A Change of Scene

Yes, I've left not-so-sunny California and moved back to Wisconsin! I arrived here last Monday and I've slowly been getting myself accustomed to life in this snowy state. This is the house I moved into on Madison's "Near South" side. I'm sharing it with my younger brother who's a grad student at the University.

...and here's the view from my kitchen window the day after I arrived. Definitely a change of scenery from the lush green forests of Northern California! I'm enjoying the snow - it's so beautiful! It's been a particularly harsh winter here, lots of snow and cold weather. There's a high of 2 tomorrow and -2 on Thursday. That's some of the coldest weather predicted in the past 10 years! Ouch!!

...and to complete the tour: here's my new kitchen! My brother rigged up a nice lighting system for optimal food-photography. It's an electric stove, but I managed to live with one in California, so I imagine I can do it again. I so much prefer cooking with gas!

My mom and I went to the indoor winter farmer's market on Saturday. It was extremely crowded - a good sign! There was none of the lovely salad mix, kale, and chard that's in season still in California, but there was lots of other tasty stuff. I got a bunch of root vegetables: potatoes, carrots, little baby turnips, parsnips, sweet potatoes, plus some buffalo summer sausage, and a half gallon of freshly pressed unpasteurized apple cider. My mom bought a $5 stewing chicken to make soup for Sunday's dinner. That's a pretty good haul for January!

At the Co-op (Willy Street) I found local savoy cabbages for sauerkraut (more on that later!) eggs, cheese, honey, and milk. At the Yahara River Grocery Co-op I found lots of great local meat: I settled on a package of beef stew meat and some ground lamb - both rather economical but tasty.

It's nice to be back in the dairy state! I'm looking forward to the drastic change in my food landscape - cooking locally here in the winter will be a challenge compared to California, but it's a challenge I'm excited about! I'm determinded not to give in and buy California produce if I can possibly help it. The only things I've indulged in so far are some lacinato kale and a 5lb box of satsuma mandarins from Johansen Ranch in Orland. I know Rich Johansen, so I figured it would be ok to splurge on his mandarins.....

My great-grandmother taught school in a one room schoolhouse not far from here - she would ride her horse to school.....I find myself wondering what she ate in the winters in her girlhood.....
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