Summer On The Farm

Air Date:
Heard On The Larry Meiller Show

Every season on the farm brings its own challenges and rewards. Larry Meiller talks with Wisconsin Public Television’s Inga Witscher about summer on the farm.

Featured in this Show

  • Tips For Using Up Excess Garden Vegetables, Courtesy Of 'Around The Farm Table' Host

    People who get a share of produce from a farm through a Community Supported Agriculture program, or who have a sizable garden, may be feeling a little overwhelmed by the bounty of produce they’re harvesting about now.

    Luckily, Inga Witscher, the host of “Around The Farm Table” on Wisconsin Public Television, has great ideas on how use all of those vegetables.

    For starters: “I usually just blend them all together and add vodka,” she said.

    Witscher is only half-joking. Her “go-to recipe” for using up extra vegetables is a cucumber cocktail, which features cucumber puree, a citrus-flavored simple syrup and vodka.

    Witscher said that another favorite way of hers to use up a bounty of vegetables is to mix them into a frittata (basically a quiche without a crust). She finds that it works well for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

    For example, Witscher said she currently has an excess of kale coming out of her garden. As a result, she and her husband Joe Maurer, along with hired hands on the farm they own in Osseo, have been preparing kale frittatas for breakfast. The kale gets sautéed with onion and either bacon or sausage. Finally, a couple eggs are broken on top; those are poached when the frittata is baked in the oven.

    Another option that Witscher enjoys is tossing just about any fresh vegetables with pasta. She is also a fan of pickling vegetables; she loves that it’s easy to create “little hors d’oeuvre-y foods” that way.

    Here is Witscher’s recipe for a refreshing cucumber cocktail (which she says she tries to enjoy after she’s done milking the cows, not before).


    Cucumber cocktail

    Yields 2 cocktails.

    • 2 large cucumbers
    • 1/2 cup water
    • 1/4 cup sugar
    • 1 cup loosely packed lemon balm or lemon verbena leaves
    • 1/2 cup vodka

    To prepare the simple syrup:

    In a sauce pan, combine the water and sugar. Heat over medium-high heat and stir to dissolve sugar. Once the sugar is dissolved, bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Once the mixture reaches a boil, quickly remove from heat. Add the lemon balm or lemon verbena, muddling the leaves with a wooden spoon to release the essential oils. Cover and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain the simple syrup through a fine sieve and cool completely before use.

    To prepare the cocktail:

    Cut the cucumbers into 2-inch rounds and place in a food processor. Process until mixture is smooth (4-5 minutes). Strain cucumber mixture through a fine sieve. Combine cucumber mixture, vodka and simple syrup. Pour into wine glasses or tumblers filled with ice and garnish with cucumber slices, edible flowers or fresh herbs.

Episode Credits

  • Larry Meiller Host
  • Judith Siers-Poisson Producer
  • Inga Witscher Guest

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