Venison and Farmer's Market

It was a slow farmer's market this week. I think it was because there was Logger Days going on in Darby....about 2o min from Hamilton. It is quite a fun and popular event. I really wanted to go, but unfortunately I had to work. Oh, well, there's always next year! This coming week's market should be VERY busy. Not only is it Daly Days, but also Brewfest and Art in the Park. Daly days honors Marcus Daly the copper baron responsible for founding Hamilton. He built a huge mansion in Hamilton for his wife to spend the summers here. However she hated it here (she was used to having all the amenities at her disposal like those found in Chicago and NYC) and only spent two summers here. This past weekend I sold out of all but 1 loaf of bread (marbled rye). I even had one guy ask to buy the loaf that I had cut samples off of! So I sold it to him half price! This weekend I think I am going to make sauerkraut rye!

So I love venison...and have not had any in probably about 12 years or so! So I work with Lori and Gary.....Lori is second in charge (used to be #1 but decided to step down) and Gary is Lori's ex. They also now are temporarily living together. So Gary is a huge outdoorsman and hunts just about everything under the sun! So he (and by default, Lori) have a freezer full of venison. Since Gary doesn't cook (and as Lori has put it her days of cooking for him are over and she can't stand it (venison...and well I suppose cooking for that matter as well), and since hunting season is just around the corner. Lori "suggested" that he should get rid of it. So she asked me if I wanted it.....so now I have a freezer full of venison. I was a little worried that it might be freezer burned....but the meat locker where he got it processed did a really good job at wrapping it. They first wrapped it in cling wrap and then freezer paper. So today we made a meatloaf (which tastes really good, but turned out a little dry....not used to cooking with such a lean meat) and a steak recipe that I found it has onions and baby bella mushrooms in it with a sherry sauce(haven't tasted that yet, but it smells wonderful). So I think that the nice thing to do is to bring Gary a plate of each meal....that way he can enjoy his hard work also!