Tasting Tour #2

We don't call this blog Cheese Country Realtors for nothing!

Green County is home to many dairy farms, and we make a great deal with the cow's milk produced here. Tasting Tour #2 will feature these dairy products.

Cheese is our most famous product, but we also are home to one of only three homestead, artisan yogurt companies in the state.

Begin your day in Monroe. The Historic Cheesemaking Center is located just off Hwy 69, and it is open from 9 am until 4 pm March through November. Learn about our dairy farming and cheesemking past, about how Green County came to have such a large concentration of cheese factories and master cheese makers.

From there, continue up Hwy 69 to Roth Kase for a self-guided tour of this active cheese factory. The large viewing windows make it easy to see what is happening in the factory, and be sure to pick up some samples in the attached retail space, Alp & Dell Cheese Store.

Grab some lunch at Baumgartner's on Monroe's Downtown Square. Baumgartner's is a famous cheese store and tavern has been on Monroe's Square since 1931. The menu features a variety of cheese sandwiches, hot sandwiches and cheese plates. Feeling adventurous? Go for the Limburger and Onion Sandwich! Wash it down with the local beverage of your choice.

From here, see where the cheese starts - at the farm. This one requires calling ahead for reservations, so plan accordingly. You can visit a Green County Dairy Farm, meet the cows and visit with the farmer. $5 per person. Contact Green County Tourism Office toll free 1.888.222.9111 or email tourism@greencounty.org.

Venture over to Albany next to see another great local dairy product - yogurt! Sugar River Dairy is an incredible local product, one that we have written about before. Learn about it first hand by taking a tour. This one also requires a little planning, so call ahead at 608-938-1218 to make sure they are available for tours as they do their own deliveries to local stores on some weekdays. On your way out of our area (or while you are grocery shopping if you live local), be sure to stop by Brennan's Market to pick up some of this great local product.

Finish your day with a dinner at New Glarus Hotel or Turner Hall (Monroe) for a Cheese Fondue dinner. Have this Swiss classic of cheese, wine and other delicious flavors as your main meal, or both restaurants offer it as an appetizer so that you have room for the other delicious entrees available.

We hope you have enjoyed this second tasting tour. If you are making a weekend of it, combine this with Tasting Tour #1 to explore our great local culinary traditions more fully. If you are coming from out of town, we have some great local lodging options available for you.

Have fun eating your way through Green County!

I am writing these Tasting Tours myself; they are not from any visitors guide book or tourism site. These are just fun ways to spend a day or two here in the Green County area.

See Jane Grow Workshop

Today we have a guest writer on Cheese Country Realtors. Lisa Kivirist is a local author and environmentalist who is a good friend of ours. She and her husband, John Ivanko, own Inn Serendipity, the eco-B&B we have mentioned often in this space. Lisa is also director of the Rural Women's Project, and she is doing a free workshop later this month here in Monroe.

Positive change is brewing in America’s countryside with women-owned businesses growing at twice the national rate. Women also constitute one of the largest, fastest-growing groups purchasing farms today. These trends will be showcased at an upcoming free seminar, “See Jane Grow,” in Monroe on April 30 at 6:00 pm. The interactive seminar offers support to existing women ecopreneurs and those who hold dreams of launching their own business related to food and agriculture.

“From farmers to food artisans, from mompreneurs to retail business owners, women launching green business prioritize more than profit,” explains Lisa Kivirist, co-author of the award-winning book, ECOpreneuring and local innkeeper of Inn Serendipity in Browntown, Wisconsin. Inn Serendipity, a nationally-recognized bed and breakfast, features local, seasonal cuisine and is completely powered by the wind and the sun. “These women ecopreneurs see their business as a tool to transform local communities through changing the food system, emphasizing cooperation over competition, land stewardship and meaning over simply earning a living, and often, integrating their children and family into their livelihood,” adds Kivirist.

Kivirist directs the Rural Women’s Project, a venture of the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service, and will be facilitating this “See Jane Grow” seminar in Monroe and throughout Wisconsin. This seminar brings together various tools, resources and networking opportunities for women to help champion both new start-ups and showcase the stories of successful women already running such businesses that promote healthy and fresh foods, sustainable agriculture, and a vibrant local economy.

“Women in Green County with existing businesses as well as those seeking to start new ventures are encouraged to attend this free event,” explains Cara Carper, Green County UW Extension Educator. “Encouraging such small, green micro-enterprise start-ups will help stimulate positive economic vibrancy in our community by creating self-employment opportunities that also contribute to a healthy, local food system,” adds Carper. During the last recession from 2000 to 2003, micro-enterprise employment grew in Wisconsin while it fell for other employers.

“I started my business because I’m passionate about crafting a livelihood that enables me to steward the land, raise healthy food for my community, express my creative side and share this venture with my family,” explains Kriss Marion, a farmer who will be featured at the April 30 “See Jane Grow” seminar in Monroe. Marion is owner of Circle M in Blanchardville, Wisconsin, where she raises diversified produce and meats as well as Maid Marion, a fiber and educational enterprise. “We rural women ecopreneurs need more opportunities like this upcoming workshop to connect and network with each other and share resources and ideas,” continues Marion.

The “See Jane Grow” seminar will be start at 6:00 pm on Thursday, April 30 and be held at Kookaburras, a culinary and gourmet food shop locally owned by Laura Winters (1609 10th Street, North Side of Monroe Square). A networking reception follows the seminar, featuring locally-produced foods by area women food artisans. The event is co-sponsored by Green County UW-Extension, the Monroe Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Blackhawk Technical College and the Green County Development Corporation. The session is free but space is limited. Pre-registration is required through Cara Carper, UW-Extension

Use Value Assessment

If you are looking at purchasing a rural property, you might see a reference to a Use Value Assessment when looking at MLS property descriptions.

The Use Value Assessment is piece of Wisconsin legislation that tries to prevent urban sprawl and protect agricultural use of our farm land.

When a property is being used for agricultural purposes, it is zoned Agricultural and is assessed differently than land that is zone residential. Agricultural land is assessed at its use value rather than its market value.

When rural property is parceled off from farms to build homes or when small farms are no longer being actively used for agricultural purposes, the land's use changes and the assessment type changes. Wisconsin has a one time tax that applies when this happens, and that is the Use Value Assessment.

Buyers generally are the ones to pay this assessment because the use changes after the sale has taken place. It can be written in to an offer to purchase that the seller will pay this if a buyer prefers, but many sellers do not consent to this. A Realtor can help you figure out if the Use Value Assessment applies and if so, what it is likely to be on whatever property you are interested in.

For detailed information on the Use Value Assessment, please check the Wisconsin Department of Revenue pamphlet on Agricultural Assessments.

Property of the Week

This week's featured property is a starter home in Monroe.

This charming home has been professionally remodeled and updated. It is move in ready for you! There is a new high efficiency furnace, new kitchen appliances, new plumbing and new carpeting throughout this beautiful home. The generous backyard is fenced and has a deck overlooking it. There is a storage shed and plenty of room to play. Why look at those fixer uppers? This home finished and ready for your family.

Things to Do Around Monroe

Even with the holiday weekend, you will still be able to find things to do in the area in the upcoming week.

~ If you need dessert for Easter dinner, the Senior Center is having a pie sale at Amcore bank on Friday starting at 8 am.

~ Easter Egg Hunts! Monticello has theirs in the community park on Saturday at 10:30 am for infants through fifth graders. Krape Parks in Freeport has theirs at 10 am on Saturday. Monroe's will be on Saturday at 1 pm at Twining Park (High School M if weather in case of inclement weather). The Basket Benefit begins at noon.

~ "Godspell" is running again this weekend. These final shows will be on April 9 and 10 at 7:30 PM and April 11 at 2 pm in the Monroe High School Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $10 for members, $12 for non-members for evening shows or $8 matinees for everyone. Check out the upcoming classes on the MTG website as well. There are some great workshops coming up for both adults and children.

~ Greg Anderson band is playing at the New Glarus Hotel on Friday and Saturday evenings.

~ Tofflers in New Glarus has an Easter Brunch on Sunday from 8 am until 3 pm. Reservations recommended. New Glarus Hotel is running their Easter brunch on Sunday morning as well.

~ Highland Community College in Freeport is having a job fair on Tuesday, April 15 from 5 until 7:30 pm and Wednesday, April 16 from 9 am until 1 pm.

~ Professional bakers or want to be bakers! The Wisconsin Baker's Association is having a Baker's Forum on Tuesday, April 14 from 1-4 p.m. at the main Swiss Colony corporate building. There will be a tour of the Swiss Colony Bakery at 1:00. Then at 2:00 will be a presentation topic of "Thinking Outside the box - how do bakers survive this economy". The target audience is individual bakers, small bakery shops, and/or anyone interested in this type of food industry. It is free, but advanced registration is required. Contact Sheila at 608-328-8629.

~ There is another Revitalizing Wisconsin's Downtowns webinar through UW Extension coming up on April 15. This month's topic is Downtown Image and Branding. The webinar will be from noon until 1:30 in the conference room at Wisconsin Community Bank. $12.50 includes lunch.

Whether you are a Green County resident or just coming home to visit for the holiday weekend, come out and enjoy all that our area has to offer.