Edible Antics - Having Fun With Food

5 Fun Facts About Wisconsin Cheesemakers

Wisconsin cheesemakers have been hard at work in America's Dairyland for over 160 years, so there are more than a few fun facts and stories about how they make their cheese. Here are five of my favorites! 

1. Holland's Family Cheese - The cheesemakers at Holland's Family Cheese insist that their cows sleep on soft bedding and get cooled off with fans in the summer. The more pampered the cow, the better the cheese! They must be on to something because 6-9 month aged gouda from Holland's Family Cheese won Grand Champion at the 2013 World Championship Cheese Contest. 

2. Cedar Grove Cheese- Cedar Grove takes special care to ensure that the cheesemaking process doesn't harm the environment, so they created what they call a "Living Machine". It's a greenhouse that uses microbes and plants to cleanse the water used in cheesemaking so it can be safely released back into the ecosystem.

3. Carr Valley Cheese- Master Cheesemaker Sid Cook comes up with new cheese creations for Carr Valley Cheese. On busy work days he sometimes puts a chocolate bar on his Swiss cheese sandwich. This crazy lunch inspired him to create Cocoa Cardona cheese- a creamy white cheese dusted with cocoa powder. 

4. Babcock Hall Dairy- The Babcock Hall Dairy plant at the University of Wisconsin-Madison was built in 1951, which makes it the oldest university dairy building in the United States. 

5. Hook's Cheese - When you think of cheese, you probably don't think of romance, unless you are Tony and Julie Hook of Hook's Cheese Company. They were college sweethearts and have been making world famous aged cheddar together since 1976.

You can shop for all of the gourmet cheeses mentioned here online at Wisconsinmade.com. Some of them aren't available for shipping during the summer months, but with so many cheeses and cheese assortments to choose from, you are sure to find the perfect cheese gift. 

Wisconsin's Favorite Grilling Foods

Grilling season is upon us, so fire up those grills because cookout season is here! We have a few must-have Wisconsin grilling foods to make your barbeque, cookout or party this summer an event to remember.

We have over 25 varieties of bratwurst for you to choose from including beer brats, Sheboygan brats, cheddar brats and many authentic German style bratwursts.  We also have a fine selection of beef steaks for those hearty beef lovers you will be grilling for. To accompany those steaks and brats we have some special grilling sauces to make them even tastier.

Bratwurst – Brats are Wisconsin’s number one grilling food. Some of the best bratwursts in Wisconsin come from Bavaria Sausage Kitchen, a Madison, Wisconsin establishment that creates old world, German style sausages. People say they taste just like the real deal in Germany. If you can’t make it to Madison to try them, the helpful folks at Wisconsinmade.com will have some shipped anywhere in the continental USA.

 

Barbeque Grilling Sauces – Wisconsin is also home to the barbeque grilling experts Mad Dog and Merrill. This duo of “Grillologist” hosts a show called Midwest Grill’n, and have their own line of sauces, marinades, and even a cookbook. A Mad Dog and Merrill gift set is the perfect gift for the start of grilling season. You will find grilling recipes and tips.

 

 

Gourmet Hot Dogs – Gourmet hot dogs are a big culinary trend right now. Be sure to start out with a quality hot dog like Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Wieners then top it with out-of-the-box ingredients like special relishes, pickled onions, or gourmet mustards.

 

 

 

Beef Steaks - These exceptional hand-selected filet mignon steaks are cut from the heart of the Tenderloin, and are known for their unsurpassed flavor and consistency. Each filet mignon steak is carefully aged by Neesvig’s and quick-frozen to retain every drop of juiciness, and flavor. Each extra trim filet mignon is a 4 oz. steak -- your choice of 4 steaks or 8 steaks

5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Wisconsin Food

1. Wisconsin ranks 3rd in potato production in the USA.  In fact, Wisconsin grows the most potatoes of any state East of the Mississippi according the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Grower's Association. 

2. The first ice cream sundae was dished up in Two Rivers, Wisconsin.  According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, a regular customer came to a soda fountain and asked if he could have some chocolate sauce (usually reserved only for sodas) on top of his ice cream scoop. The shop's owner thought he was crazy, but once he tried it he liked it so much that he started selling the concoction for five cents, and the sundae was born! 

3. Studies show that eating cheese can help prevent tooth decay. We all know that eating sugary foods can cause tooth decay and cavities, but did you know cheese has the opposite effect? Studies show that eating cheese can help reduce the buildup of acids that damage your teeth. Yet another reason to enjoy some Wisconsin cheese! 

4. Wisconsin is home to the world's only Master Meat Crafter program. You may have heard of a Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker, but every year the University of Wisconsin Meat Science laboratory trains a group of Master Meat Crafters. Applicants must have at least five years of experience in the meat industry to apply. Check out my blog post about the first group of Master Meat Crafters. 

5. Cranberries don't grow in water. You've seen the cranberry commercials with the two guys standing around in a cranberry bog, so you probably guessed that cranberries grow in water. Not so! They actually grow on vines that are low to the ground, then the growers flood the fields so the cranberries will float to the top for easy harvesting! 

For more Wisconsin food facts, check out my 100 Wisconsin Food Facts blog post!