooking demonstrations, information tables, tasty samples, activities and raffle prize opportunities.   
New this year will be a "Food Camp" where you can learn cheese-making, hoop-house construction, and what to do with all of your tomatoes, among other skills.  Click here to view the festival schedule.

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!

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.

Take a Break! Coffee, lemonade, popcorn!

The library will also host a generous donation from University Housing of coffee and lemonade during the evenings, (May 14-16; beginning at 7:00 PM, while supplies last).

Look for the beverage service on the first floor (vending area).  In addition to coffee and lemonade, Steenbock Library staff will supply an additional treat—popcorn!

For a list of extended library hours and finals week activities at the various campus libraries, visit the special, "StudyStrong" pages.

The staff from Steenbock Library and University Housing wishes you the best for a successful finals week and end of term.