Brenda Carus

Good food.  Good conversation.  Good music.  Any regular reader know that I love all three, so I am excited about the community picnic series beginning this week.

This week starts the first of a three-part series of free community picnics. “Stirring the Pot: Dialogue, Discussion and Dinner in the Dairyland,” is sure to be an engaging and fun forum for area residents to gather and learn more about creating a healthy, green and sustainable local food system.

Come sit on the Monroe Arts Center lawn on a blanket and enjoying your picnic. Watch area chefs share secrets for cooking fresh, tasty dishes. Wander over to the MAC parking lot area enjoy local music and various activities to prompt discussion about food.

This first picnic on Wednesday, June 17 features a spring theme, with discussion focused on the theme “Roots and Seeds of Spring,” prompting discussion around how our food experiences and memories shape our attitudes today. On July 15, the second picnic will take place with a “Summer Abundance” theme. The final picnic is on August 19 and turns to fall harvest perspectives. National humanities experts Dr. Steve Stevenson and Kathy Ruf will be on hand to share their perspectives working in the areas of preserving family farms and encouraging local food systems.

The “Stirring the Pot” picnics all start at 5:30 pm, following the Wednesday Monroe Farmers’ Market. The upcoming June 17 event will kick-off with demonstrations by Blackhawk Technical College’s Chef Mark Olson, who will be demonstrating Goat Cheese and Oven-Dried Tomato Strudel showcasing local Green County raised and produced items. Steph Culberson of The Goosechaser Farm in Blanchardville will then share her technique and tips for making spätzli, the traditional Swiss egg noodle dish.

No reservation is needed. For those with disabilities who need table seating, call Cara Carper, UW-Extension (608-328-9441, cara.carper@ces.uwex.edu). Please bring your own picnic and blanket or lawn chairs and help reduce waste at this event by bringing reusable dishware. The event will be held inside the Monroe Arts Center in case of rain. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer and help with these events, please contact Cara as well.

If you are still looking for something fun and different to do this weekend, may I suggest tomorrow's Lambs and Lettuces Festival at Circle M Farm?

Circle M is a sustainable market farm about thirty minutes northwest of Monroe. The owner, Kriss Marion, has become well known for her blog on farm life. Honest, frank and frankly funny sometimes, the blog features everything from "pigwatch" for a birthing sow to CSA share updates.

Circle M offers CSA shares (though they are full for the 2009 season), sustainable meats, and Maid Marion woolen goods. If you want a taste of farm life itself, they will arrange for you to spend a day or two on their farm, working and learning.

If you would rather just come hang out on a farm for a while and see the animals and fields, consider attending their Lambs and Lettuces Festival tomorrow, Saturday. Many of our area market farmers know that people like to come out, visit and ask questions. The farmers enjoy it, as a general rule, but unexpected visits are hard to accommodate due to the realities of farm life and the work involved. For this reason, many of these farmers offer open houses days like the Lambs and Lettuces Festival. (Stay tuned for more information on an open house day at Inn Serendipity on July 11, coming in a future blog post.)

The festival begins at noon. Throughout the afternoon there will be demonstrations and activities. Learn about horse grooming or felting, watch a demonstration of shearing or spinning. MooGrass, a local bluegrass band, takes the stage about 4:30 pm, and there will be a community potluck dinner around 7, so bring your favorite local foods dish to pass. Stay for a bonfire and knitting circle after dinner as night falls. The stars look different out in the country, so come, sit and dance and enjoy an afternoon and evening on the farm.

The farm store will also be open. They offer yarns along with wool for felting and spinning. Bring the cooler along and pick up some sustainably raised meat.

Circle M is about 40 minutes southwest of Madison or about 45 minutes northwest of Monroe at 1784 County Road H, Blanchardville, WI. RSVP is not necessary, but feel free to call 608-523-4341 for directions or more information.

Good times don't need to cost anything, and Lambs and Lettuces is a free festival. Donations are accepted if you wish, but Circle M is also giving back with a 10% discount on their meats in the farm store. Come and spend some time in an old fashioned way - talking with people and enjoying the outdoors. Community is a good thing.

All Rights Reserved. Photographed in Monroe, WI June, 2009

Time for another great weekend here in Cheese Country!

~ Come Downtown on Thursday evening for the first Concert on the Square of the summer. Horsefeathers takes the stage at about 6:30. There is still time to book a boxed supper from Cafe Claudeen, Turner Hall or Garden Deli.

~ Young Professionals, come join me as I take the YPs of Green County on a tour of a local home. I will be talking as an EcoBroker about green home ownership, specifically environmental features that make sense for every home owner.

~ Stop in at The Green Door between noon and 7 pm on Thursday for their summer entertaining open house event. Stop in before you come to the Concert on the Square. Have some nibbles, browse the entertainment collections, chat with Judy and Nancy.

~ Chicago Ave in Downtown Freeport is the site for Music on Chicago, featuring oldies music in the historic Downtown area.

~ On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, New Glarus hosts the Roger Bright Polkafest. What kind of polka do you do? Skip your workout and come dance. The polka is more of a workout than an elliptical machine, plus it is a lot more fun!

~ If you prefer activity on the water, Canoe Fest begins on Thursday in Darlington and runs through Sunday. This event, in its 43rd year now, features canoe races, a parade, fireworks show, outdoor concerts and more.

~ Spice it up a little at the Pedal/Paddle. The Lena Park District sponsors this day of outdoor activity on the Jane Addams Trail and Pecatonica River. Bike 8.25 miles on the trail, then hop into a canoe or kayak for an 8.35 mile flotilla on the river. Worried you aren't up to the challenge? There will be a sag wagon and pontoon to help if you need a break. $20 if you have your own canoe, $30 if you need to rent. Call 815-369-5351 to register.

~ The New Glarus Brewing Company officially opens their Hilltop Facility for tours on Saturday, June 13. The grand opening takes place all day from 10 am until 5 pm. The Jimmys will be on hand to play R&B, so sit and stay a while.

~ Monroe Theatre Guild Youth Choir will perform their first concert on Sunday at 7 pm at the Stage Building in Monroe.

~ Get your picnic baskets ready! The first "Stirring the Pot: Dialogue, Discussion and Dinner in Dairyland" picnic happens on the lawn of the MAC following the Farmers Market on Wednesday, June 17. Guest chefs take the stage at 5:30 with a community picnic dinner and discussions following. There will be three picnics total, one in each June, July and August, sponsored by the group working to bring the Community Commercial Kitchen to Green County.

Bring the canoe, load up the lawn chair! See you around town!

The summer heat is a treat after the cold of winter. If you give your body time to adjust naturally to the heat, 85 or even 90 degree days can be enjoyable even without high air conditioning bills. Our grandparents knew the basics:

• Close blinds and curtains on the east side of your home in the morning and on the west side of your home in the afternoon. This will reduce the amount of solar gain - the energy of the sun entering your home and heating it up. An awning over southern windows can substitute for deep eaves, giving your home shade over these windows and reducing the solar energy coming into them.
  
• For the long term, deciduous trees planted to block southern or western afternoon sun can help tremendously. The leaves will fall off in winter, allowing for solar gain in the months where we need it the most.
  
• Turn off lights in rooms that you are not using.
  
• Open your windows as the evening cools; close them again in the morning. This traps the cool night air in your home, helping it stay cooler all day long.
  
• Keep doors closed as much as possible during the day. It is the same principle as keeping the refrigerator closed as much as possible during a power outage.
  
• Use fans to keep the air in your home moving. A fan in an occupied room can make it feel a little cooler. Another option is a whole house fan or attic fan to draw the hot air out of the top of the house. Two of our sellers have these installed in their homes (Monroe and Freeport) and rave about the efficacy.
  

If you are using central air or a window air conditioner

• Clean the filter on a regular basis.
  
• Do not block the flow of air from the window unit or central air vents with furniture. Also be sure to keep the air return grills clear.
  
• Keep the thermostat set at 78 degrees or higher. Each degree higher reduces your summer heating costs by about 7%.
  
• When it is time to replace an older air conditioning unit, look for high-efficiency units with higher SEER ratings.

Summer cooling can be as expensive at winter heating. A few small steps can help reduce your energy consumption and lower your energy bills tremendously.