By Lesley Sauls and Glenda Winders
We were doing the "farmers market shuffle" in a counterclockwise path around the Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin, a walk permeated by the unmistakable aromas of ripe strawberries, fresh basil, scallions and cinnamon rolls emanating from the stalls of some 160 vendors. The Dane County Farmers Market is the only place in Wisconsin where people can purchase items on state property — but only produce. Across the street from the square, vendors participating in the city's farmers market peddle jewelry, clothes and artwork.
The two of us had come to Madison for a weekend visit, and the renowned market was high on our list of things to do. It began in 1972, long before the farm-to-table movement was popular, and it remains a place where locals can buy all of their groceries from Wisconsin vendors who raise the meats, grow the produce, gather the eggs and collect the milk to make cheeses they sell. We were staying in a hotel and unable to make full use of the bounty on offer, but being a part of the early morning throng was exhilarating.
"It's a unique opportunity to talk to the people who produce your food," said Bill Lubing, market manager. "It's a personal way of shopping."
We finished with the market just in time to join a free tour of the massive Capitol of Wisconsin — a National Historic Landmark. Our guide took us through meeting rooms, the state Supreme Court chambers and the state Senate, where we sat in the very seats where legislators make the laws that govern the people of Wisconsin. In the state Assembly room legislators are not so willing to have commoners in their seats, so we stood behind the distinguished leather chairs to learn the history of that room.
The enthusiastic young guide was eager to tell us some of the Wisconsin Capitol's most colorful stories. We learned from him that in February 1904 a fire broke out, but a new state-of-the-art fire extinguishing system was down for maintenance and unable to quell the spread of blaze. The frozen lakes flanking the isthmus on which the building is situated were too thick to breach, so the fire smoldered on. Students from the nearby university were called in to rescue precious art and furniture, but the building eventually burned to the ground.
From a bird's-eye vantage point on a balcony atop the Capitol, we could see all around the isthmus. Down one road we spied the convention center that was designed by famed Wisconsin architect Frank Lloyd Wright and down another the world-renowned University of Wisconsin. Back inside we stopped in the building's rotunda to listen to protesters who had gathered in song. Their joined voices echoing through the halls were a testament to this capitol's liberal protest policies.
We left the building through the State Street exit, which pointed us in the direction of the university and the shops, restaurants and museums en route. We stopped in at the bright, open Vom Fass shop, where shelves were lined with clear-glass bottles filled with various-hued spirits, olive oils and vinegars. Other nearby stores sold every variety of novelty, game and apparel. Not to be outdone by creative retail spaces was the Museum of Contemporary Art, where we saw paintings, drawings and sculpture.
With time to spare before dinner, we decided to walk a few blocks to Monona Terrace, the local convention center. Designed by Wright in 1938, this controversial building was not completed until 1997. A guide directed us to a museum dedicated to Wright and then to the rooftop terrace where we found a garden overlooking Lake Monona. Kayakers and boaters were taking in the calm evening as bikers swept past on a dedicated bike path and couples snuggled on benches. A plaque tells visitors that singer-songwriter Otis Redding died en route to a Madison performance when his plane crash-landed into the frigid water in December 1967.
Hungry from our exploration, we walked back up to the square and tucked into a quiet restaurant where white linen and an icy martini beckoned. We had stumbled onto a restaurant dedicated to using food purchased at the farmers market earlier in the day. Here we savored chilled strawberry gazpacho made from the very berries we had seen and enjoyed salads and entrees that featured the seasonal produce. Even the martinis were garnished with a chunk of local honeycomb. Aptly named Harvest, it turns out that this restaurant changes its menu regularly based on what is available seasonally from local growers.
Breakfast on Sunday morning was sweet rolls from the previous morning's market before heading to the Unitarian Meeting House. This National Historic Landmark was also created by Wright, and like his other structures, it has low, hidden entrances that expand into wide, high spaces filled with natural light. The architect had a special tie to this building because he had worshipped with this congregation and his father was one of its founding members.
Another destination suggested to us by locals was the Cave of the Mounds, which is a half-hour drive out of Madison in Blue Mounds and well worth the effort to get there. Found by accident in 1939 when workers were blasting out a limestone quarry, this "jewel box" of American caves is an example of both mechanical and chemical erosion. The stalactites and stalagmites in the cave are decorated with intricate webs of deep red iron and azure manganese deposits, and the high ceilings are indicative of the water that eroded underground channels. Where the cave is too narrow to squeeze through, man-made passageways have been excavated to allow visitors secret peeks into its watery depths. In some spots the only way to see the veined stalactites clinging to the ceiling is by looking into glassy subterranean reflecting pools.
Our next stop was filled with sunshine: the hilarious and educational National Mustard Museum in Middleton, where Barry and Patti Levenson welcomed us into their own Condimental Divide. In addition to finding out about mustard's long history, we learned about its medicinal properties and its dangers. Jokes and puns spiced up the information, and we were invited to taste from their stock of hundreds of mustards. We learned to appreciate the caviar-like texture of whole mustard seeds and the variety of flavors and spices added to the old yellow standby. It was hard to walk away with only three in our shopping bag: a lavender wine mustard for hot dogs, a sweet mustard for a ham glaze and a honeyed mustard for dipping pretzels and local produce.
While "Mr. Mustard" sang the Poupon U fight song and presented us with mustard museum graduation diplomas, "Mrs. Mustard" told us what foods would pair well with each of the varieties we had tasted. They provided exactly the right serving of fun and zest to top off our tasty weekend.
WHEN YOU GO
For general information, visit the Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau website: www.visitmadison.com.
Dane County Farmers Market: www.dcfm.org
For a tour of the Wisconsin Capitol: www.tours.wisconsin.gov
Vom Fass: www.vomfassusa.com
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art: www.mmoca.org
Monona Terrace: www.mononaterrace.com
Harvest Restaurant: www.harvest-restaurant.com
Another restaurant with a focus on local foods is Old Fashioned on the Capitol Square, where the state's favorite drink inspires the restaurant's name: www.theoldfashioned.com.
For a tour of the Unitarian Meeting House: www.fusmadison.org/tours
Cave of the Mounds: www.caveofthemounds.com
National Mustard Museum: www.mustardmuseum.com
Lesley Sauls and Glenda Winders are freelance writers. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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