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.

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!

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.

Get Your Licks In!

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 (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 browse those collections!

Photo courtesy of UW-Madison University Communications

Dairy Month

June has long been designated Dairy Month. In order to savor the bounty from dairy producers, the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board has posted a calendar of events at its site, statistics, and a request form for its free Traveler’s Guide, Cheese Map!

If you are interested, though, in history and status of the dairy industry, there are a variety of resources available, including the following listed below, that supply more comprehensive treatment.

The Centennial issue of Journal of Dairy Science (April 2006) features a selection of the “Major Advances in Dairy Science in the Last Twenty-Five Years”

(Full-text to this volume can be accessed by running a journal title search using the Find It form).

The Rise of Dairy Farming, Turning Points in Wisconsin History, Wisconsin Historical Society

Rethinking Dairyland (leaflets and discussion papers), Agricultural & Applied Economics

Status of Wisconsin Agriculture (annual outlook reports), Agricultural & Applied Economics

Understanding Dairy Markets (data and news), Dairy Marketing and Risk Management

Championship Cheese

The 2008 World Championship Cheese Contest was held at the Monona Terrace, March 11-13, hosted by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association. An international panel of 22 judges presented awards in 79 cheese (and butter) classes (cow’s milk classes—cheddar, colby…; goat’s milk classes—soft, flavored… etc.).

View all results by class; view top three winners in each class.

World Champion
Le Gruyere Switzerland
Made by Michael Spycher, Kaserei Fritzenhaus, Wasen, Switzerland

First Runner-Up
Gorgonzola
Made by CERPL Cheesemakers, CERPL for DCI Cheese Co., Bologna, Italy

Second Runner-Up
Emmentaler
Made by Bernhard Naf, Kaserei Guntershausen, Guntershausen, Switzerland