Publisher’s Letter: Winter 2013

As the days become shorter and the temperature drops, I brace myself for another long Wisconsin winter. We Wisconsinites know what’s in store, and we instinctually begin to “hunker down” and try our best to encourage each other to remember the things we love about the cold months: preparing the recipe that Grandma always made for the holidays, going on a sweat-breaking cross-country ski, retreating to your backyard sauna. This time of year, our traditions nourish us, bring us joy, bond our families and communities—and warm our bodies and hearts.

In these pages, you’ll explore with us some of the history and culinary customs unique to the people of our region—such as our sausage culture, the art of ice fishing and our Norwegian neighbors’ love for lefse and lutefisk. These traditions (and so many more) connect us to the generations before us, color our foodscape today and ground us in who we are and this place we all call home.

All of us at Edible Madison wish you the very best this season and hope the stories in this issue bring back memories, make you smile and get you cooking.

With gratitude,

Jamie Lamonde
Publisher