I was perusing amazon.com and the book: Campfire Cookery: Adventuresome Recipes and Other Curiosities for the Great Outdoors
totally caught my eye. As a camp cooking aficionado, I love it when a new campfire cookbook comes out. When we go camping we usually lug the dutch oven, cooking grate, and propane gas stove to produce some of the finest eats you will ever find in any campground. I’ve ordered a copy of the book, so a full review will be pending our camping adventure over Labor Day weekend.

Bluegill Bar in Birchwood, WI

The tavern in Wisconsin plays an important social role in the State. The perfect tavern is warm and inviting, dimly lit, maybe with a worn bar top and ancient back bar. The barkeepers are gracious and the locals friendly. All over the State these little hole in the wall places still exist, although they are fading more rapidly than you could imagine. Photographer Carl Corey spent the last two years visiting taverns all over the state to create an illustrated document  of our disappearing tavern culture.

From the Milwauke Journal Sentinel:

It’s a world of neon lights and trophy deer, a bowling alley here and a pool table there, mirrors that shimmer and glasses that glisten, and overseeing it all, the owners and workers who toil to keep alive a business and a way of life.

The book is part document, part elegy.

“There is no doubt it will have to change or it will fade out,” Corey says of the tavern.

That’s a theme reflected upon in the book’s introduction by architectural historian Jim Draeger of the Wisconsin Historical Society. Draeger notes how “tavern culture helps define the Wisconsin experience.” These are family-owned gathering spots and “as a result, tavern owners have been staunchly individualistic, resisting attempts to standardize, franchise and homogenize their spaces.”

The book: Tavern League: Portraits of Wisconsin Bars is available from the University of Wisconsin Press.

Do you have a favorite local hangout in your community. Is there a tavern that you can call home?

Herbster, Wisconsin, population 104 and located on the southern shore of Lake Superior is one of the communities, along with 40 others in Wisconsin that could lose their post office if a bill makes it through congress authorizing their closure. The US Postal Service has drafted a plan to close hundreds of small post offices nationwide as a cost savings measure. But these closures can have a profound impact on the local community and economy.

From the Superior, (WI) Telegram

Herbster Town Supervisor Jane Bucy thinks closing rural branches could mean the end to many small towns.

“Oh, it’s the life of the community,” Bucy said. “We get a lot of elderly people here who are dependent upon it for medicines and things. They don’t get around very easily. Packages. I mean, it’s just the life of the community.”

Being on this list doesn’t mean that the post office will be closed. The US Postal Service will release a more definitive list in September and open it up to public to comment if an office should be left open or not.

Back again for another year is Sig Hansen of the Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch for the Great Northwoods Fish Fry Fest at the Lake of the Torches Casino in Lac du Flambeau.  The Great Northwoods Fish Fry Fest on Saturday and Sunday, August 13 -14 2011. Held at Lake of the Torches Casino. Saturday Noon – 8pm and Sunday 10am – 6pm. Free for all ages. Saturday from 1 – 6pm Sig Hansen and Sunday from 1 – 6pm The Hillstrand Brothers from the hit Discovery Channel series “Deadliest Catch”. Fish Fry Cooking Contest in 3 categories on Sunday. For a Best Fish Fry entry form go to lakeofthetorches.com.

Adult Bighead Carp

According to the Wisconsin DNR, anglers have caught a Bighead Carp near the Prairie du Sac Dam on the lower Wisconsin River. Also last month, evidence of Silver Carp DNA was found in a carp caught in the St Croix River in Western Wisconsin. This has state officials calling for the Federal governement to allocate funding to deal with the issue of invasive species in the Mississippi River System.

Silver Carp are known for their jumping behavior when startled by boaters and fishermen and are currently plaguing waterways in Illinois. The revelation of invasive carp species in Wisconsin waters is worrisome, but as of late, none of fish caught have made it past barriers such as dams, nor have any young fish been found or shown signs of reproducing.

According to the Wisconsin DNR:

“High water levels on the Mississippi River are enabling more Asian carp to move farther into Wisconsin waters,” says Bob Wakeman, who coordinates Department of Natural Resources efforts to prevent and control the spread of aquatic invasive species.

“Their presence is not a big surprise because their numbers have grown tremendously in the lower Mississippi and Illinois river systems and stray fish have reached Wisconsin before. But it’s a big concern because of the potential damage they can do.

Bighead and Silver Carp eat plankton and put stress on native fish species as they overtake a fisheries. Anglers are advised if they catch a Silver or Bighead carp to photograph it, note where you caught it, put it on ice, and contact the local DNR office. Following the rules for preventing the spread of invasive fish species and fish disease such as VHS will go a long way towards limiting the Asian Carp species spread.

Today I cam across a flyer for a very interesting event happening this Sunday , August 14th, at Dillman’s Resort in Lac du Flambeau (a simply beautiful setting!):

Woodland Ways: 3rd Annual Benefit for Northwoods Niijii’s Woodland Indian Art Initiative. 

The schedule is:

3 pm – 5 pm - Demonstrations with Master Artists
Lac du Flambeau master artists demonstrate the Woodland arts of decoy carving, birch bark basketry, beading, hand drums and traditional flute-making. Also included will be a discussion about the  practice and preservation of Woodland Indian arts and culture.

5:15 – 6 pm Native American Flutist Wade Fernandez (Menominee Indian Nation)

6:30– 8 pm Traditional Ojibwe Feast and Native Arts Raffle
Local culinary master and Lac du Flambeau Tribal member Robyne Thompson will create a variety of traditional Ojibwe foods with contemporary twist. Mint tea, wild rice, fish, vegetables, berry desserts, and, of course,  fry bread.

Canned beer. Once the lowbrow staple of the beer world; beer in cans is now being accepted by many craft brewers as an excellent way to package and distribute their product. Cans have sever advantages, including lower cost, lighter weight, and protection from light. I really love beer in cans because they transport well in the cooler for picnics and weekend camping trips.

According to the Chicago Sun Times:

“There’s still that stigma of canned beer being crappy beer,” (Anthony) Norkus says. “Craft beer awareness has changed it a little, but it’s still there.”

Crappy canned beer is still there, too, but now it shares space on shelves and menus with great canned beer. According to craftcans.com, a database that keeps tabs on the canned craft beer trend, there are 132 craft brewers in 40 states currently canning beer or planning on doing so soon. There are 16 brewers canning beer in Colorado alone (totaling almost 50 distinct beers), and in California, eight breweries turn out almost 25 different canned beers.

One of my favorite brewers, Capital Brewery in Middleton, offers two beers in cans: Supper Club and Capitol Amber. Several Leinenkugel varieties are also available in cans. Next time you are looking for a beer that travels well, pass up the bottles and look for the can.

About the only thing in the State of Wisconsin that can trump supper club culture is tavern culture. Drinking and socializing is a long held tradition for the residents that derives from our German and Polish immigrants. but Tavern Culture is certainly not drinking to excess. Its about community, enjoying the company of others while imbibing in a refreshing beverage. If there is ever a tavern that exhibits community it would be Tom’s Burned Down Cafe in LaPointe, WI.

LaPointe is a small town located on Madeline Island in the Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior. Two miles off the coast of Bayfield, the island is accessible by ferry. LaPointe has a long and varied history ranging from Native American sacred grounds to fur trapping outpost, to summertime vacation spot. Fur and fishing are no longer economically viable for the community, so tourism is its biggest draw.

Click for more, including my favorite bloody mary recipe

Tom’s Burned Down Cafe is an electric mix of tourists and locals combined with political and philosophical messages scrawled over every solid bit of the bar. The cafe has burned down, not once but twice. Instead of closing up shop, though, the owners moved forward by erecting a giant canvas tarp over a makeshift bar. The open air feel is perfect for the island culture and affords benefits such as great views and skirting the regulations of the State’s smoking ban. Oh yeah, the place is also pet friendly, you’ll often see local dogs wandering around the bar. Most weekends in the summer you can find live entertainment and crowds packing the place, having a great time.

Tom’s features a wide selection of regional beers. Everything is in bottles, no taps at this place. I really enjoy drinking a Spotted Cow from New Glarus, one of the southernmost breweries in the state at the northernmost tavern in the state. How else can you make a connection like that but in Madeline Island.

Tom’s is open by 11:00am most days, and my favorite pre-lunch drink is the bloody mary. This bar has the best bloody marys I have ever tasted. They are spicy, but not overpowering. The bartenders don’t skimp on the alcohol, and the garnish is perfect. Instead of a ‘buffet in a glass’ that most taverns treat a bloody mary as, Tom’s prefers to give you a spicy dill pickle and pickled pepperoncini. My recommendation, two bloodys with a beer chaser and you are ready to tackle the day’s activities on the island.

I don’t have Tom’s bloody mary recipe, but this is how I make my bloodys when I’m back at home. It’s a good approximation to what Tom’s Burned Down Cafe serves.

Bloody Mary

• 2 jiggers vodka
• splash worcestershire
• splash red hot or tabasco
• celery salt
• Tomato Juice or V8 juice

Fill with ice a large pint glass or jar. Add vodka and other ingredients. Top with juice. Stir and garnish with pickle or celery.

What’s your favorite bloody mary bar in Wisconsin? Leave us a comment so we can check it out.

a Juneau county, WI highway worker came across a strange creature found dead at the side of the road last Monday. Almost completely hairless and about the size of a piglet, this creature looked like nothing he ever seen before.

According to WISC TV 3:

“It’s completely hairless — almost like leather,” Potter said. “It has a canine-like head and a fox- or dog-type head. The rear legs are coon-like. The tail is almost like an opossum.”

Potter, who is an avid hunter and outdoorsman, was left speechless. And he’s not alone.

“At first, I just thought it was a small piglet,” said Chuck Huschka, who saw the creature alive, running across his property in May. He said he only got a quick look before the mystery critter bolted.

University of Wisconsin researchers suggest that it could be a raccoon or fox with a severe case of mange. But others believe it could be the Chupacabra, a mythological creature from Mexico and Puerto Rico.

The animal is being preserved for further study.

Mysterious Creature Found In Juneau County; Channel 3000.com

Spotted Cow, Snowshoe Ale, and Fat Squirrel, You may know the the New Glarus brewing Company by their iconic names and down home labels. Founded in 1993, the brewery has led the craft beer charge, brewing some of the finest beer in the state. Deb Carey, founder of the brewery was just honored as the 2011 small business person of the year. Deb, along with her husband and master brewer Dan, run the brewery in the small town of New Glarus, just a few miles south of Madison, WI.

From the Wisconsin State Journal Q&A article:

“Drama du jour,” that’s what we call it. It’s a lifestyle. The thing that keeps me going? I really believe in my heart that I’m a game changer, and I’m making a difference. My employees have decent cars and decent houses and look forward to retirement. That’s important.

Read more: http://host.madison.com/wsj/business/article_42e46eb2-a4cc-11e0-b257-001cc4c03286.html#ixzz1R8dCzqK0