 The businesses in downtown De Pere have rotated in and out over the years even since my arrival– but now is a time of growth and change. Multiple new businesses have started up this summer, and the latest among them is Voyageurs Bakehouse’s third location: right on Broadway in Tazza’s previous location. I welcome the change as a De Pere resident that so often forgets to drop by the Green Bay location after the farmers’ market. I’ve forgotten it so often in fact that I have never stepped foot in one of their brick and mortar locations as much as I have wanted to do so. There was always an excuse. ‘Oh, I can just get a loaf at the farmer’s market.’ or ‘Oh, they’re probably selling the same things as the farmers’ market stand anyhow.’ Neither of these excuses matched the reality that I encountered once I walked into the doors of the new location.
Every table was full of excited visitors enjoying breakfast at the start of their day. The sourdough loaves I most often associate with the business were proudly displayed along the wall above the cash register while their smaller confections were in a glass case for me to stare at longingly while I awaited my turn in line. Croissants, cinnamon rolls, little cakes, and tartlets. There was even a menu of sandwiches available from the kitchen.
I took it easy on this visit by choosing two croissants and a cinnamon roll to take home with my car full of farmers’ market goodies, but what I saw on the tables of happy customers gives me hope for the sandwiches coming out of the kitchen on their very own sourdough. I’ll certainly be back to try out the sandwiches, but in the meantime, all the things that I loved about Voyageurs are a little closer than they used to be. You can make a visit of your own Monday through Saturday between 8 am and 2 pm and pick up some of their delicious goodies for yourself. If you get your hands on one of their sandwiches before I make it back, comment below and let me know how it was!
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 Last Wednesday, I ventured out of my home kitchen to join the folks from Adam’s Heirlooms– whom you all know I love– and Sweet Willow Wellness– who frankly deserves more of my patronage– for a two hour class on one of Adam’s Heirlooms’ flagship products, Shrubs. The word shrub may conjure up ideas of tiny bushes, but this is certainly not that kind of shrub. Drinking vinegars are making an active resurgence.
From mocktails to sparkling waters, appetizers to desserts, Dianna and Rebecca showed us all some marvelous ways to use the shrub concentrates in our homes. There is so much more to it than adding a teaspoon or two to a glass of water and calling it a day, and all ten varieties that Dianna sells at the farmers’ markets on Saturday mornings were put to use in one way or another right before my eyes. What I got was not what I expected when I signed up for the class, I’ll be honest. I love pretty much everything that comes from the folks at Adam’s Heirlooms, so I signed up out of loyalty more than anything. I like the shrubs, but I did not buy them very often prior to this class. The few times I had was usually to share them with visitors and have them experience some of the things I enjoyed in Green Bay as a treat to mix in some ice cold water after a long walk in Titletown.
There’s a rumor out there that Dianna will be doing more classes at Sweet Willow in the future, and I highly encourage you to consider them when they are announced. I will share them when a formal announcement is made.
I have a few class inspired recipes on the horizon that I am excited to share. In the meantime, look at all of these pictures! Consider visiting Sweet Willow in De Pere and the folks at Adam’s Heirlooms at the Saturday Farmers’ Market. You can have your own small tasting experience at the Farmers’ Market before choosing a shrub to take home for yourself. The folks at the market always have sampling options mixed into some cold water during the warmer months and warm during the cooler ones.
This early in the season in Northeast Wisconsin sometimes sees a smaller number of choices with the cold often holding off growing season up here longer than most other parts of the country, but it’s been warm this year. I fully expected to see items in the stalls that I wouldn’t normally see in Green Bay until later in June. For that reason, I decided to spend most of my time during this market with my old favorites.
This was unfortunately the kind of Saturday morning where I needed to walk right past Cold Climate Farms. They always have a line forming first thing in the morning, and even after some time browsing other stalls, they still had a significant line waiting to purchase with them. This is an opportunity for me to put my attention elsewhere, and it's an opportunity I can’t let pass. I found many similarities in the available produce this time of year compared to last year– the choices are much more limited this soon than they will be in even two weeks. There was, however, an abundance of early season alliums to sample. Green garlic has already come, and I wonder if we’ve missed our window for garlic scapes. I’ll find out in a few short weeks, as I often don’t see scapes for sale until later in June. Even if that window has passed, I did manage to get my hands on a bundle of chive blossoms– a treat I have never tried before. Green onion with a strong, purple bulb. Green Garlic. Chive blossoms– these were the mixed wares I left with from Adam’s Heirlooms and Full Circle Community Farm. Asparagus was available at almost every grower’s stall, and I suspect that will remain the same next week. Next weekend will be asparagus weekend for me, as I entered this week with two very specific goals: I needed Irish bacon, and I needed ramps. Ramps were unfortunately not with any of the vendors on site that I’ve seen in the past. This could be another growing season issue. It’s been so warm this year that my expectations will surely be tested every week. At least I got my Irish bacon and my wide selection of alliums to enjoy with a sliced loaf of Breadsmith Sourdough. This year, we are embarking on a true Market Meals Segment where the main ingredients of a dish must come from our local Farmers’ Markets here in Green Bay. As this week’s meals are finished, this article will be updated with links to the recipes I created. I love ours Farmers’ Markets in Green Bay, and if I can convince even one reader to visit based on a meal I cook, then I consider it an honor to send them to our local farmers.  Finding some of my favorite farmer’s market vendors in the offseason can be difficult, but many of them keep their own storefronts open year round. Breadsmith of Green Bay is one of them. While some of their products are available in our local grocery stores, I recently decided to stop into their storefront on Holmgren Way to see what they have available in the dead of winter. I didn’t know what to expect. The parking lot is usually empty given how close it is to the Epic Event Center. There’s nothing going on at Epic in the hours that I stop into the mall adjacent area of Green Bay. That chilly Saturday morning, Breadsmith had their pepperoni loaf as their special. They advertise these specials on the chalkboard that they set outside the doors first thing in the morning, and it is specials like this that don’t wind up in our grocery stores. They have different special breads each day, all of which are advertised ahead of time on their social media. Likewise, you can’t get the Cheddar Sourdough that I grabbed for myself that morning to enjoy throughout the rest of the week.
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