Author: Liz

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Summer Goals: Food

Seasoned travelers at extended stay vacation rentals know to ask us, “Got any recommendations?” As I started to list out my summer goals to share with our guests, it was quickly clear that multiple posts would help me manage the length. Here’s my first with food-inspired activities.

Paddle, Float and Picnic 

We like to paddle canoes and we also like to stop and take in the sky and the air and the particular way the water moves in that moment. I pack picnics like any good camper—sturdy and hearty. Wisconsin cheese makers consistently win the top competitions, but often skimp on the marketing. Their humility is our gain—affordable and delicious. Depending on my errand routing, I stop at Wild Berry and The Cheese Board.

Hit the Farmer’s Market

Friday mornings just south of town at the Minocqua Welcome Center, you can find farm-to-cabin produce, flowers and meats. We get through the summer and winter with maple syrup from one of the vendors, Northwoods Maple Farm. They added an old fashioned mixer that I want to try this year!

Sun Dry Wild Mushrooms

I’ve learned so much about Wisconsin mushroom hunting!  In the living room library, you’ll find books on where to look and their identifying features. To make summer last a bit longer, I started dehydrating our harvest last summer. When I feel lonesome for the Northwoods, I grind some up into a powder and add to meatballs or hamburgers.

Order a Meal Kit

Sometime I crave urban pleasures in Minocqua. This meal kit company, Meez Meals, is based in our winter hamlet and offers national delivery. They offer generous portions and flexible subscription options.

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Migration

Protected marsh

The sound of sandhill cranes is unlike any bird sound I’d previously known. And ubiquitous enough in our little corner of the Wisconsin Northwoods that I got more than curious. I got focused. I needed help trusting that I was hearing birds in the marsh and not a distant construction site.  A friend suggested this site, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  You can find audio loops of the various sounds a sandhill crane makes, making identification on-the-go possible.

Last fall, I heard their unmistakeable call overhead. Nov 21, to be exact, I was gardening and thought I was having a dissociative moment. I knelt in the dirt, turned off my podcast and waited. I heard them again. The sky is only available in tetris-shaped sizes where I live in the suburbs. With patience,  though, I eventually saw dozens of birds overhead, trailing their honking sounds. Our little rectangle of land is under the migration path! I was flooded with the joys of the near-wilderness.

Spring is here in the organized and orderly way that suburban life offers. I’m thinking of the marsh waking up with all its sounds and smells. When I go outside, I keep one earbud dangling to see if I can bridge the distance between wild and tame.

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Spring brings change

The lake shook off the ice coat last week. Like that, a completely new palette appeared. Two weeks ago, ducks glided purposefully into the small spots of open water. Now, they are liberated. They dive into the water like torpedos. Are they starving this time of year? Mallards have always seemed lazy and slow. Idyllically perched in some small marsh water, moving achingly slow like Sunday strollers. What gives?

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Oysters mushrooms!

Oyster mushrooms gathered nearby

I harvested my first wild mushrooms of 2019. I’m geeked over the whole adventure—the confirmation with my mushroom guide, putting on my waders, opening my pocket knife, treading carefully across the fallen log… and then I cooked them for dinner.

I learned afterwards from an online source that wild mushrooms soaked in salted water will scare out the bugs. Next time!