Calling All Home Chefs! Your Best Recipes Needed as Wisconsin’s Biggest Farmers’ Market Turns 50.

Cookbook to showcase unique ways to use Wisconsin-grown or made products from the hundreds of producers at the Dane County Farmers’ Market.

It’s midnight on a Friday, and you’re finally climbing into bed, ready for a full-night’s sleep after a busy work week. Meanwhile, in the tiny Grant County town of Blue River (population 434), a family of farmers is waking up, packing their trucks, and making the trek to Madison and the Dane County Farmers’ Market (DCFM).

Their goal is simple: to sell the freshest, local produce at the largest producers-only market in America.

Every Saturday from April to November, an average of 150 producers a week line the perimeter of the Capitol Square to sell their products: from squash in the spring and berries in the summer to pumpkins in the fall and cookies year-round.

This year, to celebrate the DCFM’s 50th anniversary, veteran cookbook author Terese Allen is collecting  recipes from both market vendors and shoppers to celebrate the best of Wisconsin. Allen is specifically looking for internationally-flavored recipes that show how Wisconsin-grown produce fits into global cuisine.

The DCFM’s included several examples on their website, including:

• Asian-style asparagus with fresh ginger dressing
• Chorizo-feta tacos
• Rhubarb kuchen
• Mushroom ragu
• and More!

“Highlighting top-notch Wisconsin foodstuffs in dishes from around the world, this cookbook will celebrate the DCFM’s community, diversity, and great food,” the site reads.

“So shop local, cook global, and send us your recipes!”

You can submit up to five recipes online through a Google form OR by email,  [email protected].

Recipes will be accepted through the beginning of July, but not all will be included in the final book. Editors are looking for a wide-range of dishes using a variety of ingredients.

“We’re looking for uncomplicated dishes,” the editors add on the cookbook submission form. “We also want the story of the recipe, where and how you found or created it, and what makes it culturally, culinarily, or personally special.”